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Timothy: 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, I praise You and thank You for giving me another day to live. I am content contemplating the Eternal Living Word of God and serving You. I pray to Christ for strength and to the Holy Spirit for wisdom. I am grateful to Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, I would like to present my understanding of Romans 14:1-12 to You.

I understand verse 1 to mean that the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, teaches God’s people to accept those brothers and sisters who have weak faith. Weak faith belongs to those who have just come to the Lord, who do not yet have much knowledge of the Word of God and who have some misunderstandings about it. Nevertheless, their faith in God is genuine. Those who have knowledge of the Word of God must receive them and help them understand it correctly. They should never judge brothers and sisters with weak faith for their lack of understanding or incorrect understanding of the Word of God.

Dear Father, I understand verses 2, 3, 5, and 6 as follows: In the time of the Apostle Paul, the Church only had the Old Testament Scriptures. Other teachings had to be heard from the apostles. Therefore, many people of God who read the Old Testament Scriptures saw that there was a law prohibiting them from eating unclean food and a law requiring them to observe the seven feasts of God, so they abstained from unclean food and observed the feasts. However, those who had knowledge of the New Covenant knew that abstaining from unclean food and observing the feasts of the Old Covenant were a way of expressing the hope of what Christ would do for humanity in the New Covenant. When Christ came, the people of God no longer needed to perform those symbolic rituals, including circumcision. Those who have such knowledge are people of strong faith. People of strong faith should not ridicule or have prejudice against those who have weak faith. On the contrary, they must receive them and help them progress in understanding the Word of God and living according to it. Even if those who have weak faith cannot initially accept the truths of the New Covenant, those who have strong faith must be patient with them. The fact that they abstain from unclean food or observe the feasts is due to their respectful faith in and obedience to God. On the other hand, those with weak faith should not criticize those who, because of their faith, do not abstain from foods that used to be considered impure or do not observe the festivals of the Old Testament. They do not do these things out of a lack of faith, but out of a different understanding of God’s will.

Dear Father, I understand verse 4 to mean that the people of God do not have the right to judge each other’s faith if that faith is based on the Word of God. This is exemplified by faith in whether or not to eat foods considered impure and whether or not to observe the festivals of the Old Testament. The term “judgment” used in this sentence is not related to judging those who sin and do not repent. Rather, it is the Holy Spirit who teaches the people of God to judge one another and to cut off communication with those who do not repent. Those who have sincere faith but do not fully understand the Word of God will be helped by the Father to grow and become steadfast in their faith.

Dear Father, I understand verses 7 and 8 to mean that all true children of God live and die for God. To live for God is to live according to His holy will, to glorify Him, and to find joy in Him. To die for God means first to die to the old, sinful, and corrupt nature in order to receive the new nature of love, holiness, and righteousness from God. Additionally, to die for God is to be willing to sacrifice one’s life to save brothers and sisters in the faith and to uphold the faith when persecuted. I understand that when a person truly belongs to God, they completely entrust their life and death to God. They are not afraid of suffering in life or of death, for they know that whether they live or die, they are in the love of God.

Dear Father, I understand verse 9 as follows: Christ, who has experienced death and resurrection, is completely the Lord and Master of those who belong to Him, whether their physical body is alive or dead. The current state of the physical body is not a matter of concern, for it cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. When the time comes, the body that has died will be resurrected, and the living body will be transformed into a glorious, immortal body that can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Dear Father, I understand verse 10 as follows: The judgment referred to in this verse has the same meaning as the judgment mentioned in verse 4. It is the judgment of brothers and sisters in the Lord regarding their weak faith when they do not have a correct and complete understanding of God’s Word, or it is the judgment of brothers and sisters in the Lord about their character and habits that one does not like, even though those characters or habits are not sins. Prejudice leads to hatred and contempt. The people of God must accept each other and be friendly with one another, as long as no one commits a sin. The people of God cannot have prejudices against each other due to their different preferences and personalities.

I understand that the day when Christ comes to take the Church out of the world is also the day when He will judge the Church. He will bring rewards to reward the Church in the air, so the judgment of the Church will have to take place on that day. On that day, many people who claim to be the people of God will be left behind because the Lord does not know them. They only use the name of God to do evil things, especially those who preach false doctrines and lead many people into destruction. On that day, many people will have achieved much in preaching the Gospel and building the Church, but they will not receive a reward apart from being allowed into heaven because what they did was for the praise of men. They have already received their reward from the praise of men. On that day, many people will not receive a reward because they have prejudices and contempt for their brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Dear Father, I understand verses 11 and 12 to mean that although Christ is the judge in judging the Church, the people of Israel, the whole world, and in the final judgment, He does so in Your presence. Therefore, in each judgment, the accounts of those being judged are before You.

Dear Father, please help me to always love my brothers and sisters in the Church more than I love myself, to respect one another, and to accept those who have weak faith. I thank You. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
04/09/2023