ROMANS 14:17,18

RO 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. (NIV)

Here Paul declares that even though he has been teaching on the treatment of disputable matters, we should realize that the Kingdom of GOD is concerned with higher priorities. Arguments over such matters as eating, drinking, and the choice of days to observe became divisive and threatened to consume the brethren of the early church. Not only did they hurt each other by judging one another's eating habits but more importantly they failed to practice love for one another in these matters.

We have the same situation today. We spend too much time concerning ourselves with disputable matters, setting aside our love for one another in favor of finding fault. We too often prefer disagreement and discord over love (agapeo) and peace with our brothers and sisters.

In verse 17 Paul states with startling clarity what is important and what is not important to the Kingdom of GOD. The Kingdom is not concerned with eating and drinking (and other disputable matters). The children of the Kingdom also should not be concerned with such disputable matters in their brother's lives. To be occupied by such matters and to let such matters dictate our behavior is to discredit our allegiance to the Kingdom of GOD. It indicates that we have our minds on the things of men rather than the things of GOD.

The Kingdom of GOD is concerned with righteousness, peace and joy. These three are dependent upon and part of the Holy Spirit, so says Paul.

If we understand and apply the teaching here, if we serve Christ in this way, we will be pleasing to GOD and approved by men.

Since this teaching defines and characterizes the Kingdom of GOD, and since this teaching holds the key to pleasing GOD and finding the approval of man we should give full attention to it and make every effort to understand it.

1) Righteousness.

a) Righteousness often refers to being justified before GOD by the work of JESUS. Paul spoke of this righteousness earlier in the same letter to the Romans.

RO 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

So we know that the righteousness that allows us to be presentable in the presence of GOD comes not from our actions or works but through faith in JESUS Christ to all that believe. The Kingdom of GOD is founded on this righteousness.

JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

b) However, in the context of Romans Chapter 14 Paul uses the word "righteousness" in reference to "right living" or "right conduct" before God. The word "righteousness" is contrasted against such words as "eating" and "drinking". Such "right living" speaks of obeying the commands of GOD and adhering to the teachings of JESUS.

Righteousness, as used in Romans 14:17, whether speaking of

a) justification before GOD or

b) of "right living" according to his word

refers to our one-on-one relationship with GOD.

The question has been asked, "If a new Christian came to you and asked, 'What is the most important thing I should do as a Christian?’ what would be our response?"

Well, JESUS was tested by the Pharisees with this same question.

MT 22:37 Jesus replied: " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39

To do this will result in "right conduct". The more we love GOD (action verb) the more "right" will be our conduct before him.

But righteousness affects all that we do and say. Our “vertical” relationship with God is the basis of our “horizontal” relationship with each other. "Right living" determines our relationship with our fellow man and should lead to peace.

2) Peace.

To be in context, "peace" should here be taken as peace among brethren. "Peace" would then be the result of practicing love one toward another. Indeed, JESUS went on in Matthew 22:39 to say,

And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

If you would obey the greatest commandment you must also obey the second greatest commandment. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will love GOD. Paul said,

RO 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

James said it well.

JAS 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

JAS 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

This peace is a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22) It is a product of GOD'S Spirit operating in our lives. It is the Spirit that enables each of us to love others.

But we have been speaking about living at peace with our neighbors, that is, those that we come into contact with. Paul, however, has been speaking about the Kingdom of GOD and specifically about peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. So let us consider another command that we find on the lips of JESUS.

JN 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

John teaches on this concept at length beginning with .

1JN 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

1JN 3:4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

1JN 3:7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

1JN 3:11 This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

1JN 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

1JN 3:21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

1JN 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1JN 4:13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

1JN 4:19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

These passages tell us that our “horizontal” relationship with others is a good indicator of our “vertical” relationship with God.

3) Joy.

Joy is the result of being at peace with GOD and at peace with fellow man. Joy indicates that we live safely in the Kingdom of GOD. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and joy comes of fulfilling the two greatest commandments.

JN 15:9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

And so now we come back to the declarative statement by Paul defining what is and is not important to the Kingdom of GOD.

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

Verse 18 confirms that we serve Christ by seeking righteousness and peace and joy. Verse 18 also confirms that the product of such service leads us to a certain outcome, that we are pleasing to GOD and find the approval of men. As children of the kingdom of God let us put aside our petty differences and conduct ourselves appropriately. Let us seek to please God with our behavior towards one another. This is how we serve Christ.

RO 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

RO 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Keep the fellowship pure,

Don B.