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Romans 14:21 – Good For Whom?

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Will

It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

Truth to Learn

Consider the good of others more important than your own.

Behind the Words

The word translated “good” is a form of kalos, which means “good as to quality or character.”

“Stumbles” is translated from the Greek verb proskoptō, which we have seen a couple of times recently. It means to “to stub on” or “to trip up.”

The word “offended” is translated from the verb scandalidzō, the noun form of which we have also talked about recently. This word means, “to entrap” or “to entice to sin.”

“Is made weak” is from the Greek verb astheneo, which means “to be weak or sickly.”

Meaning Explained

Now Paul summarizes what he has been saying in the past few verses. Since it is a summary of his instruction, let’s look carefully at what he does and what he doesn’t say. First of all Paul says that “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything …” So what he is saying is that these things are not good for us to do.

Now, notice that there are qualifications to those things which are not good for us to do. The first qualification is, “by which your brother stumbles.” If your drinking wine or eating a certain kind of food causes your brother to stumble in his walk with God, then it is not a good thing for you to do.

The second qualification is, “or is offended.” We should not do anything that will lead a brother or sister to act contrary to his or her own convictions. If we know that other Christians are convicted that eating certain foods is wrong, we should not eat those types of food in their presence or try to convince them that it is OK for them. To them it is a spiritual conviction and it is up to God to convince them otherwise (if their conviction is wrong). Because of the translation of scandalidzō as “offended,” we may be inclined to read this verse as if it said, “it is good not to eat meat, nor to drink wine, nor anything that your brother takes offense at, or disagrees with.” Just because a brother or sister considers wrong something which our own conscience allows doesn’t mean we stop doing it. But by the same token we don’t argue with them about it, we don’t force them to do it, and we don’t flaunt it in front of them.

The third qualification is, “or is made weak.” Again, we see that our actions could cause the faith of a brother or sister to be negatively affected because of his or her convictions. So, how do we know what we should do and what we shouldn’t do when it comes to spiritual convictions that we hold different from our brother or sister in Christ? Paul will answer that question in the following two verses.

Application

There is a fine line between what Paul is teaching here and situational ethics. Situational ethics says that something may be wrong to do in one situation but not wrong in another. What Paul is teaching is that it is always wrong to consider your own needs more important than a fellow Christian. The bottom line is that we should do those things that build-up other Christians and we should avoid those things which will cause other Christians harm. If we always consider the good of others more important than our own, God will be pleased with our actions.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 14:2 – Food or Faith?

Posted on November 12, 2018 by Will

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Truth to Learn

Arguing about unimportant things is destructive, not edifying.

Behind the Words

The word “believes” is translated from the verb pisteuō, meaning “to trust, to have faith in, or to believe.”

“Eat” in the first part of this verse is from the Greek verb phagō. Later in the verse the word “eats” appears, which is from the Greek verb esthiō. These two form an interesting word pair. Though they are different words, they both mean “to eat,” literally or figuratively. The selection of which one to use depends strictly on the tense of the verb used. Esthiō is used in the aorist or future tenses, and phagō is used in all other tenses.

“Weak” is from astheneō, which we looked at in the previous verse. The use of the word in this verse identifies specifically who Paul was talking about in the previous verse. Here he uses the word to refer to those who are weak in faith, those who are spiritually immature, not those who are physically weak.

The word translated “vegetables” is lachanon, which is derived from the verb lachainō, meaning “to dig.” Thus, we see that lachanon literally refers to that which has been dug up. Since it is in reference to something eaten, it logically refers to vegetables as opposed to meat.

Meaning Explained

As we said in the previous verse, Paul is addressing the issue of many of the converted Jews in the Christian church in Rome who are still following the eating restrictions as laid down in the Mosaic Law. Some of them believed that Christians were required to follow all of the commandments based on the origin of the Christian faith coming out of the Jewish belief in the Messiah. Others, like Paul, recognized the fact that Christians have been set free from the Law and that we are at liberty to eat all kinds of food without any legal restrictions.

As we combine these two verses, we see that Paul is exhorting the members of the Christian Church at Rome to admit anyone to membership who makes a confession of faith, but not to get into arguments with them about what food is permissible and what isn’t. The point he makes in the current verse is that the more mature Christian recognizes that all foods are permissible, but those who are weak in the faith still think they have to refrain from certain foods.

