Welcome the person who is weak in the faith, but do
not argue with him about his personal opinions.
In the last chapter, Paul talked about our relationship
with the civil authorities and our debt of love to both
the brotherhood and the world. In this chapter, he
begins by discussing how we are to relate to a brother
who is weak in the faith.
Paul discusses two different weaknesses that a
brother might have. #1) Those who feel that one
should not eat meat. #2) Those who feel that certain
days, that were not specifically required of God, had
to be observed.
Probably the first weakness would have been
prevalent among the Gentiles and the second among
the Jews. Today we still have those who feel that a
believer should be a vegetarian! And we see those
who make birthdays, July 4th, and Thanksgiving out to
be something evil. On the other hand we see those
who are beginning to say that if the Jews observe a
day, that the believers should. An example here would
be Hanukkah. These are opinions. While one should
not be condemned for these things, he should also be
careful not to condemn those who are of the opposite
opinion.
Paul says that those who have these various
weaknesses in regard to the faith are to be received
into our fellowship, but we are not to argue with him
about his personal opinions. Of course, this is one
perspective. As we have seen, perspective is very
important in determining what we are to do. If
someone who, as a vegetarian, begins to preach to the
rest of us about his righteousness of not eating meat
and how we ought to be like him, then we are to show
him, from God's word, that he is wrong. But if he
wants to continue to be a vegetarian, and live his life
quietly concerning this matter, that is his business.
1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful
disputations.
One believes that he may eat some of each type of
food. Another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.
Paul is saying here that one person believes that he
can eat meat, fruits, nuts and vegetables, while
another person will eat only vegetables, fruits and
nuts. Paul tells us that the vegetarian is the one who
is weak! The reason the vegetarian is weak is because
God allows us to eat meat and therefore it is not
wrong to eat meat. But the vegetarian has come to
believe that he would be sinning if he ate meat.
Therefore, he is weak in the faith. He does not have
the faith to believe that it would be all right to eat
meat. Therefore, it would be a sin for him because of
conscience sake.
With Paul's instructions on this subject, one would
think that the matter would be settled and this would
no longer be a problem. But man has an inventive
mind and if he believes something he will go to
unbelievable lengths to prove his point from the Bible.
I won't go into the arguments presented to get around
these Scriptures, but the arguments are out there!
The Jews were probably saying that the Gentiles
should keep Purim, Hanukkah, and other civil Jewish
days. Because under the Old Covenant the Jews had
certain requirements for a Gentile to become a Jew,
they would have naturally held to these ideas toward
the believers in the early years. Paul is showing that
such days, as to their requirement for salvation, were
only opinions held by certain people. While these
days did include God's intervention in their inception,
God no where commanded that these days be
observed for salvation in the Bible, His word.
At this point, we need to go into the meaning and use
of the word <all>. Those who want to eat unclean
meats like to use this word to prove their doctrine.
The Greek word #3956 translated <all> 748 times in the
NT, has several nuances of meaning. But the word is
used 1243 times and translated in a multiple number of
ways.
Notice 2a below. The phrase, "some of all types" is
given as one nuance. In this verse, Paul is discussing
vegetarians versus non-vegetarians. Vegetarians
usually eat vegetables and fruits and nuts. Some of
them include milk and others include eggs. Some eat
vegetables, fruits, nuts, milk and eggs. They do not
eat meat. However, those who are not vegetarians
usually eat some of all of these <types> of foods.
Paul is in no way saying that some eat <all> things, as
we understand that word in English. If that were true,
they would eat dirt, shoes, concrete, food, iron, glass,
etc. Another perspective would be that if they ate all
things, the whole earth would perish because there
would be nothing left! Their mouths would become a
black hole in which the earth disappeared. Obviously,
Paul is discussing food. And the distinction that has
not been made, by those who eat unclean meats, is
that unclean meat is not food! Genesis 2:9 tells us
that some things are good for food and therefore by
contrast, some things are not good for food. God
created certain trees that produced fruit that was good
for food! So here is a perspective that has been
missed by those who would eat what they wish in spite
of what God has to say about the matter. They want
to eat those things that God has not created good for
food! They want to eat things that are bad for food,
and then they want to blame God for allowing them to
become sick.
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow
every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;
But there is another perspective that we need to
understand at this point. The word <all> does not
always mean <all>! In the verses below, we are told
that <all> Judea and <all> the region round about
Jordan were baptized of John in Jordan, confessing
their sins!
Now if that is true, why did they crucify the Messiah?
If all of the Jews confessed their sins and were
baptized by John, why did they put the Savior to
death? It is obvious that the meaning is that John
baptized some of all the different types of these
peoples. That is one of the definitions and should
have been used here to make clear in the English what
happened.
Mat 3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all
the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now let's look at another example. Did <all> men see
the fellowship of the mystery? Did the Christ create
<all> things? It is obvious that the mysteries were and
are understood by only a few people. It is also
obvious that the Messiah did not create God the
Father or Himself! Therefore, how do we understand
this? That men from all races and nationalities came
to understand the truth would be one way to
understand this. That the Messiah created all things
except God the Father and Himself would be one way
to understand that phrase.
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all (3956) men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world
hath been hid in God, who created all things (3956) by Jesus
Christ:
So, in our context, some people believe that they can
eat all types of food that have been created to be
eaten. But some would not eat meat because they
thought it was wrong. And, they were weak so far as
the faith was concerned, because they believed
something that was not true. But as eating meat is not
a salvation issue, one was to live and let live in such
matters. For in time, God would help the person to
see that he was wrong if it became a salvation issue.
And concerning days, let God tell us which days to
observe. It is obvious that from the OT, we are to
keep the Sabbath day - the 7th day of the week,
commonly called Saturday today. We are also
commanded to keep 7 annual Sabbaths and are told
when these are to be observed. Although many
believers cannot conclude when some of these days
ought to be kept, we are not to go beyond these 8
days in requiring days to be observed. There is also
some question about the first day of the month, called
the new moon, in the OT. More research needs to be
done on that subject.
****************************************************
3956 pav pas pas
including all the forms of declension; TDNT-5:886,795;
adj
AV-all 748, all things 170, every 117, all men 41,
whosoever 31, everyone 28, whole 12, all manner of
11, every man 11,
no+3756 9, every thing 7, any 7, whatsoever 6,
whosoever+3739 +302 3, always+1223 3, daily+2250 2,
any thing 2, no+3361 2, not tr 7, misc 26; 1243
1) individually
1a) each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all
things, everything
2) collectively
2a) some of all types
****************************************************
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is
weak, eateth herbs.
The one who eats all types of food should not look
down on the one who does not eat all types of food.
And the one who does not eat all types of food should
not pass judgment on the one who eats all types of
food. For God has received him.
In this verse, Paul says that neither side on this matter
of food is to look down on or judge the other as to
whether he is in the faith. The phrase, "for God has
received him," does not necessarily mean that he is
called, chosen and faithful! It does not mean that he is
a member of the body in God's sight! Only God
knows who has His holy spirit to the last degree. Man
can show by his actions that he does not have the
holy spirit, but man can also put on a front to the point
that it is not possible to know if he has the holy spirit.
Paul is saying here that God's word no where says
that if you do not eat meat you cannot be a believer.
Nor does God's word say that if you eat meat you
cannot be a believer. The word of God does not
require the eating of meat, or the abstinence from
meat to be a believer. Therefore, God has received
him in the sense that God has given no command
either way in relationship to the matter of the eating of
meat and salvation – as long as the meat is clean, or in
other words as long as the meat is food!
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not
him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath
received him.
Who are you to judge someone else's servant? He will
either succeed or fall for his own master. Yes, and he
shall be established, for God is able to establish him.
How can one man judge another in a case where God
has not set down any rules on the matter? And the
man is a servant to God, if he has the holy spirit, not
to anyone else. And if God has invested in this man,
He will establish him in the faith. God will see to it that
if a vegetarian needs to change to eating meat, that he
will. God will bring all things to mind to help each to
succeed to salvation. God will help the meat eater to
not judge the vegetarian. Therefore, God will establish
each, if they are servants of God.
