1Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
The topic that Paul opens in this chapter will be continued through 15:13. He will reach his statement of conclusion in 15:7, where he says, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” Then, in 15:8-12, he says that Christ came both for the Jews and for the Gentiles. Thus, the context of chapter 14 is the differing viewpoints of these two groups, believers who came to Christ out of Judaism and believers who came to Christ with no Jewish background. Paul writes 14:1-15:13 to urge these two groups to receive one another as brothers and sisters in the faith who are to be accepted and loved.
In the first verse of chapter 14, Paul begins by addressing the Gentiles. Ironically, it is primarily the Gentiles who are “strong” and the Jews who are “weak.” We recognize this designation from the following verses. In verse 1, Paul tells the stronger believers to receive those who are “weak in the faith.” He is not talking about people whose faith in Christ is weak. He’s talking about real believers who have not yet been able to fully embrace freedom from the dietary laws and calendar observances prescribed under the Old Covenant. Paul says that the stronger believers should accept the weaker believers but not to get into arguments with them.
2For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3Let 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. 4Who 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. 5One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Paul cites two issues that were sensitive for the Jewish believers in the church at Rome: food and calendar observances. It would be impossible for us to go behind Paul’s words to find out the specific complaints of the Jews against the Gentiles in the church. The Gentiles felt freedom to eat all foods and felt no obligation to observe the Jewish calendar. The tendency was for the Gentiles to look down on the Jews for being legalistic because the Old Covenant was annulled and for the Jews to judge the Gentiles for being ignorant and showing disregard for things prescribed in the Law.
Paul says, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” He is not talking about matters of doctrine or morality. In Galatians 4:9-10 and Colossians 2:16-17, Paul showed no tolerance for false teaching that tried to put believers under the Law. Also, in the previous chapter, he said, “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying” (13:13). Morality is defined by God alone and is not a matter of personal persuasion. But whether or not to eat pork and whether or not to use unleavened bread at the Lord’s Supper, are not in themselves matters of doctrine or morality, assuming that the weaker believer does not trust in the Law for righteousness.
6He 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. 7For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8For 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. 9For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
Christ is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). He thus is the first in rank and the Lord of the dead and of the living. Whether in life or in death, every believer belongs to Christ. Whatever we do in our lives, whatever we choose to eat or not eat, whatever decisions we make about how to celebrate special days or not celebrate them, being “persuaded in our own minds” means that we have read God’s Word and thought about how we may best serve Christ. Paul says that believers can differ on these issues and still honor Him.
10But 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.
Paul says that it is out of place for the Jewish believer to judge his Gentile brother or for the Gentile believer to disdain his Jewish brother. Each of us will be judged by Christ Himself. Paul also spoke of the judgment seat of Christ in II Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” Paul explained in I Corinthians 3:11-15 how this judgment of Christians will take place:
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Every genuine believer in Christ is part of a spiritual building whose foundation is Christ. That foundation will always remain. We will be judged according to the work that we did on this spiritual building. Work that is done in dependence on the Holy Spirit and for the glory of God will be rewarded. Work that is done without depending on the Holy Spirit and for our own glory will be burned up. But even the believer whose work is all burned up will still be saved, because he or she still has the foundation, which is Christ.
11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
In verse 11, Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23. Yahweh, the LORD, speaks in that verse. He says that every knee will bow to Him and every tongue will confess to Him. Paul also cites this verse in Philippians 2:9-11 with reference to Jesus Christ, thus declaring that Jesus is Yahweh the Son. All of us will give account concerning ourselves to Jesus Christ, who is God the Son. Thus, when believers disagree about matters that are not doctrinal or moral issues, Paul says that we should no longer judge one another. Rather, we should judge that our right concern should be not to do anything that could make a brother or sister stumble in their walk with God.
14I 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.
Paul said that he “knew” and was “persuaded” by the Lord Jesus that no food is unclean of itself. Sometimes truth comes in two steps for all of us. We may “know” that something is true, but we also need to have that truth sink in to our thoughts and feelings so that we are really “persuaded.” Probably for Paul, who formerly belonged to the strict sect of the Pharisees (Philippians 3:5), it took time to be fully persuaded that no food was ritually unclean.
But, Paul hastened to say that if a person cannot yet eat with a clear conscience food that was forbidden by the Law, that person should not do it. In Leviticus 20:25-26, God said, “Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” We understand from these words that God gave the dietary laws of the Old Covenant in order to teach the Israelites that they were to be different and separate from the other nations. They were to be a nation set apart for God.
When God told Peter in a vision to eat meat that the Law had declared to be unclean, Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.” Then, the voice in the vision said, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common” (Acts 10:14-15). God used this lesson to send Peter to preach the Gospel in the home of a Gentile. The lesson of the dietary laws was temporary. They were taken out of effect when the New Covenant came into effect. But, for Paul and Peter and other Jewish believers, it took time to accept that they had the freedom to eat all foods.
15But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
In this verse, Paul speaks of a believer who is grieved by what another believer eats. The word is “grieved,” not “angered.” The one who is grieved is not just being irritable; for this brother or sister, the situation really is an issue of conscience. Paul says that the one who is causing this brother or sister to be grieved is not living according to love. Paul even says that this issue could destroy the believer whose conscience is grieved. How could a food issue be that serious?
In Leviticus 11:3, God said, “Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.” But in verse 7 of that chapter, He said, “And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.” So pork is one example of a food that was unclean according to the Mosaic Law. A Jew (or a Muslim today) who had been taught all his or her life that pork was not to be eaten and then heard the Gospel of Christ and believed in Him, would likely have come to Christ through the witness of a Christian. Probably they respected the life of that person and the love that person showed. What happens if that new believer then sees the person who witnessed to them and other Christians enjoying bacon? In their eyes, the life and love they’d come to respect is suddenly overlaid on a template of violation of what to them is a standard of holiness. That would probably push them in one of two ways: either to walk away or to join in and thus sin by violating their own conscience.
A person who is genuinely saved cannot again be lost. Paul has made that clear in this book (for example, in 8:29-30). But a believer who walks away from the church or violates his or her conscience may stay away for years before they come back. Paul says to the strong believer: if it’s going to offend the weaker believer, don’t eat the pork or do whatever it is that could make the other person stumble.
16Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17for the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
In these verses, Paul seems to extend the focus of his concern to the world outside the church. If something that Scripture gives us the freedom to eat or drink or do will hurt our testimony to people who have different views, arguing with those people is not the way to go. Instead, we should forego what they find offensive. Even unbelievers who are otherwise antagonistic have respect for righteousness, peace, and joy. Our living relationship with the One who is our King is the best basis for witness to others.
19Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 20For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. 21It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 22Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
In these verses, Paul summarizes what he has said in this chapter. The goal is to build one another up in our relationship with Christ. We should never cling to something that will tear down the work that God is doing in the life of a brother or sister. The condemnation in verse 23 is not eternal damnation. But it does mean that a believer who compromises his or her conscience has sinned. As long as a person has serious reservations before God about doing something, the right choice is to not do it. In some cases, a growing understanding of God’s Word will set that person free to enjoy things that God has not said to be wrong. We should always stay within the bounds of faith in God’s Word.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.