Romans 14:23

This verse, in contrast to Romans 14:22, seems addressed particularly to the weak. The weak brother who eats something that he believes he should not eat stands condemned by his own conscience and by God (cf. Galatians 2:11). His action is contrary to what he believes is right. "Faith" here, as in Romans 14:1; Romans 14:22, does not refer to the teachings of Christianity but to what a person believes to be the will of God for him. [Note: See Cranfield, 2:729.] If a person does what he believes to be wrong, even though it is not wrong in itself, it becomes sin for him. He has violated what he believes to be God’s will. His action has become an act of rebellion against God for him. Perhaps "he who creates divisions" would be a better translation of diakrinomenos than "he who doubts." [Note: David DeGraaf, "Some Doubts about Doubt: The New Testament Use of Diakrino," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48:8 (December 2005):733-55.]

"Whatever is done without the conviction that God has approved it is by definition sin. God has called us to a life of faith. Trust is the willingness to put all of life before God for his approval. Any doubt concerning an action automatically removes that action from the category of that which is acceptable." [Note: Mounce, pp. 258-59.]

"For a Christian not a single decision and action can be good which he does not think he can justify on the ground of his Christian conviction and his liberty before God in Christ." [Note: H. Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology, p. 291.]