1. The folly of judging one another 14:1-12

The apostle dealt first with the importance of not judging one another. This was a particular temptation to those Christians who believed that they should refrain from some practices that they believed were displeasing to God but which other Christians felt were legitimate. When Paul wrote, this group included Jewish Christians who because of their background in Judaism tended to perpetuate the practices commanded in the Mosaic Code. In our day this group includes Christians who for one reason or another do not believe certain amoral practices are proper for a believer even though other Christians judge them permissible.³⁸²

"This paragraph divides into three sections: vv. 1-3, 4-9, and 10-12. The divisions between the sections are marked with similar rhetorical questions, each using the second person singular: Who are you who is judging the servant of another?' (v. 4a); Why are you judging your brother?' (v. 10a). . . . The first (vv. 1-3) and the third (vv. 10-12) state in almost identical language the main point of the paragraph: the strong' are not to despise' the weak'; the weak' are not to judge' the strong' (cf. vv. 3a and 10a). In the central section, vv. 4-9, Paul provides the theological foundation for these commands: every Christian is a servant of the Lord; and it is to that master,' and not to any other fellow servant, that the believer must answer."³⁸³

14:1 Paul spoke here to those who, as himself, understood the implications of Christian liberty. The other group, the weak in faith, consisted of those whose faith was not strong enough to enable them to exercise the full liberty they had in Christ.³⁸⁴In view of what Paul wrote about the weak they appear to have been Jewish Christians who refrained from certain foods and observed certain days because they remained loyal to the Mosaic Law. Peter at one time struggled with the extent of his liberty and moved from being weak to being strong in faith (Acts 10). However in the process of his growth he had a relapse (Gal. 2:11-12). The weak in faith have a sensitive conscience about doing things that might be unwise. A sensitive conscience is a good thing, but it can sometimes lead a person to restrict his or her freedom unnecessarily. Paul urged the Christian who appreciated the extent of his freedom to accept his weaker brother as an equal. Nevertheless he was not to accept him and then condemn him mentally, much less publicly, for his scruples.

14:2 Here is a specific case of disagreement. Paul did not say why the weaker brother chose not to eat meat. This brother's reasons were immaterial to Paul. The point is that for some reason this Christian believed that he would please God more by not eating meat than by eating it. He was wrong. God has not forbidden Christians to eat any food (1 Tim. 4:3-4). Eating food is an amoral matter. It is neither morally good nor morally bad. The contrast with life in Israel is again striking.

14:3 The person who eats should not view himself as superior even though he is right or look down on his extremely sensitive brother with a condescending attitude. The weaker brother should not judge the more liberal Christian as unacceptable to God either because God has accepted him.

14:4 The weaker brother needs to remember to whom the stronger brother is responsible and leave his judgment to God. Paul assured the weaker brother that the stronger brother would stand approved by God because God approves his liberty. God's grace provides both the possibility and the power for standing. The first part of this verse sounds very much like 2:1 and 3, where Paul rebuked the self-satisfied Jew.

14:5 Here is a second illustration. In this case the weaker brother does something and the stronger does not (v. 6). This is the opposite of the situation that Paul pictured in the previous illustration. Again the reason the weaker brother observes the day is immaterial. The point is that he observes the day. When Paul wrote, Sabbath and Jewish feast day observances were matters of disagreement among Christians. The Jewish believers tended to observe these and the Gentile believers did not. Today the idea that by observing a certain day we please God more than we would if we did not is quite common. Some Christians believe that we should behave differently on Sunday, during Lent, or on some other "religious"day.

14:6 The most important thing is to seek to please the Lord in all that we do. Christians will come to differing conclusions about what this means in practice, but their submission to Jesus Christ's lordship is primary. Paul meant that one person does not eat meat and another does eat meat, but both give God thanks for what they do eat (v. 2; cf. 1 Tim. 4:5).

14:7-8 In verse 7 Paul did not mean that our behavior influences other people. Obviously it does. He meant that no Christian should live to please himself alone but should live to please the Lord. The context makes this clear (vv. 6, 8). Really the dedicated Christian's desire to please the Lord will continue beyond the grave so Paul could also say that we do not die for ourselves. Our whole existence this side of the grave and the other, in life and in death, should express our commitment to please the Lord (8:38-39; cf. Phil. 1:20; 2 Cor. 5:9). Death does not just mark a transition for the Christian from struggle to rest. Death is also a doorway that leads to new enlarged opportunities for service and worship (cf. Luke 19:11-27). Intimate relationship to the Lord is and remains of primary importance. God controls the events leading to our deaths as He does those governing our lives.

14:9 Jesus Christ also lived, died, and lives again. Consequently He is Lord of both those who have died and those who are still alive. Paul's point was that He is the Judge, and we are not.

14:10 Both the critical weaker brother and the scorning stronger brother are guilty of the same offense, namely judging prematurely and unwarrantedly. Note that Jesus Christ (v. 9) is the God (v. 10) who will judge. This then is another reference to the judgment seat (Gr. bema) of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; cf. 1 Cor. 3:12-15).³⁸⁵

14:11 Everyone will bow in judgment before the Son of God (Isa. 49:13; 45:23; cf. Phil. 2:10-11). Christians will do so at the judgment seat of Christ following the Rapture (Luke 14:14; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; 1 Cor. 4:5; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12). Old Testament saints will do so at the Second Coming (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2). Unbelievers will do so at the great white throne judgment at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15). Of course, no one judged at the judgment seat of Christ will be an unbeliever. The Lord will judge us to determine our faithfulness to our stewardship during our earthly lives. The judgment we receive will apparently determine our opportunity to serve Him in the future (Luke 19:11-27).

14:12 In this summary statement Paul identified the personal responsibility of every Christian to give account of himself or herself to God. We will not have to answer for our fellow Christians or anyone else, but we will have to account for our own deeds.

"We stand before God in the awful loneliness of our own souls; to God we can take nothing but the self and the character which in life we have been building up."³⁸⁶

In this pericope (vv. 1-12) the apostle stressed the folly of judging our fellow Christians who relate to amoral practices differently from the way we do. There is a strong emphasis on recognizing Jesus' lordship in our lives in these verses. The word "Lord"occurs seven times in verses 5-9.