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The Book of Romans Chapter Fourteen
Preface
This chapter begins Paul’s discourse regarding a Christian’s behavior as it relates to other believers, i.e., the “principles of Christian liberty;” and the first thirteen verses of the next, i.e., “practices of Christian liberty.”
This dialogue regarding the use of a believer’s “liberty,” is companion to Paul’s similar instruction to Christians in the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1); although, it is briefer and couched in more general terms. Here there is no mention of idols or food offered to idols, and the word “conscience” does not appear; on the other hand, when addressing the Corinthian believers, he does not refer to vegetarians or those who insist on observing a certain day for spiritual purposes. But the similarity that the strong Christian in his liberty may cause the weaker one to stumble is present in both accounts.
The weaker brethren of the church in Rome were probably believers who were previously Jews, those who had under the Jewish religion avoided certain foods because of the dietary laws of the Old Testament. The believers who were once Gentiles had no such traditional upbringing; therefore, their freedom in spiritual matters may have been causing friction between themselves and those believers who were once Jews.
Although Paul was a significantly “strong” Christian, judging from his comments to the Corinthian believers, as well as in other portions of the New Testament, he was careful that his deportment did not become an occasion of stumbling to a weaker brother or sister. He had words of warning and of encouragement to both those believers who were “weak” and those who were “strong.” His primary concern was to promote unity in the church (Romans 12:3-18; 13:9, 10; 1 Corinthians 15:5).
Romans 14:1-4 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own Master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Those in the early Church (body of Christ) came from varied nationalistic and religious backgrounds. There were those who were Jews and who carried with them the legalistic baggage from their prior religion, just as there were Gentiles who carried additional legalistic baggage from their worship of idols. To the Jew, the abhorrence of eating certain meats such as pork or shell fish would be ingrained in his nature due to his religious beliefs. To the Gentile that came out of idol worship and who became a Christian, the eating of meats offered to idols was repugnant (1 Corinthians 8; 10:23-30).
But even though the Christian is subject only to the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25; 2:12) and who is unrestrained from eating any kind of meat (1 Timothy 4:4, 5 [as long as the animal is not “strangled” and is free of its “blood” — Acts 15:20]), and thereby is strong in the faith; he is not to use his liberty to offend those who continue to hold to their unfounded “taboos” (scruples) and are thereby weak in the faith, which action could possibly keep them from obtaining a deeper spirituality.
The following excerpt from the Believer’s Bible Commentary pertaining to the principles outlined by the apostle Paul regarding this matter is quite eloquent:
Romans 14:1-15:13 deals with important principles to guide God’s people in dealing with matters of secondary importance. These are the things that so often cause conflict among believers, but such conflict is quite unnecessary, as we shall see. . . .
The first principle is this: a weak Christian should be received into the local fellowship, but not with the idea of engaging him in disputes about his ultra-scrupulousness. Christians can have happy fellowship without agreeing on nonessentials. . . .
The second principle is that there must be mutual forbearance. The mature Christian must not despise his weak brother. Neither should the weak brother judge as a sinner someone who enjoys ham, shrimp, or lobster. God has received him into His family, a member in good standing.
The third principle is that each believer is a servant of the Lord, and we have no right to sit in judgment, as if we were the master. It is before his own Master that each one stands approved or disapproved.
(Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)
This condition that the apostle Paul addressed in the Roman church is the same within the Church (body of Christ) today. It is far too easy for an immature Christian, one who fails to seriously study and absorb God’s Word after spiritual birth (a condition that permeates Christendom, since there is inconsequential instruction in the Word in most every local church today), to resort to legalism and the accrual of numerous “taboos,” with the thought that such is the mark of spirituality. This leads the weak Christian to be engrossed with nonessentials and which always causes him to be in conflict with other believers who “have not reached his level of spirituality.”
Romans 14:5-8 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
Those Christians who were once Jews (for “in Christ” “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” [Galatians 3:28; 5:6; Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13]) who through spiritual immaturity chose to retain their past religious beliefs regarding the Sabbath (Saturday) as a day of obligation were at odds with those Christians who did not share these Judaism-scruples. To them all days were sacred. This in-fighting divided the local church.
But what about the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week? Does it not have a special place in the lives of Christians? We see in the New Testament that it was the day of our Lord’s resurrection (Luke 24:1-9). On the next two Lord’s days, Christ met with His disciples (John 20:19, 26). The Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost, which was on the first day of the week; Pentecost occurred seven Sundays after the feast of firstfruits (Leviticus 23:15, 16; Acts 2:1), which symbolizes Christ’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). The disciples gathered to break bread on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Paul instructed the Corinthians to take a collection on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2). So the Lord’s Day does stand out in the New Testament in a special way. But rather than being a day of obligation, like the Sabbath, it is a day of privilege. Released from our ordinary employment, we can set it apart in a special way for worshiping and serving our Lord.
