Romans 14:21

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. IT IS GOOD NEITHER TO EAT FLESH, NOR TO DRINK WINE, NOR [ANY THING] ('NOR TO DO ANYTHING') WHEREBY ('WHEREIN') THY BROTHER STUMBLETH, OR IS OFFENDED, OR IS MADE WEAK - rather, 'is weak.' These three words, it has been remarked, are each intentionally weaker than the other: q.d., 'Which may cause a brother to stumble, or even be obstructed in his Christian course; nay-though neither of these may follow-wherein he continues weak; unable wholly to disregard the example, and yet unprepared to follow it.' But this injunction to abstain from flesh, from wine, and from whatsoever may hurt the conscience of a brother, must be properly understood. Manifestly, the apostle is treating of the regulation of the Christian's conduct with reference simply to the prejudices...

19-23 Many wish for peace, and talk loudly for it, who do not follow the things that make for peace. Meekness, humility, self-denial, and love, make for peace. We cannot edify one another, while quarrelling and contending. Many, for meat and drink, destroy the work of God in themselves; nothing more destroys the soul than pampering and pleasing the flesh, and fulfilling the lusts of it; so others are hurt, by wilful offence given. Lawful things may be done unlawfully, by giving offence to brethren. This takes in all indifferent things, whereby a brother is drawn into sin or trouble; or has his graces, his comforts, or his resolutions weakened. Hast thou faith? It is meant of knowledge and clearness as to our Christian liberty. Enjoy the comfort of it, but do not trouble others by a wrong use of it. Nor may we act against a doubting conscience. How excellent are the blessings of Christ's...

Verse Romans 14:21. IT IS _GOOD NEITHER TO EAT FLESH_, C.] The spirit and self-denying principles of the Gospel teach us, that we should not only avoid every thing in eating or drinking which may be an occasion of offence or apostasy to our brethren, but even to lay down our lives for them should it be necessary. _WHEREBY THY BROTHER STUMBLETH_] Προσκοπτει, from προς, against, and κοπτω, to _strike_, to _hit the foot_ against _a stone_ in walking, so as to _halt_, and be _impeded_ in one's _journey_. It here means, spiritually, any thing by which a man is so perplexed in his mind as to be prevented from making due _progress_ in the Divine life. Any thing by which he is caused to _halt_, to be _undecisive_, and undetermined and under such an influence no man has ever yet _grown_ in grace

IT IS GOOD - It is right; or it is better. This verse is an explanation or enlarged specification of the meaning of the former. TO EAT FLESH - That is, such flesh as the “Jewish” convert regarded as unclean; Romans 14:2. NOR TO DRINK WINE - Wine was a common drink among the Jews, and usually esteemed lawful. But the Nazarites were not allowed to drink it Numbers 6:3, and the Rechabites Jeremiah 35 drank no wine, and it is possible that some of the early converts regarded it as unlawful for Christians to drink it. Wine was moreover used in libations in pagan worship, and perhaps the Jewish coverts might be scrupulous abo

EXPOSITION ROMANS 14:1 F. _The duty of enlightened Christians towards weak brethren. _From moral duties in general of Christians towards each other and towards all the apostle now passes to such as they owe peculiarly to each other as members of a religious community, united by a common faith. He has already (Romans 12:16) admonished his readers to be "of the same mind one toward another;" but, as was remarked under that verse, this did not imply agreement of view on all subjects, such as is impossible where there are many minds. In this chapter he recognizes the impossibility, having immediately before him what was then patent, the inability of some, through prejudice or slowness of conception, to enter into views of the meaning of the gospel which to himself a

IT IS GOOD NEITHER TO EAT FLESH,.... Any sort of flesh, even that which is not forbidden in the law, rather than offend a weak brother; and the apostle determines for himself, that he would not, where there was any danger of doing this, 1 Corinthians 8:13. NOR TO DRINK WINE; not only the wine of libations to Heathen deities, but wine in common; which was not prohibited by the law of Moses, but in the case of a Nazarite, and of vows: NOR ANYTHING, be it what it will, WHEREBY THY BROTHER STUMBLETH. The Syriac version reads, "our brother"; anyone that stands in such a spiritual relation to any of us; and for which reason care should be taken, that no stumblingblock, or occasion to fall, should be put in his way; particularly that Christian liberty in things indifferent be not unseasonably and imprudently used, and so become

ROMANS 14:21 prosko,ptei {B} The Textus Receptus incorporates a Western expansion, h' skandali,zetai h' avsqenei/, which gained wide circulation (ac B D G Y 0209vid 33 614 _Byz Lect_ vg syrh copsa arm _al_). Other variations in various witnesses suggest that the original text was modified or expanded by copyists who recollected 1 Corinthians 8:11-13....

CHAPTER 14 _ 1. Strong and Weak Brethren are the Lord's Servants. (Romans 14:1 .)_ 2. The True Way of Love. (Romans 14:13 .) Romans 14:1 The question concerning brethren who were weak in faith, how they are to be treated by those who are strong is now taken up. Those weak in the faith had not the complete knowledge of their position in Christ, though they knew Christ and loved Him. They did not realize that certain observances of days, or abstinences from meats and drinks, could not affect their salvation in any way. There were scruples and conscientious difficulties, as there are still among God's people. One believeth he may eat all things, he knew his full Christian freedom--another who i

CONSIDERATENESS INSTEAD OF CENSORIOUSNESS. Romans 14:13. Let us stop judging one another (_cf._ Matthew 7:1); but come rather to this judgment, not to lay a stumbling-block in a brother's way, etc. Romans 14:14. For himself, Paul stands firmly on the side of liberty: I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus as one obedient to Christ's authority and convinced by His teaching (see Mark 7:14; _cf._ Acts 10:9)that religious distinctions in food have no intrinsic ground....

RESPECT FOR SCRUPLES (Romans 14:1) _ 14:1 Welcome the man who is weak in the faith, but not with a view to passing judgment on his scruples._ In this chapter Paul is dealing with what may have been a temporary and local problem in the Roman Church, but is also one continually confronting the Church and always demanding solution. In the Church at Rome there were apparently two lines of thought. There were some who believed that in Christian liberty the old tabus were gone; they believed that the old food laws were now irrelevant; they believed that Christianity did not consist in the special observance of any one day or days. Paul makes it clear that this in fact is the standpoint of real Christian faith. On the other hand, there were those who were full of scruples; they believed that it was wrong to eat meat; they believed in the rigid observance of the Sabbath tyranny.