Bible Strands
Romans 14:7
For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Roman church during a dispute over dietary practices and calendar observances, establishing a foundational principle before resolving their specific disagreements. He speaks to believers navigating conscientious differences in non-essential matters.
The words — οὐδεὶς (oudeis) means "no one" and ἑαυτῷ (heautō) means "to himself," forming the verse's core claim that no believer operates in isolation. These terms frame the subsequent declaration that life and death belong to the Lord.
The thread — This principle echoes in 1 Peter 4:2, which commands living for God's will rather than human passions, and in 2 Corinthians 5:15, which states believers no longer live for themselves but for Christ. The concept also aligns with 1 Corinthians 6:19 regarding the body belonging to God.
Why it lands — It demands acknowledgment that personal choices in conscience-bound matters are never purely private but carry communal and spiritual weight. The reader must weigh how their conduct affects others and ultimately answers to God.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 4:2 Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
- 1 Thessalonians 5:10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
- Titus 2:14 He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
- Galatians 2:19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God.
- Philippians 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
- Romans 14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.