PRACTICAL PART. MAN'S GRATITUDE FOR FREE SALVATION. The theme of this part of the Epistle is given in chap. Romans 12:1: The believer saved by Christ through faith is to present himself a thank-offering to God; all Christian duty is praise for deliverance. For convenience we may divide this portio... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:1. HIM THAT IS WEAK IN THE FAITH. (See note above.) The phrase might be rendered ‘weak in faith,' or even, ‘in his faith,' since faith in Christ is meant, not Christian doctrine, or, moral conviction, or, knowledge. The latter ideas are implied; for in the cases referred to the faith did n... [ Continue Reading ]
1. _Fraternal Duty in the Case of the Weak Brethren._ The exhortation to receive the weak (Romans 14:1); the difference between the strong and the weak in the matter of eating (Romans 14:2), with admonitions to these classes respectively (Romans 14:3), especially to the weak brother who judges (Roma... [ Continue Reading ]
II. SPECIAL DISCUSSION RESPECTING THE SCRUPLES OF CERTAIN WEAK BRETHREN. This part of the Epistle was occasioned by the existence at Rome of a class of Christians who had scruples in regard to eating meat and drinking wine, and who clung to the observance of the Jewish festivals. Whatever may have b... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:2. ONE MAN; as in Romans 14:5. ‘For' is not found in the original HATH FAITH TO EAT ALL THINGS. ‘Believeth' is literal, but the reference to ‘faith' throughout makes this paraphrase necessary. One has a confidence resulting from faith which permits him to eat every kind of food. This is... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:3. LET NOT HIM THAT EATETH SET AT NOUGHT (as in Romans 14:10) HIM THAT EATETH NOT. ‘The self-consciousness of strength misleads into looking down with _contempt_ on the weak' (Meyer). Against this so natural tendency the Apostle cautions; in the latter half of the chapter, the duty of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:4. WHO ART THOU THAT JUDGEST? Comp. chap. Romans 9:20. Evidently addressed to the weak brother, rather than to both classes. ANOTHER MAN'S SERVANT, lit., ‘house-servant,' one more closely connected with the family than the other slaves, and in those times often the recipient of great and... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:5. ONE MAN ESTEEMETH ONE DAY ABOVE ANOTHER; lit, ‘judges day above day;' distinguishes one day from another, the reference probably being to the Jewish feasts and fasts. This is a second point of difference, but not so prominent as the first, which is emphasized throughout. The occasion of... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:6. HE THAT REGARDETH THE DAY, REGARDETH IT UNTO THE LORD. However weak his faith, ‘he who directs his carefulness to the day, exercises this carefulness in his interest for the Lord, namely, in order thereby to respond to his relation of belonging to the Lord' (Meyer). So far as the scrupl... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:7. FOR NONE OF US LIVETH UNTO HIMSELF, etc. The Christian's eating or not eating is unto the Lord, because the sum of his earthly existence, living and dying, is not ‘unto himself;' and this is true in the case of all. This is the negative side; the positive follows.... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:8. FOR WHETHER WE LIVE, WE LIVE UNTO THE LORD, _i.e.,_ Christ WE DIE UNTO THE LORD; even our dying is an act of consecration to Christ WHETHER WE LIVE THEREFORE, etc. The whole course of our existence here being unto Christ, it follows that in all we belong to Christ, whose divine maje... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:9. FOR TO THIS END, as described below, and including the thought of Romans 14:8, CHRIST DIED AND LIVED AGAIN, or, ‘became alive,' at the resurrection. There is general agreement as to the correctness of the briefer reading, from which the numerous variations can readily be explained. That... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:10. BUT WHY DOST THOU JUDGE THY BROTHER? ‘Thou' is emphatic, ‘thou' belonging to Christ the Lord. ‘Thy brother' marks an advance in thought from Romans 14:3-4. This is addressed to the weak brother. OR THOU ALSO, WHY DOST THOU SET AT NOUGHT THY BROTHER? Addressed to the stronger brother,... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:11. FOR IT IS WRITTEN (Isaiah 45:23). The citation is freely made, the variations are, AS I LIVE for ‘I have sworn by myself' and SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD for ‘shall swear' (LXX. ‘unto God'). The word ‘give praise' usually means ‘confess,' but followed by a dative, as here, has the signifi... