Romans 14:1
Τὸν δὲ ἀσθενοῦντα τῇ πίστει, προσλαμβάνεσθε, μὴ εἰς διακρίσεις διαλογισμῶν.
Take to yourself the one being weak in the faith but not for judgment of reasonings.
Paraphrase: Brothers and sisters, I want to say something about the different kinds of people in your assembly. Be sure to welcome into your churches those that are not as mature in their walk with God as you might expect. Be kind and patient with them. (Jude 22) They don’t have a full understanding of all the truths of our religion, but that is no reason to immediately start challenging their opinions or their way of thinking on certain issues. This just leads to quarrels, fights, and usually a good deal of pride and thinking of ourselves as superior.
Comments:
The weak here are likely Jewish-Christians who struggle with what to let go and what to keep from their Jewish past.
Romans 14:2
ὃς μὲν πιστεύει φαγεῖν πάντα· ὁ δὲ ἀσθενῶν, λάχανα ἐσθίει.
One person believes to eat all things; but another being weak, eats vegetables.
Paraphrase: Take the matter of what kind of foods we are allowed to eat. Some people in your assembly have no qualms about eating whatever is in front of them; others, with the same faith in Christ but not having a full understanding of the liberty of the gospel, eat only vegetables.
Comments:
For ὃς μὲν …ὁ δὲ, see here.
The religion of Judaism did not forbid the eating of meat. Perhaps the Jewish believers here were afraid the meat had not been properly prepared (Leviticus 17:10–14) or that the blessing of some false deity had been invoked over this meat? (Daniel 1:8–16) For some reason, they thought it safer to limit themselves to just vegetables.
Romans 14:3
ὁ ἐσθίων, τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω· ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίων, τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω, ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν προσελάβετο.
The one eating should not despise the one not eating, and the one not eating should not condemn the one eating, for God takes him to Himself.
Paraphrase: Both of these need to be careful. The strong will be tempted to look with contempt and haughty pride on the one who has not yet grasped the full significance of the liberating power of the gospel. The weak will be tempted to condemn those whom he regards as being too free and hasty in breaking with time-honored traditions. Remember, God has welcomed to Himself both the weak and the strong. Do you want to look with contempt on someone whom God has embraced in His love and mercy? or would you condemn someone whom God has justified?
Comments:
John Murray points out the two sides here which become sinful. The first is “the smile of disdainful contempt” coming from the Gentile Christians, who were strong and prided themselves on their greater liberty. The second is “the frown of condemnatory judgment” coming from the Jewish Christian, who were weak and who condemned the strong for taking so many liberties with things that were once sinful and brought a person into uncleanness. See his commentary on Romans 14:1-3
προσλαμβάνω is in v1 where Paul exhorts the Christians to embrace the weak and also here where God embraces them.
Romans 14:4
σὺ τίς εἶ, ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην; τῷ ἰδίῳ κυρίῳ στήκει ἢ πίπτει. σταθήσεται δέ· δυνατεῖ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος στῆσαι αὐτόν.
Who are you the one judging another’s house servant? to his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand for the Lord is able to cause him to stand.
Paraphrase: Do you think you are such an important person (Romans 12:3) that you are qualified to pass judgment on someone else’s employee? Are you really so puffed up with pride? On the contrary, even in society at large, each employee is judged by his own boss. The boss would resent as an intrusion someone else coming along and giving his employees a performance review. In the same way, you are not and will not be the judge of other Christians. They will stand before God; He is the Judge who will pass judgment on all people. Don’t forget; He is able to take even the most wicked person and to give him a new birth and a new life marked by holiness and joy in the Holy Spirit. Such ones, in spite of their previous way of life, will stand without fear in the court of God and be owned by God. (Isaiah 62:4)
Comments:
Romans 14:5
Ὃς μὲν γὰρ κρίνει ἡμέραν παρ’ ἡμέραν· ὃς δὲ κρίνει πᾶσαν ἡμέραν. ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ νοῒ, πληροφορείσθω.
For, on the one hand, one person judges days beyond days; another judges all days. Let each in his own mind be persuaded.