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own
master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for
God is able to make him stand.
One person judges one day above another. Another
person judges every day the same. Let everyone be
fully convinced in his own mind.
A Jew might judge that Purim should be observed and
therefore, would make it a more important day then
any other common day of the week. A Gentile might
not have any regard for Purim at all.
But what about the next statement Paul made,
"another judges every day alike"? It is obvious that
Paul does not mean that he judges <every> day alike!
If that were the case, Paul would be giving one the
right to work on the Sabbath day! Paul could not do
this because he would be in opposition to God on the
matter. This is again the word #3956 that was
translated <all> in a previous statement. This is a
contrast to the previous statement. The first man
thought that Purim was above a common day. The
second man thought that Purim and the common day
were both the same. <Every day> here has the
meaning of both <types> of days. Jewish civil days
were no different to common days that were not
observed – in the eyes of the Gentiles.
As God had not set down any rules commanding
Purim to be or not be observed, each person was to
keep or not keep the day in good conscience. And of
course, I have used Purim only as an example here.
Any number of days could be used as examples. But
the term <every day> is not used in the sense of the
365 days of the year being the same. The meaning is
<every type of day> in the sense of a civil day of the
Jews versus a non-civil day of the Jews being the
same.
One should study this word #3956, for doctrines of
different religions have been established on this word.
One organization has determined that no day is holy
because of this very verse. Therefore, they do not
think that there is anything wrong with working 7 days
a week. Their doctrine is based on a
misunderstanding of the word #3956. Hear again, one
would think that the rest of the Bible would overwhelm
this one verse, even when misunderstood, so that
people would not come to such a doctrine. But when
people have an agenda in mind, they bend the
Scriptures to their own will.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another
esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in
his own mind.
He, who observes the day, observes it before God;
and he who does not observe the day, does not
observe it before God. He, who eats meat, eats it
before God for he gives God thanks; and he who does
not eat meat, does not eat meat before God, and gives
God thanks.
Paul is saying that the person who observes Purim, to
use our example above, does so before God. The
person who considers Purim a common day does not
observe Purim before God. The person who eats meat
does so before God for he gives thanks. The person
who does not eat meat obviously does not eat meat
before God, but he gives thanks to God for what he
does eat.
Paul is explaining that there are differences of opinion
between believers that are neither here nor there so
far as salvation is concerned. If God has not spelled
out through commands how it is to be, we are not to
make a doctrine out of it and require others to buckle
down to our perspective on the matter which is based
on opinion only.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he
that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He
that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he
that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
No one lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Paul spoke similarly in 2Cor 5:15. We are not to live to
or for just ourselves. Our lives have significance to
others and before God. Even our death will be
another step to accomplish God's will for us.
Therefore, we don't live or die in a vacuum.
Everything we do, even our death affects others and
the future. We live before God and therefore, we
should not condemn our brother whose opinion is
different to ours. For God has not given a ruling on
the matter and neither should we. Of course, if we are
asked our opinion, that is a totally different matter.
We should share our perspectives to others that ask.
2 Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which
died for them, and rose again.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
If we live, we live to God, and if we die, we die to God.
So then, whether we live or die, we belong to God.
In other words, our life is for God and our death is for
God. Therefore, in both life and death we belong to
God. As Paul said in another place, glorify God in
your body and in your spirit for you are bought with a
price.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we
die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we
are the Lord's.
For the Christ died and lived again for this very
purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and
of the living.
Just as a side note, notice that I used the term <the
Christ> in the above statement. We should
understand that Christ is not the last name of the
Savior! Without the article <the> one is given the
impression that <Christ> is His last name! <Christ> is
a title, not a name. It means the Messiah. To use a
common title might give the understanding. If we said,
"Doctor died" we can see why we should use an article
before a title. We would ordinarily say, "The Doctor
died." Sometimes it is OK to use a title without an
article if we are speaking directly to the person. We
might say, "Doctor, what do you think is wrong with
me today?" But in most cases the article should be
used. The Messiah's name was Joshua. If we say
Elizabeth Queen, we would be using the same type of
error as the term Jesus Christ. If we say Elizabeth, the
Queen, we have the right usage. The KJV translators
and many different religions use the term "Jesus
Christ" as the name of the Messiah like they would say
Christopher Columbus. The correct usage is Jesus,
the Christ, or better Joshua, the Christ as His name
was not Jesus. Christ Joshua would also probably be
correct because the title comes first. This would be
like saying, King David, or Queen Elizabeth.
Paul is saying that the Messiah is Master of both the
dead and the living. He gave the Ten Commandments
on Mount Sinai the first part of the Covenant. Then He
came to die so that man could be reconciled back to
God when he had sinned. Therefore, He is Master of
the living for He tells us how we are to live. And He is
master of the dead, for He has made it possible for us
to live again! Therefore, we ought to live to God for
whether we are dead or alive, He is the one who will
make the difference.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he
might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Why do
you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of God.
I really wanted to put an exclamation point after that
last sentence! If God has not given a ruling for a
given opinion, we are not to judge our brother as we
have seen above. We are not to look down on him!
For the time is soon ahead when we will all (3956)
stand before God to be judged. This word <all> is
again #3956. As Paul shows in the next verse, this
time the word <all> means <all>!
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at
nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ.
For it is written, As I live, says God, every knee shall
bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So
then, every one of us shall give an account of himself
to God.
All human beings will be brought to judgment. And
everyone will acquiesce to God. All will eventually
have to accept and comply with God's will. Therefore,
it is useless to argue with our brother about his
opinions to the point of putting him down for them.
Obviously if he is seeking more knowledge on the
matter we should not hold back our understanding.
But if he is satisfied with his view, let him be –
providing God has said nothing on the matter!
Isaiah 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my
mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every
knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
And after all, Paul says, every one of us will have to
give an account of how we have lived, before God. We
should live our lives in such a way that when the time
comes to stand before God we will not be stuttering
and unsure of what we should say. We won't be able
to say, "But the way I see it is...” We will have to
agree with God's verdict because He judges rightly.
Therefore, we should be careful how we judge our
brother.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow
to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
In this section, Paul instructs us how we are to relate
to a brother who has an opinion that God has not
made a ruling on. This would be understood as a
ruling either directly or in the spirit. God has said no
where that one <has> to eat meat. I suppose that
when the Passover was kept under the Old Covenant
one would be bound to eat a bite of meat. But under
the New Covenant eating meat is not required. Wine
would be another example. One is not required to
drink wine, except at the Lord's Supper. There he
should take, at least, a small amount to be in keeping
with the command. Days not specified by God are not
required for salvation!
We are not to judge our brother in these matters. For
we are to remember that we will soon all stand before
God and be judged by Him. And we must understand
that we will not be able to argue with God. We will
have to agree with his judgment for He always judges
rightly. Therefore, we ought to live our lives in such a
way that we will not be ashamed to stand before the
Master!
In the previous verses, Paul told the believer how he
was to relate to a brother who, for conscience sake,
believed differently about something that was not
contrary to any commands of God. In verse 13 Paul
continues with that theme.
Therefore, let us not judge one another any more.
Instead determine to never put a stumbling block or
snare in your brother's way.
Paul says that we are not to pass judgment on our
brother in relationship to things in which God has not
made a judgment. Rather, we must make a
determination (make a judgment) to never do anything
that would cause our brother to forsake the faith.
Paul expresses such a cause in two ways. A
stumbling block or stumbling stone of offense. This
would be some object placed in the path that would
cause one to strike his foot against it and make him
fall. The second was an “occasion to fall”. This latter
is described as a trap or snare with the movable
trigger, such as men use to trap birds or rabbits. The
first would be something obvious and the latter would
be something that was hidden or not so obvious. In
no case are we to use such devices to cause our
brother to leave the faith.
