Romans 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Paul draws upon the common image of slavery, well known across the Roman empire. A person cannot pass judgment on the actions of another person’s servant because that servant is acting on the charge of his or her master. That servant is not responsible for the actions if he or she is fulfilling the desire of the master. The “servant” is an image for another person who may do things differently than we do. The “master” could represent the conscience guided by the Holy Spirit who comes along and supports and confirms the conscience. Persons may have convictions about a certain matter. If they pray seriously about it and have searched the Bible, and their conscience remains unconvicted or unguided, then they can follow that matter. However, if after prayer and Bible study they do feel that the action is wrong, then they become accountable to the Holy Spirit for this. We cannot just operate off of our opinions. Christians are not relativists and we should not operate simply off of unguided convictions or feelings but must seriously seek God’s confirmation of our actions.
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