“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” -Romans 14:4 What Paul is saying is that each is responsible to his own master, the Lord Jesus Christ. […]
For God Has Welcomed Him
“Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.” -Romans 14:3 Paul now lays out an example of the potential kinds of conflict between believers in matters of personal persuasion regarding dietary laws (14:5). […]
Patience Over Legitimate Differences
“One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.” -Romans 14:2 As Paul exhorts the body of Christ to unity, he highlights one of the areas most prone to cause division among believers, laws concerning eating and drinking. In his letter to the Colossian Christians, Paul encouraged them not to […]
Welcome Those Who Are Weak in the Faith
“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” -Romans 14:1 At this point, Paul narrows his focus from general exhortations to community life, or church-oriented exhortations. Recall the chiastic structure that guides us through Paul’s thoughts as he is writing to the Romans. 1:1-17 Introduction 1:18-3:30 […]
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” -Romans 13:14 As Paul, in verse 13, first exhorted from the via negativa (i.e., not in not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy), he now, in verse 14, […]
Let Us Walk Properly
“Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.” -Romans 13:13 Given their place in history as the new humanity, the new Israel, the new people of God, Paul urges them to join him in walking properly: ““Let us walk […]
The Day is at Hand
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of […]
Social Media for the Long Game
I hear about a lot of people who consistently use social media for a lengthy period of time and come to discover that it can be a pernicious distraction from more important things like researching and writing a dissertation. Consider Cal Newport’s research on this in his book, Deep Work. Personally, I have noticed that […]
The Hour Has Come
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” -Romans 13:11 Not only does Paul want the believers at Rome be motivated by love for one another, but he also appeals to their knowledge of […]
Love Fulfills the Law
“Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” -Romans 13:10 This verse is merely a summary of Paul’s exhortation to not withhold from any that which is due them, be it money, honor, or obedience, but especially love. When we truly love our neighbors, we are doing the […]