Romans 14:20Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.
The setting
Rome, ~57 AD. Paul writes to house churches split between Jewish believers keeping kosher laws and Gentile converts eating everything. Real families are dividing over dinner tables.
The emotion here: frustrated pastor watching his congregation split over secondary issues
The original word
katalyō (καταλύω) — to tear down completely, demolish a building brick by brick
Why it matters
Roman dinner parties often featured meat sacrificed to pagan gods, creating daily dilemmas for new Christians
Read with care
What most readers miss in Romans 14:20
Paul says 'all food is clean' but immediately prioritizes relationships over rights
Common misconceptionPeople think this is about food rules, but Paul is addressing how to handle any disputable matter without destroying relationships in the process.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Romans 14:20
Bible Genome reading
Romans 14:20 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Romans 14:20 comes from the book of Romans, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Paul. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the teaching genre of biblical literature. Key themes include priority, consideration, stumbling. Notable phrases: Don't overthrow God's work; all things indeed are clean. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Romans 14:20 mean to you, today?
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