We can see both stumbling stones and snares or traps
being used to cause our brother to stumble in these
last days. In most cases, those who profess a given
belief where God has not made a judgment actually
believe that He has made a judgment for their
particular belief. Fortunately in such cases, God
intervenes and makes a way for His people to continue
in the faith.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge
this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to
fall in his brother's way.
I understand and am convinced in Joshua the Master,
that there is nothing common/unclean of itself. But to
him that thinks anything is common/unclean, to him it
is common/unclean.
In this verse, Paul expresses his understanding on the
foregoing matter. He has a clear conscience, as a part
of the body of the Messiah about his teaching on this
subject. We should understand that Paul is not
speaking of matters where God has already made
clear judgments. He is speaking only of matters where
God has not spoken.
In the foregoing scriptures, Paul mentioned two areas
of disagreement that were neither here nor there as far
as the faith was concerned. #1) Eating or not eating
meat. #2) Observing or not observing days. Both
categories were in the area of those things about
which God had not given any commands.
In verse 3, of this same chapter in the middle of the
discussion about eating or not eating meat, Paul said
that God has received him - referring to the weaker
brother who thought that it was wrong to eat meat. In
other words, God has given no command either way in
relationship to the matter so far as salvation is
concerned. Therefore, God has not turned such a
brother away.
Paul was not talking about clean or unclean meat.
God did have something to say about that matter.
Some who eat meat, which God has not given as
proper for human consumption, look into God's word
and try to find sanction for going against the food
laws of the OT – or to prove that God has changed His
mind on the matter in the NT. But Paul is in no way
giving such sanction here. For which of the animals
were clean was well known before the time of Moses
and the giving of the law. God told Noah to take 7
pairs of the clean animals into the ark and 2 of the
unclean. It is obvious that the clean animals would be
used for food and sacrifices and therefore would need
to be of a more plentiful supply than the unclean.
Also, the clean animals are not of a vicious nature like
many of the unclean animals. Therefore, they would
be subject to being killed by the unclean animals. So,
there needed to be a plentiful supply of the clean
animals.
God was clear from the beginning that there were
certain animals created good for food. Paul is not
discussing a change of God's mind about that
subject. Rather he is discussing a person who eats no
meat at all of which God had nothing to say in
relationship to salvation, or a person who observes
certain days of which God had nothing to say in
relationship to salvation. In matters where God did
not make a determination, neither are we to make a
judgment in such a way that it would be a stumbling
stone or a snare to our brother in the faith.
Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by
sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not
clean by two, the male and his female.
Let's look at the word <nothing> used in this verse.
Anytime we see the words <nothing> <all> <always>
<forever> and other such all-inclusive words, we need
to study them in the light of several scriptures to get a
good understanding of how they can be used. It is
obvious on the surface that to say <nothing> is
unclean of itself must be qualified. Otherwise, there is
nothing that is unholy. The Bible makes clear that
there is the holy and the unholy. The following verse
tells us that <nothing> shall be impossible for you.
These are the words of the Messiah, Himself. It is
obvious that if <nothing> was impossible, in the
context of this verse, that we could destroy God
Himself! Therefore, we understand that the word
<nothing> has to be qualified. There is nothing holy
or righteous that would be impossible for us to do. As
long as it was the right thing to do, it would not be
impossible.
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your
unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to
yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing <3762> shall be
impossible unto you.
Paul uses the same word here that Matthew used in
the above verse. There is nothing unclean of itself.
We cannot leave the words <of itself> out of the
equation in making a determination of Paul's meaning.
If God has made a judgment that something is unclean
than it is unclean. But if God has not made a
judgment, as He has not in the two types of
differences that Paul describes in these scriptures,
then the matter is left up to the individual. We should
focus on the words <unclean of itself>. In other
words, anything of God's creation cannot make itself
clean or unclean. Only if God has made a judgment on
the matter can something be clean or unclean. From
the beginning God made a judgment about which
animals would be clean and which would be unclean.
Therefore, Paul is going on beyond what God had to
say in the matter. In other words, Paul is addressing
something in which God has not made a judgment.
Does a person have to eat meat to be in the kingdom
of God? Does a person have to observe Purim to be
in the kingdom of God? As God has not made a
judgment in these matters and as nothing is
clean/unclean or common/uncommon of itself, we have
to leave such matters open.
The believer would be wrong to say that clean meat
should not be eaten. But that is not the issue here.
For, he would also be wrong to eat such meat because
it would defile his conscience. If a person thinks that
meat, even clean meat, should not be eaten, than to
him it is unclean. If a person thinks that a given day
should be observed, than to him it would not be a
common day. In this statement, Paul has given us a
great principle that one must not go against his
conscience. For if we do not follow our conscience we
are following after those things that we believe is
wrong and setting up our character to override and
partake of what we think is evil. One should never
override his conscience in any matter. Only God can
give us the truth in any matter. We must not go
beyond what God has given us – to see and look on it
as being the command of God.
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is
nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to
be unclean, to him it is unclean.
If your brother is made sorry because of what you eat,
then you are no longer walking in love. Do not cause
your brother, for whom the Messiah died, to perish
because of what you eat!
Here Paul says that we are not to offend our brother
because of what we eat. If we do, then our
relationship is not one of brotherly love. We don't
have agape love for our brother. If eating meat
offends our brother, then we should not eat meat in
front of our brother! For God has not made a
judgment requiring one to eat meat in order to receive
salvation. And we would not want our brother to
perish because we ate meat in front of him, knowing
that the Messiah died for him.
Paul discusses several issues of this kind in other
scriptures. He discussed eating meat that had been
offered to an idol. He discussed purchasing meat in
the market place. Paul taught that being ceremonially
clean was of no importance. Even meat pronounced
fit to eat by God could be ceremonially clean or
unclean. Being ceremonially clean is not the same
thing as being fit to eat. God pronounced which
animals were fit for consumption from the beginning.
But the ritual laws of the temple were followed to make
something ceremonially clean. In the context of this
chapter, Paul is discussing how we are to relate to
matters where God has not made a judgment.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou
not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ
died.
Do not let your good be evil spoken of. For the
kingdom of God is not food and drink, but
righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy spirit.
Just because what we do is right does not mean that
we are to exploit it before others. We must realize that
each of us has a conscience and that we are bound by
that conscience. Therefore, if we are sitting in a
restaurant with our brother who is a vegetarian eating
a nice big stake we may be offending him. He is
aghast that we could do such a thing. We understand
that it is perfectly all right but he is blinded to that
knowledge. We will not make any points with our
vegetarian brother just because what we are doing is
right, for it would become a matter of offence to him.
The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking in
matters beyond God's judgment, to keep this in the
context. Righteousness is important because that is
how we relate to God. Peace is important because
that is how we relate to our brother and our neighbor.
And Joy is important because that is how we relate to
ourselves. We can have joy only when we do not
defile our conscience. And through the holy spirit,
God is working to bring about a balance in each of
these areas, and among these three areas of our
lives. Peace toward our brother requires that we do
not make judgmental decisions toward him in matters
where God has not spoken.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
He who serves the Messiah in these things is pleasing
to God and approved by men.
Paul is referring to the three items mentioned in the
previous verse. If we do what is right, we are pleasing
in God's sight. If we live in such a way that brings a
peaceful relationship to our neighbor, men give their
approve of us. They do not show their approval of us
for doing what is right as God sees the right, but for
not being a troublemaker that must constantly be
brought into court, as one example. Then we can
have joy in ourselves because we are not out of line
with our conscience.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to
God, and approved of men.
Therefore, let us pursue those things, which make for
harmony, and those things that edify one another.
One has a choice in this life. He can seek after trouble
and find plenty of it, or he can seek after those things
that make peace and harmony and find that. What
must we do to build up or edify our brother? What are
we doing that will tear down our brother? It is obvious
that arguing with our brother about whether he should
or should not eat meat is vain when God has said
nothing on the matter. It is obvious that arguing with
our brother that we should keep Purim when God has
said nothing on the matter is vain. There is enough to
divide us without inventing areas to create division.
