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Rom.14:1. Accept him who is weak in faith without arguing about opinions. Many of the believing Jews, even after their conversion, observed the differences in food, abstained from pork meat and did not dare to completely lag behind the law. Then, so that they would not be accused of abstaining from only pork meat, they abstained from all meat in general and ate plants. Others were more perfect, did not observe anything like this and were reproached by those observing. Paul was afraid that the perfect, by reproaching the imperfect in an untimely and inappropriate manner, would turn them away from the faith of Christ. Therefore, he gets down to business wisely, taking care of the benefits of the other side. He did not dare to say to those who reproached him: “You are doing something bad,” so as not to confirm the rituals that were imperfect in their observation. He also did not dare to say to his accusers: “You are doing well,” so as not to make them the strongest in attacks. On the contrary, he offers an exhortation adapted to both. His denunciation seems to be directed more against the strongest side, but in fact all his power falls on the weakest. For immediately the expression “weak” showed the illness of such. When he says “accept,” he indicates the need for great care for them, which is a sign of their extreme weakness. "No arguing about opinions". That is, do not condemn him for his weakness, do not be tempted, do not be embarrassed by many thoughts, but try in every possible way to heal him as a weak person. Rom.14:2. For some are confident that they can eat everything, but the weak eat vegetables. He makes a comparison between the perfect and the imperfect and says that the perfect, daring in faith, eats everything indifferently, while the imperfect, like the weak, eats vegetables. Therefore, the latter deserves healing, not defeat. Rom.14:3. He who eats, do not disparage the one who does not eat; and whoever does not eat, do not condemn the one who eats, because God has accepted him. Those who ate everything as if they were perfect, disparaged those who did not eat as having little faith and still attached to Judaism. On the other hand, those who did not eat condemned those who ate everything as intemperate. Since among these many were from the pagans, he says: “God accepted him,” that is, showed His ineffable grace to him. Why do you argue with him about the law, when Christ justified him? Rom.14:4. Who are you, judging another man's slave? Before his Lord he stands or falls. This speaks to the perfect, turning him away from both humiliation and condemnation: for the perfect, doing both, humiliated and condemned the imperfect. However, in a secret way, reproof falls here on the imperfect. Not because, he says, I forbid you to judge that the behavior of another does not deserve judgment, but because he is someone else’s slave, that is, not yours, but God’s. For although he is weak, he has not ceased to be a slave; why one should not despair about him. Encouraging the weak one, he did not say: he is falling, but: “he stands or falls.” This or that will happen to him; the Lord has the right to judge both the loss of the one who falls and the gain of the one who stands. And he will be raised up, for God is able to raise him up. The words “will be raised” shows that he is so hesitant and has reached such a point that God alone can raise him up. We are talking about people who are very hopeless. Rom.14:5. Some people distinguish day from day, while others judge every day equally. Some exhausted themselves by not eating or abstained from pork on certain days, while others always ate food and condemned those who fasted. About these he says that one judges and another judges differently, whereas the matter here is indifferent. Therefore, one should not attack the brothers because of this. In this it is lenient to those who are reproached, because they were still new in the faith. Everyone act according to the evidence of his own mind. When it comes to dogmas, we should not act according to the confirmation of our own mind, but we must firmly hold on to what we have received, even if an angel from heaven preaches to us otherwise. But here we are talking about food and fasting, etc., and those who stumble about this are still new in the faith and need indulgence, and therefore it was necessary to make them some relief regarding life, which is organized in all precision. Rom.14:6. He who distinguishes the days distinguishes for the Lord; and he who does not discern the days does not discern for the Lord. He who, he says, distinguishes the days, distinguishes for the Lord as if he were reverent; and whoever does not discern the days does not discern for the Lord, as though he is already perfect in Christ and exalted above legal observations. Whoever eats eats for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat does not eat for the Lord, and thanks God. We ask only one thing, he says: are they doing this for Christ and do those who eat and those who don’t eat thank God? for what is done in this way is not subject to accusation and slander. He says this, as I said, because the Romans were still new in the faith. But in a secret way it also strikes those who adhere to Judaism. How can we thank someone who still adheres to the law? Therefore, only the one who eats gives thanks. Rom.14:7. For none of us lives for ourselves, and none of us dies for ourselves; Rom.14:8. and whether we live, we live for the Lord; whether we die, we die for the Lord: We have, he says, a Lord who cares for us and who counts our life as gain and our death as loss. For we live or