Romans 14:1-9

1: Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
2: One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.
3: The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
4: Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5: One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.
6: He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
7: For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
8: for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9: For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

*** 

Paul addressed matters of conscience regarding topics which some believers might struggle with. Things they observed prior to coming to Christ like holy days, dietary restrictions, or even eating food offered to idols. Paul instructed patience in these areas to both the “weaker” and stronger Christian.

The weaker would include those who were hesitant to let go of their prior ceremonial acts of worship and traditions, not fully knowledgeable of the freedom Christ has provided. Having observed certain days as holy, and having strictly eaten, not eaten, or prepared foods a certain way as an act of worship, or in obedience to the Law, Paul knew it might take them a while to fully believe and adapt into what it means to have salvation provided for by faith and grace. For those who ate food sacrificed to idols in worship of idols, it might take a while for them to become fully knowledgeable of the fact that idols are not real and therefore have no power, so eating food offered to them doesn’t really do anything good or bad.

Paul advised not to try to argue people out of their convictions—trying to make them do something contrary to what was in their heart. They were doing it as unto the Lord, as an act of reverence to Him. We must allow the Holy Spirit to be the one who brings conviction to a person in these areas and lead them on the path they are to follow. 

Each believer receives faith and must grow into the fulness of the knowledge of the Lord. The stronger should not judge the weaker, nor should the weaker judge the stronger for we are all servants of Christ and we each live or die for Him. In the end, it’s not an outward conformance of behavior that matters, but each person’s inner faith in Christ.




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