Man Paul Drives Me Nuts!

As I've shared before I really have trouble with some of Paul's writings.  It just seems to me that Paul is way more liberal than Jesus.  And quite honestly I fund some of Paul's writings to just be psychobabble gobbldy gook. 

Let me give an example from Romans.
 

Romans 14:1-23(NKJV)

1Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 

2For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 

3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 

4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

5One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 

6He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 

Seems to be saying let your conscience be your guide and don't be judgmental of those who see things differently than you.  I can go along with that to a certain extent.

7For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 

8For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 

9For to this end Christ died £and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 

10But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of £Christ. 

11For it is written:      “As I live, says the Lord,     Every knee shall bow to Me,     And every tongue shall confess to God.” £

12So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 

Here he ties it all in to following Christ.  He seems to be saying don't judge your brother, let Jesus sort it out at the end.  That seems to contradict what is written in 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 5:20-21(NKJV)

20Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

21I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. 

Is Paul suggesting that when we see people sinning we should just ignore it and let God sort it out at the end?

13Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

OK, that sounds nice.

14I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 

Really?  Nothing?  Isn't that then the same as the battle cry from the 60s and 70s?  If it feels good do it?  If nothing is unclean as Paul says then are there no limits whatsoever?

15Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 

16Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 

17for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Really?  So then shouldn't all Christians immediately stop eating shell fish so that there is no chance of that standing in the way of even one Jewish person converting to Christianity?  Since Christian symbols "grieve" Muslims is Paul suggesting that we totally hide all references to our faith in the hopes that it might lead a Muslim or two to our faith….which we are now hiding? 
 

18For he who serves Christ in £these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

19Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 

20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 

21It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles £or is offended or is made weak.

22£Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 

Excuse me?  Did Paul just say keep your faith to yourself?  And talk about psychobabble.  Condemned by what he approves?  I approve of righteousness.  Why would I be condemned for that?  I approve of tithing.  Why would I be condemned for that?  I approve of reading God's Word.  Why would I be approved for that?
 

23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is £sin.

  
This final verse I can agree with but even here I think it could use some clarification.  I think ultimately that is what he was trying to say all along but I just think he does a poor job of saying it.     

What I think needs clarification is that if you do something that the Bible has already declared as sinful, no matter how much faith you have it is still a sin.