We should pursue the roads that lead to peace and
building up our brother - and our fellowman in general
for that matter.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace,
and things wherewith one may edify another.
Do not destroy God's work, for food. All types of food
are pure; but it is wrong for the man who eats with
offence.
We are not to destroy or overthrow what God has
done in bringing a brother into the faith and giving him
the knowledge of the truth in matters where there is
grave importance even, if he still misunderstands in
some areas where God has not spoken. He may still
be on the milk of the word, but he is a brother
nevertheless.
It is important to note here that God's work was
bringing the person into the faith. Any time we here
someone who is out desperately trying to bring others
into their organization and calling that the work of
God, we can know that such a person does not know
what the work of God is. It is God's work to call and
choose those to follow Him.
In context, Paul says that all of the different types of
food are pure, clean or acceptable to eat. But it is evil,
or wrong for a person to eat with offence, for he has
defiled his conscience. Whether he eats meat or only
vegetables is his own affair, for God has not spoken.
For his conscience must be clear or he has sinned.
Notice again, <all things> must be kept in context for
we know that <all things> are not pure! One should
not eat spiders, cockroaches, snakes, frogs and the
like. And only if God has made a determination on
what is fit to eat can we make a determination. For
nothing is of <itself> clean or unclean. If God has not
spoken, then we cannot make a judgment on the
matter.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are
pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
The right thing to do is to avoid eating flesh, or
drinking wine, or doing anything if it causes your
brother to stumble or be offended, or if it weakens him.
Here Paul again mentions flesh and includes wine,
then broadly includes anything that would offend our
brother. The fact that Paul uses the word <flesh> here
draws our attention to meat versus other types of
food, not one type of meat versus another type of
meat. But Paul broadens his argument in this verse to
make us keenly aware of what he is driving at.
Anything that we do which would cause our brother to
stumble, be offended or weakened must be avoided, if
we would do what is the right thing to do. The lesson
that Paul is aiming to get across is that we should live
peaceably with our brother in matters where God has
not spoken and in any other area where we can avoid
offending our brother.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing
whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God.
Happy is he who condemns not himself in that which
he allows.
Paul says, you have faith to eat meat, or you have
faith to not eat meat? Eat or do not eat to yourself
and before God. Don't offend your brother just
because you know that something is right to do. And
happy, full of joy, is the man who does not condemn
himself for what he allows himself to do.
Paul is making two points here. #1) Don't offend your
brother just because what you do is OK to do. #2) Do
not defile your conscience by doing what you don't
have faith to do.
Paul is continuing to address both sides of the
argument presented at the beginning of this chapter.
One is not to make judgments against his brother in
matters where God has not spoken. But if one is
taking the non-traditional, non-Jewish approach, he
should not just follow the Jewish brothers in these
matters if he cannot do so with a clear conscience.
Having a good conscience <now> puts one in good
stead later when he does receive more knowledge. Of
course there is the matter of a seared conscience but
Paul is talking of matters where God has not spoken.
22 Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
And if he has doubts about what he eats, he is
condemned of God, because his action is not based
on faith. And anything that is not of faith is sin.
Paul shows the grave importance of not doing
something against our conscience. If it is not with our
conscience, it is against our conscience and therefore
not of faith. For something that is of faith means that
we have accepted that this is the right thing to do. If
we still believe in our conscience that it is wrong to eat
meat, and we go ahead and eat it, we have defiled our
conscience for it is telling us that what we are doing is
wrong. We have not eaten in faith, and we cannot
please God without faith. For what we do, even
though it may be right is wrong for us because we
thought it was wrong.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth
not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Paul later addresses the subject of the conscience and
eating meat in a little different light. He shows that
some have seared their consciences and are therefore
not capable of coming to the truth. Some of these
people demanded that the believer was to abstain from
food that "God has created to be received" by those
who know the truth. Here Paul is still speaking of the
those who do not believe that it is OK to eat certain
foods. But he has come to see that some have a
seared conscience and will never be able to come to
the truth and at the same time they are <commanding>
that everyone come under their definition of the truth.
Paul says that they have departed from the faith and
lumps them in with those who have doctrines of
demons.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared
with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if
it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
There is an obligation on the person who is a
vegetarian to not bind his decision on the person who
understands that meat, which God has created to be
eaten is acceptable. And there is an obligation on the
person who eats meat to not offend one who cannot
see clear to eat meat. Both are to be supportive of the
other, but not to doubtful disputations. When the
vegetarian begins to try to force his understanding on
his brother he has gone beyond the space we are to
allow him for his misunderstanding of the truth.
The key to the scriptures in Romans that we have
been studying and those in 1Timothy above is that
Paul is speaking of meat which God has <created to
be received> as those meats that some do not believe
ought to be eaten.
Summary: In this section, Paul continued his
discussion of not judging our brother about matters
where God has not spoken. We have to use balance
here realizing that perhaps God has called this person
and is working with him and he has not yet reached
the fullness of where God is leading him. In Paul's
day, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that if
one was trying to follow the way of life taught as the
gospel, that God had called him. In this latter day we
cannot be so sure. For there are many who claim to
follow this way that upon closer scrutiny of their lives
we see are living a facade of the truth. But if a person
is making an honest attempt to do what is right we are
to not argue with him about areas where he has not
yet understood and where God has not spoken.
It would have been clear, with a quick reading of the
Old Testament, that to eat certain meats was not
wrong. For the priests were required by the law to eat
meat. But the Romans did not have the advantage of
having lived with the law as the Jews. There was not a
Bible in every home as we have today. Therefore, it
was very possible that a new convert would
misunderstand the eating of meat, if his Roman
parents had raised him as a vegetarian, for example.
The matter that God had never discussed was whether
one <had> to eat meat in order to have salvation.
Obviously one could not have been a priest under the
Old Covenant and refuse to eat meat for certain
offerings required such. Clearly it was not a matter to
create a big fuss over to the point of causing such a
brother to leave the church. But as Paul later showed
in 1Timothy, some who had this theory of not eating
meat must have gotten into prominent positions of the
church and were now demanding that others must not
eat meat that God had clearly created to be eaten!
While we should not force our opinions on others,
where there is a clear understanding that the other
person is wrong, we should leave open the
opportunities of discussing such matters, for we can
see that later they may be teachers who are
influencing the future generations.
Paul showed that we should always follow our
conscience. But he showed that there was such a
thing as a seared conscience! Now, if one's
conscience is wrong, he would do himself and others
harm to follow such a conscience. We have people in
the church today who have seared their conscience to
the point that they disobey the direct commands of the
law and are teachers among us trying to tell others
how to live! Such people cannot trust their
conscience for sometime long ago they overrode and
overthrew their conscience to the point that they are
willing to live in sin and believe that it is acceptable to
God!
Paul gave three areas of our lives that we must live
with balance. #1) Righteousness, which is how we
relate to God; #2) Peace, which is how we relate to
man; #3) Joy, which is how we relate to ourselves. We
should meditate on these three areas and ask
ourselves if what we do is an offense to God, other
people, or ourselves! For we can offend God, we can
offend our brothers or neighbors, and we can offend
ourselves if we do not follow our conscience – or if
our conscience has been set incorrectly.
Each one of us will have to give an account of
ourselves to God in these three areas. We must live
our lives based on faith in God. If we defile our
conscience we are not living by faith and therefore, it
is a sin. We need to walk so that we are not offending
our brother, but we must remember that in the last day
we will stand before God and when we give an account
to Him, it won't be so easy to ignore what He has to
say! We can ignore our brother. We can drop the
subject with our brother. But we can't say to God,
"We will drop the subject...." If we have lived our lives
in a wrong manner, He will say, "Depart from me you
worker of iniquity, I don't know you."
Luke 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye
are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Home
Commentaries
Chapter:
One
Two
Three
Four
Four Continued
Five
Six
Seven
Seven Continued
Eight
Eight Continued
not argue with him about his personal opinions.