Let’s not get hung-up, however, on the specific subject matter (what kinds of food can be eaten). Paul is using food as a metonym for any secondary belief within the church that is not foundational doctrine. As we said in the previous verse, understanding and adhering to doctrinal fundamentals of the Christian faith are of critical importance and need to be fully studied and taught. Arguing about other aspects of the Christian faith is a waste of time and effort. Belief in who Jesus is (completely God and completely man at the same time), the offering of His sinless life to pay the penalty for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, our own need to admit our sinful, lost state, and our confession of Christ as our Savior and Lord, these are truths that we must all believe to become Christians.

Application

Arguing about issues of lesser importance in the church doesn’t please God. We need to focus more effort on loving one another and less effort on arguing about unimportant things.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 14:1- Needless Arguing

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Will

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over opinions.

Truth to Learn

Infighting should not be a characteristic of a Christian church.

Behind the Words

The word “Receive” is from the Greek word proslambanō, which is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and lambanō, meaning “to take.” This we see that this word means “to take to oneself” or “to receive.”

“Weak” is from astheneō, made up of the negative particle a and sthenos, meaning “strength.” The root meaning of astheneō, therefore, is “to be without strength.”

The word “disputes” is from diakrisis. This is made up of dia, meaning “through” or indicating separation and krinō, meaning “to distinguish” or “to judge.” Hence, diakrisis refers to distinguishing or judging through something. By application it means to scrutinize thoughts or beliefs by thorough discussion.

“Opinions” is translated from dialogismos, from the verb dialogidzomai, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and logidzomai, meaning “to reckon or reason.” Thus we see that dialogismos refers to a “thorough reasoning” or a belief that has been established by such reasoning.

Meaning Explained

You will recall that the Christian church at Rome was made up largely of converted Jews. Under the Jewish laws, they were forbidden from eating certain foods, and they were forbidden to work on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath). As a Christian, however, these legal restrictions had been lifted. But just as Peter had a difficult time accepting Gentiles into the faith before receiving direct revelation from God indicating that it was OK (see Acts chapter 10), so these former Jews found it difficult to accept that Christians did not have to observe the same restrictions that they formerly were bound by.

The issue of what can and can’t be eaten is the issue that Paul is about to address. He starts off by telling the fellowship in Rome that it is good to receive Christians who are weak in the faith. These are people who are genuine converts but who are either new converts or they have not had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of a mature Christian like the apostle Paul. We need to welcome people like this so that they can grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, Paul tells the church to accept these people into the congregation but not to do so just to have a theological discussion about what is proper to eat and what is not. Let me point out that Paul is NOT saying that it is improper to have theological discussions, for this is right and even necessary. What he is saying is that it is not right to have arguments about items of minor importance or opinions. Disputing has become a significant issue within the body of Christ. So much so, that church splits are more the rule than the exception. Some disputes may be necessary, but most are frivolous and detrimental.

Application

I remember being in a church that spent considerable time in a business meeting arguing about whether or not there should be carpeting in the sanctuary. It became a heated discussion and caused hard feelings among everyone in attendance; it was not edifying and did not serve to build-up the body of Christ. Instead of such trivial arguing, let’s all keep our focus on Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 8:3 – Righteous Through Him

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Will

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ perfectly kept the law, thus demonstrating His righteousness, and God grants us His righteousness through faith in His sacrificial death.

Behind the Words

The words “could not do” are translated from a single Greek word. It is adunatos, which is a compound word made up of the privative a, meaning “without” or “not” and dunatos, meaning “powerful, able, or capable.” Hence, adunatos means “without power” or “unable.”

“Weak” is from the verb astheneō, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “without” and sthenos, meaning “strength.” Thus, it means “to be without strength” or “to be weak.”

The Greek word homoiōma is translated here as “likeness.” This word is derived from homos, which means “one and the same.” Homoiōma means “having the same form.”

The word translated “condemned” is the Greek word katakrino, which is the verb form of a word we looked at just two verses back. It means “to proclaim a judgment of condemnation against someone or something.”

