ACC ~ Romans 14 v19 - 23

OVERVIEW:

By offending the weak we condemn ourselves. Do nothing that would cause another to stumble. Let all that you do be for the neighbor’s upbuilding. Do not judge harshly. Let your actions proceed from the premise of faith, not sin.

14:19 | Pursue Peace and Mutual Upbuilding

MUTUAL UPBUILDING. AMBROSIASTER: Since disapproval leads to discord, Paul teaches us to be peaceful and to avoid arguments over eating or not eating. Instead, he encourages us to follow the way of upbuilding. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

PURSUE PEACE. CHRYSOSTOM: This applies to both sides equally. The one must become peaceable and the other must not destroy his brother. Without peace it is impossible to edify anyone. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 26.

DO NOT JUDGE EACH OTHER. PELAGIUS: Let us not judge one another in matters of this kind. Abstinence is edification; food, on the other hand, even if it does not ruin anybody, edifies no one. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.

14:20 | Do Not Destroy the Work of God

EVERYTHING IS CREATED UNBLEMISHED. ORIGEN: Cleanliness and uncleanness inhere not in the things themselves but rather in the minds and thoughts of those who use them. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

THE TRUE BANQUET OF THE WORD. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: It is the mark of a silly mind to be amazed and stupefied at what is presented at vulgar banquets after having enjoyed the rich fare which is in the Word of God. CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 2.1.

FOOD MADE FOR HUMAN LIFE. AMBROSIASTER: Man is the work of God by creation, and again by his renewal in regeneration, and food is God’s work as well. But man was not made for food; food was made for man, which is very different! COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

THE WORK OF GOD DESTROYED BECAUSE OF FOOD, NOT UPBUILT. CHRYSOSTOM: Here “the work of God” means the salvation of a brother. For these people were so far away from building others up that they were prepared to destroy what God had made, and not for any great matter but for something very trivial.

It is not the eating which is unclean but the intention behind it. If you have not put that right but forced him to eat anyway, you have done it to no purpose and have made everything worse. Thinking that something is unclean is not as bad as tasting it when you think it is unclean. In that case you are committing two errors: first, by increasing his opposition by your quarrelsome attitude, and second, by getting him to taste what to him is unclean. As long as you have not persuaded him, do not try to force him. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 26.

THE WORK OF GOD. PELAGIUS: The “work of God” means “a human being, created by God.” Paul repeats what he said above [in verse 14], lest it appear that he is condemning creation. What is clean in itself becomes wrong if someone else takes offense on his account. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.

OECUMENIUS: God did his work on the cross, but now you are destroying it. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

14:21 | Do Not Make a Brother Stumble

ASSESSING ABSTINENCE FROM MEAT AND WINE. ORIGEN: Eating meat and drinking wine are matters of indifference in themselves. Even wicked people may abstain from these things, and some idol worshipers in fact do so, for reasons which are actually evil. Likewise quite a few heretics enjoin similar practices. The only reason abstinence of this kind is good is that it may help to avoid offending a brother. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

VOLUNTARY USE. AMBROSIASTER: Although the issue involves only meat, Paul adds drink here as well, in order to nurture those who abstain from both of these things, so that they will not be hurt by those who eat and drink, on the ground that it is lawful to do so. Paul gives them peace of mind by telling them to make their own decision and putting an end to the disagreement through which the dispute had arisen. No one will dispute that either option is legitimate in itself. For the creation was given for voluntary use. There is no necessity imposed on anybody, one way or the other. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

DO NOTHING THAT MAKES ANOTHER STUMBLE. CHRYSOSTOM: If you force him he will be immediately destroyed and will condemn you, strengthening himself all the more by refusing to eat. But if you yield to him, then he will love you and will not suspect you as a teacher, and afterward you will discover that you have gained the power of sowing in him the right views. But once he starts hating you, you have closed the door to reason. Do not compel him therefore, but refrain for his sake, not because the thing is unclean but because he is offended, and then he will love you all the more. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 26.

[PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: In this passage Paul praises abstinence from meat and wine, but much more he warns us that we must abstain from food and drink which has been sacrificed to idols, so as not to cause scandal to our brother. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.

14:22 | Keeping One’s Faith to Oneself

HAPPY IS ONE WHO PERSEVERES IN DOING GOOD. ORIGEN: This person should keep his faith to himself and not try to impose it on others. … It is reward enough to have God’s approval.

There are many people who start off with good intentions, e.g., they decide they are going to live a celibate life, but in the course of time, either by negligence or desire, what they originally decided to do gets spoiled and corrupted. He is an unhappy person, therefore, who pronounces himself defeated in what he has tried to do, for he judges and condemns himself. A happy person is one who perseveres and thus has no reason to judge or to reprove himself for what he does. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

NO NEED TO JUDGE OTHERS. AMBROSIASTER: This means that if you are happy to eat because you know that everything God made is good, there is no need to judge anyone else. Rather, you should be at peace with your brother, for this is what God wants. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

RESIST VANITY. CHRYSOSTOM: It seems to me that here Paul is gently warning the stronger ones against the temptation of vanity. He does not want them to go around boasting of their superiority but to be happy with having a clear conscience. HOMILIES ON ROMANS 26.

BY OFFENDING THE WEAK WE CONDEMN OURSELVES. AUGUSTINE: This should be read in connection with [verse 16] above. … Let us make good use of what we have, lest we sin against our brothers by creating a stumbling block for the weaker ones. For when we offend the weak we condemn ourselves by the very good by which we approve ourselves when this faith pleases us. AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 81.

DO NOT WEAKEN ANOTHER’S FAITH BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU EAT. PELAGIUS: If you consider yourself faithful in this matter, eat in such a way that nobody is weakened by your example. The man who, in demonstrating his own strength, does not think of himself but of the salvation of the weak, is truly blessed. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.

14:23 | What Is Not of Faith Is Sin

ALL THAT IS NOT OF FAITH IS SIN. BASIL: If “all that is not of faith is sin, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” then everything outside holy Scripture, not being of faith, is sin. THE MORALS 80.22.

EITHER/OR. GREGORY OF NYSSA: Every word or deed or thought which does not look to Christ looks completely to the adversary of Christ. For it is not possible for what is outside of light or life not to be completely in darkness or death. … The person outside of Christ rejects him by what he thinks, does or says. ON PERFECTION.

RESPECT CONSCIENCE. AMBROSIASTER: It is true that if someone thinks it wrong to eat but does so anyway, he is condemned. For he makes himself guilty when he does what he thinks he ought not to.

If someone acts against his better judgment in a matter of conscience, then Paul says that it is a sin. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

CHRYSOSTOM: Once again, Paul shows what great harm people do if they force people to do things which go against their conscience. When a person does not feel sure or believe that something is clean, how can he do other than commit sin? HOMILIES ON ROMANS 26.

ONE WHO INCREASES DOUBT IS CONDEMNED. [PSEUDO-]CONSTANTIUS: If one person has doubts about another and says: “If this man has eaten he has obviously been condemned,” then it is clear that he has no faith. … For it is not of faith if you condemn someone else because while you are fasting he is eating. THE HOLY LETTER OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS.

PELAGIUS: Whatever destroys another is not of faith and is therefore sin. PELAGIUS’S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS.