#1655 Romans 14 Part 1 Weak Opinions

 

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats must not view the one who does not eat with contempt, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, for God accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Romans 14: 1-4 LSB

Romans 14: 1-4

V. 1 Now accept the one who is weak in the faith - We have just studied about putting away the things of the flesh, and Romans 1 has defined for us the things which God hates, that He has rightly called sin. In the last chapter we saw how love is the fulfillment of the law, for if we love God we won't transgress His commandments and if we love each other then we will not want to steal from, slander or teach others to transgress God's law. Love will always extend the truth but with mercy and hope, for it was by grace that God saved us, and having no root in our merit, so we should want the same for others. Now Paul moves us towards a certain maturity in this, that we accept baby Christians, realizing that they need milk and patience. I don't think this is a matter of different personalities, but often past experience. When I quit using drugs and alcohol I would visit a church from time to time, and people would often assume that this past made me a perfect candidate to reach and or help drug addicts. At the start that was the last place I should ever be, and I disagreed with them on this because not only was I still struggling with the temptation to use, but also with the temptation to think, look at me, I quit. The truth is that I have known atheist who quit drugs, quit drinking, lost weight etc., and none of that will save you. You have to believe in Christ, and so it has nothing to do with past that I can reach men, but everything to do with the gospel. I looked like none of the men who had the most profound effect on my life. They didn't have tattoos, they didn't have a past in drugs, promiscuity or lying and cursing all the time. What they did have is a relationship with Christ, humility, and a much deeper understanding of His Word than I did. These men also were marked by patience and a heart that broke for lost people, people like me. They realized their opinions and preferences didn't matter, and some things are just that, your opinion. I have seen people hung up on things like using King James only, and sorry, but that is your opinion, and nothing to trouble a new believer with, the Bible wasn't first written in KJV, it is just one of many English translations of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek texts. You should just want them to have a good linear translation that doesn't depart from the original text, and if they are the ones insistent about KJV only, well, you should realize that the gospel is not lost in there and deal with them patiently.   

Stott goes on to summarize who the weak in faith may have been - former idol worshipers (who would be hesitant to eat meat sacrificed to idols), ascetics, legalists (as advocated by C K Barrett - see also Barclay's comments below), and finally the "fourth and most satisfactory proposal is that the weak were for the most part Jewish Christians, whose weakness consisted in their continuing conscientious commitment to Jewish regulations regarding diet and days… Further, this understanding of the background to Ro 14:1–15:7, and of its purpose to enable conservative-minded Christians (mostly Jewish) and liberal-minded Christians (mostly Gentiles) to co-exist amicably in the Christian fellowship, also prepares the way for Paul’s eloquent conclusion (Ro 15:5-7). In it the weak and the strong disappear from view, Jewish and Gentile believers take their place, and this reconciled multi-ethnic community is heard ‘with one heart and mouth’, in glorious gospel harmony, worshipping ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ro 15:6ff.)." (Ibid) - Precept Austin

…7But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.…

…10For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.… 1 Corinthians 8: 7-12

…3Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees! 4Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.” 5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.… Isaiah 35: 3-5

1Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, 3for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?… 1 Corinthians 3: 1-3

V. 2 But he who is weak eats vegetables only - This I think in many instances relates back to the meat sacrificed to idols, but also with the Jewish Christians the fear of compromising dietary laws and not understanding the dispensation of Grace. Paul confronts Judaizers often, those who would insist that not only did believing Gentiles need Christ, but also circumcision, also to not eat certain foods, which was not the call of the gospel. These often put themselves up as mature, as teachers, enlightened, but they were actually teaching another gospel. That isn't the issue here. The issue here is one of a weak conscience. Some of these are gentiles who used to sacrifice meat to those very idols, and they have left that, but to eat the meat knowing that it was sacrificed to the idol was a stumbling block for them. I remember being around Christians who believed it was wrong to be drunk, but not wrong to have a few drinks. Well, at the time, I could hardly comprehend having a couple of drinks, enjoying them just for the taste and not getting plastered out of my mind. So I looked at them, watched them, and then went and looked up the Scriptures about alcohol, and looked to see what men much more learned and godlier than myself had to say about it. I realized that it wasn't wrong for those men to have a drink, but that I wasn't there yet. It held too many bad memories, and also the temptation to make light and joke about things that God didn't find funny. I have also come to realize that love is a sacrificial thing, and that liberties like that are a very small sacrifice to give up for the conscience of a new believer. We need to be careful in differentiating between a baby believer who is struggling with concepts and opinions and someone who is fronting as a mature believer and trying to get up and teach as doctrine his opinions, imposing his will upon others to push his or here preferences. 