Meaning Explained

This is another potentially very confusing verse so let’s look at it one phrase at a time. “For what the Law could not do” is a reference to what Paul has said in the seventh chapter of this letter. The Law cannot produce righteousness in man. Why? “In that it was weak through the flesh” says that the reason the law could not produce righteousness is because man tried to produce righteousness through acts of the flesh. But the flesh is weak because of the sin nature and cannot satisfy the law; therefore, the law could not produce this righteousness.

But, what the Law could not do, Paul says God sent his son to do for us: “God did by having sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.” In other words, even though Christ took on human flesh, he did not take on sinful human flesh. He had the appearance of sinful flesh (that form which every member of the human race has), but He was not sinful human flesh. For emphasis, let me restate that this passage says that Christ took on human flesh, but he did not take on sinful human flesh.

God the Father sent Jesus in the form of sinful human flesh, “on account of sin;” that is, Christ came to earth and took on human flesh in order to deal with sin. He dealt with sin by living a sinless life that was then freely offered for sinful lives. Because he perfectly fulfilled the Law and committed no sin, He “condemned sin in the flesh.” In other words, in human flesh Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law and therefore made a judgment of condemnation against sin.

Application

Paul has been teaching us that a person cannot be justified by trying to obey the law. We have a sin nature that causes us to sin, and with a single sin we lose the righteousness that perfectly keeping the law would have provided. As a result, God had to create a way for sinful man to receive His righteousness, which can only come by faith in the blood of Christ. Thank you, God, for giving me your righteousness through faith in the sacrifice of Your perfect Son.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 4:19 – Faith, Long and Strong

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Will

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

Truth to Learn

Abraham’s faith was strong, even after having waited 20 years.

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “weak” is astheneō, which is a compound word made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and sthenos, which refers to “bodily vigor or bodily strength.” Hence, this word means “without bodily strength.”

“Consider” is translated from the verb katanoeō. This is also a compound word which is made up of kata, used as an intensifier, and noeō, meaning “to think.” This word refers to more than just a passing thought. It means “to observe, to contemplate, or to have regard to.” We could paraphrase this part of the verse as “he didn’t give thought to the fact that he was no longer able to father children.”

Meaning Explained

There is a subtlety in this verse that you may not have seen before. In the previous verse we talked about Abraham’s absolute certainty that God would fulfill His promise to him. He was about 80 years old when God promised him that he would have as many descendants as the stars in the sky. This is talked about in Genesis 15:5,6.

The current verse says that Abraham was not weak in his faith, which was proved by the fact that Abraham didn’t even consider the fact that his own body was already dead. Now, this doesn’t mean that Abraham was dead; it means that his body was past the point of fathering children. This verse (along with Genesis 21:5) says that he was about 100 years old when Isaac was born.

But wait a minute! Didn’t we just say that Abraham was about 80 when the promise was made? That means Abraham’s faith was strong even after having waited for about 20 years. Think about it! Abraham was 80 when the promise was made, and he was probably already past child producing years, yet 20 years later he still believed that God would give him a son. That’s faith that doesn’t give up!

Paul uses a bit of a play on words in this verse as well. He could have said, “And having a strong faith …” Instead, he says that Abraham was not “weak in faith.” The word translated “weak” is normally used to describe a physical condition, but Paul applies it to Abraham’s faith. In other words, he is saying, “Abraham may have had a body that was weak with regard to fathering children, but his faith was not weak like his body.”

What is even more amazing is what was pointed out in yesterday’s verse. Abraham was about 100 when Isaac was born (Sarah was about 90). Sarah died when she was 127 years old, which would make Abraham about 137 years old (Genesis 23:1,2). After Sarah died, Abraham married a woman named Keturah (Genesis 25:1,2), and he fathered at least six more children with her! Abraham didn’t consider the fact that he was too old to father children; neither did God!

Application

Have you been waiting for God to fulfill a promise to you? Are you willing to wait for 20 years? Are you willing to wait for the rest of your life?

In God's service, for His glory,

1 Corinthians 1:27 – God’s “Foolish” Choice

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Will

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

Truth to Learn

God purposely choose weak and foolish sinners to be His.

Behind the Words

The words “has chosen” are from the Greek verb eklegō. This word is made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and legō, meaning “to select” or “to choose.” Thus, eklegō means “to choose out” or “to select out.” It is expressed in the aorist tense, indicating action that was completed at a point in time in the past. It is also expressed in the middle voice, indicating something that the subject (God) has done to or for Himself.