Whatever view one holds on this subject, the principle is this: “let each be fully convinced in his own mind.”
(Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)
It should be clear that such a principle applies only to matters that fall short of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. In the fundamentals, there are is no room for individual opinions. But with regard to “lesser issues,” they should never become “tests of fellowship.”
The one “who observes the day” in this passage continued to believe that the keeping of the Sabbath pleased the Lord but not as a matter of retaining eternal salvation. Likewise, the one “who does not observe the day” did so to honor Christ, which was the “substance” and not a mere “shadow” of the faith (Colossians 2:16, 17).
And both, the one “who eats” and the one “who does not eat” (e.g., kosher foods), give thanks to the Lord. In both cases God is honored, so their individual practice should never be made an occasion of strife and conflict.
The overriding principle is that the believer is always under the scrutiny and approval of the Lord. Both in life and death the believer belongs to and is subject to Christ.
Romans 14:9-12 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 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 shall give account of himself to God.
The lordship of Christ should enter into every aspect of the believer’s life. The day will come when before Christ’s judgment seat the believer will give account for all that he did within his body (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Every thought, every motive, and every deed will be examined by Christ. Nothing will be hidden. For every Christian this will be either a day of glory, or of shame; the results of which will determine his rewards or lack thereof, resulting in his place of recognition (co-heirship and rulership); or, lack thereof (“outer darkness,” i.e., the darkness outside the joyful festivities) during the Messianic Era.
It is therefore folly for an over-zealous believer to judge and condemn (show contempt for) his Christian brother or sister. And to emphasize the believer’s coming judgment (not to be confused with the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15), Paul reinforces it with a quotation from Isaiah 45:23, where Jehovah Himself makes a strong affirmation that “ every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God” in acknowledgement of His supreme authority.
Romans 14:13-15 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
Paul here echoes what he has stated to the believers in Corinth, “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak (1 Corinthians 8:9). “In Christ” and under the “perfect law of liberty,” Paul knew that the laws of Judaism no longer had relevance. He firmly stated that every mature believer should “resolve . . . not to put a stumbling block (in the path of a weaker brother/sister who needed maturing in the faith) or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”
Of course Paul is speaking only of indifferent matters. He is not speaking of sins of immorality. His statements must be understood in the light of the context. In such indifferent matters the principle of love for one’s brother should override every personal desire for gratification.
The truth is that weaker brethren, i.e., those who fail to mature in God’s Word (specifically in the different aspects of God’s redemptive plan for man — spirit, soul, and body salvation; and the glorious gospel of Paul, which is the “Word of the Kingdom”), are always subject to fall away from God in their spiritual lives. This is the primary subject of the book of Hebrews (5:11-14) and the book of James, not to mention various other passages in Paul’s epistles. And even though such an individual can never lose his eternal salvation, which is wholly dependent upon the sacrifice of Christ, he can live a life of apostasy that will produce dire results for him at the judgment seat of Christ and during the coming kingdom of Christ upon earth.
Romans 14:16-18 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
So the principle here is that we should not allow these secondary things, which are perfectly permissible in themselves, to give occasion to others to condemn us for our “looseness” or “lovelessness.” It would be like sacrificing our good name for a mess of pottage. . . .
It isn’t what a man eats or doesn’t eat that matters. It is a holy life that wins God’s honor and man’s approval. Those who put the emphasis on righteousness, peace, and joy serve Christ by obeying His teachings.
(Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)
Romans 14:19-21 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
Here the principle is that instead of bickering over inconsequential matters, Christians should make every effort to maintain peace and harmony in the Christian fellowship. Instead of making weaker brethren stumble by insisting on certain personal rights, stronger Christians should strive to build up others in their most holy faith.
Romans 14:22, 23 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
I may have complete liberty to partake of every kind of food, knowing that God gave it to be received with thanksgiving. But I should not needlessly flaunt that liberty before those who are weak. It is better to exercise that liberty in private, when no one could possibly be offended.
It is good to walk in the full enjoyment of one’s Christian liberty, not being ferreted by unwarranted scruples. But it is better to forego one’s legitimate rights than having to be condemned for offending others. One who avoids stumbling others is the happy person.
And as far as the weak brother is concerned, it is wrong for him to eat anything about which he has conscientious scruples. His eating is not an act of faith; that is, he has a bad conscience about it. And it is a sin to violate one’s conscience.
(Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)
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