• Romans 14:1 “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
• 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
• 3 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.
• 4 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.
• 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
• 6 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.
• 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
• 8 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.
• 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
• 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
• 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
• 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
• 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
• 14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
• 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
• 16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
• 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
• 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
• 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
• 20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
• 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
• 22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
• 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
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In the “Are You ‘More Noble’?” series, we are following the noble Bereans’ example of receiving God’s “word with all readiness of mind” and searching “the scriptures daily whether those things” are so. The next few articles, however, will notice how man’s insistence on adding to the Bible makes Romans 14 a needlessly controversial passage.

• –The word “conscience” is not in Romans 14. It is found in passages parallel to Rom. 14, but not directly in Rom. 14.
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• -Many start off on the wrong foot by assuming that Rom. 14 uses the word “conscience” (Error and myth will become a theme as we study Rom. 14 in the next few articles.). To right the ship so we can properly interpret Rom. 14 for what it actually is talking about, let’s start fresh: Romans 14 addresses eating and drinking, observance of days, and properly judging and handling a fellow believer concerning these two issues.
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• -Because we want to encourage noble Bereans who study and search God’s Word instead of simply taking a preacher’s word as truth, the entire chapter of Rom. 14 has been copied at the beginning, with every phrase and/or word underlined and boldened that deals with eating and drinking, observance of days, and proper handling and judging of a fellow believer concerning these issues.
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• -Comparing other passages of Scripture reveal that Rom. 14’s dealing of these specific issues is not a one-off occurrence. Other passages limit themselves to these issues as well: I Cor. 8, 10:24-33; Gal. 4:8-11; Col. 2:16-17; I Tim. 4:1-5.
• Col. 2:16 and I Cor. 8, specifically, closely parallel Rom. 14. This consistency is a big deal. God’s repetition of dealing only with eating and drinking and observance of days in these parallel passages reveals and emphasizes that God wants His people only reading into His Word those exact points. God is not giving permission for other ideas and examples in these passages (i.e. wrongly believed – “Rom. 14 is about any and all issues like clothing, music, standards, etc….”).
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• -Concerning the word “conscience”, three of the passages seen in the previous point, I Cor. 8 (3x’s) ; I Cor. 10:27-33 (4x’s); and I Tim. 4:1-5 (1x concerning the conscience seared), use the word. However, all of these 3 passages as well as the others listed previously only ever deal with the same subjects that Rom. 14 addresses: eating and drinking, observance of days, and properly judging and handling a fellow believer concerning these issues. Neither Rom. 14 nor its parallel passages address “any and/or all matters of conscience” as others falsely claim. Every single passage only deals with the same subjects and never interject a new one (again i.e. wrongly believed – “Rom. 14 is about any and all issues like clothing, music, standards, etc….”).
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• –If God intended Rom. 14 to be a springboard of allowance for believers to do whatever they deem okay, Rom. 14 and the other parallel passages we mentioned would eventually give different examples other than eating and observance of days. And yet, at absolutely no time in any of these parallel passages does God mention a single additional example like media, clothing, modesty, music, etc…. God’s Word is promised to prosper, to not return void, and to accomplish whatever God pleases only when it is applied “whereto” God “sent it.” (Is. 55:11)
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In conclusion, God deals with man’s “conscience” in 3 passages parallel to Romans 14, but not specifically in Rom. 14. The main emphasis is not any and all matters of conscience, but rather, eating and drinking, observance of days, and properly judging and handling a fellow believer concerning these issues.

Sadly, we sinners love to shoehorn our preconceived opinions into Romans 14. This is the difference between the Thessalonians who rejected (Acts 17:5) Paul’s reasonings from God’s Word (Acts 17:2) and the noble Bereans who received and searched God’s Word (Acts 17:11).