Paul's Epistle to the Romans — page 47

Ch. 14:13-23 – Paul continues and gives a third thing that should govern our conduct in these matters of personal exercise. We should walk “according to love” toward our brothers and sisters and, thus, be careful not to do anything that is a “stumbling block or scandal” in their path. Paul, therefore, suggests that, instead of judging our brother, we should judge ourselves (self-judgment) in this matter and renounce taking liberties that offend a weak brother. Since nothing that is material is “unclean of itself” – but only that which is esteemed as such in each one's conscience (v. 14) – if we know that something we allow in our lives grieves one of our brothers, the principle of “love” for our brother should dictate that we must renounce doing such a thing. We should do this because we are told: “Do not destroy by your food the one for whom Christ died” (v. 15). “Destroy”, in the sense in which Paul uses the word here, is not referring to physical death or eternal judgment.

It simply means destroying a brother's confidence in the Lord, by which he becomes confused as to what is right and what is wrong, and turns away from following Him in the path of faith. Thus, Paul mentions three types of judgment in this chapter:

The critical judgment of our brothers (v. 3-4, 10a).

• The righteous judgment of the Lord (vs. 10b-12).

• The believer's self-judgment (v. 13).

Love thinks of others and will make us renounce the legitimate rights we have in order to promote happy Christian fellowship. The statement “for whom Christ died” should not be taken lightly. It points to the incalculable cost that Christ paid to save that brother. Therefore, we need to let this penetrate deeply into our hearts and think seriously about our mutual care. If, on the other hand, I selfishly display my Christian rights in these matters, I may very well cause irreparable damage in the life of a weak brother. Flaunting our liberty before those who are weak in the faith manifests an un-Christian spirit. We are really letting our good be “censured” (v. 16). However, we should not let what is good and right for us become an object of criticism, misunderstanding and offense (v. 16).

Vs. 17-18 – Paul declares that the important things in the Christian life have to do with “the kingdom of God”. These are moral things, and not things that belong to “food” or “drink” – that is, external natural things of earthly religion. Therefore, what really counts in the kingdom of God is not rules regarding foods and religious observances of certain days, but the things concerning “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Therefore, it is not what a man eats that is important, but living a holy life for the glory of God. If we make this a priority in our lives and seek the good of our brothers, we will serve Christ in a way that is “pleasing to God and approved by men” (ARA).

Vs. 19-21 – Paul, therefore, concludes that we should “pursue” (JND) “the things that contribute to peace and the things that are for mutual edification” (TB). Since the flesh does not destroy “the work of God” in a person's soul, if we know of something we allow in our lives that could offend our brothers, then the principle by which we should live is this: “It is good not to eat meat, nor drink wine, nor do other things in which your brother stumbles, or is scandalized, or is weakened”. This means that we should not run over a brother's conscience when he is not clear about a matter. For example, we should not invite to dinner a person who has just converted from Judaism or Islam and serve roast pork.

Vs. 22-23 – Paul's counsel, therefore, is that if we have “faith” to do certain things that are not directly forbidden in the Scriptures – but that are things that could offend and make someone stumble – then, “Have it to yourself before God”. That is, do not flaunt our liberty, but do these things in private before God where and when we will not run the risk of offending someone. Paul adds: “Blessed [happy – KJV] is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves”. In other words, it is good to walk in the full enjoyment of our liberty, not being bound by unfounded customs.

Note that Paul does not tell us to try to lead those who are not clear about these matters beyond what their conscience dictates, persuading them to participate in something that is doubtful to them. When one has a conscience about something, “the one who has doubts, if he eats, is condemned” because “everything that is not of faith is sin”. By forcing a person in this way, we could lead them to sin, and this could begin a departure from God. We teach them to go ahead and violate their conscience, and once they have done so, they might very well continue to do so in other more serious matters.