Paraphrase: Then there is the whole matter of special seasons and holy days. The Jewish Christians remember their celebration of the days of unleavened bread, the night of Passover, the feast of booths especially the last great day of this feast, Pentecost, the new moons, the Day of Atonement, the weekly Sabbath, etc. They continue to observe some or even all of these feast days even though these rituals were all fulfilled and ended in the coming of our Savior. (Colossians 2:16-17) For all that, they are allowed to continue these practices. Again this is an area where differences of opinion are allowed to exist in the Christian church. These brothers and sisters regard certain days as holier than others. Other Christians regard all days alike; and when these days roll around, they carry on with their normal routine. Just like the issue of eating, this is an issue upon which Christians are to learn to live with each other and to show love and respect to those who think differently on these subjects. Let each believer make their own decision using their own mind and let the rest of us respect that decision and treat each other as members of one family.
Comments:
Winer notes (p503) the following about the preposition παρα:
Further παρά indicates that something has not hit the mark, but has fallen beside the mark; and hence, according to the nature of the words with which it is connected, it sometimes signifies “beyond”…
These holy days and seasons were in the spring and fall of the Jewish calendar. While Paul clearly regards all days as holy, he still instructed the Corinthians to use their gatherings on the first day for the collecting of alms. (1 Corinthians 16:2; cf here)
Romans 14:6
ὁ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν, Κυρίῳ φρονεῖ· ὁ ἐσθίων, Κυρίῳ ἐσθίει, εὐχαριστεῖ γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων, Κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐσθίει, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ Θεῷ.
For the one judging the day, judges to the Lord. The one eating, eats to the Lord, for he is giving thanks to God and the one not eating, does not eat to the Lord, and he is giving thanks to God.
Paraphrase: So here is the situation; those who eat all kinds of food and those who do not keep the holy days do it for the glory of God. Those who abstain from certain kinds of foods and who do observe the holy days, also do it for the glory of God. The practice of both is a sincere act of worship to God. Both have the same motive, and their different acts of worship are both a sweet smelling fragrance to God. So what room is there for any feeling of superiority or condemnation towards our fellow brothers and sisters?
Comments:
Romans 14:7
Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἑαυτῷ ζῇ, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἑαυτῷ ἀποθνῄσκει.
For not one of us lives for himself and not one dies for himself.
Paraphrase: Certainly, brothers and sisters, we can all agree that those, who count themselves among Gods people, are making a sincere effort to live our lives, from beginning to end, for God’s glory. Those who eat; those who abstain; those who observe holy days; those who don’t; all are alike in this.
Comments:
Romans 14:8
ἐάν τε γὰρ ζῶμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ ζῶμεν· ἐάν τε ἀποθνήσκωμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀποθνήσκομεν. ἐάν τε οὖν ζῶμεν, ἐάν τε ἀποθνήσκωμεν, τοῦ Κυρίου ἐσμέν.
For if we might live for the Lord, we shall live. If we might die for the Lord, then we die. Therefore, if we might live or if we might die, we are the Lord’s.
Paraphrase: Yes, from the day we’re born to the day we die, all of us act with a sincere desire to exult the Name of our Savior who purchased us and who owns us. Some do it differently than others, but all are still aiming at the same thing, the greater glory of God, both in our living and in our dying. Both are accepted by God, and both should be accepted by us.
Comments:
Third class condition. Notice there is nothing in the morphology of ζῶμεν to distinguish the one as subjunctive and the other as indicative. We expect the verb in the protasis to be subjunctive, however. ἀποθνήσκωμεν is easily distinguished from ἀποθνήσκομεν because of the connecting vowel.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (p33).
Romans 14:9
εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ, Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ.
For unto this, Christ died and lived in order that even dying and living, He might reign.
Paraphrase: Now this was the purpose of Christ’s coming to earth, submitting Himself to the death of the cross and then rising from the grave in victory. All this, He did to redeem His people from slavery and to purchase them at the cost of His own life. Now, he owns them and rules over all of them to their flourishing and to His glory. Now if He has purchased them and if He owns them, then He and He alone has the right to pass judgment on their practice. You did not purchase them; and therefore, you have no right to pass judgment on them in these matters.
Comments:
Romans 14:10
Σὺ δὲ, τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου, ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Now you, why are you judging your brother or also why are you despising your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
Paraphrase: So then, why are you Jewish Christians condemning your brother who eats all foods and does not observe all your feast days? And you Gentile Christians, why are you looking down with contempt on the practices of your Jewish brothers and sisters as though you were superior? This behavior is unacceptable; all of us will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ where we can be sure we will receive perfect justice. Until then, lay aside your judgments and your censures; lay aside your smug virtue signaling and leave it all at the feet of the great Judge of heaven and earth. He knows the heart of each of His people most perfectly. Let us, go on together, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder and do the work which God has called us to do without quarreling and pride.
Comments:
Romans 14:11
γέγραπται γάρ· Ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ, καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ Θεῷ.
Romans 14:12
Ἄρα οὖν, ἕκαστος ἡμῶν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, λόγον δώσει τῷ Θεῷ.
Romans 14:13
Μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτο κρίνατε μᾶλλον, τὸ μὴ τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ἢ σκάνδαλον.
Therefore, no longer, one another, let us condemn, but this judge rather, not to place an obstacle to a brother nor a trap.
Paraphrase: Well then the lesson is clear. Let’s stop passing judgment on other Christians whose choices differ from ours. Our time is better spent in making a firm resolution not to put any of our brothers or sisters in any kind of situation where they might be tempted to act contrary to their own convictions. This is really nothing more than setting a trap for them. This is a disgraceful way of acting.
Comments:
Romans 14:14
Οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν Κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι’ ἑαυτοῦ· εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοινὸν εἶναι, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν.
I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is common through itself, except by that one considering it to be common, it is common.
Paraphrase: Personally, I am persuaded that there is no food which is inherently unclean. I believe this because this is what Jesus taught us. He dismissed all the laws pertaining to clean and unclean foods and taught us that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth. (Matthew 15:11; Acts 10:9-15) Therefore, we are no longer bound to keep them. There are some brothers and sisters, however, who are not so clear in their thinking on this. They continue to follow these laws because they sincerely believe that some foods are unclean. They are weak in their understanding of the faith. (Romans 14:1) Now to such brothers and sisters, it is as if this food really was unclean, and they sin if they eat it.
Comments:
Romans 14:15
εἰ γὰρ διὰ βρῶμα, ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς. μὴ τῷ βρώματί σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε, ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν.
For if on account of food, your brother is grieved, no longer according to love you are walking. Do not by your food, destroy that one for whom Christ died.
Paraphrase: Yes, you must bear this principle in mind. if you, knowing your brother’s convictions on this point, eat food which you know he regards as unclean, then you are causing him unnecessary anxiety and stress. He might see you eating this food and conclude that you have no interest in living a righteous life. He might wonder if you are really a true believer at all and be led to condemn you. (Romans 14:3) Or he may begin to reflect on his own practice and wonder if he is all wrong. Or he may conclude that you are poking him in the eye, intentionally violating his convictions to make a point. He may very well conclude that you think his convictions are absurd and that you look on him with contempt. (Romans 14:3) This, my dear brothers and sisters is not the way of love in which our Lord commanded us to walk. The end result of such behavior is that the bond of love which should exist between the two of you is shattered and this man’s peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17) is wrecked, and all this simply because of your callous disregard for his feelings. Christ died to make this brother’s joy full, but your arrogance has brought him anxiety, stress, and even some degree of anger and malice.
Comments:
Romans 14:16
Μὴ βλασφημείσθω, οὖν, ὑμῶν τὸ ἀγαθόν.
Therefore, do not let your good be spoken against as evil.
Paraphrase: Furthermore, you have now given the secular people around you ammunition for further attack and mockery of Christians. They will scoff and laugh when they see how Christians treat each other. “Look at the Christians,” they will say, “They hate each other more than they hate unbelievers!” (John 13:35; 17:20-23) By your eating such foods and your disregard for your brother’s feelings, you will have brought reproach on the gospel of Christ and the kingdom which He gave us.
Comments:
See the comments of Ammianus Marcellinus.
Romans 14:17
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις, ἀλλὰ δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη καὶ χαρὰ ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ.
For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Paraphrase: So let’s not make an issue about what foods people eat or what days they observe as holy. Let each person act in accordance with their own convictions, and let every other brother respect these convictions. (Romans 14:5) The kingdom, which our Lord gave us, is not so concerned with such matters. The kingdom of our God is concerned primarily with righteous character, with each of us flourishing in relation to each other, and rejoicing in the ministry of the Holy Spirit who works all these things in us.
