Romans 14:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

So, after reproving them sufficiently, the Apostle again encourages them, saying: "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother?" Here the Apostle seems to place both on the same level, yet he still establishes a great difference between them. He ends their disputes first of all by the name of brother, and then by reminding them of the fearful day of Judgment. For after saying, "Why do you despise your brother?" he adds: "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." In saying this, he again seems to reproach the more perfect one. In reality he is trying to shake the soul of the Judaizing Christian, not only shaming him by recalling the benefit shown to him, but also frightening him with the future punishment. "For we shall all," he says, "stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

You who do not eat, why do you condemn your brother who eats, as intemperate, because he eats? He is a brother. You must not despise your own member. Will you give answer for him? He himself will stand before the judgment and himself will bear punishment. Do you see how, while addressing the perfect man, he inspires fear in the Judaizer himself, as one who must give account at the dread judgment?

"But why do you judge your brother?" The Apostle says this to the Jew. "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Then he confirms this word by the testimony of Scripture.

Paul again returned to what he had said at the beginning, and by adding the word "brother" he showed still more clearly the absurdity of the judgment taking place.

Second, both groups, that is, both the weak in faith and the perfect, are guided by one and the same thought of pleasing God (Rom 14:5-12). "He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God" (Rom 14:6). Therefore it is best to leave the actions of our brethren to the judgment of the Lord, our common Master and Judge, to Whom "each of us shall give account of himself" (Rom 14:12).

If someone eats and drinks according to the demand of reason, to the glory of God, he not only does not sin. On the contrary, he fulfills the purpose of his being. For we were created by the Lord, and must live for the Lord, and likewise die for Him. This is all the more so because not only God the Father, but also His Only-begotten Son, our Savior, now has dominion over the living and the dead. He also will judge all the tribes of the earth. Therefore we have no right to judge others, but must prepare ourselves for judgment. For this reason, the Apostle counsels us to take care that, while not being scandalized by the eating of others, we do not give any scandal by our own not eating.

Having thus established that we are servants of the Lord by creation and providence, and still more by redemption, the Apostle again turns to persuading us not to judge one another. We are servants of the Lord. Therefore among ourselves we are fellow servants and brethren. All our care must be directed toward pleasing our Lord, not toward how others, who are with us, serve the same Lord. Earlier he had already said: why do you judge another's servant? He is God's servant, not yours. To you he is a fellow servant, as you are to him. Now he draws attention to another side of the matter. We are brothers and equally servants of the one Lord. We should care about pleasing Him, and not watch one another.