In the last chapter, Paul talked about our relationship
with the civil authorities and our debt of love to both
the brotherhood and the world. In this chapter, he
begins by discussing how we are to relate to a brother
who is weak in the faith.
Paul discusses two different weaknesses that a
brother might have. #1) Those who feel that one
should not eat meat. #2) Those who feel that certain
days, that were not specifically required of God, had
to be observed.
Probably the first weakness would have been
prevalent among the Gentiles and the second among
the Jews. Today we still have those who feel that a
believer should be a vegetarian! And we see those
who make birthdays, July 4th, and Thanksgiving out to
be something evil. On the other hand we see those
who are beginning to say that if the Jews observe a
day, that the believers should. An example here would
be Hanukkah. These are opinions. While one should
not be condemned for these things, he should also be
careful not to condemn those who are of the opposite
opinion.
Paul says that those who have these various
weaknesses in regard to the faith are to be received
into our fellowship, but we are not to argue with him
about his personal opinions. Of course, this is one
perspective. As we have seen, perspective is very
important in determining what we are to do. If
someone who, as a vegetarian, begins to preach to the
rest of us about his righteousness of not eating meat
and how we ought to be like him, then we are to show
him, from God's word, that he is wrong. But if he
wants to continue to be a vegetarian, and live his life
quietly concerning this matter, that is his business.
1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful
disputations.
One believes that he may eat some of each type of
food. Another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.
Paul is saying here that one person believes that he
can eat meat, fruits, nuts and vegetables, while
another person will eat only vegetables, fruits and
nuts. Paul tells us that the vegetarian is the one who
is weak! The reason the vegetarian is weak is because
God allows us to eat meat and therefore it is not
wrong to eat meat. But the vegetarian has come to
believe that he would be sinning if he ate meat.
Therefore, he is weak in the faith. He does not have
the faith to believe that it would be all right to eat
meat. Therefore, it would be a sin for him because of
conscience sake.
With Paul's instructions on this subject, one would
think that the matter would be settled and this would
no longer be a problem. But man has an inventive
mind and if he believes something he will go to
unbelievable lengths to prove his point from the Bible.
I won't go into the arguments presented to get around
these Scriptures, but the arguments are out there!
The Jews were probably saying that the Gentiles
should keep Purim, Hanukkah, and other civil Jewish
days. Because under the Old Covenant the Jews had
certain requirements for a Gentile to become a Jew,
they would have naturally held to these ideas toward
the believers in the early years. Paul is showing that
such days, as to their requirement for salvation, were
only opinions held by certain people. While these
days did include God's intervention in their inception,
God no where commanded that these days be
observed for salvation in the Bible, His word.
At this point, we need to go into the meaning and use
of the word <all>. Those who want to eat unclean
meats like to use this word to prove their doctrine.
The Greek word #3956 translated <all> 748 times in the
NT, has several nuances of meaning. But the word is
used 1243 times and translated in a multiple number of
ways.
Notice 2a below. The phrase, "some of all types" is
given as one nuance. In this verse, Paul is discussing
vegetarians versus non-vegetarians. Vegetarians
usually eat vegetables and fruits and nuts. Some of
them include milk and others include eggs. Some eat
vegetables, fruits, nuts, milk and eggs. They do not
eat meat. However, those who are not vegetarians
usually eat some of all of these <types> of foods.
Paul is in no way saying that some eat <all> things, as
we understand that word in English. If that were true,
they would eat dirt, shoes, concrete, food, iron, glass,
etc. Another perspective would be that if they ate all
things, the whole earth would perish because there
would be nothing left! Their mouths would become a
black hole in which the earth disappeared. Obviously,
Paul is discussing food. And the distinction that has
not been made, by those who eat unclean meats, is
that unclean meat is not food! Genesis 2:9 tells us
that some things are good for food and therefore by
contrast, some things are not good for food. God
created certain trees that produced fruit that was good
for food! So here is a perspective that has been
missed by those who would eat what they wish in spite
of what God has to say about the matter. They want
to eat those things that God has not created good for
food! They want to eat things that are bad for food,
and then they want to blame God for allowing them to
become sick.
Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow
every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;
But there is another perspective that we need to
understand at this point. The word <all> does not
always mean <all>! In the verses below, we are told
that <all> Judea and <all> the region round about
Jordan were baptized of John in Jordan, confessing
their sins!
Now if that is true, why did they crucify the Messiah?
If all of the Jews confessed their sins and were
baptized by John, why did they put the Savior to
death? It is obvious that the meaning is that John
baptized some of all the different types of these
peoples. That is one of the definitions and should
have been used here to make clear in the English what
happened.
Mat 3:5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all
the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now let's look at another example. Did <all> men see
the fellowship of the mystery? Did the Christ create
<all> things? It is obvious that the mysteries were and
are understood by only a few people. It is also
obvious that the Messiah did not create God the
Father or Himself! Therefore, how do we understand
this? That men from all races and nationalities came
to understand the truth would be one way to
understand this. That the Messiah created all things
except God the Father and Himself would be one way
to understand that phrase.
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all (3956) men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world
hath been hid in God, who created all things (3956) by Jesus
Christ:
So, in our context, some people believe that they can
eat all types of food that have been created to be
eaten. But some would not eat meat because they
thought it was wrong. And, they were weak so far as
the faith was concerned, because they believed
something that was not true. But as eating meat is not
a salvation issue, one was to live and let live in such
matters. For in time, God would help the person to
see that he was wrong if it became a salvation issue.
And concerning days, let God tell us which days to
observe. It is obvious that from the OT, we are to
keep the Sabbath day - the 7th day of the week,
commonly called Saturday today. We are also
commanded to keep 7 annual Sabbaths and are told
when these are to be observed. Although many
believers cannot conclude when some of these days
ought to be kept, we are not to go beyond these 8
days in requiring days to be observed. There is also
some question about the first day of the month, called
the new moon, in the OT. More research needs to be
done on that subject.
****************************************************
3956 pav pas pas
including all the forms of declension; TDNT-5:886,795;
adj
AV-all 748, all things 170, every 117, all men 41,
whosoever 31, everyone 28, whole 12, all manner of
11, every man 11,
no+3756 9, every thing 7, any 7, whatsoever 6,
whosoever+3739 +302 3, always+1223 3, daily+2250 2,
any thing 2, no+3361 2, not tr 7, misc 26; 1243
1) individually
1a) each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all
things, everything
2) collectively
2a) some of all types
****************************************************
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is
weak, eateth herbs.
The one who eats all types of food should not look
down on the one who does not eat all types of food.
And the one who does not eat all types of food should
not pass judgment on the one who eats all types of
food. For God has received him.
In this verse, Paul says that neither side on this matter
of food is to look down on or judge the other as to
whether he is in the faith. The phrase, "for God has
received him," does not necessarily mean that he is
called, chosen and faithful! It does not mean that he is
a member of the body in God's sight! Only God
knows who has His holy spirit to the last degree. Man
can show by his actions that he does not have the
holy spirit, but man can also put on a front to the point
that it is not possible to know if he has the holy spirit.
Paul is saying here that God's word no where says
that if you do not eat meat you cannot be a believer.
Nor does God's word say that if you eat meat you
cannot be a believer. The word of God does not
require the eating of meat, or the abstinence from
meat to be a believer. Therefore, God has received
him in the sense that God has given no command
either way in relationship to the matter of the eating of
meat and salvation – as long as the meat is clean, or in
other words as long as the meat is food!
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not
him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath
received him.
Who are you to judge someone else's servant? He will
either succeed or fall for his own master. Yes, and he
shall be established, for God is able to establish him.
How can one man judge another in a case where God
has not set down any rules on the matter? And the
man is a servant to God, if he has the holy spirit, not
to anyone else. And if God has invested in this man,
He will establish him in the faith. God will see to it that
if a vegetarian needs to change to eating meat, that he
will. God will bring all things to mind to help each to
succeed to salvation. God will help the meat eater to
not judge the vegetarian. Therefore, God will establish
each, if they are servants of God.
