Romans 14:1 - Exposition

Him that is weak in the faith (rather, in faith, or in his faith ) . The article before πίστει does not denote the faith objectively. Cf. Romans 4:19 , μὴ ἀσθενήσας τῆ πίστει . In 1 Corinthians 8:12 it is the conscience that is spoken of as weak, τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν . Persons are meant whose faith is not sufficiently strong and enlightened for entering fully into the true spirit of the gospel so as to distinguish between essentials and non-essentials. Receive ye , but not to doubtful disputations ; rather, unto —i.e., so as to result in —judgments of thoughts. The Authorized Version has in margin, " to judge his doubtful thoughts, " which is probably nearer the true meaning than the text. διαρίσις means elsewhere dijudicartio ( 1 Corinthians 12:10 ; Hebrews 5:14 ), not "disputation" or "doubt" (as has been supposed from the verb διακρίνεσθαι , meaning "to doubt"). "Non dijudicemus cogitationes infirmorum, quasi ferre audeamus sententiam de alieno corde, quod non videtur".