Romanos 14
Theophylact of Ohrid
Romanos 14:1
Many of the Jews who had believed, even after their conversion, observed distinctions in foods, abstained from pork, and did not dare to depart entirely from the law. Then, lest they be exposed as abstaining from pork alone, they abstained from all meat in general and ate only vegetables. Others were more mature, observed nothing of the sort, and were reproached by those who did observe such things. Paul feared that the mature, by rebuking the immature untimely and improperly, might turn them away from the faith of Christ. Therefore he approaches the matter wisely, caring for the benefit of the other side as well. He did not venture to say to those who reproached: you do wrong — lest he confirm the immature in their observance of rituals. Nor did he venture to say to the rebukers: you do well — lest he make them more aggressive in their attacks. On the contrary, he offers an exhortation adapted to both sides. His rebuke is directed, it would seem, more against the stronger side, but in reality its full force falls upon the weaker. For immediately by the expression "the weak" he showed the sickness of such people. And when he says "receive," he indicates the need for great care toward them, which is itself a sign of their extreme weakness. "Without disputes over opinions." That is, do not condemn him for his weakness, do not take offense, do not be troubled by many thoughts, but by all means endeavor to heal him as one who is weak. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:2
He makes a comparison between the perfect and the imperfect and says that the perfect, being bold in faith, eats everything without distinction, while the imperfect, being weak, eats vegetables. Therefore the latter deserves healing, not defeat. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:3
Those who ate everything, being perfect, looked down on those who did not eat, as people of little faith still attached to Judaism. On the other hand, those who did not eat condemned those who ate everything as lacking self-control. Since among them many were from the Gentiles, he says: "God has accepted him," that is, He showed him His ineffable grace. Why then do you argue with him about the law, when Christ has justified him? — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:4
He says this to the perfect one, dissuading him both from contempt and from judgment, for the perfect ones, doing both, both despised and judged the imperfect. However, in a hidden manner the rebuke falls here also upon the imperfect. I do not forbid you to judge, he says, because the conduct of the other does not deserve judgment, but because he is another's servant, that is, not yours, but God's. For although he is weak, he has not ceased to be a servant; wherefore one must not despair concerning him. And encouraging the weak one, he did not say "falls," but "stands or falls." Whether one or the other happens to him, it belongs to the Lord to judge both concerning the loss of the one who falls and the gain of the one who stands. By the words "he will be raised up" he shows that he is so shaken and has fallen so far that only God can raise him up. We say this about people who are utterly hopeless. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:5
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 one way and another differently, whereas the matter here is indifferent. Therefore one must not attack the brethren on account of this. In this he makes allowance for those being rebuked, because they were still new in the faith. When it comes to dogmas, we must not act according to the assurance of our own mind, but must firmly hold to what we have received, even if an angel from heaven should preach to us something different. But here the subject is food and fasts and the like, and those who stumble over these things are still new in the faith and in need of condescension, and therefore it was necessary to grant them some relaxation with regard to a life ordered in all strictness. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:6
He who, he says, distinguishes days, distinguishes them for the Lord, as one who is reverent; and he who does not distinguish days, does not distinguish them for the Lord, as one who is already perfect in Christ and has risen above the observances of the Law. We ask about one thing only, he says: whether they do this for Christ's sake, and whether the one who eats and the one who does not eat give thanks to 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 hidden way he also strikes a blow against those who hold to Judaism. How can one who still holds to the law give thanks? Therefore, only the one who eats gives thanks. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:7-8
We have, he says, a Lord Who cares for us and Who considers our life a gain and our death a loss. For we live or die not for ourselves alone, but also for the Lord. By life he means here the life in faith, and by death the falling away from faith. Therefore the Lord will by no means allow us to die in faith, or those who seem weak to fall away from it. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:8
From death by faith he passes to natural death; for he now discusses this. Whether we live, he says, the natural life, we are the Lord's; whether we die a natural death, we likewise belong to the Lord. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:9
This, he says, let it assure you that the Lord cares about the correction of the weak. For He Who shed His blood and died in order to be our Lord, can He not care for those who have become His servants? This is similar to how we commonly say: is it possible that someone would not care for his servant, for whom he paid so dearly? And if, he says, He cares for the dead, then all the more for the living. All this is said with the aim of shaming the Judaizing Christian and persuading him to consider how ungratefully he acts toward Christ Who died for him, by continuing to hold to the law. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:10
You, the non-eater, why do you condemn your brother who eats, as lacking self-control, because he eats? He is your brother; you must not despise your own member. Will you give an answer for him? He himself will stand before the judgment and will bear the punishment himself. Do you see how, in addressing the mature one, he strikes fear into the very one who Judaizes, as one who must give an account at the dreadful judgment? — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:11-12
