Chapter XIV.
1. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not into distinctions of opinions . By weak he means him who was yet a slave to legal observances. 2. For one believeth that he may eat all things ; that is, the Gentile convert; another, who is weak, eateth herbs . Some declare that the Jewish proselytes, in order to cast shame on the Gentile converts, abstained not only from swine's flesh, but even from all animal food, under the pretext of self-restraint and temperance; whence the holy Apostle says, he who is weak eateth herbs ; for not having a perfect faith, he thought that he would be defiled by such kind of food. 3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not . For the Gentile converts despised the Jewish, as not possessing a sound faith, and as on this account being unwilling to partake of such kind of food. And let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth . And the Jewish indeed condemned the Gentile converts, esteeming their indiscriminate use of every kind of food transgression. For God hath received him ; that is, the Gentile convert; and he goes on in his rebuke of the Jew: 4. Who art thou that judgest another's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth . Every servant while living is a source of profit to his own Master, and on death again brings him loss; and this man then the Lord of all things has bought, having given His own blood as the price of his purchase; and having said "to his own Master he standeth or falleth," he necessarily adds, Yea, he shall be holden up ; and establishes what he says by the power of God, for God is able to make him stand . Having spoken thus much concerning foods, he transfers his discourse to the matter of days. 5. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike, (for this purpose.) For some abstained from the meats forbidden by the law at all times , and some on particular days (only). Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind . He lays not this down as a principle of universal application; for neither does he so bid us reckon as regards the doctrines of religion, seeing that he passes an anathema on those that permit themselves to preach contrary to the truth, (Gal. i. 9:) "For if any one preach unto you," says he, "any other gospel than that ye have received, let him he accursed." Concerning foods, then, only is it that he allows this power to each man's own mind. For so indeed this custom remains in the churches even to the present day, and one man embraces abstinence, and another without scruple takes of all kinds of food, and neither does the former condemn the latter, nor the latter find fault with the former, but mutually glory in |730 the law of concord. 6. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. He says this in condescension to us, in order to produce peace and harmony in the church. The God of all, says he, knows the intention, both of those that eat, and of those that eat not, and he attends not to the bare deed, but inquires into the design of what is done. 7. For none of us liveth to himself, and none of us dieth to himself. 8. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's . We are not our own lords; we have been bought with a price; and while living, therefore, we are the Lord's , and when dead we are the Lord's; that is, neither art thou his master, nor is he thine; for One we all have for our Lord. 9. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might he Lord, both of the dead and the living . He is the Master of all, who for our sakes gave Himself up to death, who destroyed the power of death, and has promised salvation to us all. To Him, then, are we subject, as from Him having received life. 10. But why dost thou judge thy brother? this he says to the Jew; for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ . And then he also establishes what he says on the testimony of Scripture: 11. For it is written, (see Isa. xliii. 10; xlv. 21, 23; xliv. 6, 8, &c.,) As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God . He is our judge, He is our sentencer; at that tribunal of His we must stand. And indeed this witness of the prophet proves the completeness of the divinity of the Only-begotten. For having said by the prophet, "I am God before all ages, and I am first, and I am afterwards, and even unto eternity I am God, and before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me, and beside Me there is none, and a just God and a Saviour there is none beside Me," then He adds, "By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, that unto Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess to God." But let us proceed on to what remains of our interpretation. 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God . Having pointed out the tribunal of the Lord, most consistently does he exhort them not to judge one another, but to await that judgment; for so he again subjoins, 13. Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's way . Here he directs his rebukes to the Gentile converts, who condescended not to the infirmities of the Jewish proselytes, but esteemed the indifferent use of all kinds of food as the height of virtue and the warmth of zeal. And first, then, he teaches that none of these things is really impure and unclean; and thus he speaks: 14. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that in Him there |731 is nothing unclean . It was necessary, by reason of the infirmity of the Jews, that he should add the expression in the Lord Jesus ; for it was that they might not say, Who art thou that legislatest in contradiction of Moses? that he brings forward the Lord of Moses; showing that He had put an end to the observances of the law, and permitted us not to consider any food unclean; for the in Him signifies in His institutions in the gospel; for Himself also said to the blessed Peter, "What God hath cleansed that call not thou unclean." (Acts x. 15.) But to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean . But if a man conceiving such food to be unclean , yet partakes therein, it becomes unclean ; not by reason of its own nature, but on account of the opinion of him that thus partakes of it. Having thus distinguished as to these things, he again censures the Gentile converts, who bore not the infirmities of the Jews. 15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably . He increases the accusation (by that of want) of charity, to expose him that thus acted; and then even more fully points out the folly of such conduct. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died . For him the Lord Christ endured death, while thou art not willing by a mere abstinence in food to gain life for him, but by indulgence contrivest death. 16. Let not then your good be evil spoken of . Again, the accusation is made in conjunction with praise, for faith he calls a good thing . I commend, says he, thy faith, but I would not that it become the cause of injury and reproach . 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost . For imagine not that this is the perfection of excellence, and what will procure the kingdom of heaven ; for what procures that is true righteousness , and concord, and zeal as to peace , and love, from which springs joy, as to God. 18. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men . For these things the God of all both requires of us, and they also bring advantage to men. Nor must we fail to observe, that he declares the serving Christ is acceptable to the God of all . If, then, the serving Christ be pleasing to God, so also truly to honour Christ must be pleasing to Him; wherefore likewise to speak evil of Christ, and to attempt to lower His dignity, must be offensive to the God of all. 19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another . It behoves us therefore above all to value a profitable concord, and to do all for the mutual advantage of each other. For meat destroy not the work of God . The believing on Him is what our Lord called the work of God ; for "this," says He, "is the work of God , that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent," (John vi. 29). Since then it was probable that some of the Jews would fall away from the faith, not enduring the reproaches of the Gentile believers, aptly does he say, for meat destroy not the work of God. And again, that the Jewish proselytes might not hence gain a pretext for insisting on the observance of the law, he provides against this also, and says, 20. All things indeed are pure ; none, says he, of these foods is unclean by its own nature, but it is evil to that man who eateth with offence ; but to thee, |732 nevertheless, indulgence therein brings injury, because thou neglectest thy neighbour's interests, and seest him suffer with contempt. 21. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak . And not as regards flesh alone, but wine also, I bid thee never to indulge in either, if this really work any harm to thy neighbour. 22. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God . In the full exercise of faith thou keepest the law (of Christian liberty in the gospel, v. 14, and Gal. v. 1, &c.) Great is the possession, worthy of praise the excellence, but let it not be to the detriment of thy neighbour. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth . The expression insinuates that the Gentile converts were in the habit of compelling the Jews to partake of those things they were averse to; he teaches therefore that the believer indeed derives no injury from the use of them, but that he who eats, while yet making a distinction, partakes in such as unclean, wherefore he pronounces him happy that judges not himself ; that is, who makes no such difference (in his own mind); and so he subjoins, in explanation, 23. But he that maketh a distinction is condemned if he eat ; and he shews the reason, because he eateth not of faith; but whatsoever is not of faith is sin . For he who believes harmlessly partakes, but he who eats with any such distinction passes sentence on himself. And that he may prove himself enjoining what is agreeable to God, he offers up a fervent prayer in their behalf; Now to Him that is of power to stablish you ; and after what manner to stablish? according to my gospel ; and what is his gospel? and the preaching of Jesus Christ ; and pointing out the antiquity of that preaching, he adds, according to the revelation of the mystery ; for not now is the mystery framed, but now is it made known, having been long concealed; for so he goes on to say, which was kept secret since the world began ; and then he brings forward also the witnesses of this preaching, but now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God ; for what He had darkly foreshown in the prophets, these things has the Maker of all ages now clearly displayed; and what is the fruit of this preaching? for the obedience of faith , for it behoves them that hear to believe what is preached; and who are they? made known to all nations . Thus it is to be understood, according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, made known to all nations . To God only wise, through Christ Jesus, to whom be glory for ever, Amen. Having set forth the mystery of the dispensation, of old indeed fore-appointed, and then predicted in the prophets, and afterwards become manifest indeed, he magnifies the wisdom of God, and utters forth a doxology suitable thereto. But if the heretics should assert that God (the Father) is here called the alone wise , let them know that the Lord Christ is not only so called wise , but wisdom itself. (Prov. iii. 19, &c.) And if indeed they think it right to deprive the Son of this name of wise , so neither let them call Him immortal, for the same Apostle says of God, "who alone hath |733 immorlity." (1 Tim. vi. 16). But leaving such to their own folly, let us proceed onwards in our course. Having then thus offered up these supplications for them, the holy Apostle adds exhortations, giving praise to the Gentile converts, and designating them as strong , by reason of their faith.