Archives For Theology

The book of Revelation has more verses that explicitly mention demons and demonic entities than any other book of the Bible. I have compiled 57 such verses that are in 15 of the 22 chapters of the book.1

By meditating much on this biblical revelation, I pray that God will see fit to grant me much more illumination about the importance of this subject in the Bible and especially in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Revelation 2:13  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Revelation 2:24  But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

Revelation 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee

Revelation 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Revelation 9:14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

Revelation 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

Revelation 9:20  And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Revelation 9:21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Revelation 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Revelation 12:3  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Revelation 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Revelation 12:13  And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Revelation 12:14  And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Revelation 12:15  And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

Revelation 12:16  And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Revelation 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Revelation 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Revelation 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

Revelation 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Revelation 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

Revelation 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Revelation 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Revelation 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Revelation 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

Revelation 13:17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Revelation 13:18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Revelation 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Revelation 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Revelation 16:2  And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 16:10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

Revelation 16:13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

Revelation 16:14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Revelation 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:7  And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Revelation 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Revelation 17:12  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

Revelation 17:13  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

Revelation 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Revelation 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

Revelation 18:2  And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

Revelation 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

Revelation 19:19  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Revelation 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Revelation 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Revelation 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Revelation 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Revelation 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.


1 As I keep studying, I will be adding to this list any verses that I may have missed in the book of Revelation that also pertain to demons and demonic entities.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

The diagram in this post seeks to present biblical truths about foodstuffs in a way that helps provide greater understanding about what Scripture really teaches about acceptable versus unacceptable uses of foodstuffs or of things as foodstuffs.

The diagram is patterned after the X-Y axes diagrams used in mathematics to display the coordinates of points in their proper quadrants.

It provides many (but not all) biblical truths about foodstuffs or things used as foodstuffs in my Four-Quadrant Approach to understanding what Scripture reveals about foodstuffs or things used as foodstuffs.

Acceptable versus Unacceptable Uses of Foodstuffs or of Things as Foodstuffs

In this diagram, a positive value on the “X” axis (on the right half of the diagram) denotes biblical information about acceptable uses of foodstuffs or of things as foodstuffs. A negative value on the “X” axis (on the left half of the diagram) relates biblical information about unacceptable uses of foodstuffs or of things as foodstuffs.

Eating or Offering Foodstuffs in Corporate Worship versus Eating Foodstuffs in Ordinary Life

A positive value on the “Y” axis (on the top half of the diagram) denotes biblical information about eating or offering foodstuffs in corporate worship. A negative value on the “Y” axis (on the bottom half of the diagram) relates biblical information about eating foodstuffs in ordinary life.

Properly Interpreting Romans 14:1-4

This diagram helps us in interpreting properly the statements about foods in the following battleground passage in Scripture concerning “Christian liberty”:

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Because Paul says in Romans 14:2a, “For one believeth that he may eat all things,” some have wrongly understood this teaching to be without any limitations. Scripture, however, teaches us that understanding is false.

All of the Scripture-based entries in the bottom left quadrant of the diagram that are preceded by an “x” relate biblical teaching about things that no one may believe that it is right for a believer to eat. Eating any of these things is not a matter of “Christian liberty.”

Romans 14:2does not teach that a believer who is strong in the faith eats things that are poisonous to humans (cf. 2 Kings 4:40), It also does not teach that being strong in the faith includes eating human flesh (Deut. 28:57) or blood (Lev. 17:10; Acts 15:20).

Conclusion

“Christian liberty” does not extend to eating all things without any qualifications whatever they may be. Using the teaching of Romans 14:1-4 as the basis of asserting that “Christian liberty” entails the legitimate use of all things without any qualifications at all in matters that one believes are matters of “Christian liberty” is a misunderstanding and misuse of Scripture.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In his chapter God, My Heart, and Music in the book Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World, Bob Kauflin writes,

Actually, it seems that God likes music of all kinds. No one style can sufficiently capture his glory or even begin to reflect the vastness of his wisdom, creativity, beauty, and order. That doesn’t mean some kinds of music aren’t more complex or beautiful than others. It just means no single genre of music is better than the rest in every way.

