For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
How many of us as Christians define our Christ-likeness by what we do or do not do? If we do or do not do certain things, we feel like “good Christians” or “bad Christians.”
The verse above comes after Paul’s encouragement to the church in Rome not to judge one another for what they do or do not do as Christians in regard to those things of indifference (not really good or bad according to Scripture in light of Christ).* For example, some felt that they should not eat meat while others did not think it a problem.*
If we are not to judge other Christians by what they eat or drink, can we really judge ourselves either? If we do not judge ourselves by what we do or do not do, how do we know if we are in right standing with God or not?
Unlike Jesus who speaks of it often, Paul rarely uses language describing “the Kingdom” as a present reality (the only other time is in 1 Corinthians 4:20).* Paul’s description of the Kingdom is typically of a future reality yet-to-come.* Here in this verse, however, Paul addresses the judgmental behavior of the church in Rome with a reminder of the reality of the Kingdom of God in the present: it’s a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.*
What does this mean for us? Righteousness, peace, and joy are all found solely in the Holy Spirit; they cannot be procured by the efforts of humans.* Meaning, the Kingdom of God is not established by human effort and judgmental thinking. The Kingdom of God is established and consists of those things that only the Holy Spirit can produce in our lives.
Want to know if you are a “good Christian”? Is there righteousness, peace, and joy in your life? If not, no judgment. Just allow the Holy Spirit to do His work.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to hear His voice on what to do or not do in your life. Perhaps today God wants you to stop judging others for not holding your convictions and to allow Him to sort that out in their soul. Maybe today God wants you to use your freedom to enjoy His creation. Perhaps today God wants you to use your freedom to choose to abstain from something. Maybe God wants to remind you of the higher standard that Jesus established.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 520–523). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 365–368, 369–370). InterVarsity Press.
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 484–486, 488–489). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (pp. 460–461). Zondervan Publishing House.