Why so much judgment? (Romans 14:1-12)

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For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

Because language matters, careful teaching and preaching matter. The writer of Hebrews characterizes the word of God as “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:13). Exegetes, therefore, must be careful with language like that found in this week’s epistle reading, the language of “strong” and “weak.”