Weak and strong believers
14
📚Receive the one who is weak in the faith, but not to dispute about doubtful matters. 14:1 Here is the general principle Paul teaches. In vs 2-6 he gives two examples of matters which believers may disagree. His purpose is to show that Christians are to be helpers of each other, not judges (Matt 7:1-5). Each believer should accept all other believers who are trying to live for Christ (but see also 1 Cor 5:9-13; 2 Thess 3:6).
Believers must judge evil behavior, but not condemn fellow believers who disagree with them about comparatively unimportant matters. Separation from other believers over such matters is utterly wrong (Rom 12:16; Eph 4:3). Of course there are fundamental truths of the faith which must be preached and defended even at the cost of separation from other Christians who reject them. But Paul is not speaking of these matters here in this chapter.⚜
2 📚For one believes that he may eat everything; another, who is weak in the faith, eats only vegetables.
14:2 Believers in this age of grace may eat anything. They are not under any kind of dietary laws (v 14; Mark 7:18-19; Acts 10:9-16; 1 Tim 4:3-5). But some believers have not yet understood this, and think they must not eat certain foods. They may base this opinion on the dietary laws of the Old Testament (Leviticus chapter 11) which are no longer in force.⚜
3 📚The one who eats everything should not look down on him who does not eat, and the one who does not eat should not judge the one who eats, for God has received him. 4 📚Who are you who judges another person’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will surely be caused to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
14:3-4 Here is an important principle. Believers must accept and love one another. Those who have more understanding must not think they are superior to others, and those whose personal rules are being broken should not condemn those who break them. All are servants of the Lord Jesus, and only He has the right to judge them. Believers must not reject any of those whom God has accepted.⚜
5 📚One man thinks one day is above another, someone else thinks every day is the same. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 📚He who regards a day as special, regards it so to the Lord, and he who does not regard a day as special, does not regard it so to the Lord. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, does not eat to the Lord, and gives God thanks 📖.
14:5-6 Some Jewish believers thought they should continue to keep the Sabbaths and other special days God appointed in the Old Testament for the nation of Israel. Other believers realized that such rules were not binding on Christians. The principle of vs 3,4 applies to this also.⚜
7 📚For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 📚For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9 📚For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living.
14:9 See Rom 10:9; Acts 2:32-36; Phil 2:8-11. Notes on “Lord” at Rom 10:9-10, 13; Matt 22:41-45; Luke 2:11.⚜
10 📚But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you put your brother down? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 📚For it is written,
As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will confess to God.
12 📚So then every one of us will give an account of himself to God.
14:7-12 Each believer is a servant of God and is answerable to God alone. He belongs to the Lord (vs 7,8; 1 Cor 6:19-20). Each one must walk in the light he has here on earth and each must stand before the judge in heaven (vs 10,12; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 22:12). No one else has any right to control the lives of believers or condemn them.⚜
13 📚Therefore, let us no longer judge one another, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an obstacle in his brother’s way.
14 📚I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that no food is unclean in itself. But to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 📚But if your brother is grieved by the food you eat, then you are not behaving in a loving way. With your food do not ruin one for whom Christ died. 16 📚Let not then your good be spoken of as evil. 17 📚For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 📚For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God, and approved by men.
19 📚Therefore, let us follow after the things that make for peace, and things with which we can build one another up. 20 📚For food do not demolish the work of God. All food is indeed clean, but it is evil for that man who eats giving offense. 21 📚It is good not to eat flesh, or to drink wine, or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble or be offended or be made weak.
14:13-21 These verses give another very important principle. Each believer must learn to live for the good of others and not to please himself. See Rom 15:1-3; 1 Cor 10:24, 33; 9:19-23; 8:9-12. Eating this thing or that, or refusing to eat it, is a small matter in itself. But if it grieves or offends someone else it is no longer a small matter. We must not insist on doing what we want regardless of the effect it has on other believers. Christ died for those believers. Don’t we care enough about them to change any habit which strikes a blow at their faith?
The important thing in God’s kingdom is not being able to eat or drink what one wants, or having personal freedom in all matters of dispute (v 1). It is to act in a way that promotes the basic elements of God’s kingdom – righteousness, peace and joy (v 17). Doing as we please will promote none of these. See Paul’s attitude in 1 Cor 8:13. A good rule to follow is 1 Cor 10:31.
In Romans this is the only time Paul uses the words “kingdom of God”. Note on this kingdom at Matt 4:17.⚜
22 📚Do you have a belief about something? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 📚And he who eats with doubt is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith. For whatever is not of faith is sin.
14:22-23 Keeping the conscience clear and free from accusations of guilt is very important. If we permit ourselves to do something against the warnings of conscience, we sin and make ourselves unclean. If we cannot do something with the assurance that it is all right we must not do it. Compare 1 Tim 1:19. Note on conscience at Acts 23:1.
To sum up this chapter: we must live for the Lord and receive His judgments on our actions (vs 8,10,12). Therefore our great aim should be to please Him. We must live on earth with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore our chief purpose toward them all must be to build them up in the faith and to do nothing that might unnecessarily offend any of them (vs 15,19,21). And we must live with ourselves. Therefore let us keep ourselves from being condemned by our own hearts and consciences.⚜