Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons


Romans

None lives for themselves. 14:1-12

[Seed logo] Introduction
      From 14:1 to 15:22 Paul writes about "the weak" and "the strong." He particularly wants "the strong" to consider "the weak." "The strong" are Gentile believers who, as children of grace (those who have experienced God's forgiveness in Christ through faith - ie. are justified by grace through faith, apart from works of the law), have now found liberty in Christ, although as Paul says, such liberty is not liberty to sin. Paul asks his new converts to consider their behavior before the more pious believers ("the weak": pietists, nomists - law-bound believers) so as not to offend them and drive them from Christ. "The weak" tend to believe that their standing in the sight of God is maintained and progressed through obedience to Biblical law. In the early church, these pious believers tended to be former Jews. Although Paul, in his letter to the Romans, seeks to demolish this wrong application of the law, and affirm "the obedience that comes from faith", he does not want to undermine the faith of these weak believers, nor demolish the truth that the law properly serves as a guide to the Christian life. In our passage for study, Paul directs how "the weak" and "the strong" should treat each other.

The passage
      v1. "The weak" should be fully included in the Christian fellowship, without quarreling over their religious sensibilities. Obviously, "the strong" are in a majority in the Roman church. This free-of-the-law Gentile crew have found liberty in Christ and Paul happily numbers himself with them. It is most likely that Paul's group was called "weak" by the pietists, the law-bound group, since they didn't apply themselves to the details of the law, eg. circumcision. In the eyes of a law-bound believer, keeping the whole law displays strength.
      v2-4. "The strong" are not to despise "the weak" and "the weak" are not to judge "the strong." They both belong to the Lord and will be supported by him. Paul is even handed in his critique, although his focus is probably on "the strong." It is easy to pass judgement on those who seem overly pious in their law-keeping, but the truth is there is only one Judge, and he will determine whether we stand or fall.
      v5-6. Each believer seeks to honour the Lord in their behavior, whether in their piety, or in their liberty. We must not condemn a brother whose intention is the same as ours, but whose methodology is different.
      v7-9. "None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master", New American Bible. A follower of Christ does not live for their own gratification. Our ultimate aim is the gratification of Christ, to live under the ideal of service to Christ. The object is the same, namely "to the Lord", for the honor of the Lord, whether in our liberty, or in our piety. "Live" here probably means "live in liberty", while "die" probably means "live in piety" (eating kosher foods, regarding certain days as holy, ....).
      v10-12. Judging, or despising a brother, because of their liberty, or their piety, is stupid, given that everything will be resolved in the final judgement when each one of us will have to give account of ourselves before God. One brother, with a particular viewpoint, style of worship, life-style.... has no right to judge another brother who takes a different line. Paul supports his warning about judging others by quoting Isaiah 45:23. He then draws out the implication that instead of focusing on the imperfection of others, we would be wise to focus on our own imperfections, given that each of us will have to give an account of our life before God.

Judge not
      "Judge not lest you be judged." "First pull the log out of your own eye before trying to pull the speck out of your brother's eye". How easy it is to judge others. Even with all these wonderful words from Jesus, his disciples still got into judgementalism. Like the time they came across someone preaching for Christ who was not in the apostolic band. "Will we stop him Lord?" Jesus had to remind them, "he who is not against us is for us." If he's on our side, why try to stop him?
      Even today, we so easily slip into judging members of other churches. Lines like, "they are not Spirit-filled", "they don't have the full gospel", "they are not Word-centred", "they are liturgical", "they are catholic", .... Within the Anglican communion there are slurs like: "they are high church", "they are low church", "dear me, they use candles there!" We so easily judge the spiritual qualifications of others simply because they are different to us. Their style of worship, churchmanship..... is used to condemn them. Paul clearly denounces such behavior and reminds each one of us that we should be concerned for our own standing before God, for each of us will have to answer for ourselves.
      Judgementalism within the local congregation is even more disturbing. Differences will always develop within a Christian community. To denounce others who hold a different opinion to ourselves is really quite ugly. To make a moral judgement on a person's views, to scandalize and condemn them, because we don't agree with them, is evil.
      "None of us lives to ourselves alone". If "we belong to the Lord" then we belong to each other and have no right condemn each other. Each of us will have to give an account to God for our own actions. That is enough.