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own
master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for
God is able to make him stand.
One person judges one day above another. Another
person judges every day the same. Let everyone be
fully convinced in his own mind.
A Jew might judge that Purim should be observed and
therefore, would make it a more important day then
any other common day of the week. A Gentile might
not have any regard for Purim at all.
But what about the next statement Paul made,
"another judges every day alike"? It is obvious that
Paul does not mean that he judges <every> day alike!
If that were the case, Paul would be giving one the
right to work on the Sabbath day! Paul could not do
this because he would be in opposition to God on the
matter. This is again the word #3956 that was
translated <all> in a previous statement. This is a
contrast to the previous statement. The first man
thought that Purim was above a common day. The
second man thought that Purim and the common day
were both the same. <Every day> here has the
meaning of both <types> of days. Jewish civil days
were no different to common days that were not
observed – in the eyes of the Gentiles.
As God had not set down any rules commanding
Purim to be or not be observed, each person was to
keep or not keep the day in good conscience. And of
course, I have used Purim only as an example here.
Any number of days could be used as examples. But
the term <every day> is not used in the sense of the
365 days of the year being the same. The meaning is
<every type of day> in the sense of a civil day of the
Jews versus a non-civil day of the Jews being the
same.
One should study this word #3956, for doctrines of
different religions have been established on this word.
One organization has determined that no day is holy
because of this very verse. Therefore, they do not
think that there is anything wrong with working 7 days
a week. Their doctrine is based on a
misunderstanding of the word #3956. Hear again, one
would think that the rest of the Bible would overwhelm
this one verse, even when misunderstood, so that
people would not come to such a doctrine. But when
people have an agenda in mind, they bend the
Scriptures to their own will.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another
esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in
his own mind.
He, who observes the day, observes it before God;
and he who does not observe the day, does not
observe it before God. He, who eats meat, eats it
before God for he gives God thanks; and he who does
not eat meat, does not eat meat before God, and gives
God thanks.
Paul is saying that the person who observes Purim, to
use our example above, does so before God. The
person who considers Purim a common day does not
observe Purim before God. The person who eats meat
does so before God for he gives thanks. The person
who does not eat meat obviously does not eat meat
before God, but he gives thanks to God for what he
does eat.
Paul is explaining that there are differences of opinion
between believers that are neither here nor there so
far as salvation is concerned. If God has not spelled
out through commands how it is to be, we are not to
make a doctrine out of it and require others to buckle
down to our perspective on the matter which is based
on opinion only.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he
that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He
that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he
that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
No one lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Paul spoke similarly in 2Cor 5:15. We are not to live to
or for just ourselves. Our lives have significance to
others and before God. Even our death will be
another step to accomplish God's will for us.
Therefore, we don't live or die in a vacuum.
Everything we do, even our death affects others and
the future. We live before God and therefore, we
should not condemn our brother whose opinion is
different to ours. For God has not given a ruling on
the matter and neither should we. Of course, if we are
asked our opinion, that is a totally different matter.
We should share our perspectives to others that ask.
2 Corinthians 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which
died for them, and rose again.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
If we live, we live to God, and if we die, we die to God.
So then, whether we live or die, we belong to God.
In other words, our life is for God and our death is for
God. Therefore, in both life and death we belong to
God. As Paul said in another place, glorify God in
your body and in your spirit for you are bought with a
price.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore
glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we
die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we
are the Lord's.
For the Christ died and lived again for this very
purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and
of the living.
Just as a side note, notice that I used the term <the
Christ> in the above statement. We should
understand that Christ is not the last name of the
Savior! Without the article <the> one is given the
impression that <Christ> is His last name! <Christ> is
a title, not a name. It means the Messiah. To use a
common title might give the understanding. If we said,
"Doctor died" we can see why we should use an article
before a title. We would ordinarily say, "The Doctor
died." Sometimes it is OK to use a title without an
article if we are speaking directly to the person. We
might say, "Doctor, what do you think is wrong with
me today?" But in most cases the article should be
used. The Messiah's name was Joshua. If we say
Elizabeth Queen, we would be using the same type of
error as the term Jesus Christ. If we say Elizabeth, the
Queen, we have the right usage. The KJV translators
and many different religions use the term "Jesus
Christ" as the name of the Messiah like they would say
Christopher Columbus. The correct usage is Jesus,
the Christ, or better Joshua, the Christ as His name
was not Jesus. Christ Joshua would also probably be
correct because the title comes first. This would be
like saying, King David, or Queen Elizabeth.
Paul is saying that the Messiah is Master of both the
dead and the living. He gave the Ten Commandments
on Mount Sinai the first part of the Covenant. Then He
came to die so that man could be reconciled back to
God when he had sinned. Therefore, He is Master of
the living for He tells us how we are to live. And He is
master of the dead, for He has made it possible for us
to live again! Therefore, we ought to live to God for
whether we are dead or alive, He is the one who will
make the difference.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he
might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Why do
you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of God.
I really wanted to put an exclamation point after that
last sentence! If God has not given a ruling for a
given opinion, we are not to judge our brother as we
have seen above. We are not to look down on him!
For the time is soon ahead when we will all (3956)
stand before God to be judged. This word <all> is
again #3956. As Paul shows in the next verse, this
time the word <all> means <all>!
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at
nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of Christ.
For it is written, As I live, says God, every knee shall
bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So
then, every one of us shall give an account of himself
to God.
All human beings will be brought to judgment. And
everyone will acquiesce to God. All will eventually
have to accept and comply with God's will. Therefore,
it is useless to argue with our brother about his
opinions to the point of putting him down for them.
Obviously if he is seeking more knowledge on the
matter we should not hold back our understanding.
But if he is satisfied with his view, let him be –
providing God has said nothing on the matter!
Isaiah 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my
mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every
knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
And after all, Paul says, every one of us will have to
give an account of how we have lived, before God. We
should live our lives in such a way that when the time
comes to stand before God we will not be stuttering
and unsure of what we should say. We won't be able
to say, "But the way I see it is...” We will have to
agree with God's verdict because He judges rightly.
Therefore, we should be careful how we judge our
brother.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow
to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
In this section, Paul instructs us how we are to relate
to a brother who has an opinion that God has not
made a ruling on. This would be understood as a
ruling either directly or in the spirit. God has said no
where that one <has> to eat meat. I suppose that
when the Passover was kept under the Old Covenant
one would be bound to eat a bite of meat. But under
the New Covenant eating meat is not required. Wine
would be another example. One is not required to
drink wine, except at the Lord's Supper. There he
should take, at least, a small amount to be in keeping
with the command. Days not specified by God are not
required for salvation!
We are not to judge our brother in these matters. For
we are to remember that we will soon all stand before
God and be judged by Him. And we must understand
that we will not be able to argue with God. We will
have to agree with his judgment for He always judges
rightly. Therefore, we ought to live our lives in such a
way that we will not be ashamed to stand before the
Master!
In the previous verses, Paul told the believer how he
was to relate to a brother who, for conscience sake,
believed differently about something that was not
contrary to any commands of God. In verse 13 Paul
continues with that theme.
Therefore, let us not judge one another any more.
Instead determine to never put a stumbling block or
snare in your brother's way.
Paul says that we are not to pass judgment on our
brother in relationship to things in which God has not
made a judgment. Rather, we must make a
determination (make a judgment) to never do anything
that would cause our brother to forsake the faith.
Paul expresses such a cause in two ways. A
stumbling block or stumbling stone of offense. This
would be some object placed in the path that would
cause one to strike his foot against it and make him
fall. The second was an “occasion to fall”. This latter
is described as a trap or snare with the movable
trigger, such as men use to trap birds or rabbits. The
first would be something obvious and the latter would
be something that was hidden or not so obvious. In
no case are we to use such devices to cause our
brother to leave the faith.
