Romans
Chapter 14
Freedom and Charity
Welcome those who are weak in faith and do not criticize their scruples.
Some believe they can eat any food, while others who are less liberated eat only vegetables.
If you eat, do not look down on those who abstain; if you abstain, do not judge those who eat, for God has accepted them.
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? Whether he succeeds or fails, his own master is the one responsible. And he will not fail, because his master can keep him standing.
Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike; let us act according to our own opinion.
The one who distinguishes among days does so for the Lord; and the one who eats, eats for the Lord, and in eating, gives thanks to the Lord. And the one who does not eat does it for the Lord and gives him thanks as well.
We Belong to the Lord
None of us lives for himself,
or dies for himself.
If we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord.
Either in life or in death,
we belong to the Lord.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
to be Lord both of the dead and the living.
Then you, why do you criticize your brother or sister? And you, why do you despise them? For we will all appear at the tribunal of God.
It is written: I swear by myself—word of the Lord—every knee will bend before me, and every tongue shall give glory to God.
So each of us will account for himself before God.
Do Not Cause Scandal
Therefore, let us stop criticizing each other; instead, let us strive never to place anything in our brother’s or sister’s way that might cause them to stumble or fall.
I know, I am confident in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is inherently unclean; it is only considered unclean by those who view it that way.
But if you hurt your brother or sister because of a particular food, you are no longer walking in love. Let not your eating cause the loss of someone for whom Christ died.
Don’t let your good be spoken of as evil.
The kingdom of God isn’t about food or drink; it’s about justice, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If you serve Christ this way, you’ll please God and be praised by others.
Let us then explore what promotes peace and makes us better.
Do not ruin God’s work over food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for you to cause others to stumble by what you eat.
And it might be better not to eat meat, drink wine, or do anything else that causes your brother or sister to stumble.
Keep your own belief before God, and you will be happy if you never act against your own belief.
Instead, whoever eats something despite his doubt is condemned by his conscience, because whatever we do against our conscience is sinful.
Commentaries
Freedom and Charity.
Paul now addresses a problem that caused tensions in communities made up of Christians, Jews, and Gentiles, such as in Rome. It concerned the observance of Jewish laws, such as fasting and dietary restrictions, or pagan beliefs about days as good or bad omens. Some Christians, the “weak,” could not quite let go of these practices, whether out of scruples, superstitious fears, or lack of education. Others, the “strong,” felt free from all that and looked down on the “weak.” Paul had already spoken about this in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10:14-33 and provided a basic solution, which is: faith in Christ frees believers from such fears and customs. So, what was the problem? Prejudices, mutual disqualifications, and condemnations, especially from the “strong,” threatened the unity and peace of the community. Paul treats this very seriously and makes a strong stand in favor of the “weak.” It’s not that all opinions are equally valid for him or that the “weak” are always right. It’s that people and their consciences before God are similarly valuable. That’s why he calls for mutual respect and tolerance, which does not mean indifference. In short, he urges the community in Rome to practice “dialogue presided over by charity,” so that “the strong” realize that Christian freedom must always serve love, and those who falter can see that they need to change their behavior.
We Belong to the Lord.
Paul’s exhortation now turns into a prayer. It’s like he’s inviting everyone to recite the liturgical hymn of faith that was used in the communities at that time (7-9), to show that the only thing that matters in a Christian’s life is the Lord: “if we live, we live for Him; if we die, we die for Him… in life and in death we belong to the Lord” (8). The idea of Christ’s lordship stays constant in the Apostle’s thoughts and teachings. If He is the Lord, then the final judgment belongs to Him.
Do Not Cause Scandal.
Paul once again defends the “weak.” He has defended them in Corinth, where he writes on behalf of the ‘poor’ who are discriminated against during the Eucharist (1 Cor 11:21) and the “exploited” in lawsuits between brothers (1 Cor 6:8). Now he defends the weak who are “scandalized” by the provocation of the strong. He tells the strong: if your faith—your convictions, your conscience—allows you to eat wine and meat, then do so. But if love for your brother is at risk because of the scandal you cause, set aside the wine and meat for another time. If you don’t, you are no longer sharing your brother’s faith, because he also acts out of faith by eating only what his conscience permits.