Before reading this, I encourage you to read or listen to all of Romans 14. We will be working with the ESV translation of the text.
Romans 14 is a powerful chapter of scripture. It deals with how believers should interact with one another when their personal convictions differ. Paul dug into how the early church was a melting pot of different cultures and convictions about how to practice religion. People disagreed about ecclesiology (how theology applies to the way the church is structured; Paul said that they needed to be more focused on Christology (the person, nature and role of Christ). In other words, Romans 14 is a call for the early church to make Jesus the main thing.
In Romans 14:10-12, Paul says, “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
Paul wrote that It was of no consequence whether people prayed exactly the same way or whether they ate certain kinds of food. The issue was that the Roman church was making decisions that gave ecclesiology a Christological significance—that the ways they organized their church and the rules around that order were of the same weight as the person, nature, and role of Jesus. Paul was calling them to realign their thoughts.