The Bible Reveals when Jesus was Born!
When was Jesus Born?
The Christmas story found in the Holy Bible (Luke 2) is cherished by all Christians. The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is the most important event in history, next to the day of His resurrection.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘firstborn of the new creation’ (Luke 1:35; Col 1:15) and ‘firstborn of the dead’ (Col 1:18; Rev 1:5). Likewise, we are born of the flesh, then born of the Spirit (John 3:6-7; 2 Cor 5:17), and will be raised from the dead (Rom 8:11). This is the miraculous gospel of salvation.
While multitudes around the world celebrate “Christmas”, whether they focus on Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) and/or the birth of Jesus Christ, all Christians know Jesus was not born on December 25th. This date was established by the Roman Catholic church in approximately 360 AD, when they held a special mass to honor Christ, while the pagan world celebrated Saturnalia, a feast honoring the birth of their sun god. This eventually became known as "Christ-Mass". Why would we willingly celebrate Christmas on December 25th, knowing its pagan origins? Does it attract those of the world to the true God when they confuse the birth of YHWH with the birth of the Roman sun god? Why not celebrate the birth of Christ on His true birthday? Is He pleased? That is the question.
You may be shocked to find out that 'Mass' actually means DEATH ~ quite the opposite of BIRTH! Christ-Mass is interpreted DEATH of CHRIST.
My subjective thoughts on the matter include how many of our celebrated ‘holy days’ (aka holidays) revolve around ‘saints’. Clue? Saint Valentine, Saint Patrick, All Saints Day, Saint Nicholas…come on. How blind are we? None of these saints are in the Bible. While the world may celebrate those they've deemed as ‘saints’ (who have passed on, no less), I celebrate the living God with the living saints (followers of Christ)! While Catholicism embraced pagans and their practices in order to grow their members, that and their ongoing violation of the second commandment tell me NOT to follow them down that road. Is it not ironic that the true saints of God who opposed the RCC were burned at the stake?
There are many historical and pivotal events in the history of the Church. Why don’t we move to make straight the crooked ways of the world? This is hardly martyrdom, in comparison to what the saints back in that day suffered. Did you know the Bible gives us clues to the exact date, and even the timeframe of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? You might be surprised to find it appears to be September 11, 3 BC.
The Bible gives us Clues!
In the gospel of Luke (3:1) Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The Bible gives clues that John was born around the time of Passover (Nisan, in the Spring) and Jesus was born six months later, placing His birthdate in the Fall (Tishri). Jesus was 30 years old at the time of His baptism. Luke tied this event to the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar (which was in 27-28 AD). This would then place the birth of Christ in approximately 3 BC. While there's so much information out there confirming the birthdate of Jesus, here's just one noteworthy observation:
Let's look at Rev 12:1, 2 and 5:
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” (KJV)
Historian Ernest L. Martin consulted NASA lunar-phase tables and found the image of the heavens in Revelation 12, the time of Jesus’ birth. “‘The moon under her feet’ could only occur during an eighty minute period on September 11th of 3 BC between sunset at ‘6:15pm and moonset at 7:45pm’ (The Birth of Christ Recalculated and The Star that Astonished the World, page 85, 1996.)
The Star of Bethlehem
Nativity scenes often include three wise men bowing at the cradle of the newborn babe. This is certainly not biblical. The Magi came from the East, following the great star that appeared in the sky over Bethlehem. Just how long was that star in the sky anyway? They certainly didn’t make the trip in a day. It’s possible it took over a year and would have placed them in Jerusalem about December of 2 BC. Jesus would have been 15 months old.
Is it any surprise that in 3 and 2 BC there were numerous conjunctions involving Jupiter, also known as the kingly or righteous planet (Craig Chester, Co-founder of the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy, The Star of Bethlehem):
August of 3 BC - Jupiter and Venus
September of 3 BC - Jupiter and Regulus
February of 2 BC - Jupiter and Regulus
May of 2 BC - Jupiter and Regulus
June of 2 BC - Jupiter and Venus
In Jesus Christ our Promised Seed, Victor Paul Wierwille states:
“As the Magi approached Bethlehem, Jupiter finally ‘stood over’ where the child was, the area of Bethlehem. The time period in which the Magi traveled to Bethlehem could only have been between December 4, 2 BC, when Jupiter could be seen in this position over Bethlehem, and before January 9, 1 BC, when the events surrounding the death of Herod began.”
