I’m struck by my own tendency to read into the text of scripture my current
circumstances and the modes of thought that dominate the age in which we live.
It’s a bad habit, but also a hard one to break.
Two weeks ago in Too Hot to Handle, Immanuel Can and I explored the meaning of the word “judge”, as in “judge not
lest you be judged”. We did not get into Romans 14, but the entire chapter
is about judging and worthy of a few extra moments of consideration.
I’d suggest you cannot properly interpret Romans 14
without trying at least a little to understand the mindset of Jews and Gentiles
in the early church and the differences between them.