die not only for ourselves, but also for the Lord. Life here means life in faith, and death means falling away from faith. Therefore, the Lord will not at all allow us to die by faith, and those who seem weak to fall away from it. and therefore, whether we live or die, we are always the Lord’s. From death by faith he passes to natural death; for he is now discussing this. Whether we live, he says, a natural life, we are the Lord’s; Whether we die a natural death, we belong to the Lord. Rom.14:9. For for this purpose Christ died, and rose again, and came to life, that he might rule both over the dead and over the living. Let this, he says, assure you that the Lord cares about the correction of the weak. For He who shed blood and died to be our Lord, can He not take care of those who have become His slaves? This is similar to how we usually say: is it possible for someone not to take care of his slave for whom he paid so dearly? And if, he says, he cares about the dead, then even more so about the living. All this is said with the aim of shaming the Judaizing Christian and convincing him to discuss how ungratefully he acts in relation to Christ who died for him, while continuing to adhere to the law. Rom.14:10. Why are you judging your brother? Or are you also why you humiliate your brother? We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ. You who do not eat, why do you condemn your brother who eats as intemperate because he eats? He is a brother; you shouldn't humiliate your own dick. Will you give an answer for him? He himself will appear in court and will be punished himself. Do you see how turning speech to the perfect instills fear in the Judaizer himself, as if he has to give an account at the Last Judgment? Rom.14:11. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will confess to God. Rom.14:12. So each of us will give an account to God for himself. That we will be judged as slaves by the master, the prophet says and testifies to this. And with the words “every knee will bow before Me, and every tongue will confess God,” he showed the highest degree of submission. “He will confess,” that is, he will give an account of what he has done. - To whom? Not to the law, but to Christ. So why do you obey the law? Rom.14:13. Let us no longer judge each other, but rather judge how not to give your brother any chance of stumbling or temptation. Both, he says, leave the discord that exists between you, and neither you, who eat everything, do not give the imperfect one an opportunity to stumble, as one who strongly reproaches him, nor you, who do not eat everything, do not give your brother an opportunity for temptation, like one who observes the things of the Jews. Stumbling and temptation are mutually appropriate to both persons. Rom.14:14. I know and am confident in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; Only to him who considers something unclean, it is unclean for him. Having taught that one should not reproach the weak, he finally teaches about food and instructs the weak not to fear or fear it as unclean. I, he says, know and am confident not by human conclusions, but in the Lord Jesus, that is, having been taught and certified by the Lord Jesus, “that there is nothing unclean in itself,” that is, nothing is unclean by nature, but becomes unclean by the will of the one who uses it. For him alone it is bad and unclean, and not for everyone. Rom.14:15. If your brother is upset about food, then you are no longer acting out of love. Here he turns his speech to the perfect, teaching: even if the food was not a thousand times unclean by nature, you still had to abstain from pork meat, so that your tempted brother would not be upset, if you want to preserve love. Further adds: Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. You, he says, are destroying and corrupting your brother by arguing about food, who is so valuable in the eyes of Christ that He died for him. For he, noticing that you eat pork meat in opposition to him, becomes more stubborn and therefore, fearing not to fall away from Christ, finally becomes completely attached to the law. Rom.14:16. Let not your goodness be blasphemed. That is, you have perfection in faith (for you called it “good”). Therefore, do not abuse your perfection and do not give reason to blaspheme it. For if you, being perfect, destroy someone who is imperfect, then you have given a reason to blaspheme the good that you have. But you understand that our teaching is good, and that it does not want to be blasphemed by the infidels when they see schisms and temptations regarding food. Rom.14:17. For the Kingdom of God is not food and drink, This is not how we earn favor with God. If, he says, you do not eat, will this really bring you into the Kingdom? Reproaching people for considering this important, he also mentioned drinking. but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He introduces “righteousness” into the Kingdom of God, that is, all the virtues, an immaculate life and peace with one’s brother, and not enmity, and “joy” that comes from agreement, and not sorrow that comes from reproach. Since there is peace and joy in bad deeds, he added: “in the Holy Spirit.” I am talking, he says, about peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The Great Chrysostom deeply explained why Paul mentioned the truth. In order, he says, to prove that he who does not abstain from pork meat offends his brother regarding the salvation that Christ acquired for him by His death. Therefore, on the other hand, he who abstains for his brother observes righteousness, which brings about the eternal Kingdom. Rom.14:18. Whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and