MUTUAL EDIFICATION, Dr. Samuel Lee
WE BELONG TO THE LORD
Passage: Romans 14:1~12  
Key verse: 8
The Weak and the Strong
14 Accept the one whose faith is weak,(A) without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.(B) 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt(C) the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge(D) the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?(E) To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another;(F) another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God;(G) and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone,(H) and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.(I) 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life(J) so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.(K)
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt?(L) For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.(M) 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’(N) says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b](O)
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.(P)
Footnotes
- Romans 14:10 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.
- Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23
Cross references
- Romans 14:1 : Ro 15:1; 1Co 8:9-12; 9:22
- Romans 14:2 : ver 14
- Romans 14:3 : ver 10; Lk 18:9
- Romans 14:3 : ver 10, 13; Col 2:16
- Romans 14:4 : S Mt 7:1
- Romans 14:5 : Gal 4:10; Col 2:16
- Romans 14:6 : S Mt 14:19; 1Co 10:30, 31; 1Ti 4:3, 4
- Romans 14:7 : 2Co 5:15; Gal 2:20
- Romans 14:8 : Php 1:20
- Romans 14:9 : Rev 1:18; 2:8
- Romans 14:9 : S Ac 10:42; 2Co 5:15
- Romans 14:10 : ver 3; S Mt 7:1
- Romans 14:10 : S 2Co 5:10
- Romans 14:11 : Isa 49:18
- Romans 14:11 : Isa 45:23; Php 2:10, 11
- Romans 14:12 : Mt 12:36; 1Pe 4:5
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Accept others without passing judgment (1-8)
Christians are different. We come from different cultural backgrounds. We must love and accept one another as Christ loved and accepted us. Gospel truth cannot be compromised, but there are some disputable matters about which we can agree to disagree. We should not judge others or argue about whether to eat meat or which day to keep holy or how baptism should be administered, etc.. We must live before God, for we belong to him.
2. We will stand before God's judgment seat (9-12)
Christ died and returned to life so that he might be
the Lord of all. He alone is the judge (Jn 5:26-27). Each of us must examine himself or herself and be prepared to give an account of our lives before God. We do not need to make comparisons or judge others. We must acknowledge the Lordship of Christ, do what pleases him, and be prepared to stand before the judgment seat of God.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be strict with myself and generous with others. Help me to live before you.
One Word: Whether I live or die, I am the Lord's