Romans 14:17, Righteousness and Peace and Joy

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Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

When one receives Jesus Christ into his life through repentance and faith towards God through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells such a one. In the sight of God, he is righteousness, the divide before him and God has been bridged by Jesus Christ’s atonement on the cross. He receives eternal life. His spiritual eyes are opened to understand spiritual things through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. He is now a child of the kingdom of God.

Jesus taught in  Matthew 4:4 …It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The spiritual man ought to esteem the spiritual more than the physical things of life. Satan tempted Jesus after His 40 days and 40 nights wilderness trial to turn stone to bread.

William MacDonald said well, “Our Lord’s example teaches that we don’t have to live, but we do have to obey God! Getting bread is not the most important thing in life. Obedience to every word of God is. Since Jesus had received no instructions from the Father to turn stones into bread, He would not act on His own and thus obey Satan, no matter how intense His hunger.”

The Apostle Paul says to the believers in Rome to obey God by refraining from judging one another concerning the physical aspects of life like their eating habits. Rather cultivate spiritual virtues of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul delineates for us these spiritual virtues in Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

This fruit of the Spirit in contrast with the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).

(a) It is of the new nature – “in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free” (Gal. 5:1a, 16a)

(b) It is not of the old nature – “be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1b, 16b).

The believers are encouraged to  Galatians 5:16-17 …Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 

To walk is to make spiritual progress. Regulate one’s life and conduct one’s self. It is a command – It appeals to the will! Do our part! Do so continuously, all the time without letting up. Let us take the step of walking with God! Amen.