Romans 14:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

NIV: Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

NASB: Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

CSB: Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.

NLT: Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

KJV: Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

NKJV: Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Two different groups of believers occupied the early church. One group freely ate everything. They were convinced that Christ had freed them from all the dietary restrictions of the law. The other group, also true believers, felt strongly that it was necessary to continue to follow at least some of those legal requirements. Paul has indicated that those who feel guilt over issues where Scripture has not given a clear restriction are "weak in faith" (Romans 14:1). In contrast, those who accept everything God made as having a good purpose would be considered those of a stronger faith.

Paul has said to both groups: Do not despise or judge those who hold the opposite opinion. Those with stricter convictions ought not judge those who are less legalistic. Those who are more comfortable ought not look down on those with different opinions. Again, Paul is saying this despite referring to the vegetables-only group as having a "weaker" faith. Based on this and other remarks made on the subject (1 Corinthians 10:23–33; 1 Timothy 4:4), it's clear that the ideal view of a believer is not legalistic or superstitious. All the same, when it comes to matters of opinion, Christians are to tolerate each other.

Now he explains why: you are not that other Christian's master. You are all servants of the same Master: Jesus. It's not the role of servants to pass judgment on each other. The master passes judgment. In this case, though, the ultimate Master, the Lord, is able to make those in both groups "to stand."

In other words, Paul insists that the Lord is not condemning those in either group about these differences of opinion. If the Lord is not doing so, why would we imagine it is our place to do so?

Romans 14:1–12 describes how Christians with opposing views on matters of freedom and sin should treat each other. First, strong-faith Christians who understand that all things are clean for those in Christ should welcome and not try to change weaker-faith Christians who believe some things, like eating certain meats, to be sinful. Each should act on their convictions and honor the Lord in doing so. Neither should judge the other, for the real day of judgment is coming when we will all stand before Christ and give an account of our lives.

In Romans 14, Paul tackles the question of how Christians with different convictions about disputable matters should treat each other in the church. Strong-faith Christians who feel free to eat and drink what was formerly forbidden under the law of Moses should not flaunt their freedoms in front of weaker-faith Christians who are not convinced it is right to participate in those things. Neither group should judge the other. Those strong in their faith should rather yield than lead those weaker in faith to violate their conscience, which is a sin.

Paul turns from the black-and-white instructions about light and darkness in Romans 13 to the issue of disputable matters with the potential to divide the church. Paul instructs those who feel free to participate in activities formally forbidden under the law not to flaunt their freedom in front of those who, by conscience, still believe those actions to be wrong. Those strong-faith Christians should be willing to set aside their freedom to keep from leading their weaker brothers and sisters into sin by violating their convictions. Paul addresses this topic with additional comments in 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.