Tellingly, Kauflin offers no biblical support of his own for these statements. Instead, he offers as his support the teaching of another writer who offers no valid biblical support for his views.

False claims such as these (by Kauflin and others) about God and His supposedly liking “music of all kinds” is one of the chief reasons that we have the debacle that we have musically in the Church in our day.


For a lengthy discussion of the issues concerning the viewpoint of Tomlin and others who hold similar positions, see the comments on Sharper Iron in my thread God Likes Music of All Kinds.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

God has sovereignly determined and declared that there is only one pathway to salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; etc.). Even as true believers acknowledge the sovereignty of God in salvation, many seem to me to reject the sovereignty of God in worship by rejecting that it could even be possible that He would accept some kinds of music in worship but reject other kinds of music.

Scripture provides revelation about God’s rejection of certain kinds of things in worship that by way of analogy justifies our holding that God similarly does not accept the use of all kinds of music in worship.

No Honey in Any Offering Made by Fire

Leviticus 2:11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

In His sovereignty, God has rejected the burning of any honey in any offering of the Lord made by fire. He does not provide any explanation for this categorical rejection of the use of any honey in worship.

No Altars Made of Hewn Stone

Exodus 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

In His sovereignty, God has rejected the use of any altars of stone that are made of hewn stones. He does not provide any explanation for this categorical rejection of the use of any altars made of hewn stones in worship.

Conclusion

Scripture reveals to us that God has sovereignly rejected any use of honey or altars made of hewn stone in worship. God has not revealed any bases for His rejection of these things in worship.

Because we have explicit biblical revelation that teaches us that there has never been any universal acceptance in worship of all kinds of animal products or manmade altars, we have biblical basis to hold that the same is true concerning any supposed universal acceptance in worship of all kinds of music. Those who wish to affirm that God does accept the use of all kinds of music in worship must provide biblical evidence that shows that He does so.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

From nearly the very beginning of human existence, God’s dealings with humans have instructed them to accept His wisdom in setting boundaries for them about acceptable sources of wisdom (Gen. 2:17 compared with Genesis 3:6). Rejecting God’s wisdom and righteousness, Eve foolishly and sinfully sought wisdom (“a tree to be desired to make one wise” [Gen. 3:6]) by a forbidden means from a forbidden source of wisdom that God sovereignly had put off-limits to her.

She was deceived into doing so by the work of an evil, supernatural, non-human spirit being (Gen. 3:13; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14) of whom Eve had no knowledge. In fact, she had no capability of knowing what really was taking place and took place that led to her transgressing against God.

We must learn from Eve’s horrific and tragic foolishness and sinfulness. As finite, corporeal beings, we as humans apart from divine revelation are utterly incapable of understanding how things of the spirit world work.

We therefore are simply no match for evil, supernatural, non-human spirit beings who incomparably surpass us in so many ways. Our only place of safety is to exalt God’s wisdom and righteousness in His demanding that we utterly reject all wisdom from forbidden sources of wisdom that is demonic.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Three passages in Scripture plainly teach us the matchless superiority of godly wisdom versus worldly wisdom:

Genesis 41

Although Pharaoh consulted with all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, none of the Egyptian magicians or wise men had the wisdom that he sought for:

Genesis 41:8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

After Joseph provided him with the wisdom that he had sought for (Gen. 41:25-32), Pharaoh acknowledged that there was no one who was as discreet and wise as Joseph was:

Genesis 41:38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:

The wisdom that God gave to Joseph was incomparably superior to all the worldly wisdom of all of Egypt’s magicians and wise men!

First Kings 4

God gave Solomon exceedingly great wisdom:

1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

God through the inspired writer of First Kings made known the matchless superiority of the divine wisdom that He gave to Solomon versus the wisdom of all other people:

1 Kings 4:30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.

Daniel 1

God gave to Daniel and his three friends surpassing wisdom that made them uniquely excellent among all those whom the king examined after they had been brought before him:

Daniel 1:17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

Strikingly, the Spirit reveals that the king found Daniel and his friends to be ten times better than all the occult wise men that were in his entire kingdom of Babylon:

Daniel 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

Application

God wants His people to accept that He gives matchless wisdom to those whom He specially chooses to be His own. When such people are devoted to Him through His working in their lives, their wisdom is surpassingly greater than all the wisdom of the world.

