The Book of Romans - Lesson 14

In Chapter Thirteen, Paul dealt first with the Christian's relationship to human government, and his duty as a citizen. Our responsibility as Christians has our highest priority, but our duty to Christ should also make us the most constructive and responsible citizens of the state so that our testimony draws others to our true Lord.

Chapter 14

^{Romans 14:1a} Accept him whose faith is weak, Welcome into your fellowship him whose understanding of the faith is immature,

The Greek word here translated "accept" is προσλαμβάνω {pros-läm-bä'-nō} which means "to take or receive into one's fellowship, with the collateral idea of kindness." It is more than mere "acceptance" as it is often used today. It is more than accepting their presence, but also coming alongside to help and to guide. The verb here is in the middle voice which means it is to the advantage of those who do the "accepting." The ones who are to be welcomed are those whose "faith is weak." Faith here refers not to the act of believing, but to what is believed. This person who is "weak in faith" is one whose understanding of the Biblical truth is immature.

^{Romans 14:1b} without passing judgment on disputable matters but not into arguments that require discernment.

I don't know where the NIV got its translation, but as usual, the King James is much closer to the literal. It says "but not to doubtful disputations." "Doubtful disputations" are two words. In the Greek diakrivsei" dialogismw'n. The first word {dē-ä'-krē-sēs} is a noun meaning "discernment." The second word {dē-ä-lo-gē-smo's} is a noun meaning "argument" or "dialogue." The thrust of this verse is that the Church should seek out and welcome weak believers to strengthen them in the important doctrines of our faith, but instead, often embroil them in meaningless arguments over secondary issues which they are not mature enough to evaluate.

^{Romans 14:2} One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.

Typical of the meaningless arguments was the debate over diet. To understand the question we have to understand the historical context. In 50 AD the Emperor Claudius had banned all Jews from the city of Rome. The ban extended from 50 AD to 54 AD when Claudius died. Since we know that Romans was written during the 1st quarter of 58 AD, we know that the Jews had only been allowed to start filtering back for no more than three years. We know that Aquila and Priscilla who had fled from Rome when Paul first met them had returned to Rome (Romans 16:3). Thus, the new Gentile Christians in Rome had been independent of Jewish customs and practices. Also unavailable would have been Kosher meats. Thus, Jewish Christians who observed the Law of Moses might have been appalled on their return to Rome to find that their Gentile brothers were eating non-Kosher meat. Paul allows himself to comment that such Jews did not have a mature understanding, if they thought diet had any spiritual connotation.[a]

^{Romans 14:3} The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted welcomed him.

However, Paul criticizes those who had a true understanding of diet, but used their superior understanding as a basis of arrogance, and division. The word for "accepted" here is the same as in verse one. In other words, God has welcome each one on the basis of his faith in the redemptive power of the life and death of Jesus Christ. Who then, are we to look down on any such believer. Every believer stands before God on an equal footing. More often than not, older believers tend to deal with weak believers from arrogance rather than love. They tend to judge the weak to aggrandize themselves.

^{Romans 14:4} Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Furthermore, who appointed us judge? We are each God's servants, and only God has the right to judge. And none of us will fall, because the Lord is the one who makes us qualified to stand in His presence.

^{Romans 14:5a} One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.

Paul passes on to another meaningless argument which was causing dissension. Under the Jewish practices passed down from the Old Testament, there were legitimate feasts and fasts and special days. That was a shadow worship tied to the tabernacle and temple. It was passing away, and many understood that it had already been replaced by a worship of the realities in the Temple of the Holy Spirit in each man's heart. However, it was not an issue to divide the Church. Paul himself strove to observe the Feasts to keep that from being an issue. God would eventually allow events to take care of the issue when the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. That pretty much took care of the issue. Although Jews still observe the Feasts, they had to invent new methods of observance which did not include the Temple and its sacrifices.

^{Romans 14:5b} Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

This is an important point. In Church history we have often seen the attempt to forcibly impose "uniformity" of belief on minor issues. This verse argues for freedom of conscience.

^{Romans 14:6} He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.[b]

Paul notes that the key thing in any act of worship is that it is dedicated to the Lord. Diet and Feast Days were an Old Testament institution, but God is worshipped in the heart. If a Kosher diet and Jewish Feast Days were observed with a heart for God, God was pleased. If Gentiles ate with gratitude to God for His provision of food, God was pleased. If Gentiles didn't observe the Feasts, but were grateful to God for the fulfillment of the meaning of those Feasts in the life and death of Jesus Christ, God was pleased.

