RSV ~ Romans 14 Notes

Rom 14:1-15 | ISB Notes

Paul’s final instructions are directed toward two groups in the Roman Church, called the weak (14:1) and the strong (15:1). The weak are mainly Jewish Christians; the strong are mainly Gentile Christians. Apparently the strong have a condescending attitude toward the weak that needs correcting.

Rom 14:1 | ISB Notes

weak in faith: A Jewish Christian minority who maintain a distinctive vegetarian diet (14:2), observe the liturgical feast days of Israel (14:5-6), and may adhere to the food laws of the Torah (14:14).

• The behavior of the weak, especially their abstinence from meat and wine (14:21), is probably a conscious imitation of biblical heroes who avoided Gentile foods while living in Gentile lands. Among those who maintained this type of Diaspora diet were Tobit, Judith, Esther, and Daniel (Tob 1:10-11; Jud 10:5; 12:2; Esther 14:17; Dan 1:8; 10:3).

Rom 14:3 | ISB Notes

pass judgment: To inflate differences of opinion is to cause division and strife. The strong should accommodate the weak without gloating over their Christian freedom or looking with contempt on them. In this case, preserving peace is a higher priority than the exercise of liberty. The weak and the strong are answerable to God, not to each other (14:10-12).

Rom 14:5 | ISB Notes

one day as better: Refers to the sacred days of the Old Covenant calendar, including the weekly Sabbath. These ceremonial times belonged to the Mosaic age that expired with the coming of the messianic age (Gal 4:10; Col 2:16). For this reason, they are not binding on the Christian conscience, although Jewish converts are still permitted to observe them in the earliest days of the Church. Note that Paul is not indifferent to holy days as such, but only to the ritual feast days of Judaism. See note on Acts 21:21.

Rom 14:8 | ISB Notes

we are the Lord’s: Christians belong to Christ in both life and death, having been purchased at the price of his blood (1 Cor 6:20; Rev 5:9). Our highest aim is thus to please him—a pursuit that often requires the suppression of our self-interests and opinions.

Rom 14:11 | ISB Notes

As I live: A reference to Is 45:23.

• Jewish theology read the passage as a prophecy of the Last Judgment. Paul follows this tradition in an attempt to dissuade the weak and the strong from judging one another (14:3, 10, 13). Paul moves Christ into the center of this Isaian oracle in Phil 2:10 (CCC 679).

Rom 14:13 | ISB Notes

a stumbling block: A moral obstacle that may cause the weak to fall and despise the gospel (14:16). It would be irresponsible and injurious for the strong to flaunt their Christian freedoms before the weak.

Rom 14:14 | ISB Notes

nothing is unclean: Alludes to the dietary distinctions between clean and unclean foods in the Torah (Lev 11). For the nullification of these distinctions in the New Covenant, see notes on Acts 10:14 and 10:15.

Rom 14:15 | ISB Notes

for whom Christ died: Since the weak are loved by God, the strong should support them, not scandalize them. Personal consideration is more important than personal convictions in nonessential matters.