“Put to shame” is translated from the verb kataischunō, which is made up of kata, meaning “down” (used here as an intensifier) and aischunō meaning “to put to shame.” Kataischunō literally means “to shame down, to disgrace, or completely put to shame.”

Asthenēs is the Greek word translated “weak things.” It is composed of the privative a, meaning “without” and sthenos, which refers to “physical strength.”

Ischuros it the word translated “things which are mighty.” It literally means “strong, mighty, or powerful things.”

Meaning Explained

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul has put together an exquisite rhetorical argument against those who put their faith in the world system. It started back in verse eighteen where he said, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” He then went on to show how foolish the supposed “wisdom” of the world is compared to God’s wisdom and how weak the “strength” of the world is compared to God’s strength. He further declared that “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” In yesterday’s verse, he pointed his finger directly at the Corinthians (and at us) declaring that very few of us who have been called into His family are worldly wise, powerful, or of noble birth.

Now, in this verse and the two that follow, Paul spotlights the true wisdom in God’s plan. Here he says that God intentionally chose people for Himself who are foolish in the eyes of the world and people who are weak in the eyes of the world. Notice that God had purpose in His choosing. For those who don’t accept the doctrine of election, preferring to believe that God’s choice was based on who would eventually believe the gospel, such thinking contradicts what Paul is teaching here. If God's choice was based upon who would believe the good news, then there would have been a more random cross section of humanity chosen. Instead, God purposely focused His selection primarily on those of us who are weak and foolish.

Why would He do such a thing? Paul says that His purpose has always been to demonstrate to the wise and powerful that they are the real fools. One day they will stand before the wise and powerful Judge and their shame will be overwhelming.

Application

These truths should once again drive us to our knees in thankfulness that He chose us weak, foolish, undeserving sinners to be His children. And God gets all the glory!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 14:2 – Food or Faith?

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:2 – Food or Faith?

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Truth to Learn

Arguing about unimportant things is destructive, not edifying.

Behind the Words

The word “believes” is translated from the verb pisteuō, meaning “to trust, to have faith in, or to believe.”

Meaning Explained

Application

Arguing about issues of lesser importance in the church doesn’t please God. We need to focus more effort on loving one another and less effort on arguing about unimportant things.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 14:1 – Needless Arguing

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Will

Romans 14:1 – Needless Arguing

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

Truth to Learn

Infighting should not be a characteristic of a Christian church.

Behind the Words

“Weak” is from astheneō, made up of the negative particle a and sthenos, meaning “strength.” The root meaning of astheneō, therefore, is “to be without strength.”

“Doubtful things” is translated from dialogismos, from the verb dialogidzomai, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and logidzomai, meaning “to reckon or reason.” Thus we see that dialogismos refers to a “thorough reasoning” or a belief that has been established by such reasoning.

Meaning Explained

Therefore, Paul tells the church to accept these people into the congregation but not to do so just to have a theological discussion about what is proper to eat and what is not. Let me point out that Paul is NOT saying that it is improper to have theological discussions, for this is right and even necessary. What he is saying is that it is not right to have arguments about items of minor importance. Disputing has become a significant issue within the body of Christ. So much so, that church splits are more the rule than the exception. Some disputes may be necessary, but most are frivolous and detrimental.

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Romans 4:19 – Faith, Long and Strong

Posted on January 18, 2010 by Will

Romans 4:19

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

Truth to Learn

Abraham’s faith was strong, even after having waited 20 years.

Behind the Words

“Consider” is translated from the verb katanoeō. This is also a compound word which is made up of kata, used as an intensifier, and noeō, meaning “to think.” This word refers to more than just a passing thought. It means “to observe, to contemplate, or to have regard to.” We could paraphrase this part of the verse as “he didn’t give much thought to the fact that he was no longer able to father children.”

Meaning Explained

There is a subtlety in this verse that you may not have seen before. In the previous verse we talked about Abraham’s absolute certainty that God would fulfill His promise to him. He was about 80 years old when God promised him that he would have descendents as the stars in the sky. This is talked about in Genesis 15:5,6.

Application

Have you been waiting for God to fulfill a promise to you? Are you willing to wait for 20 years? Are you willing to wait for the rest of your life?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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