Romans Chapter 14

Romans Chapter 14

You can receive God’s message even if you’re weak in faith, but not if you’re going to continue to have doubts and continuously question it. (Okay, the line is “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, [but] not to doubtful disputations.” My interpretation is, you can get faith as long as you choose not to question it, which isn’t the normal position of a skeptic. They tend to be, by their very nature, of the questioning variety.)

One type of person believes that he can eat all things: another, who is weak, only eats herbs (is that a direct affront to the Buddhist belief that you should do no harm? Or is it just a general ridicule of all vegetarians?)

Whoever eats shouldn’t despise those who don’t eat, but likewise those that don’t eat shouldn’t judge the folks who do because God has received him. (Does God not receive vegetarians? Poor Seventh Day Adventists?)

Who are you that judges another man’s servants? It is only his own master’s judgment that will concern him. He’ll be held up because god can make him stand.

One man esteems one day above another, but another man esteems every day. Let every man make up his own mind on this issue. He that regards the day gives it to the Lord, he that doesn’t regard it, doesn’t do it for God. He that eats, gives thanks to the Lord, but he that doesn’t eat, doesn’t give thanks to god.

No one lives only to themselves, and therefore no one dies that way. We live and die as creature’s of God. (Playthings, I like to say… err, uh, that is if this book hadn’t persuaded me that God doesn’t exist). Christ died, rose, and revived so that he could be Lord of the dead and the living.

Who do you judge your brother? (Because he has so many flaws and I love him, somehow I think that my judgment will push him in the right direction, even if that is a little misguided. That’s just how I am. Oh, sorry. Paulie wasn’t talking about MY brother!) Why do you set no store by your brother? We all stand before Christ’s judgment.

For it is written, as I live, said the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God (er, uh… that’s still you, right god?).

So every one of us needs to give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let’s not judge one another anymore and let’s not put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in their bro’s way.

Paul knows and is persuaded by JC that nothing is inherently unclean, but if someone thinks something is unclean then that thing will be unclean to him.

But if your brother is upset with your meat, you’re not walking charitably. (Uh huh, sure.) Don’t destroy him with your meat, for whom Christ died. (Christ died for my meat? That translation just can’t be right. What?)

Don’t let evil be spoken of you when you’re doing good. The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but rather it is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

He that serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men. Therefore, let’s follow after things that make for peace, and obtain things that we can edify each other with. Meat does not destroy the work of God. All things are pure, but it is evil if a man eats with offence.

Don’t eat or drink flesh or win or anything that makes your brother stumble or take offence, or is made weak by.

Do you have faith? Have it yourself before God. To be happy, don’t condemn yourself for the thing that you allow. He that doubts is damned if he eats because he’s not eating faithfully. Whatever is not of faith is of sin.

(Just me, or was that an entire chapter of jibberish? I don’t even know what Paul is telling me to do and what I’m not supposed to do. )