Romans chapter 14 verses 14 through 23. Respecting the conscience of others, verse 14," I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself, yet to him who thinks anything is unclean, to him it is unclean." Paul's writing style makes it extremely easy for people to twist isolated texts from his works. Paul writes more like a prophet than like an attorney carefully drafting a legal document.
So from the first century on, heretics have selectively quoted Paul to support erroneous teachings. This very thing was happening in the first century, which is why Peter warned Christians to be cautious when reading Paul's letters.
Our beloved brother, Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. The Gnostics twisted the subject verse to argue that no sin, even sexual immorality, is unclean in itself. Some modern Christians distort it in similar ways. However, such interpretations ignore Paul's context.
Here Paul is still speaking about foods. He is saying that virtually no foods are unclean to Christians. The only foods forbidden to Christians by the Council of Jerusalem are blood, things strangled, and meat offered to idols.
Jesus had said," Whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him because it does not enter his heart, but his stomach, and it is eliminated, thus purifying all foods." Later, God spoke to Peter about the subject of unclean food in a vision, so a voice came to him," Rise, Peter, kill and eat." But Peter said," Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." A voice came to him again the second time." What God has cleansed you must not call unclean." Novatian writes," Christ has now
come, and He is the end of the law.
He has revealed all the obscurities of the law, all those things that antiquity had covered with clouds of mystery." From this, we can plainly see that all those things, i.e. clean and unclean animals, have been returned to their original blessedness now that the law is completed. Tertullian adds," Faith, which is free in Christ, requires no abstinence from any particular foods. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus." Paul says this to show that he is not merely stating his personal opinion on this question.
Jesus and the other apostles had already addressed the issue, and it is a settled matter. Yet to him who thinks anything is unclean, to him it is unclean. In other words, on matters that are indifferent, like foods, God does not want anyone to be forced to violate his or her own conscience. Chrysostom writes," Paul says that by nature, nothing is unclean." However, it becomes unclean by the Spirit in which a man uses it. That is, it becomes unclean to himself alone, but not to others.
For to him who thinks something is unclean, to him it is unclean." Now, it may seem that we should correct our brother, so he may no longer regard it as unclean. It may seem that with full authority, we should call him away from this mindset and from his wrong conception of things. That way, he will no longer regard it as unclean. However, Paul does not encourage us to do this, for we may end up causing our brother grief. Romans 14:15," But if your brother is grieved with your food, you are not now walking in love.
With your food, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died." Jesus had explained the seriousness of stumbling weaker ones, saying," Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck." We usually think of Jesus' warning only in relation to stumbling someone because of some scandalous sin we commit. No doubt, that is what Jesus is primarily addressing.
However, in this chapter, Paul is talking about a different kind of stumbling. As we have previously stated, Paul shows we can stumble others by doing something that would otherwise be perfectly lawful. We sin when we do not consider the conscience of a weaker brother. Ambrosiaster writes," Since God does not care one way or the other about food, Paul tells us to maintain a spirit of love." He points out that Christ cared so much for our brother, he died for him.
So how can we be so uncaring as to destroy our brother over an indifferent issue, such as food, about which God does not care? Paul says that those who are strong should voluntarily give up their rights in order not to stumble their weaker brothers. If a Jew or anyone else wants to avoid certain meats or all meats, he is not sinning. His conduct is only wrong if he imagines that his salvation depends upon avoiding such meats or if he tries to force his own scruples on others. Verse 16.
So then, do not let your good be spoken of reproachfully. But what does Paul mean by your good? Theodoret answers," Paul refers to their faith as your good." He is saying," I commend your faith, but I do not want it to become the cause of injury and reproach to others." In other words, the Gentile believers properly understood that they were saved by faith in Christ, not through the regulations of the law.
Yet they had to handle this truth in a way that it would not cause the Jews either believing or unbelieving to speak about their faith reproachfully. When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were following this very principle. Later, when he himself was in Jerusalem, Paul followed the very counsel he had preached to the Romans.
Then Paul took the men and the next day purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification until the offering was offered for every one of them. Chrysostom writes," Paul is saying that there is more at stake than your failure to profit your brother, for you are also causing others to slander the grace of God and His gift of salvation." In fact, they are attacking all Christian teaching.
For when you fight, when you quarrel, when you are troublesome, when you make schisms in the church, when you reproach your brother, and when you are antagonistic toward others, then those on the outside will speak evil of you. When Christians fight among themselves, it brings enormous reproach on the name of Christ.
Romans 14:17," For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." And Ambrosiaster writes," It is clear that no one pleases or displeases God through food. Rather, it is through righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." Paul says that those who follow righteousness will enter the kingdom of God. You have the Christian peace which the Lord gave who said," My peace I give you, my peace I leave with you." John 14:27. From this arises joy in the Holy Spirit.
However, disputes do not produce joy, but anger. The kingdom of God is not food and drink. Paul is saying that Christians should not quarrel about food and drink. In addition, the early Christians took these words of Paul to mean that Christians are to eat moderately and simply. Novatian writes," Although in the gospel, the use of food is universally given to us, yet it is understood to be given to us only within the law of frugality and self-control.
Nothing restrains excess eating and drinking as much as the gospel. Nor has anyone given such strict laws against gluttony as Christ." Clement of Alexandria adds," We need to be discriminate when it comes to food. Our food is to be simple and truly plain.
It should precisely suit simple and guileless children as ministering to life, not to luxury." Verse 18," For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men." When we serve Christ with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, we are approved both by God and our fellow man. When Christians live in this manner, we avoid bringing undue reproach on the name of Christ.
