“Who art thou that judgest another man's servant?”
The full verse · Romans 14:4 · KJV
that another ? to his he . , he shall be holden : to .
Asked by
Paul: the apostle writing to the church at Rome about believers who disagreed over food and holy days (Romans 14:1-6)
Asked to
Romans: the believers in Rome, here the one "which eateth not" and who judges the brother "that eateth" (Romans 14:3)
The Scene
Paul has just told the believers in Rome that the one who eats must not despise the one who does not, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who does, "for God hath received him" (Romans 14:3).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionSome believers in Rome ate only herbs, while others believed they could eat all things (Romans 14:2). The one with the tighter conscience was tempted to judge the other as doing wrong. Paul's question stops him: who are you to sit as judge over someone who belongs to another master? Barnes puts the point plainly: "It is not ours to sit in judgment on the servant of another man." Barnes explains that Christians are the servants of God and answer to Him, so no believer may take God's place over another.
The Response
What Scripture recordsPaul answers his own question in the same verse. The servant answers to "his own master," and it is before that master that "he standeth or falleth." Then Paul goes further: "he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4). He then shows that each believer, whether eating or not, does so "to the Lord" and "giveth God thanks" (Romans 14:6). The judging brother is not needed to keep the other one standing. God will do that.
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsBarnes explains that the dispute in Romans 14 grew between Jewish converts, who still kept scruples about certain foods and days, and Gentile converts, who felt no such restraint (Romans 14:2, 5). The Gentile was tempted to despise the Jewish believer as overly careful; the Jewish believer was tempted to condemn the Gentile as breaking God's law. The word for servant here is oiketes, a household servant, one who belongs to a particular house. Barnes compares Jesus' words, "who made me a judge or a divider over you?" (Luke 12:14).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question moves the believer out of the judge's seat and puts God back in it. The reason Paul gives is not that the matter is unimportant, but that the other believer already has a Master: "God hath received him" (Romans 14:3). The one God has welcomed, no one else may cast off.
The verse ends with a promise, not a warning. "He shall be holden up." Barnes says God has power "to make him stand; to hold him; to keep him from error, and from condemnation." Gill likewise speaks of the servant being upheld by God's right hand and kept by His power. The believer we worry about is in stronger hands than ours. Paul will press the same truth again a few lines later: "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" (Romans 14:10).
Look Closer
Why does Paul say a believer should not judge his brother here?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You have received my brothers and sisters who see things differently than I do; where have I taken a seat that belongs only to You?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- When you disagree with another believer on a matter of conscience, what makes it hard to trust that God can hold them up?
- Tell about a time someone who saw things differently from you turned out to be walking faithfully with God.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Every believer you know already has a Master, and it is not you. When another Christian practices something differently from you on a matter Scripture leaves open, you are free to hold your own conviction without sitting in judgment on theirs.
This frees you from carrying responsibility that was never yours. God is able to make your brother or sister stand (Romans 14:4).
This does not mean nothing matters or that sin should go unaddressed. Paul is speaking of "doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:1), such as food and days, where each believer acts "unto the Lord" (Romans 14:6). In those matters, receive one another as God has received you. Scripture's own application: James 4:12
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