^{Romans 14:7} For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.

The meaning of the life of each believer is caught up in our relationship with God, and it is God who is our master and Lord, and none other.

^{Romans 14:8} If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Most believers are ready to concede that at the day of our death we are in God's hands, but they do not live as if they believed we are also in God's hands each day and moment of our lives. Each of us must answer to God for every moment of our lives, but only to Him..

^{Romans 14:9} For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

It is for this one to one relationship to God of each believer that Christ died.

^{Romans 14:10} You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.

Every  believer will stand before God's judgment seat where He will evaluate our lives: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

^{Romans 14:11} It is written: "‘As surely as I live,' says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" [c]

This passage from Isaiah 45:23 has often been interpreted to refer to the Great White Throne judgment when all the unredeemed are condemned to everlasting judgment. As such, that interpretation would have you believe that God forces Satan, all fallen angels, and human unbelievers to their knees and makes them confess to God. This is not only inconsistent with God's creation and honoring of free will, but draws a picture comparing God to some medieval monarch or potentate who draws confessions and satisfaction by putting people on the rack.

Clearly, in verse 10 the Judgement in view includes believers (who are called "brothers"), so as Paul interprets it, this passage from Isaiah can only refer to the Judgment Seat of Christ, where only believers are present. Everyone at the Judgement Seat of Christ will be happy to "confess to God." In Revelation 5:13, before the Tribulation, a scene much like this is described. In that scene it is clearly all believers and elect angels..

^{Romans 14:12-13a} So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.

Paul reiterates his argument that we cannot put ourselves in the place of God in judging other brothers and sister in Christ.

^{Romans 14:13b} Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

Instead, he says that believers should quit making divisions over inconsequential issues. (That emphatically does not mean that there are no consequential issues, such as, for example, the infallibility of Scripture, or salvation by faith alone in Christ alone.)

^{Romans 14:14} As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

Paul gives an example from his own life regarding diet. He had already indicated how he felt about the truth of this issue in verse 2.

^{Romans 14:15} If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.

This would seem to imply that Paul never used his freedom in a place where it could be made an issue. This explains why Paul always tried to scrupulously follow Jewish religious practices when he went to Jerusalem. The Church there was filled with "weak in the faith" believers.

^{Romans 14:16} Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.

"What you consider good," in this case is the spiritual freedom to physically eat all things. However, if exercise of that freedom creates division and distress among the weaker brethren, then it is better to give up that relatively unimportant freedom to protect the weak from losing focus on the more important freedoms we have in Christ like freedom from sin, death, and fear.

^{Romans 14:17-18} For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

The exercise of the freedom to eat, or to regard each day alike, is not the standard by which our lives will be pleasing to God. The standard is our righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

^{Romans 14:19} Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

We should pursue the mutual edification of the body and avoid issues that create division. Of course, this always should apply to both sides of an issue.

^{Romans 14:20-21} Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

Paul reiterates the principal that diet is a minor issue.

^{Romans 14:22} So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

If you know there is an error on an insignificant issue, you will be blessed by leaving it up to God to correct it.

^{Romans 14:23a} But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith;

In Romans 2, Paul introduced the important doctrine that the root sin is always the sin against the truth and faith in that truth. Here, Paul expands that idea by stating that if a Christian sins even against his faulty understanding of the truth he does himself a great injury. 

^{Romans 14:23b} and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Here, in a short concise phrase, is one of the most important principals in scripture. It is stated less directly many times,[d] but this catches it precisely. "Everything that does not come from faith is sin!" It is a definition of sin that should remove the smug looks of those who think they have measured up to what God wants by not doing any of some list of obvious sins. It is on this point of faith that both Moses and Elijah failed. Fortunately, God's mercies are new every morning and He still used them greatly, and will use them again.

[b] It is not up to us to straighten up God's Church. He is quite up to the task Himself. He does it person-by-person through the Holy Spirit. The fact that God's church has survived and flourished throughout the generations has usually been in spite of the established church, not because of it.

[c] Isaiah 45:22-24 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.'" 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 would seem to indicate that this does not include fallen angels or unbelievers.

[d] A few of the other instances.

Numbers 5:5-7a "The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed."

Hebrews 3:12 "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Proverbs 8:13 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."