Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Try Tabletalk NowAlready receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
Romans 14:7–9
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom. 14:8).
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” So says the Westminster Shorter Catechism in the answer to its first question, succinctly explaining the purpose for which the human race was created. This is an excellent summation of what Paul is saying in the passage before us today.
In Romans 14:6, Paul taught that, when it comes to “doubtful things,” every believer needs to make up his mind about what he ought to do and then do it as unto God. “He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it,” he wrote. Now Paul steps back, as it were, to state the principle that informed his teaching in the previous passage—Christians are to live not for themselves but for God. “We are to be in a right relationship to the Lord and serve the Lord in everything—indeed, everything we do is related to God in one way or another, either good or bad,” Dr. James M. Boice writes in his Romans commentary. The world says we should live for our own self-fulfillment, doing as we please in doubtful things and even in clear-cut areas, paying no attention to the commandments of God. But Paul disagrees completely: “None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.” In life or in death, we are God’s. This is so because of what Jesus has done on our behalf. He died and rose again to redeem a people who would be joined to Him. Therefore, He is the Lord of the living and the dead, for those who are His will belong to Him forever. Because this is so, He has the right to command His people as He desires, and they have a duty to seek to please Him in all things.
What does all this mean in the context of Romans 14? The Holy Spirit is working in the life of all truly saved people, calling them to live “to the Lord” in all things. As they struggle with their sinful natures, they will sometimes succeed and sometimes fail to live as God desires. But when it comes to “doubtful” areas, we all must give our brothers and sisters the benefit of the doubt, assuming that their behavior is a reflection of a sincere desire to please God. If Christ has received someone, we must do no less, even though he or she may have different ideas about God’s will in non-essential matters.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Does the idea of dying “to the Lord” seem strange to you? As Christians, we often pray that God will help us live for Him. But we need to pray also that, when the time comes, He will help us die for Him, that is, in a way that pleases and glorifies Him. Begin now to pray that He will help you serve Him to the end of your physical life.
For Further Study
- Romans 11:36
- 1 Corinthians 12:12–26
- Philippians 2:8–9