1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Romans 14:1 | Now him, that is weak in faith, take unto you; not in disputes about thoughts. | Not in disputes about thoughts.{ Ver. 1. Non in disceptationibus cogitationum, me eis diakriseis dialogismon. Non in condemnationem rationum vel cogitationum.|} That is, without blaming or condemning the thoughts, and reasonings (as it appears by the Greek) of those new converts, who had been Jews, and who were still of this opinion, that they ought to abstain from meats forbidden by the Jewish law, and observe the Jewish festival days. You must charitably bear with the weakness of such converts. (Witham) --- Be tender with him who is weak in faith; enter not into disputes with him, which only serve to extinguish charity, and create inveterate prejudices. |
| Romans 14:2 | For one believeth that he may eat all things: but he that is weak, let him eat herbs. | Eat all things. Viz. without observing the distinction between clean and unclean meats, prescribed by the law of Moses: which was now no longer obligatory. Some weak Christians, converted from among the Jews, as we here gather from the apostle, made a scruple of eating such meats as were deemed unclean by the law: such as swine's flesh, etc. which the stronger sort of Christians did eat without scruple. Now the apostle, to reconcile them together, exhorts the former not to judge or condemn the latter, using their Christian liberty; and the latter to take care not to despise, or scandalize their weaker brethren, either by bringing them to eat what in their conscience they think they should not: or by giving them such offence, as to endanger the driving them thereby from the Christian religion. (Challoner) --- For one that is not so weak, but well instructed, believeth, is persuaded, that he may eat all things, the distinction of clean and unclean meats being no longer obligatory under the new law of Christ. He that is weak, and not convinced of this Christian liberty, let him eat herbs, or such things as he esteems not forbidden. It is likely some of them abstained many times from all manner of flesh, lest they should meet with what had been offered to idols, or lest something forbidden by the law might be mixed. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:3 | Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not; and he that eateth not, let him not judge him that eateth: For God hath taken him to him. | \f + \fr 14:3-4\ft God hath taken him to him, that eats of any meats; he accounts him his servant, and will reward him as such. --- God is able to make him stand, and will justify him before his tribunal. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:4 | *Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth, or falleth: and he shall stand: for God is able to make him stand. James 4:13. | |
| Romans 14:5 | For one judgeth between day and day: and another judgeth every day: let every man abound in his own sense. | Between day, etc. Still observing the sabbaths and festivals of the law. (Challoner.) --- And another judgeth every day. That is, thinks every day to be taken away, that was to be kept, merely because ordered under the Jewish law. And now since both they who keep days, or do not keep them; and they who eat, or who abstain, do these things which a regard to God, and according to their conscience, let no one judge, or condemn the one party, nor the other; in these things, let every man abound in his own sense. It is without grounds that some would pretend from hence, that Christians cannot be bound to fast, or abstain from flesh on certain days. The apostle speaks only of the distinction of meats, called clean and unclean, and of fasts or feasts peculiar to the law of Moses. It does not follow from hence, that the Catholic Church hath not power to command days of fasting, and abstaining, for self-denial or humiliation. (Witham) --- The apostle here treats only of the subject in hand, viz. the Mosaic distinctions of clean and unclean meats: and in this he allows, for that present time, each one to follow his own private judgment. St. Chrysostom observes that St. Paul did not wish the weak to be left to their own judgment in this, as in a point of no consequence; but that they should wait for a time. The converts were not immediately prohibited their accustomed practices, but they were tolerated in them for a while, till fully instructed. This we see in many of the converts at Jerusalem, who were still observers of the Mosaic ordinances; this was tolerated, that the synagogue might be buried with honour. (Estius) |
| Romans 14:6 | He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord: and he that eateth, eateth to the Lord: for he giveth thanks to God. And he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth thanks to God. | |
| Romans 14:7 | For none of us liveth to himself: and no man dieth to himself. | |
| Romans 14:8 | For whether we live, we live to the Lord: or whether we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's. | |
| Romans 14:9 | For to this end Christ died, and rose again: that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. | |
| Romans 14:10 | But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou despise thy brother? *For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10. | |