Consecrated believers must turn away from heeding all worldly wisdom in any area of their lives because their heeding any such wisdom is utterly unacceptable to God!


See also this closely related post: Divine Wisdom versus Occult Wisdom: Learning from a Vital Comparison.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

At least 8 lines of biblical evidence support holding that the right position for a believer to hold is to esteem one day above another.

Seventh Day – The End of the Creation Week

At the Creation, God uniquely blessed and set apart one day above the other six days of the week:

Genesis 2:3  And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

 At the end of the Creation week, therefore, it was impossible to validly hold that esteeming all days “alike” was a right position for a believer to hold. Esteeming one day above the others was the right position.

Seventh Day – The Sabbath

God uniquely set apart the seventh day as His special day for His special people Israel:

Exodus 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. . . . 11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Isaiah 58:13  If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: 14  Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Subsequent to the Creation, therefore, and until the Resurrection of Christ from the dead, it was impossible to validly hold that esteeming all days “alike” was a right position for a believer to hold. Esteeming one day above another was the right position.

First Day – The Resurrection of Christ

God raised His Christ from the dead on the first day of the week:

Matthew 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

His doing so made that day distinctively special as the day that He had made:

Psalm 118:22-24 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23 This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. 24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

No believer, therefore, can validly hold that the first day of the week is not any more special than any other days of the week. The right position is to esteem one day above another.

First Day – The Resurrection Appearances of Christ

Not only did God raise His Christ from the dead on the first day of the week, but also, He showed (Acts 10:40) to many credible witnesses on that very day that His Christ had risen bodily and was alive after He had died:

Mark 16:9  Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

John 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

John 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

No believer, therefore, can validly hold that the first day of the week is not any more special than any other days of the week. Esteeming one day above another is the right position.

First Day – The Beginning of the Church

God birthed the Church on the first day of the week on the day of Pentecost:

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. . . 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. . . . 47 And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

He thus made the first day of the week distinctive in a way that was not true of any of the other days of the week.

No believer, therefore, can validly hold that the first day of the week is not any more special than any other days of the week. The right position is to esteem one day above another.

First Day – Pauline Practice

The Spirit inspired Luke to write that Paul was with the believers in Troas for seven days (Acts 20:6) and then met with them for corporate worship on the first day of the week:

Acts 20:7  And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Paul’s uniquely authoritative apostolic example (cf. 1 Cor. 4:17; 11:1) in this regard shows that no believer can validly hold that the first day of the week was not any more important than any other day of the week. Esteeming one day above another is the right position.

First Day – Pauline Command

Paul commanded believers in multiple churches in more than one region to do an important religious activity on the first day of the week:

1 Corinthians 16:1  Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

His doing so proves that Paul esteemed the first day of the week above the other days of the week as the day on which the believers had to engage in that activity.

His apostolic command for a special religious activity on the first day of the week shows that it is impossible to validly hold that a believer must esteem all days “alike.” The right position is to esteem one day above another.

The Lord’s Day

The Spirit inspired the apostle John to write of his being in the Spirit on a day that uniquely belonged to the Lord:

Rev. 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

This revelation shows that there was one day that God esteemed above the others as uniquely being His day.

No believer, therefore, can validly hold that all days are to be esteemed “alike.” Esteeming one day above another is the right position.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

Through my ongoing study of Romans 14:5, I recently wrote the following on a post on Sharper Iron about how Acts 2:46-47 and Acts 20:7 help explain Romans 14:5.

Comparing Acts 2:46-47 with Romans 14:5b and Acts 20:6-7 with Romans 14:5a shows the direct correspondence between these passages, respectively. Right after Pentecost, the Church was meeting every day for corporate worship:

Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Romans 14:5b another esteemeth every day alike.

Later, however, we see that their practice was different:

Acts 20:6-7 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. 7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Romans 14:5a One man esteemeth one day above another:

Even though Paul and whoever else “we” in Acts 20:6 refers to were in Troas for seven days, Acts 20:7 reveals that they met on the first day of the week. Here, Scripture plainly shows apostolic practice that points to the special esteem and regard for corporate worship on the first day of the week.

