_MEN MAY NOT CONDEMN ONE ANOTHER FOR THINGS INDIFFERENT; BUT TAKE HEED THAT THEY GIVE NO OFFENCE IN THEM; FOR THAT THE APOSTLE PROVETH UNLAWFUL BY MANY REASONS._ _Anno Domini 58._ SOME of the Jewish converts at Rome, fancying that the meats forbidden by Moses were unclean in themselves, Romans 14:... [ Continue Reading ]
_ROMANS 14:1_, &C. _HIM THAT IS WEAK,_ &C.— By Aquila and Priscilla, who were come from Rome, and with whom St. Paul was familiar for a considerable time (Acts 18:2.), or by some other hand, the Apostle had a particular account of the state of the Christian church at Rome, and was informed that ther... [ Continue Reading ]
EATETH HERBS— Some of the Jews used to eat no flesh at all, and others looked upon it as a very high pitch of virtue to abstain from it in Gentile countries, and to subsist entirely on vegetables, from an apprehension, that the flesh sold in the shambles might have been offered to idols, or at least... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NOT HIM THAT EATETH, DESPISE, &C.— _By him that eateth,_ St. Paul seems to mean the _Gentiles,_ who were less scrupulous in the use of indifferent things; and _by him that eateth not,_ the _Jews,_ who made great distinction of meats, and days, and placed in them a great and, as they thought, nec... [ Continue Reading ]
STANDETH OR FALLETH, &C.— _Falleth_ is here used in the destructive sense, and signifies being totally cast off. Comp. ch. Romans 11:11. Dr. Whitby explains the last clause, of God's convincing the Jewish converts in general of the indifference of the Mosaic ritual, by putting a speedy period to the... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE MAN ESTEEMETH ONE DAY, &C.— The Apostle having, in the foregoing verse, used the phrase κρινων αλλοτριον οικετην, for _judging any one_ to be or not to be _another man's servant,_—seems here to continue the use of the word τρινειν in the same signification; that is, for _judging a day_ to be mor... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR NONE OF US LIVETH TO HIMSELF, &C.— _None of us,_ that is, "none of us Christians, _ought to live,"_ &c. The Apostle's argument stands thus: "According to the principles of true religion, and of the Christian religion in particular, we are not our own; neither are we to live to ourselves, as if w... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ARE THE LORD'S— These words give an easy interpretation to the phrases of _eating_ and _living,_ &c. _to the Lord;_ for they make them plainly to refer to what the Apostle had said at the latter end of Romans 14:3 _for God hath received him;_ signifying, that God had received all those who profes... [ Continue Reading ]
MIGHT BE LORD— This must be so understood here as to agree with the foregoing verse: there it was, "We, that is, we Christians, whether we live or die, are the Lord's property: for the Lord died, and rose again, that we, whether living or dying, should be his." See Locke. See commentary on Romans 1... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT WHY DOST THOU JUDGE THY BROTHER, &C.— The superstitious are prone to judge, and those who are not superstitious are prone to despise. Heylin.... [ Continue Reading ]
LET US NOT THEREFORE JUDGE— He had before reproved the weak for censuring the strong in the use of their liberty: he comes now to restrain the strong from offending the weak, by a too free use of their liberty, in not forbearing the use of it, where it might give offence to the weak. The word render... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF THY BROTHER BE GRIEVED, &C.— _If then thy brother be offended with thy meat, thou walkest no longer charitably._ It hence appears, that grieving a person does not signify merely putting himout of humour, but leading him into sin. The _grief_ therefore is that which arises from a consciousness... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NOT THEN YOUR GOOD BE EVIL SPOKEN OF— "Let not your liberty, which is a good that you enjoy under the Gospel, be evil spoken of." See 1 Corinthians 10:29.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT MEAT, &C.— "The kingdom of God neither prohibits nor enjoins such things as these, nor is it taken up with such little matters; but the great design of it is to regulate the temper of its professors, and in the most effectual manner to cultivate and promote righteousnes... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORK OF GOD— That is, a Christian. See 1 Corinthians 9:1, Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 1:6. _Destroying him_ here, and in Romans 14:15, is causing him to apostatize, or renounce the Christian faith. Some read, _for the sake of meats,_ &c. and instead of _pure,—clean._... [ Continue Reading ]
IS OFFENDED, OR IS MADE WEAK— That is, drawn to the doing of any thing, of the lawfulness of which not being fully persuaded, it becomes a sin to him. See Locke.... [ Continue Reading ]
HAST THOU FAITH?— There is no necessity for reading the first clause interrogatively; and it seems more agreeable to the structure of the Greek;—_Thou hast faith:_ as if he had said, "I own you have a right persuasion." Farther, there is an anadiplosis in the words εχεις and εχε: the first signifies... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE THAT DOUBTETH, IS DAMNED, &C.— _Is convicted_ [of sin] _if he eat, because it is not according to his belief: for whatsoever_ [a man doeth] _not according to his persuasion, is sin._ The word rendered _doubteth,_ is translated _staggered,_ ch. Romans 4:20 and is there opposed to _strong in th... [ Continue Reading ]