Discussion
      1. "The weak" and "the strong" in this passage represent a particular style of discipleship. Define each style.
      2. Both "the weak" and "the strong" face different and similar dangers in their Christian lives. Discuss.


Notes

Textual notes   Abbreviations,   Bibliography
 
      Having completed his theological argument, Paul now turns to the business of Jewish and Gentile believers living together within God's new community, 12:1-15:13. An overarching concern in this section is the community's witness to the world through the life of its members. First, in chapter 12, Paul deals with personal ethics and then in chapter 13 he goes on to deal with wider social issues, and finally, in 14:1-15:13, he broaches the touchy issue of how Jewish and Gentile believers are to relate within the Christian fellowship.
      The section 14:1-15:21 provides one of the clues as to Paul's purpose in writing this letter to the Romans. In the letter he seeks to address a problem affecting many believers, particularly Jewish believers. The problem is nomism, law-righteousness, pietism .... the notion that a person's standing before God is maintained and advanced through obedience to the law. Now, in this section of his letter, Paul refers directly to "the strong", those who know that their standing in Christ is by grace through faith and not works of the law, and "the weak", those who see obedience to Biblical law as essential to their standing in Christ. Paul's focus is on "the strong" and in addressing them, he encourages them to be considerate toward "the weak", ie. the pietists, the nomists. "The strong" are not to be harsh and judgmental, nor allow their Christian liberty to lead the weaker brother astray. This then is the issue before us in our passage for study, 14:1-12.
      In passing, we should not that it has often been suggested that "the weak" believers (nomists, judaizers, members of the circumcision party) were concerned with the hygiene and cultic laws of the Old Testament, and that this "fetish" interfered with their Christian freedom. Yet, such a view undermines the theological depth of Paul's letter. It is more likely that Paul is critical of the way "the weak" use the law as a whole, not just cultic laws. Believers are not just free from the hygiene and cultic regulations of the Old Testament, but of the law itself as a means of maintaining and/or progressing their Christian standing.
      Of course, this doesn't mean that a believer is free to sin. Rather, the believer is freed from that which makes sin more sinful, namely, the law. A believer's standing before God is by grace through faith, not by works of the law. Nor does Paul suggest that the law is an evil thing. The law is a good thing corrupted by our evil. Nor does Paul suggest that the law serves no function for a believer. For a believer, it no longer serves to accentuate sin and drive us to God for mercy, but it does serve as a guide to the Christian life. As to what law Paul is referring to, it is the whole of the moral law: the Old Testament Torah, along with the teachings of Jesus and the apostolic regulations.
      In Romans, Paul will often characterize nomism in terms of "touch not, taste not" as this best illustrates the way it expresses itself. Such descriptives should not be taken too literally as if the problem Paul is dealing with is limited to Old Testament health and purity regulations.
      We should also note that Paul's critique of law-obedience, of law-bound believers, is not in terms of legalism, ie., obedience to the law in order to earn salvation, but rather nomism, ie., obeidence to the law in order to maintain and/or advance standing before God. This issue, of course, is one of ongoing debate. See The New Perspective on Paul.

