“All Things Are Pure” — What Does Paul Mean?

One of the most misunderstood phrases in Romans 14 is Paul’s declaration:

“All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.” — Romans 14:20 (KJV)

At first glance, it seems sweeping—all things? Surely Paul doesn’t mean lying, stealing, or revenge are pure. And he doesn’t. The key lies in context, and in rightly dividing between moral absolutes and matters of conscience.

Romans 14 is not a chapter about sin in its raw form. It’s a chapter about liberty, conscience, and the delicate dance between personal persuasion and communal edification. Paul is addressing believers who differ in their convictions about food, drink, and holy days—issues that are not inherently sinful, but can become spiritually harmful when handled carelessly.

When Paul says “all things are pure,” he’s speaking of externally lawful, morally neutral actions—especially those tied to ceremonial or cultural observances. Eating meat, drinking wine, esteeming one day above another—these are the “things” in view. They are pure in themselves, but not always profitable. And if a believer partakes without full persuasion, or in a way that causes offence to another, that same pure thing becomes evil in its effect.

“I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” — Romans 14:14 (KJV)

This is not moral relativism. Paul is not saying sin is subjective. He’s saying that in matters where Scripture grants liberty, the conscience must still be honoured. If a believer acts against their own conscience—doing what they think might be wrong—they are not walking in faith. And “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (v.23).

So “all things” in this chapter are not universal. They are limited to those things which are not condemned elsewhere in Scripture. Lying, stealing, and revenge are morally impure and always sinful. But eating meat offered to idols? Drinking wine in moderation? Observing a feast day? These are pure—unless they are done with offence, without faith, or in disregard of a weaker brother’s conscience. (See also: 1 Corinthians 8:8-13; 1 Corinthians 10:23-33)

This is the beauty of Romans 14. It teaches us that liberty is not licence. That purity is not just about the thing itself, but about the heart and the context. And that walking charitably sometimes means laying aside our rights for the sake of another’s growth.

“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” — Romans 14:19 (KJV)

In Christ, we are free. But we are also called to love. And in that tension, we find the true meaning of purity—not just in the thing, but in the spirit by which it is done.