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Priscilla: Romans 14:1-12
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

1 And receive the one who is weak in the faith, not to judgments of your thoughts.

2 One indeed believes to eat all things, but being weak, another one eats vegetables.

3 The one eating, do not despise the one not eating. And the one not eating, do not judge the one eating, for God received him.

4 Who are you judging another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. But he will stand, for God is able to make him stand.

5 One indeed judges a day above another day; and another one judges every day alike. Let each one be fully assured in his own mind.

6 The one minding the day, he minds it to the Lord. And the one not minding the day, he does not mind it to the Lord. The one eating, he eats to the Lord; for he gives thanks to God. And the one not eating, he does not eat to the Lord, and gives thanks to God.

7 For no one of us lives to himself and no one dies to himself.

8 For both if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Then both if we live, and if we die, we are the Lord’s.

9 For this Christ both died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord over both the dead and the living.

10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why also do you despise your brother? For all shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

11 For it has been written, “As I live, says the Lord, that every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue confess to God.” Isa. 45:23

12 So then each one of us will give account concerning himself to God.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, today I offer You my reflection on the Word of God in Romans 14:1-12 about how to behave towards weaker brothers and sisters in the faith.

Dear God, I understand verses 1 to 3 to mean that the Apostle Paul taught the believers how to behave towards those who were weak in the faith because they lacked a deep understanding of Your Word. He advised the Church to accept them, teach them Your Word, and help them apply it in their lives. The Church should not look down on them or judge their weak faith, for You have accepted them.

Dear God, I understand verses 4 to 6 to mean that in the New Testament era, no day is more important than any other, for You, God, have made each day and everything good according to Your holy will. Those who observe and keep the festival days and abstain from certain foods are not wrong, but they should not judge others who do not keep the festivals or abstain from certain foods. Whether we keep the festivals or not, or eat certain foods or not, we do it for You, God, with a heart of reverence and thanksgiving to You.

Dear God, I understand verses 7 to 8 to mean that to live for You is to follow Your every command and always strive to please You. To live for You is to live a holy life as a new creation in Christ, having been born again. It means dying to our old selves and living as new beings with a new purpose in Christ Jesus. It means being willing to sacrifice our lives for You, to be imprisoned, to suffer, or to be sick, as long as it brings glory to Your Name and benefits Your Church, leading many people to salvation.

Dear God, I understand verse 9 as follows: The Lord Jesus Christ offered His own life as a sacrifice to redeem humanity from sin. However, the Lord Jesus Christ was also resurrected because He was a righteous person and had not committed any sin. His fleshly body was resurrected and will live forever. He is the ruler of both the living and the dead. Those who believe in His salvation will be raised to glory and given a new fleshly body just like His resurrected body.

Dear God, God’s people should not judge those who are weaker in faith or less knowledgeable than themselves. God knows the faith of each person, and those who are weak in faith should be humble, learn, and obey the teachings of their brothers and sisters in the Church. God will protect their faith and make them stand firm and strong.

Christ, who is the head of the Church, is the one who judges the faith of each person. Therefore, no one has the right to judge others concerning how much faith they have based on the Word of God. Christ will judge everyone in the Church on the day He comes to take the Church out of this world. Those who believe in Him but do not obey His Word will be left behind. Only those who believe in Him and live according to His Word will be transformed, taken up into the air, meet Him, and receive rewards according to their service to Him.

May Your grace and peace always cover me, dear God. Please increase my faith so that I may always stand firm in You. Please refresh my soul. I am grateful to You. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
04/09/2023