Mat 2:16 aligns with the age of Jesus at that time: “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men (because they did not return to tell Herod where Jesus was), was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.” (KJV)
The Death of Herod
The following excerpt is taken from a publication called Prophecy Truths - Exact Date of Yeshua's Birth Part 5:
"What about the death of Herod as it relates to all this? After all, many scholars have said that king Herod died in 4 BC or 5 BC? Dr. Ernest L. Martin in his book, laboriously goes through each possibility for the death of king Herod and with a number of other scholars, proves that Herod died a couple of weeks after the total lunar eclipse of January 10, 1 BC. He pinpoints the date of death of Herod to about January 29, 1 BC plus or minus a couple of days.
Flavius Josephus wrote many details surrounding the death and burial of king Herod in his Jewish Antiquities. He writes that king Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse. The lunar eclipses for that period of time in Israel were:
7 BC - no lunar eclipse
6 BC - no lunar eclipse
5 BC - total lunar eclipse on March 23, time between eclipse and Passover was 29 days
5 BC - total lunar eclipse on September 15, time between eclipse and Passover was 7 months
4 BC - partial lunar eclipse on March 13, time between eclipse and Passover was 29 days
3 BC - no lunar eclipse
2 BC - no lunar eclipse
1 BC - total lunar eclipse on January 10, time between eclipse and Passover was 12.5 weeks.
Dr. Martin and a number of other scholars have shown that given the details by Josephus and other historians of that time, that king Herod had to have died almost 3 weeks after the lunar eclipse. Then there were preparations for a royal burial and a 30-day period for the procession and burial. After that was over, the new king, Archelaus took care of many royal duties before Passover. Given all this, the two springtime lunar eclipses in 5 and 4 BC could not possibly be the lunar eclipse preceding king Herod's death. You'll have to read Dr. Martin's book to get all the details and other supporting information.
The point is that scholarship by Dr. Martin and others proves that what the Bible code shows in relation to the birth of Yeshua (Jesus) is both reasonable and expected."
Rosh Hashanah!
Finally, it is a beautiful revelation that the very day of our Lord’s birth in 3 BC was also the start of the Judean New Year known as Tishri 1 (The Day of Trumpets)! Today it’s called Rosh Hashanah. This Judean New Year started at sunset on September 11th of 3 BC at 6:15 pm, precisely when the “woman was clothed with the sun and the moon was under her feet”. This was the birthday of our King, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach!! It is no wonder; it is wonderful ~ for God’s timetable is perfect.
As I continue to research the birthdate of Christ, there are many articles. I have given three links below, the last of which reveals the Bible code, and I quote the result: "What it shows is that Yeshua (Jesus) was born on Rosh Hashanah (head of the year), which is also called Yom Teruah (day of blowing) and in English the Feast of Trumpets. It's also Rosh Khodesh which means the head of the month. Rosh Hashanah occurs on the 1st of Tishri every year in the jewish calendar, and is in the fall of the year. The matrix shows that the birth occurred in the jewish year 3759, which is the fall of 3 BC. In 3 BC, the 1st of Tishri occurred on September 11th. With the matrix showing Rosh Hashanah, Yom Teruah, Rosh Khodesh, and 'on 1 Tishri', it is clearly showing 1 Tishri as the exact day of Yeshua's birth."
So, as for me and my house, the nativity will be displayed (without the wise men) in September!!
Referenced sources:
http://ad2004.com/Biblecodes/articles/yeshuabirth2.html
http://www.bytheword.com/birth
http://ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/Yeshua/yeshuabirth5.html
http://members.cox.net/8thday/birth.html
- The Truth Behind Christmas
I dont know if you're like me. Its taken me 46 years to finally want to know where our Christmas traditions come from. The closer I get to the Lord, the more I am uncomfortable about things I used to...
Comments
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on September 10, 2015:
Hi Gideon, I very much appreciate your comment. Yes, I am dead set on things until something credible trumps it, so as of late, have not come across anything to cause me to soften. I do believe in a 9/11/3 BC birth and a Passover 30 AD death, on a Wednesday. As you can see in just this article (and I've written many more regarding Catholicism, the Mother of Harlots), no Catholic commentary or link has any credibility. Jesus said three days and three nights - that means "or a combination of any part of three separate days" is simply contradicting what Jesus said - in other words, a LIE.
Love you and God bless!
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on February 13, 2015:
Hello, Israel -- I did a little research to compare the calendars: Roman (pre Julian), Julian and Gregorian.