The believers in Rome who held to the “every day alike” position supported their belief on information that they had received about the earliest practice of the Church. The other believers based their “one day above another” position on the later practice of Paul and others.

In such a situation of differing beliefs based on actual biblical information about differing, acceptable apostolic practice, the believers who held these differing positions were to be convinced in their own minds about which position to follow.

This approach is the only understanding [of the differing positions in Romans 14:5] that commends itself to me at this time.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

I have been studying Romans 14 a lot lately. Recently, I got the idea of using pie charts to help us better understand and apply the teaching of Romans 14 about key differing viewpoints among Christians to the key issue of how many “genres” of instrumental music are acceptable to God for use in corporate worship.

The charts in this post are possible representations of the differing viewpoints that Paul addresses in this chapter. I am not claiming that the details of these charts are necessarily exactly in keeping with what the passage reveals because it seems that there are some uncertainties about the specifics of his teaching.

Eat All Things or Eat Herbs?

The first differing viewpoint that Paul presents concerns what Christians believe that they may eat:

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

Many seem to understand this teaching by Paul to mean what the following diagrams show:

Romans 14:2a For one believeth that he may eat all things:

Romans 14:2b another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

They hold that what Paul says indicates that some believe that they should partake of all things while others who are “weak in the faith” believe that they should only partake of a specified subset of all things that the others believe that they may eat.

A careful comparison of this teaching by Paul with other revelation in Scripture, however, shows that this understanding is faulty. Neither the ones who eat “all things” nor those who eat (only) “herbs,” in reality, eat the following:

Plant and animal products that are poisonous to humans, such as poisonous berries and mushrooms (cf. the inability to eat poisonous stew [2 Kings 4:40]);

Human flesh (Deut. 28:57), eating blood (Lev. 17:10; Acts 15:20), or eating “things strangled (Acts 15:20);

Things known to have been offered to idols (Rev. 2:14
);

Things that God did not create for humans to eat (thorns and thistles [Gen. 3:18]; grass [Ps. 104:14; Dan. 4]).

Taking into account these things that strong believers do not eat shows us that the correct understanding of “eat all things” in Romans 14:2 is the following:

Application

Romans 14:2 does not teach that strong believers eat all things in the sense that they eat all plant and animal products without any exceptions. There are many plant and animal products that are unfit for human consumption as foodstuffs—not consuming those things does not mean that one is “weak in the faith” (Rom. 14:1).

Many believers use Paul’s teaching in Romans 14:2 about strong believers eating “all things” to claim that teaching supports holding that all “genres” of instrumental music are acceptable to God for strong believers to use in corporate worship. Romans 14:2 does not support holding that viewpoint about the use of all “genres” of instrumental music in corporate worship because Romans 14:2 does not teach that strong believers eat all plant and animal products without exception.

Using Romans 14:2 as support for believing that believers who reject the use of certain “genres” of instrumental music in corporate worship are “weak in the faith” is a misinterpretation and misapplication of Scripture. A proper understanding of the teaching of Romans 14:1-2 and a proper application of that teaching shows that it is not true that Scripture supports holding that the use of all “genres” of instrumental music in corporate worship is acceptable to God.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

The following excerpt from my most recent post in a thread on Sharper Iron explains plainly what “eateth all things” in Romans 14:1-2 does not establish:

Scripture reveals that God created plant substances that He did not provide as food for humans, but they nonetheless are plant substances that humans can ingest.

Psalm 104:14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

In fact, God punished Nebuchadnezzar by making him to eat grass that was for oxen and not humans:

Daniel 5:21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

Some may try to argue against this point by setting forth that there are many grasses that are edible for humans. Even so, that does not change the fact that there are many that are not and never were intended to be food for humans.

Similarly, God’s punishment on man after the Fall included the following:

Genesis 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

This revelation contrasts the herb of the field that God commanded man to eat with the thorns and thistles that the ground would also bring forth. The implication is that God did not cause the ground to bring forth these thorns and thistles as food for humans. . . .

These biblical considerations . . . establish that God never intended eats “all things” in Romans 14:1-2 to be taken in any sort of unqualifiedly universal sense even for the eating of plant and animal products as foodstuffs in ordinary eating and drinking.

Copyright © 2011-2025 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.