◄ Romans 14 Devotional Commentary ►
Romans 14:1
Paul's closing remarks in his epistle, start to challenge the more spiritually mature believer who may rejoice in the gracious liberty he has in Christ Jesus while harbouring his own ungodly attitudes towards the personal practice of those that are weaker in the faith, exposing an unchristian bias against those that are spiritually immature or weaker in certain doctrinal issues.
Although we should not compromise the glorious read more...
Romans 14:5
In Romans 14, Paul touches on an important biblical principle of living in the liberty we have in the Christ Jesus while addressing our attitude towards fellow believers whose viewpoints may differ from our own. They may come from a different culture, participate in alternative customs, or find their conscience forbids them to behave in a certain way, or they may enjoy the complete liberty that is ours in Christ.
Paul explains: read more...
Romans 14:7
Legalism and license can become a 'ping-pong' type argument that often rages in Christian quarters, between: 1) The dangers of legalism which replaces the freedom we have in Christ with a string of man-made rules, and the reintroduction of Jewish practices which were set aside at the Cross. 2) The perils of license which abuses the freedoms we have in Christ as an excuse to sin. Neither legalism nor licence are biblical, and Paul read more...
Romans 14:8
Jesus is our Saviour - He is our Lord - He is our God. Jesus saved us by grace. Salvation (which translates into eternal life and all its attendant benefits), is His gift of grace to all who believe in Him, through faith. The price He paid for us was His own life and as believers we should be living unto the Lord, living to please our Saviour for the honour of His name and to the glory of God. We belong to Him and we stand or fall before Him alone.
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Romans 14:9
As believers, we are called to do everything as unto the Lord. In word and deed, action and attitude, mind and motive, we are to live our lives as unto the Lord. All that we say and all that we do is open before Him and subject to His eye of scrutiny. All that we are in thought, word, and deed, is susceptible to His divine approval or His righteous displeasure.
Whether we live or whether we die, we are to do everything as unto the read more...
Romans 14:12
Paul is reminding us that we alone are responsible for our words, our deeds, and the way that we conduct our life, but so also are our brothers and sisters in Christ. They too are individually responsible for what they say and what they do, what they eat or what they drink, what they wear or where they go.
However, too often we become critical of Christian brethren who do not conform to our own set standards of preferred read more...
Romans 14:16
Christians live under grace and not under law. We are not bound by food laws as were the children of Israel, nor by a dress code as were the priests of Jehovah. But neither should we criticise those who choose to follow their consciences in certain matters. We are not required to worship on a specific day nor are we commanded to keep certain feast days, special festivals, or the many ordinances imposed by man; for as believers in the age of grace we are free from read more...
Romans 14:17
In totality, the kingdom of God reaches to every place in the entire universe, stretching through time and beyond eternity, but in His revelation to man which is detailed in the Scriptures, the kingdom of God almost always restricts its horizons to God's current work and future rule, through a group of His obedient servants.
The kingdom of God is that heavenly sphere of life where His children are willingly governed by the Holy read more...
Romans 14:17
Paul's full and thorough presentation of the gospel in Romans, places the Christian pilgrim on a firm foundation. It brings us, step by step, into spiritual maturity and holy living. It develops in us a steadfast faith with a Christlike attitude towards others. Slowly it helps to conform us into the image and likeness of the lovely Lord Jesus, as we develop in godly discernment and wisdom from above.
This epistle lays a solid read more...
Romans 14:19
Glance through many Christian social media sites and you often discover a critical spirit surfacing and a judgmental attitude being fostered, and yet Paul spends much of his time urging brothers and sisters in Christ to live together in godly harmony.
Paul is absolutely clear in all his teachings that the essentials of the gospel of grace and the good news of salvation in Christ must never be compromised: "Where read more...