…3They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected, 5because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.… 1 Timothy 4: 3-5

…9Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him. 11Whoever greets such a person shares in his evil deeds.… 2 John 1: 9-11

…2He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets. 3A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”… Isaiah 42: 2-4

…21To those without the law I became like one without the law (though I am not outside the law of God but am under the law of Christ), to win those without the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.… 1 Corinthians 9: 21-23

8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth. 9I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. 10So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.… 3 John 1: 8-10

V. 3-4 With contempt - You may realize that an idol is nothing, and that the meat that ends up at the discount butcher table is a lot cheaper and fair game, but your weaker brother may elevate the eating of that meat to the level of sacrifice in his mind. Do you look down on him for this? No, and if you do, well then you really aren't the mature believer that you thought you were. At the same time, if you are convinced that something is a sin that other believers aren't, and it is something where there is room for debate, then you are not to judge. If someone ask me to have a drink with them I can simply say, "no thankyou", no soap box needed. I think it's wrong to leave a new believer hanging on questions of conscience though, so I if they ask you about the meat that is bothering them, explain it with Scripture, not your opinion, and make sure they realize that you in no way condone the worshiping of idols. I eat in restaurants run by everything from atheists to Islamicist, and would quite literally have to remove myself to the woods or completely out of this world to avoid interactions with sinners or people who believe differently than me. That is not what we are commanded to do. We are actually supposed to go out into the world and preach the gospel. Telling people what to eat, what musical instruments to play, or what color their clothes should be has nothing to do with the gospel. Ultimately we will all have to stand before God, that is Who we will give account to.

MacDonald - A weak Christian is one who has unfounded scruples over matters of secondary importance. In this context, he was often a converted Jew who still had scruples about eating non-kosher foods or working on Saturday. The first principle is this: a weak Christian should be received into the local fellowship, but not with the idea of engaging him in disputes about his ultra scrupulousness. Christians can have happy fellowship without agreeing on nonessentials. (Believer's Bible Commentary)

John MacArthur - The strong = Liberated brothers and sisters in Christ fully understand what it means to be free in Christ‑‑ they don't cling to meaningless traditions and forms of religion. They understand fully that they are free from sin, death, hell, and Satan. They understand they are not obligated to follow holy days and ceremonies. They know they are free to make choices dependent on how the Spirit of God moves in their hearts. Such people are strong in the faith. The weak = These individuals continue to hang onto the rituals and ceremonies of their past, refusing to let go. They don't believe they have freedom in Christ to do otherwise. Such freedom threatens them, so they prefer remain as they are. The temptation: (a) The contempt of the strong - The strong are tempted to look down on the weak as legalistic, faithless people who get in the way of those who are trying to enjoy their liberty. They resent the weak for labeling their rightful freedoms in Christ as sin. (b) The condemnation of the weak - The weak tend to condemn the strong for what they see as an abuse of liberty. However they are not in the position to judge since they don't understand what Christian liberty is. (Receiving One Another with Understanding, Part 1)

MacArthur - Paul is questioning any believer's right to evaluate someone else's servant. Their opinion doesn't improve or impair that servant's position before his own master. Judgment by an outsider is irrelevant. (Receiving One Another with Understanding, Part 2)

The servant of another - "Paul speaks of judging “another’s”, not “another man’s”; his illustration is taken from human affairs, but he has in mind the divine Master. The possessive means that the servant in question belongs to and therefore is accountable to that Other. If a servant is acceptable to his master, it does not matter what his fellow servants think." (See The Epistle to the Romans)

Of Another - In context the "another" clearly refers to Christ as the Master, for we have all been bought with the price of His precious blood and thus belong solely to the Savior (Titus 2:14, 1Cor 6:19-20, 1Pe 2:9) - PA