| Romans 14:5 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." It is always best to not only notice what the Scriptures say, but to also pay attention to what they do not say. I always recommend backing up at least 5 verses and reading past the verse in question at least 5 more verses to get a feel for what is being spoken of. This verse is a prime example of what happens when we divide up the Scriptures in an attempt to make them say what we wish them to say. Lets see what the Scriptures say for themselves. Verses 5 and 6 say nothing about either worship or the Sabbath. They simply talk about regarding a day. To say this particular day is the Seventh Day Sabbath is an assumption without merit. Romans 14:1 sets the tone for the entire passage, indicating that the discussion focuses on "doubtful disputations" or disputes on doubtful matters. With all that the Scriptures clearly state about the seventh-day Sabbath: Set apart by God at Creation - Genesis 2:1-3 Placed within the heart of the Moral Law - Exodus 20:8-11 Kept by Christ throughout His Ministry - Luke 4:16; Mark 1:21; Mark 6:2; Luke 6:6; Luke 13:10 His followers rested on the Sabbath after the crucifixion - Luke 23:56; Mark 16:1; Matthew 28:1 The Apostles kept it after His ascension - Acts 13:14; Acts 13:44; Acts 16:13; Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4 The Gentiles were taught on the Sabbath by the Apostles - Acts 13:42; Acts 13:44; Acts 16:13; Acts 18:4 is there room for this to be understood as a doubtful matter? Absolutely not! Remember that those 1st generation Christians, as we have seen above, kept the seventh day Sabbath Holy, for them it was not an issue to entertain doubt. The key to our passage is found in verse 6 which states: Romans 14:6 "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." The issue revolved around fasting days, not the weekly Sabbath. Some Jewish Christians believed there was particular merit in fasting on certain days. They judged others by their own standards. In Luke 18:12 we see the Pharisees fasted at least twice a week and boasted about it. Once we look at the context of the passage, and not pull out only what we wish to use to support our view, we see that in Romans Chapter14 Paul is pointing out that to fast or not to fast on a certain day is a matter of individual conscience, not a matter of God's command. By letting Scripture speak for itself we again come out seeing a complete harmony in the Scriptures. Return to Sabbath Index Page Return to Navigation Page |
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