Mutual forbearance 1 NOW him that is weak in faith, take unto you: not in disputes about thoughts. 2 For one believes that he may eat all things: but he that is weak, let him eat herbs. 3 Let not him that eats, despise him that eats not: and he that eats not, let him not judge him that eats. For God has taken him to him. 4 Who are you that judges another man's servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. And he shall stand: for God is able to make him stand. 5 For one Judges between day and day: and another judges every day: let every man abound in his own sense. 6 He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord. And he that eats, eats to the Lord: for he gives thanks to God. And he that eats not, to the Lord he eats not, and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself; and no man dies to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose again; that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 But you, why judge your brother? or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Is 49:18; 45:23)
Charity and peace 12 Therefore every one of us shall render account to God for himself. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more. But judge this rather, that you put not a stumblingblock or a scandal in your brother's way. 14 I know, and am confident in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 For if, because of your meat, your brother be grieved, you walk not now according to charity. Destroy not him with your meat, for whom Christ died. 16 Let not then our good be evil spoken of. 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he that in this serves Christ, pleases God, and is approved of men. 19 Therefore let us follow after the things that are of peace; and keep the things that are of edification one towards another. 20 Destroy not the work of God for meat. All things indeed are clean: but it is evil for that man who eats with offence. 21 It is good not to eat flesh, and not to drink wine, nor any thing whereby your brother is offended, or scandalized, or made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Blessed is he that condemns not himself in that which he allows. 23 But he that discerns, if he eat, is condemned; because not of faith. For all that is not of faith is sin.
Commentary on Romans 14
14:2 Eat all things: That is, without observing the distinction of clean and unclean meats, prescribed by the law of Moses: which was now no longer obligatory. Some weak Christians, converted from among the Jews, as we here gather from the apostle, made a scruple of eating such meats as were deemed unclean by the law; such as swine's flesh, etc., which the stronger sort of Christians did eat without scruple. Now the apostle, to reconcile them together, exhorts the former not to judge or condemn the latter, using their Christian liberty; and the latter, to take care not to despise or scandalize their weaker brethren, either by bringing them to eat what in their conscience they think they should not, or by giving them such offence, as to endanger the driving them thereby from the Christian religion. (Bishop Richard Challoner)
14:3 Things from the very fact that a man thinks ill of another without sufficient cause, he injures and despises him. Now no man ought to despise or in any way injure another man without urgent cause: and, consequently, unless we have evident indications of a person's wickedness, we ought to deem him good, by interpreting for the best whatever is doubtful about him. He who interprets doubtful matters for the best, may happen to be deceived more often than not; yet it is better to err frequently through thinking well of a wicked man, than to err less frequently through having an evil opinion of a good man, because in the latter case an injury is inflicted, but not in the former. (St. Thomas Aquinas Sum Theo 2.60.4.a,r2)
14:4 who are you that judges: Not that the Apostle forbids all judgments to the faithful, since he says elsewhere that the world and even angels are to be judged by them, 1 Cor 6:2-3. But he is warning them that it is dangerous to judge about hidden matters. (William of St. Thierry)
14:5 in his own sense: But this seems to apply to things that are not of themselves evil. In things that are of themselves evil, however, man must not be left to follow his own mind... The Apostle is speaking here in regard to that time in which it was lawful for Jews converted to the faith to observe the practices of the Law. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
14:9 the dead and the living: Since He offered himself for them, and also delivered the dead from hell, He is Lord of both the living and the dead, for He has turned those who were lost into His servants. (Ambrosiaster) |
14:10 judgment seat of Christ: This implies juridical power, and is taken from an ancient custom of the Romans, who chose three tribunes of the people, whose function was to pass judgment on the excesses of consuls and senators. Their places were called tribunals. (St. Thomas Aquinas Com 2Cor 5:10) We must all be made manifest to Christ the Judge and to all men before the dread tribunal, that each may see the good and evil deeds of every one. Hence it follows that Paul and the other Apostles must also be judged, but in such a way that at the same time they may be judges of others, and condemn those who have refused to believe Matt. 19:28. (Cornelius a Lapide Com 2Cor 5:10)
2:11 every knee shall bow: We should not understand this carnally, so as to suppose that even the heavenly bodies, which he says bend their knees, do this with fleshly limbs… What spirit has knees? But the bending of the knees indicates that all is in subjection and observes the worship of God. (Origen Com Rom 9.41) every tongue shall confess: he touches on the reverence shown by confessing with the mouth: Every tongue, namely, as Philipians 2:10 says, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. This does not refer to a confession of praise from those under the earth, but to a forced confession, which is made by recognizing God. (St. Thomas Aquinas Com Phil 2:10)
14:12 For those who are condemned by Christ in the Day of Judgment shall be punished, not only on account of mortal, but also of venial sins; yet, according to the gravity and desert of each, more or less severely. (Cornelius a Lapide Com matt 12:36)
14:18 approved by men: that is, approved by the members of this kingdom. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
14:22 There are times when it is a matter of duty to proclaim our Christian faith, but when we are not interrogated by competent authority, and no good, but, on the contrary, evil would result from declaring it, then it would be unlawful to profess it. (Bishop John McEvilly)
14:23 discerns: That is, distinguishes between meats, and eats against his conscience, what he deems unclean. of faith: By faith is here understood judgment and conscience: to act against which is always a sin. (Bishop Richard Challoner) |
Catechism Cross-references
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