“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, […]
Crumbs From Our Master's Table
[CRUMBS IS ON A TEMPORARY HIATUS UNTIL EST. JUNE 2022]
CRUMBS is a free, daily morsel of truth you can consume in a minute but chew on all day long. It is nourishment for the soul delivered straight from the King's table to your email inbox. Of course, these morsels are not a substitute for the nourishment of the Word and Sacraments served on the Lord's Day, but they are good with coffee or tea in the morning.
Want to have them delivered to your inbox each morning?
The form you have selected does not exist.
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 […]
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 […]
When to Reserve Judgment
“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 […]