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Taking a Closer Look at Romans 14:1–4
Disputable Matters
We’re going to take a close look at Romans 14:1–4.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:1–15:7 is a really interesting section in the letter. It’s addressing an issue that might really sound quite odd to us. It talks about people disagreeing about what to eat and about whether to observe certain days and sabbaths.
So what we need to do here is what we call mirror reading, or in more plain terms, reading between the lines. You’ve got to infer what’s going on in the Roman church or in churches generally that Paul dealt with that would have him bring these instructions. When it’s talking about eating certain things or not eating them and in the latter part of this section when it talks about certain days observing sabbaths and so on, what we’re talking about is a dispute between believers who come from a Jewish background and believers who come from a Gentile background. It’s a huge issue in the early church, and one of the beautiful things about the gospel is that it brings those two groups together in one body on an equal basis. This was really radical in the first century.
Strengthened by the Gospel
Brian S. Rosner
In this volume of the New Testament Theology series, Brian S. Rosner examines the central theology and themes of Paul’s gospel message in Romans to strengthen and encourage disciples of Jesus today.
Regarding Jewish diet and calendar—certain commandments in the law of Moses about what you could eat and about days to observe—Paul says there are two groups. He says some are weak in faith. (Rom. 14:1) The weak in faith are probably Christians from a Jewish background who still had scruples about laws in the law of Moses, and they felt they were disobeying God if they didn’t keep those laws. Later on, we learn about the strong. The strong in faith are those who say, Look, we’re not under the law. We don’t have to keep the law of Moses anymore, so we can just do away with all those things having to do with food laws and the calendar. Paul actually identifies as one of the strong later in the passage.
But the really interesting thing about this passage is that he doesn’t teach, This is what you’ve got to believe. Hold to it and fall into line. In fact, what he does is very careful, and he respects the conscience of the individual. In our passage, he says one person abstains and another person eats.
The two things that are probably going on in the Roman church that Paul’s concerned about are that one group despises the other, and the other is passing judgment on the one who eats. (Rom. 14:3) So judging and despising. There’s real emotional intelligence there. This is often what happens in Christian churches when we dispute about things that we might call disputable matters. In our version here it’s “quarreling over opinions.” They’re not gospel issues; they’re secondary issues. They’re still very important for people because it concerns their conduct and behavior.
But Paul says you can actually come to a different opinion on these matters, and that’s fine. The big advice is right at the beginning: Those who have a different opinion should welcome those with a different opinion. And then down in Romans 15:7, at the end of this passage, Paul says the same thing: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
God accepts my brother and sister in Christ, even if they disagree with me over some disputable matter.
Why should we welcome other Christians (or accept them, as it is sometimes translated) who have a different view on certain disputable matters—matters that it’s legitimate to dispute? Paul tells us in this passage that there are two big gospel truths that make welcoming others in the body of Christ essential. The first one is the Lordship of Christ. “Who are you,” he says in verse four, “to pass judgment on the servant of another?” Because I’m accountable directly to the Lord Jesus Christ, and because you are accountable directly to the Lord Jesus Christ, what business is it of mine to judge or despise you because you hold a different opinion on some secondary matter?
The other wonderful gospel truth here is really the notion of justification. He doesn’t use the language of justification, but have a look at the end of verse four: “It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” You could put in brackets, “stand at the judgment acceptable to God.” God accepts my brother and sister in Christ, even if they disagree with me over some disputable matter.
Now the challenge, of course, is to work out which matters are disputable and which are beyond dispute. And I think probably one way to think about it is that different cultures will have different versions of disputable matters.
That’s certainly been the case throughout the centuries, and it’s in our world as well. In one part of the world, a disputable matter might be whether you drink alcohol. In another part of the world, it might be what you do on Sunday. Another test I have for disputable matters is whether faithful Bible teachers are coming to different conclusions about these matters. And if they are, then it’s probably a disputable matter.
Paul doesn’t say we shouldn’t teach on disputable matters, but I think what he’s saying here is that we shouldn’t teach insistently on disputable matters. We should recognize that other Christians might come to a different view.
I love this passage because it underscores for us the fact that we should welcome one another (eating with one another is probably what Paul has in mind here—fellowshipping around a table) because each of us is accountable directly to the Lord Jesus Christ, and each of us will one day stand before God’s judgment justified before him because of the grace and mercy of God.
Brian S. Rosner is the author of Strengthened by the Gospel: A Theology of Romans.
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