For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
kingdom.
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Matthew 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
is.
1 Corinthians 8:8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
Colossians 2:16,17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: …
Hebrews 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
but.
Isaiah 45:24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Jeremiah 23:5,6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth…
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
peace.
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: …
Romans 8:6,15,16 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace…
Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
is not a matter of eating and drinking
This phrase addresses the disputes in the early church regarding dietary laws and practices, particularly between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the context of Romans 14, Paul is urging believers to move beyond legalistic concerns about food and drink, which were significant issues due to Jewish dietary laws (Leviticus 11) and the consumption of food offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8:4-13). The focus is on the internal and spiritual aspects of faith rather than external rituals.
but of righteousness
Righteousness here refers to the state of being right with God, which is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22). It is a key theme in Paul's writings, emphasizing that righteousness is not earned by works but is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). This righteousness leads to a transformed life that reflects God's character and moral standards.
peace
Peace in this context is both the peace with God that comes through reconciliation by Christ's sacrifice (Romans 5:1) and the peace among believers. It is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and a hallmark of the Christian community. The early church, composed of diverse backgrounds, was called to live in harmony, reflecting the peace of Christ (Colossians 3:15).
and joy
Joy is a deep-seated sense of well-being and contentment that comes from knowing and trusting God. It is not dependent on circumstances but is a result of the Holy Spirit's work in a believer's life (Philippians 4:4). Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and is often associated with salvation and the presence of God (Psalm 16:11).
in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the source and sustainer of the kingdom's attributes—righteousness, peace, and joy. The Spirit empowers believers to live out these qualities (Acts 1:8) and is the guarantee of our inheritance in the kingdom (Ephesians 1:13-14). The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life is evidence of belonging to the kingdom of God (Romans 8:9).
• “For the kingdom of God” speaks of God’s rule now experienced through Christ and ultimately fulfilled when Jesus returns (Matthew 6:33; Mark 1:15).
• Luke 17:20-21 reminds us, “the kingdom of God is in your midst,” underscoring that this reign is already active in believers.
• The verse plants our feet firmly in God’s realm rather than human traditions; everything that follows describes its true character.
• External rituals—what we put on the table or leave off—cannot define life under God’s rule (Colossians 2:16-17; 1 Corinthians 8:8).
• Paul had just addressed believers judging one another over food scruples; here he lifts their eyes above the menu to the Master.
• Hebrews 13:9 warns, “It is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods,” echoing the same heartbeat.
• In the kingdom, right standing with God comes first. “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• This righteousness is received by faith, not earned by diet (Philippians 3:9).
• It is also lived out—Matthew 5:20 calls us to a righteousness that surpasses religious performance and flows from a transformed heart.
• Jesus promised, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). His kingdom delivers freedom from guilt before God and unity with fellow believers (Ephesians 2:14).
• When righteousness is settled, peace follows: “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
• Peace here is both vertical (reconciliation with God) and horizontal (harmony with others over debatable matters).
• Joy crowns the kingdom life. It is Spirit-produced, not circumstance-dependent (Galatians 5:22).
• Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
• Even in trials, believers “rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8) because the Spirit continually testifies that we belong to God.
• Notice the trio: righteousness (foundation), peace (result), joy (overflow)—all energized “in the Holy Spirit,” not human effort.
Romans 14:17 lifts the debate about food to a higher plane: God’s kingdom is defined not by dietary rules but by the Spirit-empowered realities of righteousness, peace, and joy. When these qualities govern our relationships, secondary issues lose their power to divide, and the reign of Christ becomes visible among His people.
(17) Meat and drink.--Strictly, eating and drinking.Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.--By "righteousness and peace" is not here meant imputed righteousness, or justification and reconciliation with God, but rather the moral condition of righteousness in the Christian himself, and concord with his fellow-men. These are crowned in the confirmed Christian by that feeling of subdued and chastened exultation which is wrought in Him by the presence in his heart or constant influence of the Holy Spirit.
It is remarkable how, with all the wide difference in terminology between the writings of St. Paul and the Gospels, they yet come round to the very same point. The "kingdom of God," as here described, is exactly what we should gather from the fuller and more detailed sayings of our Lord. "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man;" "The kingdom of God is within you;" "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation;" "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light;" "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness;" "Blessed are the peacemakers;" "Rejoice and be exceeding glad."
It has not been beyond the power of heathen or even Christian philosophers, such, e.g., as Marcus Aurelius, to arrive at the conception of righteousness and peaceableness as duties to be observed and striven after. The peculiarity of Christianity consists in the unity which it gives to these attributes as naturally flowing from a spring of deep religious emotion, and from the finish and perfection which it adds to them by the introduction of that third term, "joy in the Holy Ghost." Many individuals have shown, and still show, with greater or less approximation, what the Christian type should be, but the great and only perfect Exemplar is Jesus Himself, and that less, perhaps, in the later portion of His career, when He was fulfilling that other side of His mission, to "bear the sins of many" as the Saviour of mankind, than in the earlier untroubled phase which finds expression in the Sermon on the Mount. This is in closest contact with the normal life of men.
Verses 17, 18. - For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, 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 concluding clause here has reference to "let not your good," etc., preceding. It is the practical fruits of faith that commend it to men, as well as being the test of its genuineness before God.