“For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.” -Romans 14:15 The strength of Paul’s admonition—“do not destroy the one for whom Christ died”—indicates that he is speaking of matters here more profound than […]
Nothing Is Unclean In Itself
“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” -Romans 14:14 At this point, Paul finds it helpful to lay out the truth of the matter concerning meats in light of the new creation in Christ. But prior to […]
Clear the Way
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” -Romans 14:13 Early in my studies, I was introduced to a saying that whenever you see a “wherefore” or a “therefore” you must go back and see […]
The Judgment Seat of Christ
“for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” -Romans 14:11–12 Citing Isaiah 45:23, Paul now demonstrates that attitude which ought to possess the hearts of every believer, […]
The Judgment Seat Belongs to God
“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;” -Romans 14:10 Paul exhorts both parties to cease their unseemly criticisms toward one another. His use of brother here implies that there exists, by virtue of a shared […]
The Problem with Confessing Our Sins
There are ultimately two ways we can handle our sins. The first is the way the Bible instructs us to do it: confess and forsake our sins as soon as we recognize them as such. Consider the various admonitions in the Bible relating to this way of handling sin: “I acknowledged my sin to you, […]
Lord of All
“For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.” -Romans 14:9 It is to “this end,” the end that we all belong to the Lord and seek to honor the Lord, that Christ “died and lived again.” Why then should we wrongfully […]
We Are the Lord’s
“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” -Romans 14:7–8 The broadest possible meanings of these verses are […]
In All Things Honor and Thanks to God
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while […]
Fully Convinced
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” -Romans 14:5 The fact that Paul moves from using dietary laws as his example in matters of personal persuasion to now using holy days as his examples implies that he […]