These questions are for small groups, Sunday classes, and anyone studying Romans 14 on their own. Paul addresses a church divided over disputable matters such as which foods to eat and which days to honor, and he calls believers to stop judging one another and to build each other up. The questions below move from what the chapter says, to what it means, to how to live it out together.
Romans 14 at a Glance
Paul begins by asking the strong and the weak in faith to accept one another without arguing over opinions. He then explains that each person answers to the Lord, that we belong to Christ in both life and death, and that judging a brother or sister is out of place before the judgment seat of Christ. The chapter closes by urging believers to pursue peace, avoid causing a fellow believer to stumble, and act from faith rather than doubt.
A leader can use the sections in order: observation to establish the text, interpretation to discuss its meaning, and application to bring it into daily life. Each set of questions is designed so that the group can return to the chapter’s own words.
Observation Questions
Use these questions at the start of the session to slow everyone down and look closely at the text before anyone offers an opinion. Ask people to read the relevant verses aloud first, and invite quiet reflection before discussion begins.
Romans 14:4
Who are you who judge another’s servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.
(WEB)
Read this verse to remind the group that every believer is a servant of the Lord, not of the other members. It sets the tone for the whole discussion, so it is a good verse to open with.
Romans 14:8
For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
(WEB)
This verse grounds shared identity in Christ, whether in life or in death. Reading it aloud helps the group see that their unity rests on belonging to the Lord rather than on agreement about secondary matters.
Romans 14:17
For God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
(WEB)
Reading this verse brings the group back to the heart of God’s kingdom, which is righteousness, peace, and joy. It is a useful counterweight when discussion drifts toward external rules.
Romans 14:19
So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build one another up.
(WEB)
This verse gives a clear call to pursue peace and mutual building up. Reading it near the end of the session helps the group turn their conversation into a concrete commitment.
Romans 14:21-22
21 It is good to not eat meat, drink wine, nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn’t judge himself in that which he approves.
(WEB)
These verses address the way freedom and love intersect in the life of the believer. Reading them together helps the group see that caring for a brother’s conscience is part of living in faith before God.
Memory Verse for Romans 14
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you as people who answer to you alone. Forgive us for the times we have judged one another over matters that are not ours to decide, and teach us to receive those who differ from us with patience and love. Help us to pursue what makes for peace and to build one another up, so that our lives honor you in all things. Keep our consciences clear, our hearts humble, and our fellowship strong as we belong to you in life and in death. Thank you for your kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
