Romans 14

This chapter belongs to the section of practical exhortation that begins in Romans 12. Having said in Romans 13 that love fulfills the law, Paul now applies that love to differences of opinion within the community. The theme continues into the opening of Romans 15.

Outline

• Verses 1-4 Paul calls on believers to receive the one who is weak in faith without passing judgment on his doubts. Using the analogy that no one may judge another's servant, he explains why the one who eats all things and the one who eats only vegetables should neither despise nor judge each other.
• Verses 5-9 Both the one who esteems one day above another and the one who esteems every day alike do so unto the Lord. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
• Verses 10-12 All will stand before the judgment seat of God. Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23.
• Verses 13-16 Believers are not to put a stumbling block before a brother. Nothing is unclean of itself, yet no one should destroy a brother over food.
• Verses 17-21 The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Believers should pursue peace and edification, and it is good to abstain even from meat and wine if eating or drinking them would cause a brother to stumble.
• Verses 22-23 Whatever is not done from faith is sin.

Key Verses

• Romans 14:8 "Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." A confession that both the life and the death of the believer belong to Christ.
• Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Frequently quoted as a concise summary of the nature of the kingdom of God.
• Romans 14:23 "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Often cited as a basis in discussions of the relationship between conscience and faith.

People and Places

No individuals are named. Paul, the author of the letter, addresses "the strong in faith" and "the weak" in the church at Rome.

Points for Reflection

• The identity of the weak is disputed. Some interpreters see them as believers who kept the dietary laws and festivals of the Jewish law; others see them as believers who avoided meat offered to idols. Those who hold the latter view read the chapter alongside 1 Corinthians 8.
• The "day" in verses 5-6 is cited in debates over the Sabbath and the Lord's Day. The Seventh-day Adventist Church holds that these verses refer to ceremonial feast days rather than the weekly Sabbath. Other denominations generally read them as addressing the observance of feasts and days in general.
• In some manuscripts, the doxology of 16:25-27 appears at the end of chapter 14.

In the Korean Church

Verse 21 is frequently cited as grounds for abstaining from alcohol and tobacco. Churches and denominations differ on whether the verse should be read as a basis for absolute prohibition or as a principle of consideration for one's brother. Verses 7-8 are often used as a sermon text at funeral services.