v1
      proslambanesqe (proslambanw) pres. imp. "accept" - receive, take to oneself, take to oneself someone before another. "Extend a kind welcome to", NAB.
      ton asqenounta (asqenew) part. "him [whose faith is] weak" - the one being weak [in faith]. Participle as a substantive. Believers who are weakwith respect to faith (dative), rather than the NIV, "whose faith is weak"; "weak in the faith", Barclay. Their understanding of the gospel is defective, they have not fully understood the significance of a salvation that is by grace through faith, apart from works of the law. They are "trust and obey" Christians. Again, the reader will understand that freedom from law-obedience does not mean freedom to sin.
      diakriseiV (iV ewV) "[without] passing judgment" - distinguishing, differentiation / dispute, quarrel. Probably "quarreling over disputable matters", TNIV, is better than the NIV "passing judgment", "pass judgment", Moffatt. Yet, the exhortation is more likely for the "strong" and so moves toward a meaning like "criticizing" - "criticizing their views", Williams, "a critical analysis of his inward reasonings", Wuest; .... We are probably closer to the mark if we take the word to mean "a critical insensitivity toward the religious sensibilities of others".
      dialogismwn (oV) "on disputable matters" - thought, opinion / doubt, dispute. Again, numerous meanings are possible, but the matters are probably not disputable, "doubtful points", NEB. "Misgivings", REB, is not bad, even "doubts", Weymouth.

v2
      pisteuei (pisteuw) pres. "faith" - [one man] believes [to eat all things]. Possibly used here in a general sense, "one believer thinks it's appropriate to eat all foods", but given v1, the belief is likely to be a faith-act, ie. action based on an understanding of Biblical truth; "one believer holds that it is right, under the Lord, to eat all foods."
      oJ asqenwn (asqew) part. "whose faith is weak" - the one being weak. Participle as a substantive. Correctly, "the weak", as defined above.
      lacana (ov) "only vegetables" - vegetables [to eat]. The infinitive "to eat" serves as object of the noun "vegetables" = "vegetable eating." Possibly referring to a vegetarian, so NIV "only" (not in the text), but also possibly an allusion to someone who eats kosher foods, as dictated by Old Testament food regulations.

v3
      mh exouqeneitw (exouqenew) pres. imp. "must not look down on" - not let treat with contempt, despise. Lit. "to make absolutely nothing of", "not despise", Moo.
      krinetw (krinw) pres. imp. "condemn" - judge. Probably something stronger than just deciding on whether their behavior is right or wrong, so NIV, "condemn", or the softer "criticize", Moffatt.
      proselabeto (proslambanw) aor. mid. "has accepted" - received. Possibly "welcomed", Moffatt.

v4
      su "you" - Emphatic position, emphasizing the "you" in "who do YOU think you are ....?".
      tw/ idiw/ dat. adj. "to his own" - to one's own [Lord]. The servant (believer) is responsible to their own master (Christ) and therefore, it is not the place of another to condemn them. The dative is advantage / disadvantage = standing / falling.
      staqhsetai (iJsthmi) fut. pas. "he will stand" - he will be upheld. The Lord will see to that. Possibly "succeeds", Goodspeed, but surely the intention is of standing in the last day, in the day of judgment.

v5
      krinei (krinw) pres. "considers" - judges. Obviously, now not used in the sense of "condemn", but rather "consider", "regard".
      hJmeran (a) "day" - A particular day is intended, most likely the Sabbath, but also any holy day. A pietist is usually very particular in their observance of the Sabbath, and/or "the Lords Day", Sunday.
      para + acc. "more sacred than" - beside, passing by. Here "in reference to", Sandy and Headlam, so "regards one day in reference to another day, as having more importance", but not necessarily "more sacred."
      plhroforeisqw (plhroforew) pres. pas. imp. "should be fully convinced" - let him be certain, assured. "Convinced fully", BAGD
      en tw/ idiw/ "in his own [mind]" - Paul is articulating the danger of behaving in line with another person's convictions rather than our own. "Each of us needs to understand the motivation behind our own actions."

