Romans Chapter 14 Breakdown

This chapter is a little different because it has been taken out of intended context so many times and used to teach against keeping YHWH’s law. Paul has just spent the past thirteen chapters discussing keeping YHWH’s law to show our love for Him, and arguing against trying to seek salvation by keeping the law, can we really say now, in chapter fourteen he is choosing to go against everything he was just written? This is a letter, and should be read in letter format, meaning there are no chapters and it is all one continuous message. Considering that is the case, there is no reason to think this particular section of the letter is arguing in favor of anything other than what Paul has already been saying. That all being said, to truly get an understanding of what Paul is talking about, we will need to read this chapter while keeping 1 Corinthians chapter eight in mind.

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

Befriend even those who are weak in the faith, but do not argue over things that will cause a man to doubt YHWH’s commands.

2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

The man who believes he can eat all things, not knowing whether it had been sacrificed to an idol is strong. The one who will only eat vegetables because he is worried about the meat having been sacrificed to an idol is weak.

1 Corinthians 8:7

However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

These two chapters use the very same terminology. There is no reason to believe Paul is discussing two different problems in the ancient world when he is talking to newly converted Believers.

3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

1 Corinthians 8:8

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

Do not look down on one another based on how you feel about eating meats. It makes no difference to YHWH if you eat the meat or not, so long as it is not a sin. Meaning, you do not eat meat knowing it has been sacrificed to an idol.

4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

Paul just reaffirming his statement of not judging one another based on whether or not they are eating meat.

5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

Paul moves to discuss days of fasting. There is nothing in this entire chapter about holidays, so there is no reason to use this as an argument for celebrating any holiday you feel like celebrating.

6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

Each believer does his own thing when it comes to fasting. If he believes he should fast every Friday, which is his prerogative.

7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

All believers are living for YHWH.

8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

We are YHWH’s people regardless of which days we choose to fast.

9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

It is Yeshua’s death that allowed him to be Lord of the living and the dead.

10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Paul points out, people are judging one another based on which day they choose to fast and whether or not they are eating meat.

11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

Isaiah 45:23

I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.

Paul quotes from the prophets here, simply confirming his argument.

12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

We will all stand before YHWH and give our story and excused why we chose to do what we did during our lifetime.

13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

1 Corinthians 8:9

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

We need not to judge other believers nor should we become a stumbling block to them. Again, this is the same terminology Paul uses in his letter to the Corinthians. The liberty mentioned by Paul is referring to the knowledge that there is only one God, and not knowing if the meat had been an idol sacrifice means YHWH will not hold it against you.

14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Meat, meant as food, is not unclean of itself, but if it is considered unclean to a man, then to that man it is unclean. This verse does not extend to change YHWH’s definition of what is unclean. Paul does not outweigh YHWH in authority. This verse is specific to animals that are considered clean to eat. On top of that, this verse is referring to a man’s conscience in terms of if the meat had been sacrificed to an idol. If a man believes it had been sacrificed to another god, then he should not eat it. It has nothing to do with a man thinking pork is bad so it is only bad to that man. Again, Paul’s word does not override YHWH’s word.

15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

1 Corinthians 8:12-13

But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

Sinning against a brother is to cause them to stumble, as in causing them to sin themselves. Notice also Paul says “I will never again eat meat” and he does not say he will never again eat pork, or snake, or hippo. It is meat, which may or may not have been offered to an idol in sacrifice. He says he will never again eat meat if he sees it becomes a problem which ultimately causes another believer to sin. Going back to 1 Corinthians we can see a little bit more on this.

1 Corinthians 8: 10

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

Basically, what Paul is saying is, if those who are still unsure of what is okay to eat, sees another believer eating in the temple of an idol, it will ultimately cause them to think it is okay to eat animals who have knowingly been sacrificed to idols, which is a sin. If you disagree with this, see what Paul says in Acts.

Acts 15: 28-29

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Numbers 25:2

For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

Exodus 34:14-15

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

We are not to eat sacrificed meat to another god due to its symbolic meaning of worship of that other god.

16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Do not let what you do be spoken of as evil. Simply meaning, do not do things that can be viewed as evil, such as eat in an idol temple, or let your actions cause others to sin.

18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Serve YHWH by not allowing your actions to cause others to sin, and you will be acceptable by YHWH, and approved by men.

19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

Go after things that will cause peace among men, and bring the knowledge of YHWH to men.

20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.

The work of YHWH is his word, His commands. Do not allow food to cause your actions to not be loving toward others. Animals assigned at food are all pure to eat, but if your eating of those animals causes men to sin, it is evil.

21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

Anything you do which causes other men to sin is not considered good.

22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

You will be happy if you do not condemn yourself in what you approve.

23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

If you eat the clean animal which you believe has been sacrificed to an idol, you are condemned. It is sin to eat something you do not believe is clean. Paul is making the case that specified clean animals are good to eat, so long as they have not been offered to another god. But, if they have been and the believer has no knowledge of it, they are still fine to eat. However, if the believer thinks they may have been offered to another god, they no longer can be eaten without committing sin.