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC and replaced the earlier Roman calendar. When using a calendar converter of Tishri 1, 3 BC (Hebrew) to the Julian Calendar of that era, the date lands on 9/10-11 (or 9/11 as the 24-hour Hebrew day).
The Gregorian calendar was founded by Pope Gregory VIII in 1582 AD, so is irrelevant, as it did not exist at the time of Jesus' birth. 9/11 3 BC would be equivalent to Tishri 4 on the Hebrew calendar. So, we're talking a 3-day difference.
The Hebrew year 3759 was the Roman calendar year 3 B.C. This link shows that the evening of Sept 10 through the evening of Sept 11 (which as a Hebrew day would be Sept 11) is equivalent to the Hebrew calendar, Tishri 1. http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=-2
If you find information to the contrary, please share your resources. Thank you and God bless.
Israel on February 12, 2015:
A correct date for Christ's birth is worth nothing unless we know what calendar it belongs to - Gregorian or Julian. Not a single article or book, including Dr Martin's reveals that information. In English that's called insanity.
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on January 13, 2015:
Well, Steven, Christians that "acknowledge that Jesus/ Yeshua was born on Christmas day" are acknowledging a LIE. If the Truth is in us and we are to live and walk in the Truth, we need to first KNOW the Truth and repent from our error - repent from the LIE. The Catholic church altered the very Scriptures we read and have taught their congregants LIES. Because they forbid their congregants from reading the Bible for themselves, they got away with this deception. Protestants got ahold of the Scriptures and published them for everyone to read; however, even they must find the alterations because they stick out like a sore thumb and have no second witness (the criteria of God for establishing Truth). Even with the alterations, the Bible does NOT support celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25th, the birth date of the pagan sun god and furthermore, celebrating it in the same way the pagans do their gods. In fact, the Bible FORBIDS it. Blessings to you.
Steven on January 12, 2015:
That is not true Christians do acknowledge that Jesus/ Yeshua was born on Christmas day don't forget many Christians were Catholics before converting to Christianity. Whether they were Roman Catholics or Catholics still form of Catholicism. They are songs on Birth Of Jesus on Christmas Day. Don't know why Christians don't celebrate Hanakkah When Jesus Yeshua had no problem with it Yet He is a Jew.
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on December 29, 2014:
God chose just 12 men to spread the Truth of the gospel throughout the world. There are far more than 12 born again Christians that are blowing the trumpet about Christ Mass and begging their brothers and sisters to "Come Out of Her, My People"! I don't know WHY God convicted all of us who have pulled out of Christ Mass to do so, if it wasn't IMPORTANT to Him! There are those "Christians" who DARE to declare Satan is using us to take "Christ out of Christ Mass"?!! That is blasphemy. Christmas is NOT about Christ, period. May God bless you for remaining obedient to Him and supporting the Truth for the body of Christ.
Lostsheepfound on December 25, 2014:
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23, 24 KJV)
Thank you JD, for being an encouragement to me to remain strong in the conviction the Lord has so graciously given me to worship Him in spirit and truth. He will not share His glory with another. To God alone be the glory!
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on December 19, 2014:
Brian, here is a Catholic article (so, it's not biased against Catholics) -- you can do further research on what "Mass" actually means. What we CAN agree on is, it DOES NOT MEAN LIFE OR BIRTH. Christ Mass is "Christ Dismissed" or "Christ is Sacrificed", NOT "Christ is BORN".
"How the Mass is a sacrifice, and why so many deny this doctrine..." http://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/04...
Brian on December 19, 2014:
Where does it say that "MASS" means "Death"? I find no such definition. What is your source please.
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on December 01, 2014:
Hello Laura, I appreciate where you are and am encouraged that Jesus may just lead you out -- Do you read your Bible or do you just feast on all the symbolism your "shepherds" feed you to 'authorize' worshiping God in these ways ("converting pagan symbols").
Let's read Leviticus 10:1-2 when Aaron's sons (Moses' nephews) decided to worship God contrary to His instructions: "Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."
We can also go back to when Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the 10 Commandments from the LORD in Exodus 32 -- what caused Moses to smash the commandments when he came down to the people? God was furious and so was Moses. They had gathered their gold and made a golden calf to be the symbol of the God who just delivered them from Egypt! Shouldn't that have been a good thing? That broke Commandment #2, specifically!