v6
      oJ fronwn (fronew) pres. part. "he who regards" - the one setting the mind on, thinking of, regarding. Participle as a substantive. "Intent on a particular day rather than others", BAGD.
      kuriw/ (oV) dat. "to the Lord" - in the Lord. Although without an article, Jesus is probably intended. Most likely an example of a dative of advantage, "in honor of the Lord", BDF, given that most datives are advantage/disadvantage. Possibly locative, "in the realm of", or reference, "in regard to." Given the word order and particularly the opening address in v1, Paul is intent on reminding "the strong" that the piety (performance of law, both camel law [moral law] and insect law [minutia = health regulations, etc.]) of the "weak" (law-bound believers) is not unholy in itself. Piety performed to access grace (ie. maintain and/or advance standing before God) is damning, but piety performed in honor of the Lord is holy. Those freed from the shackles of the law are often tempted to condemn outward piety and to impose their libertine ways on those of tender conscience. Such impositions can be very destructive.
      gar "for" - Possibly implying cause, so NIV, "because", TEV, but more likely just introducing a new statement, so, "eats ..... and gives thanks to God." Repeated in the second sentence, v6b

v7
      eJautw/ dat. pro. "[lives] to himself" - to / for himself [lives]. Either a dative of advantage, "for his own advantage", "the life and death of each of us has its influence on others", JB, or a dative of respect/reference, "with reference to himself alone", "none of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master", NAB. Given v8, a dative of respect is best.

v8
      ean + subj. "if" - Introducing a conditional clause, third class, where the condition is likely to become a reality.
      tw/ kuriw/ (oV) dat. "to the Lord" - Probably again a dative of advantage, "for the (honor of the?) Lord." An instrumental sense is possible, belonging to the Lord and thus enabled to live.
      apoqnhskwmen (apoqnhskw) subj. "we die" - As in v7, the question is in what sense do we die? Physical death is preferred by most commentators, especially given v9, but a metaphorical (rather than spiritual) death, in the sense of a putting aside of worldly privileges out of respect for the Lord, should be considered. In the context, such a "death" would involve keeping certain days holy, eating certain foods, etc.

v9
      ezhsen (zaw) aor. "returned to life" - lived. The aorist is probably inceptive/ingressive where the beginning of the action is emphasized, so "came to life again", NEB, "sprang to life", rather than "lived".
      iJna + subj. "so that" - Introducing a purpose clause.
      kurieush/ (kurieuw) aor. subj. "he might be the Lord" - he might be lord. "He" is either Christ or God, but Christ is to be preferred. Possibly again an ingressive aorist, "he might become ...."
      nekrwn kai zwntwn "the dead and the living" - dead ones and living ones. The two participles are obviously substantival even though without an article. Note the order, we would expect living and dead. Probably following the order of the first part of the verse. Note also the possibility of a metaphorical sense as noted above. In any case, given the extent of Christ's lordship, he is Lord over the libertine and the legalist.

v10
      su "you" - Emphatic, "you then", TEV.
      exouqeneiV (exouqenew) pres. "look down on" - despise.
      gar "for" - Indicating the reason why we should not judge/despise a brother, either: because we will inevitably face judgment, or they will inevitably face judgment.
      parasthsomeqa (paristhmi) fut. "we will [all] stand before" - stand beside. "Stand before" when God is the intended object.
      tw/ bhmati (a) "judgment seat" - a platform, the seat of a judge. The sense is "all of us will stand before God to be judged by him", TEV.

v11
      The introductory assertion from Isaiah 49:18 identifies "the Lord" (= Jesus) with God, and Isaiah 45:23 indicates that the worship of the nations is directed toward Christ.
      kamyei (kamptw) fut. "will bow" - bend. An expression of adoration.
      exomologhsetai (exomologew) fut. "will confess" - consent fully, acknowledge. "Acclaim", Kasemann; "give praise to God", Moffatt.

v12
      ara oun "so then" - therefore. Introducing a logical conclusion.
      logon (oV) "an account" - a reason. The word is sometimes used of keeping an account, a ledger. Paul has encouraged us not to be critical of a brother or sister, of their piety or their liberty, now he implies we should be critical of ourselves since each of us will stand before the Judge to give an account.
      tw/ qew/ "to God" - Not found in some manuscripts, but certainly implied.


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