For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
The apostle Paul wrote this letter to a mixed community of Christians in Rome — some with a Jewish background who followed strict dietary and religious laws, others from non-Jewish backgrounds who didn't observe those same rules. They were arguing about what was spiritually permissible to eat and which days were considered holy. In the verses just before this one, Paul says the kingdom of God isn't about food and drink, but about "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." Serving Christ "in this way" means prioritizing those deeper realities — integrity in living, genuine peace with others, and Spirit-led joy — over winning religious debates. Paul then adds something unexpected: living this way earns not just God's approval, but genuine respect from the people around you.
Jesus, I confess I can make faith more complicated than it needs to be. Strip away the noise and the debates. Let righteousness, peace, and joy define me — not my opinions about who's getting it right. Make my life something worth approving of, not for my own sake, but for yours. Amen.
There's a small surprise buried in this verse. Paul says serving Christ through righteousness, peace, and joy is not only pleasing to God — it's also "approved by men." That's unexpected. We're often told that faithfulness will cost us, that following Jesus means being misunderstood or dismissed. And sometimes that's true. But Paul is pointing at something real: when someone is genuinely at peace, living with actual integrity, and carrying a joy that doesn't collapse when things go wrong, people notice. It disarms them. It doesn't require a platform or a debate. The harder question is whether your faith shows up more as a set of positions you hold or as the texture of how you actually live. Righteousness here isn't a theological grade on your doctrine — it's the quality of your everyday choices on a regular Wednesday. Peace isn't passive; it's something you actively build with the people around you. Joy isn't happiness; it's the resilience underneath happiness. What if you invested less energy defending your beliefs and more energy living them out?
Paul says the kingdom is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" — which of those three do you find hardest to embody consistently right now, and what tends to get in the way?
Is there a religious debate or argument you've been putting significant energy into lately? How much of that energy actually serves the kingdom Paul is describing here?
Paul says living this way earns human approval — does that make you uncomfortable? Should Christians care what others think of them, and where is the line between healthy witness and people-pleasing?
Think of someone in your life who doesn't share your faith. How does the way you live — your peace, your integrity, your joy — either draw them toward or push them away from what you believe?
Choose one of the three — righteousness, peace, or joy — and name one specific change you could make this week to express it more concretely in your closest relationships.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
Genesis 4:7
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Ecclesiastes 2:26
Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
2 Corinthians 8:21
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Luke 2:52
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Ephesians 5:10
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:4
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 2:47
For the one who serves Christ in this way [recognizing that food choice is secondary] is acceptable to God and is approved by men.
AMP
Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
ESV
For he who in this [way] serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
NASB
because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
NIV
For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
NKJV
If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
NLT
Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
MSG