How about God's command that we NOT worship Him the same way pagans worship their gods? (Deut 12:30-31) Have your 'shepherds' missed that somewhere along the way? I hope you don't miss it.
How do you feel about praying to and through statues of 'saints'? Please look up the Catechism set of the 10 Commandments and compare them to Exodus 20, namely vs. 4. You won't find the 2nd commandment about bowing down to idols in the Catholic Catechism set. Rather they split the ninth into two, so you will see 10 and never question it. Does that slightly concern you, that they are forbidden to take away from God's Word? (Rev 22:19) Woe ---
Please hear the voice of the angel of Rev. 18:4 ~ "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;". I'm just a voice here -- praying people God has called to hear will indeed hear. That word is 'Sh'ma' as in "Hear, O Israel...." It means not only to hear with your ears, but OBEY.
Laura Wells on November 29, 2014:
So, I will break down what I know. Christmas is celebrated after the shortest day of the year, to acknowledge that Jesus brings the light. The evergreen tree (which was part of pagan worship) was converted into a Christian symbol, as Jesus never dies, just as the evergreen is always green. The pieces of metal placed on the tree were red balls to indicate the blood shed by our Lord on the cross and then there were bread type cookies placed on the tree to represent that He is the bread of life. The pagans of that time learned to associate all their pagan symbols with Jesus as they converted to Christianity, not the other way around. The Church did not "stoop to paganism", they TRANSFORMED it. Do you really thing God would be unhappy that thousands of pagans became Christians with the help of transforming their pagan symbols into Christian symbols? I hate to say it, but your anti-Catholic views prevent you from seeing the good that was done with a mere "Christmas" tree.
I also wonder why you, in the year 2014, interpret the bible better than anyone in the year 100, or 200, or 800, or 1,000? It's sad that I worship Jesus, just as you do, yet you would probably not acknowledge that, as I worship as a Roman Catholic.
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on October 19, 2014:
Yes, I think the Church should have continued to observe the feasts, for not all have been fulfilled. We do see the angels announcing the birth of our Savior and King, so it was obviously something to celebrate! We just shouldn't be celebrating it at the time and in the ways the pagans do their gods. Appreciate the comment, celafoe. God bless you!
charlie from From Kingdom of God living on Planet earth in between the oceans on October 18, 2014:
EVERY holiday and celebration in the old testament was given by God with detailed instructions, when , where, how, for how long etc.
I have a problem with all this attention to celebrate His birth which He did not tell us the date of. BUT HE DID tell us to CELEBRATE HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION, WHICH WAS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF HIS BIRTH. Why would I waste my time on information that He did not consider worth my knowing? I choose to follow Him and that which is important to Him. Doing otherwise is to me a waste of time and effort
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on July 12, 2014:
Melissa, We also don't twist Scripture to fit our needs. We worship God with our lives. It's not just a religious service held once or twice a week of singing, praying and listening/reading Scripture. We can't control the calendar or the days of the week. We live IN this world, but are not to be OF it. We CAN control HOW we worship God. Regarding the golden calf - this was used as a symbol or idol to worship God, the God who just delivered them out of Egypt. Christ-Mass trees are used as symbols or idols to worship God. God does not want us worshiping Him as the heathen worship their gods. There's no more to be said on that matter.
Regarding the biblical feasts - they are obviously a shadow of something real. Jesus fulfilled all but the Fall feasts. If we observe them, we know they are still a shadow of the reality found in Christ. In no way do the biblical feasts resemble pagan holy days.
Regarding the Sabbath Day - Heb 4:1-11 tells us what the Sabbath rest is. We do as we are convicted by the Spirit. We are to obey our LORD. There are many people who are making excuses to be in the world and OF it, stamping the name of Jesus on it and calling it holy. God tells us not to call what is evil good or good evil. In fact, He says "Woe to them". I will continue to testify that God's People need to come out of worshiping God in pagan ways. What they have the power to control, control. They are not accountable for things they cannot control.
