The 14^th chapter of Romans deals with some of the freedoms that we have as Christians. To the “legalist” this is a disturbing chapter. To those who have little regard for the commandments of God and the clear examples of the New Testament, this chapter becomes their license to do whatever they please. As always, there is generally a middle ground to be found. Let us look at this interesting portion of scripture and try to understand it better.

To begin, what is specifically being addressed? Two things – the food that we eat and holding certain days in high regard. Let us begin with the matter of what is acceptable to eat.

Look at verses 2 and 3:

2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.

It is worth noting that the one who believes that there are still foods that are unclean, or unacceptable is considered “weak”. They are weak because they haven’t fully grasped the concept that all foods are now clean and acceptable to God (verse 20). We can get even more information when we go to 1 Corinthians 8. In that chapter Paul deals with food that has been sacrificed to idols. Paul goes on to explain that since there is only one God and the idols are fake gods, there is nothing wrong with buying and eating the meat that was once sacrificed to those idols. These meats were commonly sold in the markets of cities where there was a great deal of idol worship. However, to the Christian who was coming out of paganism, they would have been shocked to see a fellow Christian eating the meat sacrificed to an idol they now know to be a false god. To see a brother doing so may have caused the weaker to stumble.

Paul’s point is not to violate our conscience. If a weak brother feels it is best to abstain from some foods then we who are stronger should let him do so. Furthermore, if that brother is troubled by our eating certain foods, it would be better to refrain from doing so in his presence. In 1 Corinthians 8:13 Paul says that he would rather never eat meat again than to do so and cause his brother to stumble. He is saying that this is a matter of personal judgment and we should respect the decisions of weaker brethren. Certainly we should make attempts to lead them to a deeper understanding, but we should be patient and cautious while we attempt to deliver a full understanding of God’s word.

The second issue Paul deals with is the issue of holding certain days as holy, or above other days. Look at verses 5 and 6:

5One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God…”

How hard would it have been for the Jewish converts to totally give up the concept of a holy Sabbath day? Brother Wayne Jackson of the Christian Courier (linked under “religion” here) gave a good example of this in an article that he wrote:

Mr. Jackson knew of a family that was converted from the Seventh Day Adventist religion to the Lord’s church. That family had a hard time getting over the notion that Saturday was special in some way. While they were now trying to be “steadfast in the Apostles doctrine”, they still chose to view Saturday as a special day of rest and devotion to the Lord. Some people wanted to dismiss them as being silly. Being stronger in the faith, they knew that Jesus removed the laws of the Sabbath. However, it was wrong for them to belittle the family who were babes in Christ. They were to be patient until the family developed a deeper knowledge.

I can’t help but relate this to some people’s attitudes toward Christmas today. Some people regard Christmas above other days. They chose to use that day to focus on one aspect of God’s goodness – the physical birth of His perfect Son. If they hold that day above others there is nothing wrong with that according to Paul. It would become sinful if they:

1. Insisted that December 25^th was literally the birthday of Christ. That is almost certainly not the actual day of Jesus’ birth and since the date is not given, to insist we can know the date would be wrong.

2. Tried to bind Christmas upon others. Stronger brethren know that observing Christmas as the birthday of Christ is never found in the Bible. They see it as simply another secular holiday. For the weaker brethren to try and force the stronger to observe Christmas as a special “holy day” would be wrong as well.

If the weaker brother chooses to view that day as special or holy, then we know that “he who observes the day observes it to the Lord” and that the “Lord is able to make him stand”.

The important things I think are worth noting here are these:

• These things have nothing to do with God’s plan of salvation. To say that salvation is a “non-essential” like the things listed in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 is nowhere found in scriptures. To say that people can teach different plans of salvation than what is found in the word of God is both erroneous and dangerous. That is not what Paul is addressing here.
• These things have nothing to do with the worship of the church. Just like salvation, how we worship God is very important. To say that these chapters give us freedom to alter the commands and examples of worship to Christ is also a dangerous conclusion. Again, that is not what Paul is addressing here.
• These items are matters of personal life and one’s conscience. By noting that those who observe dietary restrictions and special days are “weak”, those beliefs are not those of a mature Christian. As Hebrews 5-6 and other passages note, we are to move beyond the milk of the word to the strong meat thereof. Since we are to move on to maturity, there should come a point where the weak brother is able to leave behind their views on clean/unclean foods and holy days.

When we look at Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 we need to take them only for what they are addressing. There is no need to go beyond these things and try to make these two chapters into permission to change the commandments of God. Likewise, there is no need for stronger Christians to condemn those who God does not condemn. Together, we can strive for a better understanding of God’s word as we “go on unto perfection” (Hebrews 6:1).