(16) Your good.—That blessing of Christian liberty which you enjoy. This is not to be used so as to give rise to reproaches and recriminations which will make a bad impression on the outside world. read more
Romans 14:5 'Do consider the immense strength of that single verse, Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind,' writes Dr. Arnold of Rugby. 'I am myself so much inclined to the idea of a strong social bond that I ought not to be suspected of any tendency to anarchy; yet I am beginning to think that the idea may be over-strained, that this attempt to merge the soul and will of the individual man in the general body is, when fully developed, contrary to the very essence of Christianity.... read more
Chapter 29CHRISTIAN DUTY: MUTUAL TENDERNESS AND TOLERANCE: THE SACREDNESS OF EXAMPLERomans 14:1-23BUT him who is weak-we might almost render, him who suffers from weakness, in his faith (in the sense here not of creed, a meaning of πίστις rare in St. Paul, but of reliance on his Lord; reliance not only for justification but, in this case, for holy liberty), welcome into fellowship-not for criticisms of his scruples, of his διαλογισμοί, the anxious internal debates of conscience. One man... read more
CHAPTER 14 1. Strong and Weak Brethren are the Lord’s Servants. (Romans 14:1-12 .) 2. The True Way of Love. (Romans 14:13-23 .) Romans 14:1-12 The question concerning brethren who were weak in faith, how they are to be treated by those who are strong is now taken up. Those weak in the faith had not the complete knowledge of their position in Christ, though they knew Christ and loved Him. They did not realize that certain observances of days, or abstinences from meats and drinks, could not... read more
14:13 {12} Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge {m} this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in [his] brother’s way.(12) After he has concluded what is not to be done, he shows what is to be done: that is, we must take heed that we do not utterly abuse our liberty and cast down our brother who is not yet strong.(m) He rebukes along the way these malicious judgers of others who occupy their heads about nothing, but to find fault with their... read more
14:14 {13} I know, and am persuaded by the {n} Lord Jesus, that [there is] nothing unclean of {o} itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him [it is] unclean.(13) The preventing of an objection: it is true that the right of the law to be schoolmaster is taken away by the benefit of Christ, to those who know it, but yet nonetheless we have to consider in the use of this liberty what is expedient, that we may have regard to our weak brother, seeing that our liberty is not... read more
14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with [thy] meat, now walkest thou not charitably. {14} Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom {15} Christ died.(14) It is the part of a cruel mind to make more account of meat than of our brother’s salvation. Which thing those do who eat with the intent of giving offence to any brother, and so give him occasion to turn back from the Gospel.(15) Another argument: we must follow Christ’s example: and Christ was so far from destroying the weak with meat that he... read more
14:16 {16} Let not then your good be evil spoken of:(16) Another argument: because by this means evil is spoken of the liberty of the gospel, as though it opens the way to attempt anything whatever, and gives us boldness to do all things. read more
Personal Conscience Toward God In Romans 12:1-21 we have seen instruction in many details of moral conduct. In such cases conscience has no liberty to take any stand but that of truth and honor. Just so in Romans 13:1-14, where questions of government are involved. For conscience sake I must be subject. If conscience requires my disobedience to authorities in order that I might obey God, it is a different matter; but I cannot plead that conscience allows me to disobey authorities simply... read more
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 14:15
(15) But.—The true reading is undoubtedly For, the connection of which is somewhat difficult to trace. It appears to leap over Romans 14:14, and go back to Romans 14:13. We may suppose that the substance of this verse recurs to the Apostle’s mind after the parenthetical statement just inserted, and though he does not repeat it in words, he connects on to it the sequence of his thought. “The Christian should not put a stumbling-block in his brother’s way. Not, indeed, that there is anything... read more