We can see both stumbling stones and snares or traps
being used to cause our brother to stumble in these
last days. In most cases, those who profess a given
belief where God has not made a judgment actually
believe that He has made a judgment for their
particular belief. Fortunately in such cases, God
intervenes and makes a way for His people to continue
in the faith.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge
this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to
fall in his brother's way.
I understand and am convinced in Joshua the Master,
that there is nothing common/unclean of itself. But to
him that thinks anything is common/unclean, to him it
is common/unclean.
In this verse, Paul expresses his understanding on the
foregoing matter. He has a clear conscience, as a part
of the body of the Messiah about his teaching on this
subject. We should understand that Paul is not
speaking of matters where God has already made
clear judgments. He is speaking only of matters where
God has not spoken.
In the foregoing scriptures, Paul mentioned two areas
of disagreement that were neither here nor there as far
as the faith was concerned. #1) Eating or not eating
meat. #2) Observing or not observing days. Both
categories were in the area of those things about
which God had not given any commands.
In verse 3, of this same chapter in the middle of the
discussion about eating or not eating meat, Paul said
that God has received him - referring to the weaker
brother who thought that it was wrong to eat meat. In
other words, God has given no command either way in
relationship to the matter so far as salvation is
concerned. Therefore, God has not turned such a
brother away.
Paul was not talking about clean or unclean meat.
God did have something to say about that matter.
Some who eat meat, which God has not given as
proper for human consumption, look into God's word
and try to find sanction for going against the food
laws of the OT – or to prove that God has changed His
mind on the matter in the NT. But Paul is in no way
giving such sanction here. For which of the animals
were clean was well known before the time of Moses
and the giving of the law. God told Noah to take 7
pairs of the clean animals into the ark and 2 of the
unclean. It is obvious that the clean animals would be
used for food and sacrifices and therefore would need
to be of a more plentiful supply than the unclean.
Also, the clean animals are not of a vicious nature like
many of the unclean animals. Therefore, they would
be subject to being killed by the unclean animals. So,
there needed to be a plentiful supply of the clean
animals.
God was clear from the beginning that there were
certain animals created good for food. Paul is not
discussing a change of God's mind about that
subject. Rather he is discussing a person who eats no
meat at all of which God had nothing to say in
relationship to salvation, or a person who observes
certain days of which God had nothing to say in
relationship to salvation. In matters where God did
not make a determination, neither are we to make a
judgment in such a way that it would be a stumbling
stone or a snare to our brother in the faith.
Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by
sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not
clean by two, the male and his female.
Let's look at the word <nothing> used in this verse.
Anytime we see the words <nothing> <all> <always>
<forever> and other such all-inclusive words, we need
to study them in the light of several scriptures to get a
good understanding of how they can be used. It is
obvious on the surface that to say <nothing> is
unclean of itself must be qualified. Otherwise, there is
nothing that is unholy. The Bible makes clear that
there is the holy and the unholy. The following verse
tells us that <nothing> shall be impossible for you.
These are the words of the Messiah, Himself. It is
obvious that if <nothing> was impossible, in the
context of this verse, that we could destroy God
Himself! Therefore, we understand that the word
<nothing> has to be qualified. There is nothing holy
or righteous that would be impossible for us to do. As
long as it was the right thing to do, it would not be
impossible.
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your
unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to
yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing <3762> shall be
impossible unto you.
Paul uses the same word here that Matthew used in
the above verse. There is nothing unclean of itself.
We cannot leave the words <of itself> out of the
equation in making a determination of Paul's meaning.
If God has made a judgment that something is unclean
than it is unclean. But if God has not made a
judgment, as He has not in the two types of
differences that Paul describes in these scriptures,
then the matter is left up to the individual. We should
focus on the words <unclean of itself>. In other
words, anything of God's creation cannot make itself
clean or unclean. Only if God has made a judgment on
the matter can something be clean or unclean. From
the beginning God made a judgment about which
animals would be clean and which would be unclean.
Therefore, Paul is going on beyond what God had to
say in the matter. In other words, Paul is addressing
something in which God has not made a judgment.
Does a person have to eat meat to be in the kingdom
of God? Does a person have to observe Purim to be
in the kingdom of God? As God has not made a
judgment in these matters and as nothing is
clean/unclean or common/uncommon of itself, we have
to leave such matters open.
The believer would be wrong to say that clean meat
should not be eaten. But that is not the issue here.
For, he would also be wrong to eat such meat because
it would defile his conscience. If a person thinks that
meat, even clean meat, should not be eaten, than to
him it is unclean. If a person thinks that a given day
should be observed, than to him it would not be a
common day. In this statement, Paul has given us a
great principle that one must not go against his
conscience. For if we do not follow our conscience we
are following after those things that we believe is
wrong and setting up our character to override and
partake of what we think is evil. One should never
override his conscience in any matter. Only God can
give us the truth in any matter. We must not go
beyond what God has given us – to see and look on it
as being the command of God.
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is
nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to
be unclean, to him it is unclean.
If your brother is made sorry because of what you eat,
then you are no longer walking in love. Do not cause
your brother, for whom the Messiah died, to perish
because of what you eat!
Here Paul says that we are not to offend our brother
because of what we eat. If we do, then our
relationship is not one of brotherly love. We don't
have agape love for our brother. If eating meat
offends our brother, then we should not eat meat in
front of our brother! For God has not made a
judgment requiring one to eat meat in order to receive
salvation. And we would not want our brother to
perish because we ate meat in front of him, knowing
that the Messiah died for him.
Paul discusses several issues of this kind in other
scriptures. He discussed eating meat that had been
offered to an idol. He discussed purchasing meat in
the market place. Paul taught that being ceremonially
clean was of no importance. Even meat pronounced
fit to eat by God could be ceremonially clean or
unclean. Being ceremonially clean is not the same
thing as being fit to eat. God pronounced which
animals were fit for consumption from the beginning.
But the ritual laws of the temple were followed to make
something ceremonially clean. In the context of this
chapter, Paul is discussing how we are to relate to
matters where God has not made a judgment.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou
not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ
died.
Do not let your good be evil spoken of. For the
kingdom of God is not food and drink, but
righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy spirit.
Just because what we do is right does not mean that
we are to exploit it before others. We must realize that
each of us has a conscience and that we are bound by
that conscience. Therefore, if we are sitting in a
restaurant with our brother who is a vegetarian eating
a nice big stake we may be offending him. He is
aghast that we could do such a thing. We understand
that it is perfectly all right but he is blinded to that
knowledge. We will not make any points with our
vegetarian brother just because what we are doing is
right, for it would become a matter of offence to him.
The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking in
matters beyond God's judgment, to keep this in the
context. Righteousness is important because that is
how we relate to God. Peace is important because
that is how we relate to our brother and our neighbor.
And Joy is important because that is how we relate to
ourselves. We can have joy only when we do not
defile our conscience. And through the holy spirit,
God is working to bring about a balance in each of
these areas, and among these three areas of our
lives. Peace toward our brother requires that we do
not make judgmental decisions toward him in matters
where God has not spoken.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
He who serves the Messiah in these things is pleasing
to God and approved by men.
Paul is referring to the three items mentioned in the
previous verse. If we do what is right, we are pleasing
in God's sight. If we live in such a way that brings a
peaceful relationship to our neighbor, men give their
approve of us. They do not show their approval of us
for doing what is right as God sees the right, but for
not being a troublemaker that must constantly be
brought into court, as one example. Then we can
have joy in ourselves because we are not out of line
with our conscience.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to
God, and approved of men.
Therefore, let us pursue those things, which make for
harmony, and those things that edify one another.
One has a choice in this life. He can seek after trouble
and find plenty of it, or he can seek after those things
that make peace and harmony and find that. What
must we do to build up or edify our brother? What are
we doing that will tear down our brother? It is obvious
that arguing with our brother about whether he should
or should not eat meat is vain when God has said
nothing on the matter. It is obvious that arguing with
our brother that we should keep Purim when God has
said nothing on the matter is vain. There is enough to
divide us without inventing areas to create division.
