Romans 14:1

Romans 14:1 says, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  Paul begins to address some of the disputes that had arisen among Christians.  He tells us that we are to receive those who are weak in faith, but we are not to get into disputes with them over unimportant issues.  The only issue that really matters is that a person accepts Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Any other issues, it is not the responsibility of one Christian to judge another, but it is really the responsibility of the one stronger in faith to help the weaker one to grow in faith. Verse two adds, For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.  There are Christians today who do not eat meat, and I would guess this is what Paul meant when he referred to those who eat only herbs.  There was also the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols in Paul's day.  Some Christians would eat it and some wouldn't.  I believe we can also apply this to the things that we drink.  We are not to let these things become points of contention between believers, but we are to reach out to one another in the love of Christ.  This takes away any judgmental attitude, and it is always the responsibility of the one who is stronger in their faith in Christ to uplift the one who is weaker.  We are never called to get on a spiritual high horse as it were.  Verse three continues, Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.  I believe Paul is once more warning us against judging others because of physical factors.  What we eat or don't eat is not the issue, but the fact that God has received us through Christ is.  If we are followers of Christ, God has received us, no matter what we choose to eat.  Diet will never make us morally superior, so we need never judge or even dispute with fellow believers about it.  Verse four Paul states, 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.  Paul was asking us why we feel that we are capable of judging other Christians, since they are not our servants, but God's.  God alone is qualified to judge each believer, so we don't need to attempt to make it our responsibility.  We need only to love others as God loves us.  Verse five adds, One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  I believe that Paul was talking about what could be called holy days, under ceremonial law. The Sabbath, or the Lord's Day as it would become, was the one day that was to be observed. We today vary on the importance of certain holy days, but we need to be certain in our own minds why we do or do not view them as important.  Verse six continues, He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.  I believe Paul gets to the heart of the matter here. Whatever we are doing or not doing, we should give thanks to God and do it for His honor.  We are not to live in a certain way to make ourselves look better than others, but always live that God might be glorified and the lost of the world might be reached with the gospel.  Verse seven says, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.  We may feel that what we do is is no one else's business, but Paul tells us that our lives always impact others.  As followers of Christ, we must always live to bring glory to God.  Verse eight adds, For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.  This is the truth that believers must live life by.  Whatever happens, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's, and for that reason we must always attempt to live for His glory.