We Should Follow Christ's Example in Everything

Ch. 15:1-7 – Paul gives a fourth thing that will help us to walk correctly in these situations – it is to follow Christ's example in His life. Vs. 1-2 - He says that those who are “strong” in the faith should “bear the weaknesses of the weak” and, thus, cease to please themselves in things relating to food and drink, and consider the “edification” of the brothers, instead of their own pleasures. He sets before us the most elementary Christian principle – the well-being of others before our own! He says: “Therefore each of us should please his neighbor (our brother in the Lord) , aiming at what is good for edification” If “each one” in the Christian community had this attitude and disposition, this whole matter of offending and making someone stumble with our liberties would be resolved once and for all.

1. 3 – The model he sets before us is Christ Himself,

who "did not please Himself". If we imitate Christ's selfless love for others, we will be content to give up things in order to please our neighbor. The apostle John said: "By this we know love: that Christ laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers" (1 John 3:16). The attitude that says: "I have the right to do this, and I will do it regardless of what others think; and they will have to accept me the way I am" is certainly not like Christ's. The Lord Jesus was the only One on earth who truly had the right to do whatever He wanted, and He chose not to please Himself. The lesson here is that we should be willing to abstain from the right we legitimately have to any liberty, rather than risk causing someone to stumble. Pressing that right is to violate the very spirit of Christianity.

Christ was so committed to the honor and glory of God that, if anyone reproached God, Christ Himself would bear the reproach. He could say to God: "The reproaches of those who reproach You fell on Me". This is a quotation from Psalm 69:9. Likewise, if there is some weakness in our brother's understanding concerning Christian liberty, and this has led him to have unfounded restrictions, and this brings censure and criticism upon him, we should be willing to identify with him in the matter, and bear the consequent reproach with him.

1. 4 – We also have "patience [perseverance – ARA] and

comfort [encouragement – JND] of the Scriptures", in which we can learn from the attitudes of saints of other eras whose lives manifested a selfless care for others. The Scriptures to which Paul refers here are the Old Testament; the New Testament had not yet been written. Note that he does not say that those Old Testament Scriptures were written "for" us, but rather "for the sake of" (JND) us – that is, for the sake of our learning. This shows that most of the Scriptures were not written for us Christians, but all Scripture was written for the sake of our "instruction" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Old Testament was written for Israel; while the 21 epistles of the New Testament were written for Christians. It is in them that we find Christian doctrine and practice. Those who want to join Israel and the Church into a single company of believers (Reformed "Covenant" Theology) oppose this. They (in their mistaken teaching) think that Israel is the Church in the Old Testament and that the Church is Israel in the New – and therefore believe that all Scripture is written "for" us. However, that is not what Paul says here. The kind of learning ("instruction") that we should obtain from the Old Testament has to do with moral and practical principles. The result is that we are given "hope" that helps us continue on the path of faith.

Vs. 5-7 – Paul concludes his exhortations about Christian liberty by reminding us of the divine support we have in God. He says: "Now may the God of patience [perseverance – ARA] and comfort [encouragement – JND] grant you the same mind toward one another, according to Christ Jesus". Thus, we gain "perseverance and encouragement" from the Scriptures (v. 4), but also "the God of perseverance and encouragement" (JND) helps us along the way (v. 5). And the divine goal in all this is that we walk together in practical unity, having "the same mind toward one another". By adding, "according to Jesus Christ", Paul is giving us a word of caution; that affinity is to be in accordance with the Lord and the relationship with Him to which we were called. This is because it is possible to have the same mind according to the flesh. Ananias and Sapphira are an example of this. They had the same mind in a bad thing (Acts 5:1-11).

His desire is that we have a unique testimony before the world, glorifying God "with one mind and one mouth" (TB). This is quite surprising; the mouths that were once full of bitterness and cursing (chap. 3:14) are now seen full of thanksgiving and praise! If attention is given to this exhortation, saved Jews and Gentiles would be found together praising God with "one mouth". What a picture that is – a triumph of God's grace! Thus, this brings us full circle to where Paul began in chapter 14:1, namely, that we should "receive" one another. The model for us in this is Christ – "as also Christ received us to the glory of God".

The Scriptures Teach that Converted Jews and Gentiles Will Be

Blessed Together under Christ