Acts 14
Romans 14 is a chapter in which the apostle Paul emphasizes that believers should not judge or criticize one another within the community for their different religious viewpoints and daily habits—especially regarding food and festivals—and should instead treat each other with love and consideration. Paul acknowledges that there will inevitably be those whose faith is strong and those whose faith is weak, and he teaches that each person should act according to their own convictions before God, without getting into conflict with one another or causing anyone to stumble because of those differences.
1verseIn Iconium, they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.
2verseBut the disbelieving Jews stirred up and embittered the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers.
3verseTherefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
4verseBut the multitude of the city was divided. Part sided with the Jews and part with the apostles.
5verseWhen some of both the Gentiles and the Jews, with their rulers, made a violent attempt to mistreat and stone them,
6versethey became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.
7verseThere they preached the Good News.
8verseAt Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked.
9verseHe was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him and seeing that he had faith to be made whole,
10versesaid with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked.
11verseWhen the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voice, saying in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”
12verseThey called Barnabas “Jupiter”, and Paul “Mercury”, because he was the chief speaker.
13verseThe priest of Jupiter, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and would have made a sacrifice along with the multitudes.
14verseBut when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their clothes and sprang into the multitude, crying out,
15verse“Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men of the same nature as you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to the living God, who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them;
16versewho in the generations gone by allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.
17verseYet he didn’t leave himself without witness, in that he did good and gave you rains from the sky and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
18verseEven saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.
19verseBut some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
20verseBut as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.
21verseWhen they had preached the Good News to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
22versestrengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.
23verseWhen they had appointed elders for them in every assembly, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they had believed.
24verseThey passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia.
25verseWhen they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26verseFrom there they sailed to Antioch, from where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.
27verseWhen they had arrived and had gathered the assembly together, they reported all the things that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith to the nations.
28verseThey stayed there with the disciples for a long time.
Flow of the Main Content
- Verses 1-4: Do not criticize those whose faith is weak; recall that God has accepted them
- Verses 5-9: Act according to what each person is convinced of in matters of festivals and food, while remembering that everything is for the Lord
- Verses 10-13: Do not judge one another; live with the awareness that each person stands before God’s judgment seat
- Verses 14-23: Emphasize that even if you are personally free in matters of food, you must act in love so as not to cause a fellow believer to stumble
Overall Meaning and Message
Romans 14 acknowledges that within the faith community, people may differ in their religious convictions and ways of life. In the midst of this diversity, it emphasizes the idea of “accepting one another through love.” Paul encourages respect for freedom in faith, while reminding believers that the essence of faith is to consider others and build up the community’s peace and goodness. In other words, he urges that “the common good of one another” should take priority over the freedom you think is right—“I am right”—in your own convictions.
Points for Reflection
- Am I living while respecting other people’s religious convictions and actions?
- Is my freedom becoming a temptation or a stumbling block for someone?
- Let us think about what it means to build peace and goodness within the community.
Try Applying It to Yourself
Today, reflect on whether you can put into practice an attitude of acknowledging and accepting differences in your home, church, workplace, or wherever you are. Keep your own faith principles clearly in view, but pray that you can live with a heart that always offers consideration from another person’s perspective as well.
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