The Essence of the Kingdom

Romans 14:16-18, “Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.” 

The kingdom’s feast is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Today’s passage shifts our gaze from disputable externals to kingdom essentials. “Food” belongs to the periphery, and what is central is Holy Spirit sourced righteousness (right relations with God), peace (right relations with one another), and joy (delight in God). When those realities flourish, personal preferences and secondary matters fade to their proper size. Serving Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men. In other words, God is pleased and outsiders notice. This positions and better enables our church culture to be an evangelistic one. Unity around essentials adorns the gospel we proclaim. Let’s keep the main dish of Christ’s kingdom—righteousness, peace, joy—at the center of our everyday lives and our every gathering.