| Romans 14:11 | For it is written: *As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me: and every tongue shall confess to God. Isaias 14:24.; Philippians 2:10. | The apostle here gives a remarkable proof of the divinity of our Saviour. He could not possibly be more express. He had said in the preceding verse, that all men should appear before the tribunal of Christ; to prove this assertion, he adduces this testimony of the prophet Isaias: "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Isaias 45.) Thus shall all acknowledge the power, the divinity, and sovereign dominion of Christ, by bending the knee; and by confessing to him, shall acknowledge him for the master and judge of all mankind. (Calmet) |
| Romans 14:12 | Therefore every one of us shall render account for himself to God. | |
| Romans 14:13 | Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that you put not a stumbling-block, or a scandal in your brother's way. | |
| Romans 14:14 | I know, and am confident, in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; but to him that thinketh any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. | Nothing is unclean of itself. Because the law that made them unclean, is not now binding of itself, yet a man must not act against his conscience, neither must he, when he can avoid it, scandalize or offend the weak: nor cause divisions or dissensions. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:15 | For if, because of thy meat, thy brother be grieved: thou walkest not now according to charity. *Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. 1 Corinthians 8:11. | St. Paul repeats this, in almost the same words, in (1 Corinthians 8.) and plainly gives us to understand, that Christ died for the salvation of all men, by supposing a Christian brother, for whom Christ had died, in danger of perishing by the scandal given by another. This supposition could never have been made, if the death of Christ was only offered up for the elect: but we here learn from St. Paul, that they for whom Christ shed his blood and suffered the death of the cross, may perish eternally; and therefore all, even the greatest reprobates, may be saved, if they effectually desire it, by virtue of the death of our divine Redeemer. |
| Romans 14:16 | Let not then our good be evil spoken of. | Let not then our good, or which we have a Christian liberty to do with a good conscience, be evil spoken of, because of the disputes and quarrels you have about it. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:17 | For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink: but justice, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. | The kingdom of God is not meat, etc. It does not consist in eating, nor in abstaining, both which may be done without sin, but in justice, peace, etc. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:18 | For he, that in this serveth Christ, pleaseth God, and is approved of men. | |
| Romans 14:19 | Therefore let us follow after the things that are of peace: and keep the things that are of edification one towards another. | |
| Romans 14:20 | Destroy not the work of God for meat. *All things indeed are clean: but it is evil for that man who eateth through offence. Titus 1:15. | Destroy not the work of God for meat. That is, do not hinder your brother's salvation, for whom, whoever he be, Christ died, who may be so offended at the liberty which you take, as to quit the Christian religion; or you may make him sin against God, by eating by your example against his weak conscience. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:21 | *It is good not to eat flesh, and not to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother is offended, or scandalized, or made weak. 1 Corinthians 8:13. | |
| Romans 14:22 | Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that which he alloweth. | Hast thou faith? { Ver. 22. Tu fidem habes? upon which St. Chrysostom, om ks. p. 209. ou ten peri dogmaton (pistin) alla ten peri tes prokeimenes upotheseos.|} He doth not here mean, saith St. Chrysostom, a faith to believe divine truths. But art thou by faith persuaded in mind and conscience, that to eat meats formerly forbidden, is now lawful, have it within thyself, remain in this faith and conscience, but make it not appear, when it is prejudicial to thy weak brother. --- Happy is he that condemneth not himself, that maketh not himself liable to condemnation, by giving scandal, by using that liberty, which he is convinced is allowed. Or happy is he that acteth not against his conscience, by doing what he sees is allowed of by others, but which his conscience tells him he ought not to do. (Witham) |
| Romans 14:23 | But he, that discerneth, if he eat, is condemned: because not of faith. For all that is not of faith, is sin. | He that discerneth, or who judgeth that he ought to abstain from such meats, if he eat, is self-condemned, because he acts not according to his faith. For whatever a man doth, and is not according to what he believeth he may do, or whatever is against a man's conscience, is sinful in him. It is a mistake of the sense of this place, to pretend that every moral action done by an infidel, must needs be a sin, as when he gives an alms to relieve the necessities of the poor. (Witham) --- Discerneth. That is, distinguisheth between meats, and eateth against his conscience, what he deems unclean. --- Of faith. By faith is here understood judgment and conscience: to act against which is always a sin. (Challoner) |