Comments:
I take righteousness here in the sense of righteous character and peace in the sense of shalom where the emphasis is on prosperity and health. (Zechariah 8:1-8) Righteousness could also be used in the sense of the righteousness from God by which we are justified (Romans 3:22) and peace could refer to the peace we have with God as a result of this justification. (Romans 5:1)
Romans 14:18
ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ δουλεύων τῷ Χριστῷ εὐάρεστος τῷ Θεῷ καὶ δόκιμος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις.
For the one, in this, serving Christ is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Paraphrase: Those who act in this way show themselves to be good slaves of Jesus Christ; God is pleased with them, and other people’s respect for Christians is increased when they see us living with each other in love.
Comments:
Romans 14:19
Ἄρα οὖν, τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης διώκωμεν, καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς εἰς ἀλλήλους.
Therefore then, the things of peace let us chase and the things of upbuilding for one another.
Paraphrase: Let’s all resolve to live like this and to be intentional about making choices that result in the peace and flourishing of our Christian communities. Focus on those things that build each other up and that help to establish us in our most holy faith. Let the lesser issues be of less concern; on these matters, let each one be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Comments:
Romans 14:20
μὴ ἕνεκεν βρώματος, κατάλυε τὸ ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ. πάντα μὲν καθαρά, ἀλλὰ κακὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίοντι.
Not on account of food, destroy the work of God. On the one hand, all things are clean, but evil to the man eating through offence.
Paraphrase: Do you really want to be guilty of working at cross purposes with God Himself? God is calling people out of pagan darkness and bringing them into a kingdom that is marked by peace, truth, love, and joy in the Holy Spirit. But what about you? What are you hoping to accomplish? If you just cast aside your brother’s convictions and proceed to eat whatever you want with no regard for his feelings, then you are sowing seeds of distrust, malice, and discord. Do you really think God will look kindly on this? Will He not rather say as our Lord said to Peter on one occasion, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23) And all this just because you refuse to temporarily lay aside your right to eat a certain kind of food? That’s shameful, brothers and sisters.
Comments:
Romans 14:21
καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα, μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον, μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει.
It is good not to eat flesh, neither to drink wine, neither anything by which your brother stumbles.
Paraphrase: Eating meat and drinking wine are all wonderful gifts that God has given us to enjoy (1 Timothy 4:1–5; 6:17), but the best thing, brothers and sisters, is to love your brother to such an extent that you are willing to lay aside your right to enjoy such foods and to act in such a way that he is not brought into an awkward situation or worse. This is the way of love that should be the leading characteristic of every Christian church.
Comments:
See the counsel Ambrose gave to Augustine (p125).
Romans 14:22
Σὺ πίστιν ἣν ἔχεις, κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. μακάριος ὁ μὴ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν ἐν ᾧ δοκιμάζει.
You, faith, which you have, according to yourself have before God. Blessed the one not judging himself in what he approves.,
Paraphrase: Now listen all of you; I’m going to bring this to a close. Do you have a set of convictions pertaining to these matters of foods, days, and other matters? Then, I’m happy for you. This leads to a more peaceful and joyful walk with God. It is something for which you are to be thankful. But take note of this. Let these convictions be between you and God. Don’t expect the rest of the church to conform to your practice here. Let them have their own convictions, even if they disagree with the choices you’ve made on these topics, yes, even if their convictions are misguided and are not entirely consistent with the faith I have taught you. God knows the hearts of each of His people; leave that to Him.
Comments:
Romans 14:23
ὁ δὲ διακρινόμενος, ἐὰν φάγῃ, κατακέκριται, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως· πᾶν δὲ ὃ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως, ἁμαρτία ἐστίν.
But the one doubting if he might eat, is condemned because it is not of faith, and all what is not of faith, is sin.
Paraphrase: On the other hand, those in your community who make distinctions between clean and unclean foods, should be careful. For such persons to eat something, which, in their own mind, is unclean, that action is sinful. Yes, their beliefs on this point may be mistaken; but for all that, they are still making a choice that violates their understanding of God’s will. Their sin is not in eating something unclean but in acting contrary to their understanding of God’s will. Here’s the basic rule you should follow: believers must never act in a way that violates their understanding of God’s will. If you think a given action is sinful, then you should never do it. If you choose to do it, you are sinning, and God is not pleased with you.
Comments: