Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ¹ 

Romans 7:1-25

The Believer’s Relationship to the Law

7:1 Or do you not know, brothers and sisters ²  (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is lord over a person ³  as long as he lives? 7:2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives, but if her ⁴  husband dies, she is released from the law of the marriage. ⁵  7:3 So then, ⁶  if she is joined to another man while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if her ⁷  husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she is joined to another man, she is not an adulteress. 7:4 So, my brothers and sisters, ⁸  you also died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you could be joined to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, to bear fruit to God. ⁹  7:5 For when we were in the flesh, ¹⁰  the sinful desires, ¹¹  aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body ¹²  to bear fruit for death. 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, because we have died ¹³  to what controlled us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code. ¹⁴ 

7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I ¹⁵  would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else ¹⁶  if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” ¹⁷  7:8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. ¹⁸  For apart from the law, sin is dead. 7:9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 7:10 and I died. So ¹⁹  I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! ²⁰  7:11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. ²¹  7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. ²²  7:15 For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate. ²³  7:16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. ²⁴  7:17 But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. 7:18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it. ²⁵  7:19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! 7:20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

7:21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. 7:22 For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 7:23 But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 7:25 Thanks be ²⁶  to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, ²⁷  I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but ²⁸  with my flesh I serve ²⁹  the law of sin.

Romans 14:1-23

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ³⁰  14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables. 14:3 The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him. 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord ³¹  is able to make him stand.

14:5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. ³²  Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. 14:6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The ³³  one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. 14:7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself. 14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ³⁴  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ³⁵  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ³⁶  of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” ³⁷  14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. ³⁸ 

Exhortation for the Strong not to Destroy the Weak

14:13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister. ³⁹  14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean. 14:15 For if your brother or sister ⁴⁰  is distressed because of what you eat, ⁴¹  you are no longer walking in love. ⁴²  Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. 14:16 Therefore do not let what you consider good ⁴³  be spoken of as evil. 14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 14:18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. ⁴⁴ 

14:19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, ⁴⁵  it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble. ⁴⁶  14:22 The faith ⁴⁷  you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. 14:23 But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. ⁴⁸ 

[14:1]  ¹ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[7:1]  ² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[7:1]  ³ sn Here person refers to a human being.

[7:2]  ³ tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[7:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “husband.”

[7:3]  ⁴ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[7:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[7:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[7:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “that we might bear fruit to God.”

[7:5]  ⁶ tn That is, before we were in Christ.

[7:5]  ⁷ tn Or “sinful passions.”

[7:5]  ⁸ tn Grk “our members”; the words “of our body” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[7:6]  ⁷ tn Grk “having died.” The participle ἀποθανόντες (apoqanonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[7:6]  ⁸ tn Grk “in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”

[7:7]  ⁸ sn Romans 7:7-25. There has been an enormous debate over the significance of the first person singular pronouns (“I”) in this passage and how to understand their referent. Did Paul intend (1) a reference to himself and other Christians too; (2) a reference to his own pre-Christian experience as a Jew, struggling with the law and sin (and thus addressing his fellow countrymen as Jews); or (3) a reference to himself as a child of Adam, reflecting the experience of Adam that is shared by both Jews and Gentiles alike (i.e., all people everywhere)? Good arguments can be assembled for each of these views, and each has problems dealing with specific statements in the passage. The classic argument against an autobiographical interpretation was made by W. G. Kümmel, Römer 7 und die Bekehrung des Paulus. A good case for seeing at least an autobiographical element in the chapter has been made by G. Theissen, Psychologische Aspekte paulinischer Theologie [FRLANT], 181-268. One major point that seems to favor some sort of an autobiographical reading of these verses is the lack of any mention of the Holy Spirit for empowerment in the struggle described in Rom 7:7-25. The Spirit is mentioned beginning in 8:1 as the solution to the problem of the struggle with sin (8:4-6, 9).

[7:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “I would not have known covetousness.”

[7:7]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 20:17 and Deut 5:21.

[7:8]  ⁹ tn Or “covetousness.”

[7:10]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the result of the statement in the previous verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[7:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and there was found in/for me the commandment which was for life – this was for death.”

[7:11]  ¹¹ tn Or “and through it killed me.”

[7:14]  ¹² tn Grk “under sin.”

[7:15]  ¹³ tn Grk “but what I hate, this I do.”

[7:16]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “I agree with the law that it is good.”

[7:18]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “For to wish is present in/with me, but not to do it.”

[7:25]  ¹⁶ tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 Ï sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א¹ [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), the reading of NA²⁷. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucaristw tw qew) possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled (TCGNT 455). The conjunction δέ (de, “now”) is included in some mss as well (א¹ Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), but it should probably not be considered original. The ms support for the omission of δέ is both excellent and widespread (א* A B D 1739 1881 Ï lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.

[7:25]  ¹⁷ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[7:25]  ¹⁸ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[7:25]  ¹⁹ tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.

[14:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[14:4]  ¹⁸ tc Most mss, especially Western and Byzantine (D F G 048 33 1739 1881 Ï latt), read θεός (qeos, “God”) in place of κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) here. However, κύριος is found in many of the most important mss (Ì⁴⁶ א A B C P Ψ pc co), and θεός looks to be an assimilation to θεός in v. 3.

[14:5]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “For one judges day from day, and one judges all days.”

[14:6]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:10]  ²¹ tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ²² tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ²³ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[14:11]  ²² sn A quotation from Isa 45:23.

[14:12]  ²³ tc ‡ The words “to God” are absent from some mss (B F G 6 630 1739 1881 pc) but are found in א A C D Ψ 0209 33 Ï lat sy co. External evidence somewhat favors their inclusion since Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine mss are well represented. From an internal standpoint, however, it is easy to see the words as a scribal gloss intended to clarify the referent, especially as a reinforcement to the quotation of Isa 45:23 in v. 11. Not only that, but the abrupt ending of the verse without “to God” is harsh, both in Greek and in English. In this instance, the internal considerations seem overwhelming on the side of the omission. At the same time, English stylistic needs require the words and they have been put into the translation, even though they are most likely not original. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[14:13]  ²⁴ tn Grk “brother.”

[14:15]  ²⁵ tn Grk “brother.”

[14:15]  ²⁶ tn Grk “on account of food.”

[14:15]  ²⁷ tn Grk “according to love.”

[14:16]  ²⁶ tn Grk “do not let your good.”

[14:18]  ²⁷ tn Grk “by men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is generic here (“people”) since the contrast in context is between God and humanity.

[14:20]  ²⁸ sn Here clean refers to food being ceremonially clean.

[14:21]  ²⁹ tc A large number of mss, some of them quite important (Ì^46vid א² B D F G Ψ 0209 33 1881 Ï lat sa), read “or to be offended or to be made weak” after “to stumble.” The shorter reading “to stumble” is found only in Alexandrian mss (א* A C 048 81 945 1506 1739 pc bo). Although external evidence favors inclusion, internal evidence points to a scribal expansion, perhaps reminiscent of 1 Cor 8:11-13. The shorter reading is therefore preferred.

[14:22]  ³⁰ tc ‡ Several important Alexandrian witnesses (א A B C 048) have the relative pronoun ἥν ({hn, “the faith that you have”) at this juncture, but D F G Ψ 1739 1881 Ï lat co lack it. Without the pronoun, the clause is more ambiguous (either “Keep the faith [that] you have between yourself and God” or “Do you have faith? Keep it between yourself and God”). The pronoun thus looks to be a motivated reading, created to clarify the meaning of the text. Even though it is found in the better witnesses, in this instance internal evidence should be given preference. NA²⁷ places the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[14:23]  ³¹ tc Some mss insert 16:25-27 at this point. See the tc note at 16:25 for more information.