Melissa on July 12, 2014:
well, I don't think we can dismiss scripture so it fits our needs. isn't this what the Pharisee did? isn't this a classic example of what Jesus says when He points out that people were ignoring their parents to give their tithe to God?
http://www.gci.org/church/holidays/paganism
I wonder, do you wear a wedding ring? Do you pray? Do you sing songs to God? do you have any little figurines in your home or out in your garden? do you forbid the names of the days of the week, or perhaps the names of planets in our solar system (among many other names of things)? These are all things that can be considered pagan! that certainly does not mean you worship anything but our living God. I definitely know the puritans banned Christmas. its not a surprise. I have studied this subject many years since I was raised to only celebrate the holy days that God created. we did the whole thing, got rid of our unleavened bread and all. only went to church on Saturdays. all the while thinking that others were using excuses to worship God in false ways and were displeasing Him.
when I read the Exodus scripture you posted I do not see how they were worshipping God AND the calf. to me, its clear they were REPLACING God with the calf. which is certainly wrong, and certainly idol worship. so no reason God would be pleased with it.
Deut 12:3-4 I think you mistake this. I have pictures of Jesus and crosses all over my home. my parents certainly had none. I agree, if you worship these things, they should not be there. these are not alters of worship, nor do we pray to them as the pagans did. they believed in those articles as their Gods, I do not. these are reminders in my home of who saved me. when my children see these crosses they know we do not worship a picture. they do know however when they see a cross, they are reminded of our Lord and Savior and what He did for us.
I do believe people can fall in love with Christmas more than God. as well as anything in our lives. our families, our things (hoarding), etc. the devil will tempt us with anything and everything he has, so we have to keep our hearts toward Jesus and walk with Him much! I do obey my Lord, each and everything He tells me to do. and I tell you this... He has asked me to stop condemning His people with what I thought I was doing right. I have already been rejected by my family for this. I say if He convicted you of something, you better obey Him. otherwise, you are sinning. I was 29 years old before I met my Savior, and I will never go back to what I was before. all the things I did before were worthless rags, even though I thought I was right. If He leads you to stop something, do it with your whole heart. but please be careful how you treat His people for not doing the same. this is displeasing to Him as well. I don't believe you are sinning. I believe you are doing what you were commanded to do. I also know He is a redeeming God and can change things for his glory as He wishes, no matter who meant them to be evil. take care and God bless
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on July 11, 2014:
Jason, I did not post your links, but invite you to read my response to Melissa and hope you will read and view, as my testimony is to draw God's children out of the world and under His wings.
Judah's Daughter (author) from Roseville, CA on July 11, 2014:
Hi Melissa, yes those who wish to find some way to excuse the worship of God with Christmas trees, yule logs, mistletoe, wreaths, Santa Clause with his reindeer and the whole nine yards will often quote what you have shared here.
I would like to take you back to the golden calf at the base of Mt. Sinai. Read Exodus 32, noting vs. 7-8 "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. "They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, 'This is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'" Wow. Who were they worshipping with the golden calf? The same God you and I do! Was God pleased??
Let's look at Deut 12:3-4 "And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves [Asherah] with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way."
Here's a couple of things I hope you will take some time to read/view:
My hub on the Pagan Origins of Christ-Mass: https://discover.hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/...
And, a video taken of a Christ-Mass parade in Austria two years ago -- you will notice St. Nicholas at 3:35. http://youtu.be/jLIMEdHWDco
I can tell you that people have actually fallen in love with Christmas more than they love God. If God says, "Don't worship Me in this way" are you going to obey Him, please Him? Or, are you going to keep denying what He says because you love the 'holy' day so much? Because people would think of you as a strange, religious person and possibly reject you? Even your own family? Well, guess what. I obeyed the LORD, though it took me two years to do so. He continued to convict my heart and I had to obey Him.
My family has accepted that I don't celebrate and they know why. They choose to continue - they will have to deal with this issue as a personal one between them and our God. Each of us is accountable to do as the LORD leads us to do. And He did not lead us to celebrate Christ-Mass. A false religious system called the Catholic Church and traditional practice has brought us where we are today.
You might even be surprised to know that Christ-Mass was banned in the colonies by the Puritans in early America...praying for you in my heart, Meslissa.
Melissa on July 11, 2014:
Thank you miss! and God bless you! I guess I didn't mean 'to celebrate His birthday, but to celebrate that He was indeed born. I do think that our God is a God of hearts. and this is why He doesn't require us to be circumcised or that what we eat would make us unclean. so if someone worships God, yet has a Christmas tree, or even 'believes' that is the day to celebrate His birth, they are obviously not worshipping another god or idol. what they are doing is for Him in their heart. Just like Jesus healing on the sabbath. Jesus says...' And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”-Mark 7:20-23 and does Romans 14 not speak of this very thing?
14 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.
10 So why do you condemn another believer[a]? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say,
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.[b]’”
12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.