<p>14:17 <i>For the kingdom of God is not about what we eat and drink- </i>This verse doesn't speak only of the fact that in the future Kingdom of God on earth, we shall not be debating what we eat- and so we shouldn't be now. 15:13 uses the same Greek words to explain that God through the Holy Spirit fills us with &quot;joy and peace&quot;. These are internal mental attributes; and we are given them by God through the Spirit / mind which is given to us, as explained in chapter 8. Gal. 5:22 likewise says that the Spirit within us brings forth the fruit of joy and peace. &quot;The Kingdom of God&quot; was the core message of the Lord Jesus, and His teachings and parables about it refer mainly to life lived under the Kingship of God right now. Within that spirit of thinking and living, we do not argue about issues like food. There is a clear connection with the theological section of Romans- the life of the Spirit is all about righteousness (8:10)- the same terms used in this verse. The practical import of that is that we are not going to be mentally bogged down in endless disputes about legal issues. We are therefore not to keep arguing about them (:1), but just accept the weak and immature as they are, by grace.</p><p><i>But about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit- </i>All the law, every possible type of legislation, is comprehended in the one simple law of loving our neighbour (Rom. 13:9). We aren&rsquo;t free to do, dress or speak just as we like; the law of love binds heavy upon us. The things of God&rsquo;s Kingdom don&rsquo;t revolve so much around laws (e.g. about what we should eat and drink) but around &ldquo;righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit&rdquo; (Rom. 14:17). It is attitudes which are important rather than specific acts of obedience.</p><p>In Ex. 33:8 Moses asks to see God's glory, and in reply he is told God will proclaim His Name before him, which is done in Ex. 34:5-7 by the declaration of God's righteous attributes. Solomon building a temple &quot;For the name of the Lord, and an house for His Kingdom&quot; (2 Chron. 2:1) suggests that God's Kingdom is another manifestation of His Name, because it will be filled with His attributes. This helps us understand Rom. 14:17: &quot;The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink... but righteousness... joy&quot;, i.e. the characteristics of God's Name.</p>