by Dennis Gladden, By Green Pastures, ©2026
(Apr. 29, 2026) — Paul grieved.
The Body of Christ, as he liked to call the Church, had multiple fractures.
Meat eaters trampled the vegetarians.
Those who observed holy days judged the non-observant.
Factions flattered Paul as the champion of their faith; others rallied to Peter or other teachers.
Some disputed doctrines and even professed that there is no resurrection.
The Body of Christ was wounded.
What Paul observed in the churches recalled the years of his forefathers when judges ruled Israel: “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
Except the church has a head: the Lord Jesus Christ. And followers of Christ live by faith, not by sight. Ears, not eyes, are their guide.
The faith of some was weak or little. In others, it was strong or great. But its amount or strength notwithstanding, faith isn’t customized.
Paul was anxious for the Christian community to thrive in the unity of faith. Instead, they browbeat each other with personal convictions.
Help everyone who has not seen Jesus, and yet believes, to know Him better.
The apostle had confronted these controversies in his letters to the Galatians and Corinthians. He returned to them as he began to close his letter to the believers in Rome (Romans 14:1–15:7).
This passage shows Paul’s skill in guiding the church to build wisely upon its foundational faith in Christ. He had set the framework in his letter to the Corinthians, telling believers “you are God’s building” and that God had graced him as a “wise master builder” (1 Corinthians 3:9–10).
He taught that each believer builds on this foundation and counseled them to choose their materials carefully (1 Corinthians 3:10–15). Some endure, others don’t. Quality matters.
Writing the Roman letter, Paul is a skillful architect, creating space for personal convictions without sacrificing the framework of their mutual faith.
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