Romans 14:13-23

Romans 14:13-Isaiah : . Considerateness instead of Censoriousness.

Romans 14:13 . “ Let us stop judging one another ( cf. Matthew 7:1-Deuteronomy :); but come rather to this judgment, not to lay a stumbling-block in a brother’ s way,” etc.

Romans 14:14 . For himself, Paul stands firmly on the side of liberty: “ I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus”— as one obedient to Christ’ s authority and convinced by His teaching (see Mark 7:14-Isaiah :; cf. Acts 10:9-Nehemiah :)—“ that religious distinctions in food have no intrinsic ground.”

Romans 14:15 f. enforces the appeal of Romans 14:13: the selfish indulgence of the man without food-scruples may not only “ pain” his stricter “ brother,” by overbearing his conscience (see Romans 14:23) it may “ destroy him for whom Christ died” and thus “ destroy the work of God” ( Romans 14:20). The Cross tests everything in Christianity ( cf. 1 Corinthians 8:10 f.).— The liberty you claim is good (see 1 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians 10:29): be it so; “ then let not your good be blasphemed” ( cf. Romans 2:24; Romans 3:8)— bringing the reproach on religion occasioned by self-enjoyment to the damage of others ( cf. 1 Corinthians 10:23-Amos :).

Romans 14:17 . The fundamental motive for abstinence lies in the nature of “ the kingdom of God,” whose citizenship consists in “ righteousness, etc., not in eating and drinking!” Righteousness has been expounded in chs. 1– 6 ; Christian peace and joy were set forth in Romans 5:1-1 Kings :, Romans 8:28-Malachi :. “ Peace” looks man-ward here ( Romans 14:19); “ joy” contrasts with the “ grief” deprecated in Romans 14:15.

Romans 14:18 concludes the ease for avoiding offence toward the weak: “ For he that in this” self-restraint “ serves Christ ( cf. Galatians 6:2, John 15:12, etc.) is well-pleasing to God, and approved in the eyes of men” ; see 1 Corinthians 10:32 ff. for the latter consideration, indicated negatively in Romans 14:16.

Romans 14:19 ( mg.) . “ Accordingly then”— for all these reasons—“ we pursue the things of peace,” etc.; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:23-Ezekiel :.

Romans 14:20 f. reiterates the main appeal: “ Don’ t for the sake of food be destroying the work of God,” wrought in saving individuals ( Romans 14:15) and in building the Church ( 1 Corinthians 3:9-Esther :). “ All things are pure,” etc.: the ethical taint lies not in the tabooed food, but in the mind of the partaker; any food is “ bad to the man who eats with a hurt conscience.” “ Eating flesh” and “ drinking wine” were classed together by the rigorists of the time. These considerations apply to “ anything over which one’ s brother stumbles.”

Romans 14:22 f. Finally, Paul challenges the libertarian and the ascetic in turn: “ You have faith”— faith permitting you to eat whatever suits you ( Romans 14:2)—“ keep it as your own in the sight of God,” without thrusting it injuriously upon others ( cf. 1 Corinthians 14:28); “ he is blessed” who has no misgivings about the liberty he takes, nor the charity with which he exercises it. “ But the man of divided (wavering) judgment” ( cf. James 1:6), “ if he eats, is condemned, because he does it not out of faith”— not assured of his right to do so. As “ faith is reckoned for righteousness” ( Romans 4:4), so “ whatever is not of faith is sin” ( Romans 14:23 b).