worthy of approval from people. Here it hints that the perfect reproached the weak through vanity. If you want, he says, to become an object of surprise for people, then excite them to surprise you not so much with perfection as with peace and other virtues. This is precisely how you should serve and please God, and not by indiscriminately eating pork. Rom.14:19. Let us therefore seek what serves for peace and mutual edification. He spoke about peace to the imperfect, because this one did not have peace, but “for mutual edification” he spoke to the perfect, so that he would not shake his brother by tempting him. However, having said: “towards mutual”, he referred his word about this to both. By first mentioning peace and then edification, he showed that without peace it is difficult to edify. Rom.14:20. For the sake of food, do not destroy the work of God. He calls the salvation of his brother the work of God. So, do not destroy it, acquired for him by God, and, moreover, for the sake of food, that is, by unwillingness to abstain from pork meat in order to benefit yourself. Everything is pure, but it is bad for the person who eats because he is tempted. Having made a strict prohibition to the perfect, he was afraid that the weak would not become established in evil thoughts. Therefore, he again turns to dogma and says that everything is pure, but bad for the one who eats with a bad conscience and after being tempted. For the imperfect, who considers pork unclean, if he eats it under compulsion, suffers greater harm. Therefore, first you must convince him that everything is clean. Rom.14:21. It is better not to eat meat, not to drink wine, and not to do anything that causes your brother to stumble, or to be offended, or to become weak. You, he says, force your brother to eat what he does not dare to eat, but I say that you should abstain from everything that tempts your brother, not because it is evil (for everything is pure), but because it tempts. By the word “stumbling” he showed that he was blinded; for the blind stumble. And he is “tempted” as a frivolous person, and “faints” as one of little faith. All this attracts the strongest to help his brother, as if he were completely weak. Rom.14:22. Do you have faith? have it within yourself, before God. Here it secretly hints that the perfect one expressed his perfection out of vanity. He says: Do you want to show me that you are perfect in faith regarding food, believing that everything is good and pure? Do not show it to me, but be content with the testimony of your conscience before God, to whom you are showing it. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he chooses. Although another will not see your bliss, be satisfied with yourself if you do not condemn yourself and your conscience does not condemn you in a thing that you have approved or chosen. Understand this only about the real subject, that is, about food. Rom.14:23. But he who doubts, if he eats, is condemned, because it is not by faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin. He who doubts, speaks, and eats without being convinced is condemned. Why? Not because the food was unclean, but because he was not sure that it was clean, and thought that he touched it as if it were unclean. Anyone who is not convinced and does not believe that food is pure, but eats it with an evil conscience, of course, sins. Rom.14:24. Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept silent from eternity, Rom.14:25. but which has now been revealed, and through the writings of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been proclaimed to all nations for the obedience of their faith, Rom.14:26. To the One Wise God, through Jesus Christ, be glory forever. Amen. Ending exhortations with prayer is the constant custom of the Apostle Paul. This is what he does now: he prays for the imperfect, and not only teaches with words, but also asks God for help with prayers. The connection of the speech is as follows: “To him who is able to establish you through Jesus Christ, be glory forever. Amen". “To Him who is able to establish you,” imperfect, wavering. How? “According to my gospel,” that is, so that they may contain what I teach. But my gospel and the preaching of Christ are one and the same, for this is not our teaching, but His laws. "By the revelation of the mystery". It is a sign of the greatest honor that we have become participants in the mysteries, that is, in a subject that, although foreordained from ancient times, has now been revealed through the prophetic writings. Therefore, why should you be afraid, weak one? To avoid breaking the law by eating pork? But all the Scriptures proclaim the mystery that introduces indifference in food. This is done even “by the command of the eternal God.” Therefore it is your duty not to contradict, but to believe and obey God; for faith requires obedience, not inquisitiveness. Moreover, all nations believe so; for that secret became known to everyone. How do you continue to serve the law slavishly? “To the Only Wise God” he said in order to distinguish God from the angels and us, and not at all from the Son - let it not be; for the wisdom of the Father is the Son. So, glory to Him who revealed the mystery, and not to the law to which you continue to resort, observing the difference in food. The words “through Jesus Christ,” as stated above, can be combined as follows: “To him who is able to establish you through Jesus Christ.” But they can also be understood this way: open to all peoples through Jesus Christ; for He Himself revealed the mystery to the nations, Who sent disciples to teach all nations. You might be interested in: