Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ROMANS 14
The Weak and the Strong
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Application Notes
14:1-23 What is weak faith? Paul is speaking about immature faith that has not yet developed the muscle it needs to stand against external pressures. For example, if a person who once worshipped idols were to become a Christian, she might understand perfectly well that Christ saved her through faith and that idols have no real power. Still, because of her past associations, she might be badly shaken if she were to eat meat that had been used in idol worship. If a person who once worshipped God on the required Jewish holy days were to become a Christian, he might well know that Christ saved him through faith, not through his keeping of the law. Still, when the festival days came, he might feel empty and unfaithful if he didn't dedicate those days to God.
Paul responds to both weak believers in love. Both are acting according to their consciences, but their honest scruples do not need to be made into rules for the church. Certainly some issues are central to the faith and worth fighting for, but many are based on individual differences and should not be legislated. Our principle should be this: In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in everything, love.
14:1 Who is weak in faith and who is strong? We are all weak in some areas and strong in others. Our faith is strong in an area if we can interact with sinful people without falling into their patterns. It is weak in an area if we must avoid certain activities, people, or places in order to protect our spiritual life. It is important to take a self-inventory to discover our strengths and weaknesses. Whenever in doubt, we should ask, Can I do that without sinning? Can I influence others for good rather than being influenced by them?
Where we are strong in our convictions, we should not fear being defiled by the world; rather, we should go and serve God. In areas of weakness, we need to be cautious and avoid foolish risks, asking God to strengthen us and give us His Spirit. If we have strong faith but shelter it, we are not doing Christ's work in the world. If we have weak faith but expose it, we are being extremely unwise.
14:1 Paul assumes that the church will have differences of opinion on disputable matters. He says we are not to quarrel about issues that are matters of opinion. Differences should not be feared or avoided but accepted and handled with love. Don't expect everyone, even in the best possible church, to agree on every subject. Through sharing ideas we can come to a fuller understanding of what the Bible teaches. Accept, listen to, and respect others. Differences of opinion need not cause division. They can be a source of learning and richness in our relationships.
14:2 This mention of someone who believes it's all right ·to eat anything· may be a reference to a Christian whose conscience allows him or her to feel free from dietary restrictions and to eat meat offered to idols. Another Christian, however, may be convicted to eat only vegetables and refuse to eat meat that has been offered to idols.
How would Christians end up eating meat that had been offered to idols? The ancient system of sacrifice was at the centre of the religious, social, and domestic life of the Roman world. After a sacrifice had been presented to a god in a pagan temple, only part of it was burned. The remainder was often sent to the market to be sold. Thus, a Christian might easily--even unknowingly--buy such meat in the marketplace or eat it at the home of a friend. Should Christians question the source of their meat? Some thought there was nothing wrong with eating meat that had been offered to idols because idols were worthless and phoney. Others carefully checked the source of their meat or gave up meat altogether in order to avoid a guilty conscience. The problem was especially acute for Christians who had once been idol worshipers. For them, such a strong reminder of their pagan days might weaken their newfound faith. (Paul also deals with this problem in 1 Corinthians 8.)
14:10-12 Each person is accountable to Christ, not to others. While the church must be uncompromising in our stand against activities that are expressly forbidden by Scripture (adultery, lying, cheating, bribing, theft), we should not create additional rules and regulations and give them equal standing with God's law. At times, Christians base our moral judgments on opinion, personal dislikes, or cultural bias rather than on the Word of God. When we do this, we show that our own faith is weak--we do not think that God is powerful enough to guide his children. When we stand before God and give a personal account of our lives, we won't be worried about what our Christian neighbours have done (see 2 Corinthians 5:10).
14:13-23 Some Christians use an imaginary weaker believer to support their own opinions, prejudices, or standards. "You must live by these standards," they say, "or you will be offending the weaker believer." In truth, the person would often be offending no one but the speaker. While Paul urges us to be sensitive to those whose faith may be harmed by our actions, we should not sacrifice our liberty in Christ just to satisfy the selfish motives of those who are trying to force their personal opinions on us. Neither fear them nor criticise them, but follow Christ as closely as you can.
14:13 Both strong and weak Christians can cause their brothers and sisters to stumble. The strong but insensitive Christian may flaunt his or her freedom and callously offend others' consciences. The overly sensitive or extremely diligent but weaker Christian may try to fence others in with petty rules and regulations, thus causing dissension. Paul wants his readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others' needs. Because we are all strong in some areas and weak in others, we need to constantly monitor the effects of our behaviour on others.
14:14 At the Jerusalem council (Acts 15), the Jewish church in Jerusalem asked the Gentile church in Antioch not to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Paul was at the Jerusalem council, and he accepted this request, not because he felt that eating such meat was wrong in itself, but because this practice would deeply offend many Jewish believers. Paul did not think the issue was worth dividing the church over; his desire was to promote unity. So he concludes, "If anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean." Paul's practice was to honour, as much as possible, the convictions of others.
Believers are called to accept one another without judging our varied opinions. But when the situation has to be faced, how should we deal with those who disagree with us? Paul's response is that, whatever the next steps, believers on all sides should act in love so as to maintain peace in the church. Think of the last time you disagreed strongly with another believer on a matter of Christian conviction. Was your response loving or judgmental? Should you have handled it differently?
14:17-19 As members of God's church, we are part of a living, interconnected community. As God's kingdom people, we must not let scruples or convictions that Scripture doesn't require cause contention. As we seek God's kingdom priorities (Matthew 6:31, 33), we will build good relationships with others, seek unity in the faith, and find the joy given by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1-2; Galatians 5:22). With such an attitude, we will please God and promote harmony.
14:20-21 Sin is not just a private matter. Everything we do affects others, and we have to think of them constantly. God created us to be interdependent, not independent. We who are strong in our faith must without pride or condescension, treat others with love, patience, and self-restraint.
14:23 Certainly we try to steer clear of actions forbidden by Scripture, but on some issues Scripture is silent. At those times, we should follow our consciences. "Everything that does not come from faith is sin" means that to go against a conviction you have would leave you with a guilty or uneasy conscience. When God shows us that something is wrong for us, we should avoid it. But we should not judge or criticise other Christians who exercise their freedom in those areas.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)