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| Chapter 14 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ Receive ye him that is weak in the faith, but not with doubtful disputations. 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things, while another who is weak eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him who eateth not, judge him that eateth; for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou who judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth; yea, he shall be held up, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth one day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not that day, to the Lord doth he 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. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man 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. 9 For to this end Christ both died, and arose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: "‘As I live,’ saith the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’" 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 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. 14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that regardeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 But if thy brother be grieved because of thy meat, thou walkest no longer charitably. Destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died. 16 Let not your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and the things wherewith one may edify another. 20 Destroy not the work of God for the sake of meat. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for that man to eat what causeth offense. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. 22 Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not from faith; for whatsoever is not from faith is sin. |
14:1 - 16:27 Doubtful things. Paul looks at a number of problems of doubtful things a believer may meet. Paul talks about "weaker brethren" v1 and later in chap. 15:1 "stronger brethren." Who are these people and how should they treat each other? v1 Who are the weak? Not someone who sins, because they appear to be very sensitive to Christian behaviour. This person is also weak in faith v1, he has not been able to take in the truth’s Paul has been talking about in the previous chapters. v2-6 Paul did not want the church to fall into arguments so in these verses he said that ‘what to eat,’ which ‘days’ are special, treatment of servants, All these Paul said are between the Lord and the person, as the scriptures do not say either is wrong. However, we should not do anything which might cause another Christian to have problems. In Paul’s time some of the meat sold in the markets had already been offered to idols in the temples, there would be nothing wrong with the meat but some believers might feel it wrong to eat this meat. A "weak" Christian might have problems with this if he saw another Christian eating the meat. Who are the "strong" believers? Not just those who understood all Paul had been teaching,no it is the believer who see’s themselves as God sees them. Think of Paul in Rom 7:18,24, then how God sees him through Jesus Col 2:9,10; Phil 4:13; John 15:7; Eph 6:10ff. We must not pass judgement on another believer, a ‘strong’ believer must help the ‘weak,’ the ‘weaker’ learn of the stronger. We are all part of the same body of Christ, 1 Cor 12:13. v7,9 What ever we do must always be for the Glory of the Lord. v10-14 Again we are reminded that one day we all will have to explain our actions before the Lord, 1 Cor 4:5. v13-21 Behaviour with any other believer, possibly even non believers. We should always do things which give glory to God and build up the other believers. v18,19. 1 Cor 10:31. v22,23 Do not do anything for which you have any doubts about doing it. |
Easy English Translation
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