LORD BOTH OF THE DEAD AND LIVING

To grasp the implications of this description of our Lord, we must consider the interesting context. The church at Rome comprised a cosmopolitan company of Jewish and Gentile believers. In chapter 14, Paul addresses an issue which had the potential to cause division between those whom he characterizes as ‘strong’ and others whom he refers to as ‘weak’. Briefly put, the weak believed, on grounds of religious heritage, that certain days are to be treated as holy, and that they should abstain from certain foods.

By contrast, the strong were fully emancipated from such scruples and restrictions, both in their thinking and practice. Paul included himself in this category, Rom. 14. 14; 15. 1. There was a real danger, however, that their very sense of liberty in Christ could give rise to feelings of superiority on the one hand, or equally, condemnation of the strong in the eyes of the weak, Rom. 14. 3.

How will Paul regulate Christian conduct on this difficult issue? For one thing, the law of love should always control, Rom. 13.10; 14.15. Further, Paul the wise shepherd puts great emphasis on the Lordship of Christ in this passage, referring ten times to ‘the Lord’. This directs both weak and strong to conduct motivated by the fear of the Lord. For the believer, the scope of Christ’s Lordship covers all of life, and even death. To set at nought a fellow-believer in the marginal matter of food would, in effect, usurp the Lord’s unique right to judge his people, v. 10.

What can we learn from this passage? A realization of the absolute Lordship of Christ will regulate our treatment of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today, there remain many issues on which godly believers differ in judgement, and where no explicit scriptural direction is available. Our capacity to genuinely love those who differ from us is a sure sign of progress towards the ‘stature of the fulness of Christ’, Eph. 4.13.

Apart from their context, the words have brought comfort at many a graveside; ‘Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s’, Rom. 14. 8. Our portion is determined by our victorious Lord; death cannot part us from Him!