That we will be judged, as slaves by a master, the prophet testifies to this, he says. And with the words "before Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess God" he showed the highest degree of submission. "Shall confess," that is, shall give an account of what he has done. – To whom? Not to the law, but to Christ. So then, why do you submit yourself to the law? — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:13
Both of you, he says, cease the quarrel that exists between you, and neither should you, who eat all things, give the weaker one an occasion for stumbling, as though severely reproaching him, nor should you, who do not eat all things, give your brother an occasion for scandal, as though observing Jewish practices. Stumbling and scandal are mutually fitting to both persons. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:14
Having taught that one must not reproach the weak, he finally teaches about food and instructs the weaker person not to fear or dread it as unclean. I, he says, know and am convinced not by human reasoning, but in the Lord Jesus, that is, having been taught and assured by the Lord Jesus, "that nothing is unclean in itself," that is, nothing is unclean by nature, but becomes unclean from the intention of the one who uses it. For him alone it is both defiled and unclean, and not for all. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:15
Here he turns his speech to the perfect one, teaching: even if foods were a thousandfold not unclean by nature, you still ought to have abstained from pork, so that your brother who is scandalized would not be grieved, if only you wish to preserve love. You, he says, by a dispute over food are ruining and corrupting a brother who is so precious in the eyes of Christ that He died for him. For that person, noticing that you eat pork in opposition to him, becomes more obstinate and therefore, fearing lest he fall away from Christ, ultimately attaches himself entirely to the law. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:16
That is, you have perfection in faith (for he called it "good"). Therefore do not abuse your perfection and do not give occasion for it to be blasphemed. For if you, being perfect, destroy the imperfect one, then you have given occasion to blaspheme the good that you possess. But you understand that our teaching is also good, and that it does not wish to be subjected to blasphemy from unbelievers when they see divisions and stumbling blocks concerning food. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:17
Not by this do we earn favor with God. If, he says, you do not eat, will this really bring you into the Kingdom? Rebuking them for considering this important, he also mentioned drink. Into the Kingdom of God one is led by "righteousness," that is, all the virtues, a blameless life, and peace with one's brother rather than enmity, and "joy" that comes from harmony rather than sorrow that comes from reproach. Since peace and joy can also occur in evil deeds, he added: "in the Holy Spirit." My discourse, he says, is about peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great Chrysostom profoundly explained why Paul mentioned righteousness. It was, he says, in order to show that the one who does not abstain from swine's flesh wrongs his brother with respect to the salvation that Christ acquired for him by His death. Therefore, conversely, the one who abstains for the sake of his brother preserves righteousness, which bestows the eternal Kingdom. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:18
Here he hints that the mature were reproaching the weak out of vainglory. If you wish, he says, to become an object of admiration for people, then arouse their admiration for you not so much by your perfection as by peace and other virtues. It is precisely by these things that one should serve and please God, and not by the fact that you eat pork without discrimination. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:19
He said "of peace" to the imperfect one, because that one did not have peace, and "for mutual edification" he said to the perfect one, so that he would not unsettle his brother by scandalizing him. However, by saying "mutual," he directed his word about this to both the one and the other. Moreover, by mentioning peace first and then edification, he showed that without peace it is difficult to edify. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:20
He calls the salvation of a brother the work of God. Therefore, do not destroy that which was acquired for him by God, and moreover for the sake of food, that is, by an unwillingness to abstain from pork, in order to gain benefit for yourself. Having made a strict prohibition to the perfect one, he feared lest the weak one be confirmed in evil thoughts. Therefore he again turns to the doctrine and says that all things are clean, but it is bad for the one who eats with a bad conscience and after having been scandalized. For the imperfect one, who considers pork unclean, if he eats it under compulsion, suffers greater harm. Therefore you must first teach him that all things are clean. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:21
You, he says, compel your brother to eat what he does not dare to eat, but I say that you must abstain from everything that causes your brother to stumble, not because it is evil (for all things are clean), but because it causes stumbling. By the word "stumbles" he showed that he is blinded, for the blind stumble. And he "is offended" as one who is fickle, and "is made weak" as one of little faith. By all this he draws the stronger one to help his brother, as one who is utterly infirm. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:22
Here he secretly hints that the mature one was displaying his maturity out of vainglory. He says: you want to show me that you are mature in faith regarding food, believing that everything is good and clean? Do not show me, but be content with the testimony of conscience before God, to Whom you show this. Even if no one else sees your blessedness, be content with yourself, if you yourself do not condemn yourself and your conscience does not condemn you in a matter that you have approved or chosen. Understand this only concerning the present subject, that is, concerning food. — Commentary on Romans
Romanos 14:23
He who doubts, he says, 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 was touching it as something unclean. He who is not convinced and does not believe that the food is clean, but eats it with a guilty conscience, certainly sins. — Commentary on Romans