1 Corinthians 3

1 Corinthians 3:1

The Governing Authorities

In Romans 12 you discovered you have to deal with people around you, both believers and unbelievers, in different ways. You also saw how to behave toward everyone. In this chapter we see proper behavior toward those in authority, the government.

Romans 13:1. These instructions are without any exceptions, so no matter what type of government is in power, we are told to “be in subjection to the governing authorities”. The reason is that the authorities “are established by God”. If you want to be subject to God, you must listen to the government and the police.

Romans 13:2-4. Not doing this will bring judgment on you. You don’t have to fear the authorities if you’re doing what is good. The authorities will praise you if you do what is good. But if you do what is wrong, they will deal with you in an unpleasant way. Government is “an avenger who brings wrath” on those “who practice evil”. It has the right and the duty to do this. It must protect its subjects against injustice and violence. It has received means to do this, including administration of justice, imprisonment and capital punishment.

Romans 13:5. But you shouldn’t be subject just out of fear, but because the government is God’s minister. It is representing God on earth and exercises authority on His behalf. If you see this, then you will be subject to it because of your conscience.

It’s not always easy to be subject to the government. It wasn’t easy for Paul either. He wrote this to the believers in Rome who were living under a cruel tyrant, the emperor Nero. ‘But that certainly wasn’t a government as God meant it to be’, you may think. ‘Why should one have to be subject to it?’ Today, too, there are governments of which you could say the same thing.

Another thought about the government that applies more to those living in the so-called free Western world is: ‘If the decisions made by the government are wrong decisions, we must oppose them.’ This reasoning is all around you. Civil disobedience is encouraged, but we shouldn’t become involved with such things. Through all this it is important to maintain our view of the government as the institution God has placed over us and to which we must be subject. God has given authority to it.

But we cannot be obedient in things that require us to act contrary to what God says in His Word. Acts 5 says: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). But even if we cannot obey in some matters, we must still be subject to the government by not showing a rebellious spirit. You can see a rebellious spirit all around you. People with such a spirit disagree with all kinds of laws. They feel taken advantage of and start protesting.

Here is an example of a law you couldn’t obey: the prohibition of Christians coming together. The Lord wants us to gather together (Hebrews 10:25). Other examples of laws we could not obey may include no distinction being made between marriage and just living together, or that homosexuals must be given the right to behave according to their feelings. At the same time it remains in all such situations important to consider for yourself that the governing authority is there because God has established it.

Perfect government will only be here in the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus. Then everything will be perfectly righteous and according to perfectly righteous laws. At the moment, this isn’t the case and you need to take care not to oppose the government.

Romans 13:6. The taxes you pay are in relation with government. Whether you like it or not, part of your salary is kept back. It’s a matter for the government to decide what to do with it. In the same way, it is expected that you will do everything the government asks of you. For example, how do you act on the road? Do you observe the rules the government has established?

Romans 13:7. A Christian knows what it means to give. To give doesn’t always mean it happens voluntarily. “Render” is an obligation. Do not shirk your duty, but give all their dues. Don’t cheat on your tax forms; respect those who are appointed above you; give them the honor and the esteem due them. In all this you can show that you’re a Christian who respects God’s will. Then God will give you what’s due you.

Now read Romans 13:1-7 again.

Reflection: How can you, in your situation, show you recognize the authorities as an institution of God?

1 Corinthians 3:2

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:3

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:4

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:5

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:6

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:7

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:8

Put On the Lord Jesus

Romans 13:8. Getting into debt is easy to do. It is even presented as an attractive option. You don’t have to deny yourself a little luxury. Borrow some money at a low rate of interest and your life will be more pleasant. With reasoning like this, many people have incurred deep debts. A Christian is permitted to have only one real debt, and that’s a debt that will never be repaid here on earth – to love one another. Loving others is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:9-10. The law prohibits a number of things that could be to someone’s disadvantage. But love hurts no one. So, one who loves others will not injure them.

‘But’, you say, ‘I don’t live under the law any longer. It was clear from Romans 7 that I have been freed from the law.’ This is true and these verses do not contradict this. They say if you love others, you will do nothing prohibited by the law. In this way you fulfill the law. Love is not an achievement you reach because the law asks you to do this. Love is the expression of the new life that seeks to do good to others. If you seek another person’s well-being and not his ill, then clearly you will fulfill the law automatically, so to speak.

Romans 13:11-12. Next we are given an extra reason to fulfill this responsibility of loving each other – the coming of the Lord Jesus. In his first letter, Peter also connects these two things: the coming of the Lord and loving each other. In 1 Peter 4 he first writes about the end of all things and then about loving each other (1 Peter 4:7-8).

Thus, it is time to wake up from your sleep, to stand up. Wipe clean your eyes and look how much the night has advanced because it is a pitch-black night in the world. Night indicates the spiritual darkness that has come in by sin. But the day is close; the day will break when the Lord Jesus appears in this world. In Malachi 4 He is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). David, in his last words, speaks of Him as “the light of the morning [when] the sun rises” when “a morning without clouds” begins (2 Samuel 23:4). Every eye will see Him then (Revelation 1:7).

Every day brings you closer to that moment. You’re now closer to it than when you first believed. If your “salvation is nearer” now, this implies in a certain sense you’re not saved yet. Your salvation isn’t complete yet, for the salvation of your body is still in the future. Romans 8 says we have been saved in hope (Romans 8:24).

So when it says here that you’re not yet saved, this has to do with the dangers that exist and the battle still to be waged. To overcome in this battle you must obey the orders of headquarters. Listen carefully to the orders here. You have to “cast off” something and “put on” something else.

First let’s consider the casting off. We are to “lay aside the deeds of darkness” because they belong to the night. Every kind of sin is a deed of darkness. Is there anything left in your life you know to be sin? Break with it! You can do this by mentioning this sin to the Lord and telling Him you have been wrong about it. Ask Him to help you not give in again to that sin. In Proverbs 28 there is a great encouragement to confess transgressions that says: “He who confesses and forsakes [them, i.e. his transgressions] will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

When you have done this, there will be room for the “armor of light”. You can put this armor on. These weapons are different from the ones used by the world. The weapons of light are spiritual weapons. The Lord Jesus calls Himself the light. You’ll get these weapons from Him and He will instruct you on how to use them to overcome. In the Gospels you can see how He used them. The devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. Then finally he tried his last three temptations, but the Lord Jesus beat the devil, by saying: “It is written.”

Romans 13:13. Once you have cast off and put on, then comes an exhortation to walk in a proper way. The characteristics mentioned in this verse can be abundantly found in the world, but they are not appropriate for you. You don’t belong to the darkness where the sins of this verse reign supreme; you belong to the day. In your life “the sun of righteousness” has already risen. You may walk in the light of that Sun Who is the Lord Jesus.

Romans 13:14. Then you’re exhorted to put on not only the armor of light, but also the Lord Jesus Himself. He is named here with His full name. To put Him on means the same as – maybe it sounds irreverent, but this is the meaning – putting on a jacket that can be seen by others. By thinking highly of yourself and being busy with yourself, dirty spots are going to mar and ruin that beautiful jacket. When the Lord Jesus comes, then it will be too late for everyone who did not choose Him. But you and I may display Him to the world today. What a blessing it would be if this brought others to know Him and accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

Now read Romans 13:8-14 again.

Reflection: How do you notice that it’s night in the world and how can you let your light shine?

1 Corinthians 3:10

Accept One Another

Romans 14:1. Here begins a new section of the letter. It runs from Romans 14:1-15:7. What these verses are about is shown by the first and last verse. Both verses say that we have to accept one another. This is important because you know that all Christians do not think the same about a number of things. To make the differences clear, Paul presents two believers. The one is called “weak” and the other is called “strong”.

The way faith is experienced doesn’t determine whether someone is strong or weak in the faith. And it isn’t the difference between living fleshly and spiritually either. If so, then in this case, the strong would be living spiritually and the weak would be living fleshly. What we have here is the influences from the past that may be playing a role in the Christian’s life. Most notably, this points to converted Jews who still adhered to certain Old Testament ordinances.