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:12. SO THEN EACH ONE OF US, etc. The emphasis rests on ‘each one of us,' not on ‘of himself,' or, ‘to God.' There is no exception; let each remember this, and each will be guarded against judging his brother. ‘That which precedes means: “Do not judge thy brother, since God will judge _him_... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:13. LET US NOT THEREFORE JUDGE ONE ANOTHER ANY MORE. Both classes are here addressed, since Romans 14:12, to which ‘therefore' refers, included both; ‘one another' points back to ‘of himself' in the same verse. The clause, however, furnishes a transition to the exhortation to the strong.... [ Continue Reading ]
2. _Proper Use of Christian Liberty on the Part of the Stronger Brethren._ The section opens with a caution against judging (Romans 14:13 a), which furnishes a transition to the leading thought, namely, that our practice should recognize the principle of not causing others to offend (Romans 14:13 _... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:14. I KNOW, AND AM PERSUADED IN THE LORD JESUS. His knowledge on the point in question amounts to full conviction growing out of his fellowship with Christ. The principle which he thus prefaces is: THAT NOTHING IS UNCLEAN, lit., ‘common,' impure, according to the distinction made by the Je... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:15. FOR. The best authorities give this reading, which introduces the reason for speaking of the exception (Romans 14:14), namely, to warn against the lack of love in disregarding it IF BECAUSE OF THY MEAT (or, ‘food') THY BROTHER IS GRIEVED. The freer brother would eat that which the we... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:16. LET NOT THAN YOUR GOOD BE EVIL SPOKEN OF, lit, ‘blasphemed.' ‘Then' implies that to act in the way forbidden in Romans 14:15 would have this result. The exhortation may be applied to the strong; ‘good' referring accordingly to their Christian liberty, or strength of faith, which grieve... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:17. FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. This kingdom is ‘God's dominion over the heart, instituted and administered by Christ; it is the heavenly sphere of life, in which God's word and Spirit govern, and whose organ on the earth is the Church' (Lange). To refer it here to the future Messianic kingdom... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:18. FOR HE THAT HEREIN, lit., ‘in this,' according to the correct reading. Some have referred ‘this' to the ‘Holy Spirit,' which seems unnatural. Others, to avoid the difficulty, retain the poorly supported plural. ‘Herein' points to the sphere of life, just described, and the verse confir... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:19. LET US THEREFORE; an inference from Romans 14:17-18. FOLLOW AFTER THE THINGS OF PEACE; those things which constitute peace. AND THE THINGS WHICH PERTAIN TO MUTUAL EDIFICATION. Here the edification of individuals is meant; elsewhere the building up of the entire Church is spoken of.... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:20. DO NOT FOR THE SAKE OF MEAT UNDO (or, ‘pull down') THE WORK OF GOD. The verb ‘pull down' is in contrast with ‘edification,' upbuilding. Hence it is most natural to refer ‘the work of God' to the Christian brother (as in Romans 14:15), but here in his relation to God as the author of hi... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:21. IT IS GOOD; admirable, honorable, morally good, in view of what has been said; hence this is the general principle of action, for the _strong brother._ NOT TO EAT FLESH, etc. This suggests that the weak brother had special scruples on the two points here named, totally abstaining fro... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:22. THE FAITH WHICH THEN HAST, etc. The authority for ‘which' is decisive, and this reading gives the above rendering, which does not alter the purport of the verse. HAVE IT TO THYSELF BEFORE GOD; it is not necessary to parade it before men. This is a commendation of the position of the... [ Continue Reading ]
Romans 14:23. BUT HE THAT DOUBTETH (in contrast with the one who judgeth not himself) IS (has been and is) CONDEMNED, IF HE EAT ‘The act of eating itself condemns him, of course, according to the Divine ordering, so that the justice of this verdict appears not only before God, but before men, and hi... [ Continue Reading ]