We should pursue the roads that lead to peace and
building up our brother - and our fellowman in general
for that matter.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace,
and things wherewith one may edify another.
Do not destroy God's work, for food. All types of food
are pure; but it is wrong for the man who eats with
offence.
We are not to destroy or overthrow what God has
done in bringing a brother into the faith and giving him
the knowledge of the truth in matters where there is
grave importance even, if he still misunderstands in
some areas where God has not spoken. He may still
be on the milk of the word, but he is a brother
nevertheless.
It is important to note here that God's work was
bringing the person into the faith. Any time we here
someone who is out desperately trying to bring others
into their organization and calling that the work of
God, we can know that such a person does not know
what the work of God is. It is God's work to call and
choose those to follow Him.
In context, Paul says that all of the different types of
food are pure, clean or acceptable to eat. But it is evil,
or wrong for a person to eat with offence, for he has
defiled his conscience. Whether he eats meat or only
vegetables is his own affair, for God has not spoken.
For his conscience must be clear or he has sinned.
Notice again, <all things> must be kept in context for
we know that <all things> are not pure! One should
not eat spiders, cockroaches, snakes, frogs and the
like. And only if God has made a determination on
what is fit to eat can we make a determination. For
nothing is of <itself> clean or unclean. If God has not
spoken, then we cannot make a judgment on the
matter.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are
pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
The right thing to do is to avoid eating flesh, or
drinking wine, or doing anything if it causes your
brother to stumble or be offended, or if it weakens him.
Here Paul again mentions flesh and includes wine,
then broadly includes anything that would offend our
brother. The fact that Paul uses the word <flesh> here
draws our attention to meat versus other types of
food, not one type of meat versus another type of
meat. But Paul broadens his argument in this verse to
make us keenly aware of what he is driving at.
Anything that we do which would cause our brother to
stumble, be offended or weakened must be avoided, if
we would do what is the right thing to do. The lesson
that Paul is aiming to get across is that we should live
peaceably with our brother in matters where God has
not spoken and in any other area where we can avoid
offending our brother.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing
whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God.
Happy is he who condemns not himself in that which
he allows.
Paul says, you have faith to eat meat, or you have
faith to not eat meat? Eat or do not eat to yourself
and before God. Don't offend your brother just
because you know that something is right to do. And
happy, full of joy, is the man who does not condemn
himself for what he allows himself to do.
Paul is making two points here. #1) Don't offend your
brother just because what you do is OK to do. #2) Do
not defile your conscience by doing what you don't
have faith to do.
Paul is continuing to address both sides of the
argument presented at the beginning of this chapter.
One is not to make judgments against his brother in
matters where God has not spoken. But if one is
taking the non-traditional, non-Jewish approach, he
should not just follow the Jewish brothers in these
matters if he cannot do so with a clear conscience.
Having a good conscience <now> puts one in good
stead later when he does receive more knowledge. Of
course there is the matter of a seared conscience but
Paul is talking of matters where God has not spoken.
22 Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
And if he has doubts about what he eats, he is
condemned of God, because his action is not based
on faith. And anything that is not of faith is sin.
Paul shows the grave importance of not doing
something against our conscience. If it is not with our
conscience, it is against our conscience and therefore
not of faith. For something that is of faith means that
we have accepted that this is the right thing to do. If
we still believe in our conscience that it is wrong to eat
meat, and we go ahead and eat it, we have defiled our
conscience for it is telling us that what we are doing is
wrong. We have not eaten in faith, and we cannot
please God without faith. For what we do, even
though it may be right is wrong for us because we
thought it was wrong.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth
not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Paul later addresses the subject of the conscience and
eating meat in a little different light. He shows that
some have seared their consciences and are therefore
not capable of coming to the truth. Some of these
people demanded that the believer was to abstain from
food that "God has created to be received" by those
who know the truth. Here Paul is still speaking of the
those who do not believe that it is OK to eat certain
foods. But he has come to see that some have a
seared conscience and will never be able to come to
the truth and at the same time they are <commanding>
that everyone come under their definition of the truth.
Paul says that they have departed from the faith and
lumps them in with those who have doctrines of
demons.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared
with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,
which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them
which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if
it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
There is an obligation on the person who is a
vegetarian to not bind his decision on the person who
understands that meat, which God has created to be
eaten is acceptable. And there is an obligation on the
person who eats meat to not offend one who cannot
see clear to eat meat. Both are to be supportive of the
other, but not to doubtful disputations. When the
vegetarian begins to try to force his understanding on
his brother he has gone beyond the space we are to
allow him for his misunderstanding of the truth.
The key to the scriptures in Romans that we have
been studying and those in 1Timothy above is that
Paul is speaking of meat which God has <created to
be received> as those meats that some do not believe
ought to be eaten.
Summary: In this section, Paul continued his
discussion of not judging our brother about matters
where God has not spoken. We have to use balance
here realizing that perhaps God has called this person
and is working with him and he has not yet reached
the fullness of where God is leading him. In Paul's
day, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that if
one was trying to follow the way of life taught as the
gospel, that God had called him. In this latter day we
cannot be so sure. For there are many who claim to
follow this way that upon closer scrutiny of their lives
we see are living a facade of the truth. But if a person
is making an honest attempt to do what is right we are
to not argue with him about areas where he has not
yet understood and where God has not spoken.
It would have been clear, with a quick reading of the
Old Testament, that to eat certain meats was not
wrong. For the priests were required by the law to eat
meat. But the Romans did not have the advantage of
having lived with the law as the Jews. There was not a
Bible in every home as we have today. Therefore, it
was very possible that a new convert would
misunderstand the eating of meat, if his Roman
parents had raised him as a vegetarian, for example.
The matter that God had never discussed was whether
one <had> to eat meat in order to have salvation.
Obviously one could not have been a priest under the
Old Covenant and refuse to eat meat for certain
offerings required such. Clearly it was not a matter to
create a big fuss over to the point of causing such a
brother to leave the church. But as Paul later showed
in 1Timothy, some who had this theory of not eating
meat must have gotten into prominent positions of the
church and were now demanding that others must not
eat meat that God had clearly created to be eaten!
While we should not force our opinions on others,
where there is a clear understanding that the other
person is wrong, we should leave open the
opportunities of discussing such matters, for we can
see that later they may be teachers who are
influencing the future generations.
Paul showed that we should always follow our
conscience. But he showed that there was such a
thing as a seared conscience! Now, if one's
conscience is wrong, he would do himself and others
harm to follow such a conscience. We have people in
the church today who have seared their conscience to
the point that they disobey the direct commands of the
law and are teachers among us trying to tell others
how to live! Such people cannot trust their
conscience for sometime long ago they overrode and
overthrew their conscience to the point that they are
willing to live in sin and believe that it is acceptable to
God!
Paul gave three areas of our lives that we must live
with balance. #1) Righteousness, which is how we
relate to God; #2) Peace, which is how we relate to
man; #3) Joy, which is how we relate to ourselves. We
should meditate on these three areas and ask
ourselves if what we do is an offense to God, other
people, or ourselves! For we can offend God, we can
offend our brothers or neighbors, and we can offend
ourselves if we do not follow our conscience – or if
our conscience has been set incorrectly.
Each one of us will have to give an account of
ourselves to God in these three areas. We must live
our lives based on faith in God. If we defile our
conscience we are not living by faith and therefore, it
is a sin. We need to walk so that we are not offending
our brother, but we must remember that in the last day
we will stand before God and when we give an account
to Him, it won't be so easy to ignore what He has to
say! We can ignore our brother. We can drop the
subject with our brother. But we can't say to God,
"We will drop the subject...." If we have lived our lives
in a wrong manner, He will say, "Depart from me you
worker of iniquity, I don't know you."
Luke 13:27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye
are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
Home
Commentaries
Chapter:
One
Two
Three
Four
Four Continued
Five
Six
Seven
Seven Continued
Eight
Eight Continued
| Chapter 14 |
| Romans ! |
 |
| |
 |
| ___________________________ _ |
_____________________________
___
___