Romans 14:2-6. For examples, to eat or not to eat certain food and observing days as being more important than other days are mentioned. In these things, Christians can be weak.

Those Christians are weak who are of the opinion they must still adhere to ordinances concerning food as given to Israel. In addition the weak are those Christians who feel they must observe certain sacred days as Israel knew them and also think of the so-called Christian feasts. Some think in all sincerity that we must observe these days. So, the weak one in the faith is not the negligent or unfaithful Christian, but rather a Christian who is very meticulous in his Christian walk.

In contrast, the strong one in the faith knows he can eat anything, except the things mentioned in Acts 15:29. And he knows the only day that is distinguished from other days for the Christian is the first day of the week. In Revelation 1 this day is called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10), that is, the day which belongs to the Lord.

How you look at certain sacred days depends on your knowledge of your position in Christ. One who knows he is a new creation in Christ will not make an issue of things like food and days. He knows how to deal with them.

But that’s not the end of the subject. The importance of this portion is not how to deal with food and days, but how to deal with one another. If another has a viewpoint different from mine, do I despise him (when I belong to the strong ones) or do I judge him (when I belong to the weak ones)? We must accept one another, keeping in mind that the other one is doing it for the Lord. This is the motive. We should occasionally ask ourselves, and one another, the question: ‘Am I doing, or not doing, this for the Lord?’ Then we will reach a certain conclusion for ourselves while others may reach a different conclusion. Everyone must be fully convinced in his own mind.

If this is accepted by us, there will not arise a dispute when we talk with each other about these differences. Everyone is personally responsible to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord is mentioned in this passage? The other one is under His authority and not under yours or mine; he is the servant of Another and subject to Him.

We should be happy that debatable questions are dealt with in this manner. Our inclination is to give out prescriptions and to try to fix everything. This would leave nothing as an exercise of conscience. We need to be kept standing by the Lord. Knowing this will keep us from an arrogant attitude. In addition, we will gain the joyful experience that the Lord is able to make us stand.

Isn’t the aim of what we do, that the Lord will receive the honor due Him? This finds its expression in Romans 14:6, saying that both the one and the other “gives thank to God”. Our hearts will go out to Him and we will stay together in His presence.

Now read Romans 14:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are you weak or strong?

1 Corinthians 3:11

Accept One Another

Romans 14:1. Here begins a new section of the letter. It runs from Romans 14:1-15:7. What these verses are about is shown by the first and last verse. Both verses say that we have to accept one another. This is important because you know that all Christians do not think the same about a number of things. To make the differences clear, Paul presents two believers. The one is called “weak” and the other is called “strong”.

The way faith is experienced doesn’t determine whether someone is strong or weak in the faith. And it isn’t the difference between living fleshly and spiritually either. If so, then in this case, the strong would be living spiritually and the weak would be living fleshly. What we have here is the influences from the past that may be playing a role in the Christian’s life. Most notably, this points to converted Jews who still adhered to certain Old Testament ordinances.

Romans 14:2-6. For examples, to eat or not to eat certain food and observing days as being more important than other days are mentioned. In these things, Christians can be weak.

Those Christians are weak who are of the opinion they must still adhere to ordinances concerning food as given to Israel. In addition the weak are those Christians who feel they must observe certain sacred days as Israel knew them and also think of the so-called Christian feasts. Some think in all sincerity that we must observe these days. So, the weak one in the faith is not the negligent or unfaithful Christian, but rather a Christian who is very meticulous in his Christian walk.

In contrast, the strong one in the faith knows he can eat anything, except the things mentioned in Acts 15:29. And he knows the only day that is distinguished from other days for the Christian is the first day of the week. In Revelation 1 this day is called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10), that is, the day which belongs to the Lord.

How you look at certain sacred days depends on your knowledge of your position in Christ. One who knows he is a new creation in Christ will not make an issue of things like food and days. He knows how to deal with them.

But that’s not the end of the subject. The importance of this portion is not how to deal with food and days, but how to deal with one another. If another has a viewpoint different from mine, do I despise him (when I belong to the strong ones) or do I judge him (when I belong to the weak ones)? We must accept one another, keeping in mind that the other one is doing it for the Lord. This is the motive. We should occasionally ask ourselves, and one another, the question: ‘Am I doing, or not doing, this for the Lord?’ Then we will reach a certain conclusion for ourselves while others may reach a different conclusion. Everyone must be fully convinced in his own mind.

If this is accepted by us, there will not arise a dispute when we talk with each other about these differences. Everyone is personally responsible to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord is mentioned in this passage? The other one is under His authority and not under yours or mine; he is the servant of Another and subject to Him.

We should be happy that debatable questions are dealt with in this manner. Our inclination is to give out prescriptions and to try to fix everything. This would leave nothing as an exercise of conscience. We need to be kept standing by the Lord. Knowing this will keep us from an arrogant attitude. In addition, we will gain the joyful experience that the Lord is able to make us stand.

Isn’t the aim of what we do, that the Lord will receive the honor due Him? This finds its expression in Romans 14:6, saying that both the one and the other “gives thank to God”. Our hearts will go out to Him and we will stay together in His presence.

Now read Romans 14:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are you weak or strong?

1 Corinthians 3:12

Accept One Another

Romans 14:1. Here begins a new section of the letter. It runs from Romans 14:1-15:7. What these verses are about is shown by the first and last verse. Both verses say that we have to accept one another. This is important because you know that all Christians do not think the same about a number of things. To make the differences clear, Paul presents two believers. The one is called “weak” and the other is called “strong”.

The way faith is experienced doesn’t determine whether someone is strong or weak in the faith. And it isn’t the difference between living fleshly and spiritually either. If so, then in this case, the strong would be living spiritually and the weak would be living fleshly. What we have here is the influences from the past that may be playing a role in the Christian’s life. Most notably, this points to converted Jews who still adhered to certain Old Testament ordinances.

Romans 14:2-6. For examples, to eat or not to eat certain food and observing days as being more important than other days are mentioned. In these things, Christians can be weak.

Those Christians are weak who are of the opinion they must still adhere to ordinances concerning food as given to Israel. In addition the weak are those Christians who feel they must observe certain sacred days as Israel knew them and also think of the so-called Christian feasts. Some think in all sincerity that we must observe these days. So, the weak one in the faith is not the negligent or unfaithful Christian, but rather a Christian who is very meticulous in his Christian walk.

In contrast, the strong one in the faith knows he can eat anything, except the things mentioned in Acts 15:29. And he knows the only day that is distinguished from other days for the Christian is the first day of the week. In Revelation 1 this day is called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10), that is, the day which belongs to the Lord.

How you look at certain sacred days depends on your knowledge of your position in Christ. One who knows he is a new creation in Christ will not make an issue of things like food and days. He knows how to deal with them.

But that’s not the end of the subject. The importance of this portion is not how to deal with food and days, but how to deal with one another. If another has a viewpoint different from mine, do I despise him (when I belong to the strong ones) or do I judge him (when I belong to the weak ones)? We must accept one another, keeping in mind that the other one is doing it for the Lord. This is the motive. We should occasionally ask ourselves, and one another, the question: ‘Am I doing, or not doing, this for the Lord?’ Then we will reach a certain conclusion for ourselves while others may reach a different conclusion. Everyone must be fully convinced in his own mind.

If this is accepted by us, there will not arise a dispute when we talk with each other about these differences. Everyone is personally responsible to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord is mentioned in this passage? The other one is under His authority and not under yours or mine; he is the servant of Another and subject to Him.

We should be happy that debatable questions are dealt with in this manner. Our inclination is to give out prescriptions and to try to fix everything. This would leave nothing as an exercise of conscience. We need to be kept standing by the Lord. Knowing this will keep us from an arrogant attitude. In addition, we will gain the joyful experience that the Lord is able to make us stand.

Isn’t the aim of what we do, that the Lord will receive the honor due Him? This finds its expression in Romans 14:6, saying that both the one and the other “gives thank to God”. Our hearts will go out to Him and we will stay together in His presence.

Now read Romans 14:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are you weak or strong?