Chrysostom writes," For people will admire you more for your peace and harmony than they will for your correct doctrine." Verse 19," And therefore, let us pursue the things that make for peace and the things by which one may edify another." This counsel applied to both groups in the Roman church. The Jews needed to stop judging the Gentiles, and the Gentiles needed to stop judging the Jews. Each side needed to be cautious about stumbling the other.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians," For he is our peace who made both one and broke down the middle wall of separation," that is, the law. Christ brought the regulations of the law to an end. This should make peace between Jews and Gentiles, not cause further division. Nevertheless, Paul counsels us to be proactive. We are to pursue the things that bring about peace. Peace does not happen accidentally. We have already seen how Paul in Jerusalem set a personal example in pursuing peace.
Years earlier, he had told the Corinthians," For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews, to those who are under the law as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law, to those who are without the law, as without the law, not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ, that I might win those who are without the law." Paul concluded his counsel to the Corinthians by saying," Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God. Even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many that they may be saved." This is what it means to pursue peace. Verse 20," For the sake of food, do not destroy the work of God. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense." For the sake of emphasis, Paul repeats the points he had just previously made.
And Ambrosiaster comments that although both food and man are the work of God, they are at vastly different levels. God created food for the sake of man, not the other way around. So to destroy our brother over an unimportant issue like food is the height of folly and sin. And Ambrosiaster continues," By nature, all things are good and clean, yet they become unclean to anyone who doubts. And it will be a stumbling block to him who eats with an unclean conscience because he doubts.
For then he eats what he thinks is harmful to himself. Verse 21," It is good neither to eat meat nor to drink wine nor anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak." Again, this is what it means to pursue peace. To be willing to make sacrifices for our weaker brethren, Chrysostom writes," And why do I speak just of meat if it is wine or any other similar thing that offends, refrain from it?
For nothing is so important as your brother's salvation." Once again, Paul had given similar counsel to the Corinthians." When you sin against the brothers and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever, that I do not cause my brother to stumble." Verse 22," Do you have faith? Keep it to yourself before God. Happy is the one who does not condemn Himself in the thing which He allows. Do you have faith?
Keep it to yourself before God. Here, Paul is not referring to faith in general. In fact, he wants us to witness and to confess our faith before others. Rather, Paul is speaking only of the faith that allows us to eat all foods. In the setting of the church in Rome, such faith had become a stumbling block to many Jewish Christians. That is why Paul says to keep it to yourself before God. Theodoret comments," In the full exercise of faith, you have the law of Christian liberty.
Great is your possession worthy of praise. Nevertheless, do not let it work to the detriment of your neighbor." Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in the thing which he allows. As has been explained before, the chapter and verse divisions in the Scriptures are man-made. The subject statement more properly fits with the verse that follows. For that reason, we will be discussing it below. Romans chapter 14 verses 22b and 23." Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in the thing that he allows.
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats. For he does not eat from faith, for whatever is not from faith is sin." Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in the thing that he allows. Origen comments that here Paul is talking about a Jew who has been persuaded that all meats are clean. Happy is he if he remains in that conviction? However, what if he afterward begins to doubt? What if his conscience begins to bother him about eating certain meats?
In that case, he ends up condemning himself when he eats in doubt. To use Paul's words, he is condemning himself in the thing that he allows. That is because he is no longer eating from faith. Whatever is not from faith is sin. Paul further emphasizes the importance of keeping a clear conscience. If a person thinks something is sinful or has serious doubts about it, and yet he proceeds to do it anyway, then it becomes sin for him. The primary point Paul is trying to get across is this.
Those Christians in Rome who have the correct view about meats should not ridicule their Jewish brethren who are still clinging to their old scruples. What if Gentile believers use peer pressure to force Jewish Christians to eat meats about which they still have doubts? They are compelling their Jewish brothers to sin. That is because those Jewish Christians will be acting against their consciences. They will not be eating in faith.
Chrysostom writes," It is not because eating such meat is unclean, but because it is not of faith. For this brother does not believe that it is clean. Yet although he thinks it to be unclean, he has eaten it. By his arguments, Paul shows the Romans what great harm they do by compelling others instead of persuading them. So they need to stop rebuking their weaker brethren about this matter. For whatever is not from faith is sin.
When a person does not feel confident about something, when he does not believe that something is clean, how can he do anything else but sin? Using caution in applying these principles. When Chrysostom was discussing the subject chapter, he frequently warned his listeners. Now, all these things were spoken by Paul about the subject in hand, not about everything in general. The topic of this chapter is unclean foods under the Mosaic Law.
Paul admonishes the Gentile believers to be considerate of their weaker Jewish brethren, who still had scruples against eating such foods. However, when writing to other churches, Paul took a different stance. In Galatia and Colossae, the situation was different. The believing Jews were pressuring the Gentile believers to live by the Mosaic Law.
So instead of telling the Gentiles to be careful about stumbling their Jewish brethren, Paul told them," Stand firm, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." In a similar vein, Paul wrote to the Colossians," Therefore, let no one judge you in eating or drinking or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day.
If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances do not handle nor taste nor touch?" So the counsel Paul gives in this chapter applies to a specific situation. That situation is where there are Christians who are weak in faith, and they constitute a vulnerable minority. Furthermore, Paul may even be limiting his remarks to conduct during love feasts or when a Gentile believer ate a private meal with a Jewish believer.
However, the situation is different when those who claim to be weak in faith are actually the ones in power. They sometimes wrongfully use this passage to force their overly scrupulous consciences on others. That was the situation in Galatia and Colossae. In that setting, Paul counsels us to stand fast in our Christian liberty and let no one judge us.