1 Corinthians 3:13

Accept One Another

Romans 14:1. Here begins a new section of the letter. It runs from Romans 14:1-15:7. What these verses are about is shown by the first and last verse. Both verses say that we have to accept one another. This is important because you know that all Christians do not think the same about a number of things. To make the differences clear, Paul presents two believers. The one is called “weak” and the other is called “strong”.

The way faith is experienced doesn’t determine whether someone is strong or weak in the faith. And it isn’t the difference between living fleshly and spiritually either. If so, then in this case, the strong would be living spiritually and the weak would be living fleshly. What we have here is the influences from the past that may be playing a role in the Christian’s life. Most notably, this points to converted Jews who still adhered to certain Old Testament ordinances.

Romans 14:2-6. For examples, to eat or not to eat certain food and observing days as being more important than other days are mentioned. In these things, Christians can be weak.

Those Christians are weak who are of the opinion they must still adhere to ordinances concerning food as given to Israel. In addition the weak are those Christians who feel they must observe certain sacred days as Israel knew them and also think of the so-called Christian feasts. Some think in all sincerity that we must observe these days. So, the weak one in the faith is not the negligent or unfaithful Christian, but rather a Christian who is very meticulous in his Christian walk.

In contrast, the strong one in the faith knows he can eat anything, except the things mentioned in Acts 15:29. And he knows the only day that is distinguished from other days for the Christian is the first day of the week. In Revelation 1 this day is called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10), that is, the day which belongs to the Lord.

How you look at certain sacred days depends on your knowledge of your position in Christ. One who knows he is a new creation in Christ will not make an issue of things like food and days. He knows how to deal with them.

But that’s not the end of the subject. The importance of this portion is not how to deal with food and days, but how to deal with one another. If another has a viewpoint different from mine, do I despise him (when I belong to the strong ones) or do I judge him (when I belong to the weak ones)? We must accept one another, keeping in mind that the other one is doing it for the Lord. This is the motive. We should occasionally ask ourselves, and one another, the question: ‘Am I doing, or not doing, this for the Lord?’ Then we will reach a certain conclusion for ourselves while others may reach a different conclusion. Everyone must be fully convinced in his own mind.

If this is accepted by us, there will not arise a dispute when we talk with each other about these differences. Everyone is personally responsible to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord is mentioned in this passage? The other one is under His authority and not under yours or mine; he is the servant of Another and subject to Him.

We should be happy that debatable questions are dealt with in this manner. Our inclination is to give out prescriptions and to try to fix everything. This would leave nothing as an exercise of conscience. We need to be kept standing by the Lord. Knowing this will keep us from an arrogant attitude. In addition, we will gain the joyful experience that the Lord is able to make us stand.

Isn’t the aim of what we do, that the Lord will receive the honor due Him? This finds its expression in Romans 14:6, saying that both the one and the other “gives thank to God”. Our hearts will go out to Him and we will stay together in His presence.

Now read Romans 14:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are you weak or strong?

1 Corinthians 3:14

Accept One Another

Romans 14:1. Here begins a new section of the letter. It runs from Romans 14:1-15:7. What these verses are about is shown by the first and last verse. Both verses say that we have to accept one another. This is important because you know that all Christians do not think the same about a number of things. To make the differences clear, Paul presents two believers. The one is called “weak” and the other is called “strong”.

The way faith is experienced doesn’t determine whether someone is strong or weak in the faith. And it isn’t the difference between living fleshly and spiritually either. If so, then in this case, the strong would be living spiritually and the weak would be living fleshly. What we have here is the influences from the past that may be playing a role in the Christian’s life. Most notably, this points to converted Jews who still adhered to certain Old Testament ordinances.

Romans 14:2-6. For examples, to eat or not to eat certain food and observing days as being more important than other days are mentioned. In these things, Christians can be weak.

Those Christians are weak who are of the opinion they must still adhere to ordinances concerning food as given to Israel. In addition the weak are those Christians who feel they must observe certain sacred days as Israel knew them and also think of the so-called Christian feasts. Some think in all sincerity that we must observe these days. So, the weak one in the faith is not the negligent or unfaithful Christian, but rather a Christian who is very meticulous in his Christian walk.

In contrast, the strong one in the faith knows he can eat anything, except the things mentioned in Acts 15:29. And he knows the only day that is distinguished from other days for the Christian is the first day of the week. In Revelation 1 this day is called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10), that is, the day which belongs to the Lord.

How you look at certain sacred days depends on your knowledge of your position in Christ. One who knows he is a new creation in Christ will not make an issue of things like food and days. He knows how to deal with them.

But that’s not the end of the subject. The importance of this portion is not how to deal with food and days, but how to deal with one another. If another has a viewpoint different from mine, do I despise him (when I belong to the strong ones) or do I judge him (when I belong to the weak ones)? We must accept one another, keeping in mind that the other one is doing it for the Lord. This is the motive. We should occasionally ask ourselves, and one another, the question: ‘Am I doing, or not doing, this for the Lord?’ Then we will reach a certain conclusion for ourselves while others may reach a different conclusion. Everyone must be fully convinced in his own mind.

If this is accepted by us, there will not arise a dispute when we talk with each other about these differences. Everyone is personally responsible to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord is mentioned in this passage? The other one is under His authority and not under yours or mine; he is the servant of Another and subject to Him.

We should be happy that debatable questions are dealt with in this manner. Our inclination is to give out prescriptions and to try to fix everything. This would leave nothing as an exercise of conscience. We need to be kept standing by the Lord. Knowing this will keep us from an arrogant attitude. In addition, we will gain the joyful experience that the Lord is able to make us stand.

Isn’t the aim of what we do, that the Lord will receive the honor due Him? This finds its expression in Romans 14:6, saying that both the one and the other “gives thank to God”. Our hearts will go out to Him and we will stay together in His presence.

Now read Romans 14:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are you weak or strong?

1 Corinthians 3:15

Accept One Another

Romans 14:1. Here begins a new section of the letter. It runs from Romans 14:1-15:7. What these verses are about is shown by the first and last verse. Both verses say that we have to accept one another. This is important because you know that all Christians do not think the same about a number of things. To make the differences clear, Paul presents two believers. The one is called “weak” and the other is called “strong”.

The way faith is experienced doesn’t determine whether someone is strong or weak in the faith. And it isn’t the difference between living fleshly and spiritually either. If so, then in this case, the strong would be living spiritually and the weak would be living fleshly. What we have here is the influences from the past that may be playing a role in the Christian’s life. Most notably, this points to converted Jews who still adhered to certain Old Testament ordinances.

Romans 14:2-6. For examples, to eat or not to eat certain food and observing days as being more important than other days are mentioned. In these things, Christians can be weak.

Those Christians are weak who are of the opinion they must still adhere to ordinances concerning food as given to Israel. In addition the weak are those Christians who feel they must observe certain sacred days as Israel knew them and also think of the so-called Christian feasts. Some think in all sincerity that we must observe these days. So, the weak one in the faith is not the negligent or unfaithful Christian, but rather a Christian who is very meticulous in his Christian walk.

In contrast, the strong one in the faith knows he can eat anything, except the things mentioned in Acts 15:29. And he knows the only day that is distinguished from other days for the Christian is the first day of the week. In Revelation 1 this day is called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10), that is, the day which belongs to the Lord.

How you look at certain sacred days depends on your knowledge of your position in Christ. One who knows he is a new creation in Christ will not make an issue of things like food and days. He knows how to deal with them.

But that’s not the end of the subject. The importance of this portion is not how to deal with food and days, but how to deal with one another. If another has a viewpoint different from mine, do I despise him (when I belong to the strong ones) or do I judge him (when I belong to the weak ones)? We must accept one another, keeping in mind that the other one is doing it for the Lord. This is the motive. We should occasionally ask ourselves, and one another, the question: ‘Am I doing, or not doing, this for the Lord?’ Then we will reach a certain conclusion for ourselves while others may reach a different conclusion. Everyone must be fully convinced in his own mind.

If this is accepted by us, there will not arise a dispute when we talk with each other about these differences. Everyone is personally responsible to the Lord. Did you notice how often the Lord is mentioned in this passage? The other one is under His authority and not under yours or mine; he is the servant of Another and subject to Him.

We should be happy that debatable questions are dealt with in this manner. Our inclination is to give out prescriptions and to try to fix everything. This would leave nothing as an exercise of conscience. We need to be kept standing by the Lord. Knowing this will keep us from an arrogant attitude. In addition, we will gain the joyful experience that the Lord is able to make us stand.

Isn’t the aim of what we do, that the Lord will receive the honor due Him? This finds its expression in Romans 14:6, saying that both the one and the other “gives thank to God”. Our hearts will go out to Him and we will stay together in His presence.

Now read Romans 14:1-6 again.

Reflection: Are you weak or strong?

1 Corinthians 3:16

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:17

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:18

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:19

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:20

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:21

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:22

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?

1 Corinthians 3:23

Everything for the Lord

Romans 14:7-8. We are to “live for the Lord” and to “die for the Lord”. Everything is for the Lord. Today and tomorrow. When you gave your life to the Lord and started listening to His commands, was He oppressive? No, it was liberating when you made the choice to surrender to the Lord Jesus. From the moment you surrendered to Him, you became completely His.

Romans 14:9. Once it appeared as if you were your own boss, but in fact you were a slave of sin. Therefore, it can only be liberating to belong to Someone Who has died and become alive again.

The death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus have been spoken of extensively in Romans. The Lord Jesus rules over the living and dead now, and that includes you too.

Romans 14:10-11. Because of that fact, you can’t enter into the rights of the Lord by judging or despising your brother. I don’t say this is what you’re doing, but these verses aren’t put here for nothing. God knows how we can talk about one another. Every Christian is able to make these two mistakes. Denying this means you don’t know yourself. And self-knowledge is an important weapon to guard you against these dangers.

Even more important than seeing these dangers is thinking of God’s judgment seat. We all will stand before it once. This is a compelling thought. A judgment seat, not one on which an earthly and fallible judge will sit, but a Judge Who has perfect knowledge of all we have said and done. He will review all our motives. He knows exactly why we did or didn’t eat some food. He knows exactly why we observed certain days as sacred or why all days were the same to us. He will make it perfectly clear on which points we have judged or despised our brother. And He will show us that the other was living for Him too.

As a reminder, these verses are not about wrong and sinful things such as immoral conduct and wrong doctrine. If we see something wrong in someone else, we must say something about it to him or her. We do this because of other verses in the Bible. Here we have our personal conscience. The conscience is not a perfect guideline for our lives; only the Word of God is such, but God will take the conscience into account. And this is what we must do in dealing with others as well.

Romans 14:12. The fact that a moment is coming when each of us will render a personal account to God, will have a positive effect upon us today. When I’m thinking of God’s judgment seat before which I’ll have to stand, I want to live now as if I’m already now standing before it. Then I would like to give account to God right now, at this very moment.

Romans 14:13. This thought then will bring us to the conclusion that we shouldn’t judge each other. We’ll leave that to God. Everyone will personally bow before God and acknowledge Him as God. This makes us realize how small we are.

This also makes us careful in expressing our criticism of what a brother or sister feels he or she must do for the Lord. In our attitude, we’ll be careful in what we think we should or should not do for the Lord. It is possible too that our behavior is a stumbling block for spiritual growth to our brother who is a recent convert or who has little knowledge of his position in Christ. If you say you’d like to serve the Lord, everything you do has a considerable influence on those who want to serve as well, while having a different understanding of certain matters of personal conscience.

Romans 14:14. You may be convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Here it’s not the uncleanness found in the world, but certain Old Testament regulations. For example, in those days someone could become unclean by touching or eating something that was declared unclean by God.

This is no longer the case. God looks at every Christian in connection with Christ’s work. Someone who still thinks some things are unclean, shows he has not appropriated the full freedom in Christ.

Keep it always in your mind that here we have the personal conscience and the differences that can result in living the life of faith. The following verses make it clear how you should deal with this.

Now read Romans 14:8-14 again.

Reflection: What is your reaction when you think of God’s judgment-seat?