I shall be obliged if you will give an explanation of Romans 14:1-2. I have been asked if it does not show lack of faith, to eat herbs. From reading the entire chapter it seems that different foods were eaten, according to the day kept. Is this so?
The principal difficulty about this text arises from taking certain expressions, and putting an arbitrary meaning on them, without regard to the general subject of which they form a part. To study the 14th chapter, so as to grasp its teaching, in an hour, is a large task; but we may get enough of an understanding so that you need not be troubled over it any more. Thus if you have your mind freed from wrong ideas you may be able to go on studying it intelligently.
Remember that chapter divisions are purely arbitrary, and do not indicate any change in the subject. Read the 13th chapter carefully, and you will see that its subject is real service to God as supreme. "Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loves another has fulfilled the law. ... Love works no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. ... Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." (Romans 13:8,10,14)
The 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th chapters deal with our relation to one another, and especially as members of the body of Christ.
We Are Not to Be Judges
In the 13th chapter, the law of God, as the rule of life and the standard of the Judgment, is set forth, and the 14th contains a warning against our presuming to judge one another. "Who are you that judges another man's servant? to his own Master he stands or falls. ... Why do you judge your brother? or why do you set at nought your brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us therefore not judge one another any more." (Romans 14:4,10-13)
Now can you not see that the Lord, by the Apostle, is not in this chapter telling us some specific things that we are to do, but is speaking of our general treatment of one another? "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." (Romans 14:19)
With these verses in mind read the first of the chapter: "Him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations." (Romans 14:1)
The margin has "not to judge his doubtful thoughts." The margin of the Revision has, "for decisions of doubts." The word in the Greek is the same that is rendered "imaginations" in Romans 1:21, and "thoughts" in: "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." (1 Corinthians 3:20)
It indicates uncertainty, so in: "Why are you troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?" (Luke 24:36)
So the first verse is well rendered in the French of Segond: "Accept him that is feeble in the faith, and do not discuss his opinions."
The Danish and Norwegian translations are the same. One recent Danish translation has it: "Receive him that is feeble in faith, without judging thoughts."
The teaching is plainly the same as in: "Foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes." (2 Timothy 2:23)
Also: "Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith." (1 Timothy 1:4) "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." (Romans 14:5)
Full Assurance by the Word
But this does not by any means indicate that it makes little if any difference what one believes. Far from it. On the contrary, it teaches that there should be no doubts, but positive certainty. "He that doubts is damned if he eat, because he eats not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." (Romans 14:23)
This is the idea conveyed in the term "fully persuaded." The Greek word is the same as in Luke 1:1, where we read that the Gospel was written: "To set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us." (Luke 1:1)
But there is no uncertainty about the Gospel of Luke. Luke, as well as Peter, could say: "We have not followed cunningly devised fables." (2 Peter 1:16)
We have the same word in: "The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me that by me the preaching might be fully known." (2 Timothy 4:17)
Opinions are Excluded
Opinions have no place in the Gospel, nor in anybody's Christian experience. They have no connection whatsoever with faith. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." (Romans 10:17)
Whatever the Word of God says is sure, and therefore we may know it. When the Word speaks, there is no room for doubts or opinions; and the expression of our opinion, in such a case, is evidence of lack of faith.
Nevertheless we are not to condemn any person. The Church of Christ is not in the least like any society formed by men, where certain tests are applied to any applicant for membership, and those who do not meet the minds of the members are rejected. Instead, it is the body of Christ, and, like Christ himself, it is a school, to which all are called to come and learn. If a man comes who has less faith than some others, he is not to be condemned, but instructed and helped. Ignore his expressions of mere opinion, and feed him upon the Word, until he knows the certainty of the things that are believed.
This, in brief, is the general teaching of the chapter, as a thoughtful reading must convince you. Certainty is set over against doubt. Nobody has any business with mere opinions, but if any man has them, leave him alone with them and give yourself to the Word, which casts down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
What About Eating Herbs?
"But," you say, "you have not said anything about the health question."
Here is another friend, who refers to several texts, Romans 14 among them, and says: "Many desire light on these texts, and they are usually not touched when health reform is considered, but cast aside, as if we knew them to be against the subject."
Well, there is a good reason why they are not considered in dealing with the health question, and what food is best for one's body, and that is, that they have no connection whatever with that subject. When I am talking about health, there is no reason in the world why I should turn aside to talk about a text that has no bearing on the question.
The only place in the Bible where we have any talk about eating herbs is Exodus 12:8, in the instructions concerning the Passover lamb. "They shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it." (Exodus 12:8)
But we do not kill a lamb, and sprinkle its blood on the door posts, and then eat its flesh, because: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7)
And therefore we have no occasion to eat bitter herbs with it. No one with perfect knowledge of Christ could keep up that ancient custom; but if anybody should do so in the unbelief of ignorance, we should not be justified in condemning him as a heretic. Receive such a one, not to doubtful disputations, (Romans 14:1) nor to dispute about his opinions, but to feed him with the Word, and: "God is able to make him stand." (Romans 14:4)
Some people imagine that this chapter is against Sabbath-keeping, just as our friend supposes it is against healthful living. But the Sabbath is a thing definitely commanded, and is as plain as the duty to worship only one God, and there is no opportunity for anybody to have any doubts about it. It is simply a question of belief.
Yet even here the words, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind," apply; for everybody should know the law of God for a certainty; and professed Sabbath observance, that does not spring from positive knowledge--"the full assurance of faith" (Hebrews 10:22)--is not Sabbath-keeping at all.
Eating All Things
"For one believes that he may eat all things." (Romans 14:2)
I suppose I must say a word about the words "all things," in connection with eating. It is evident that this term excludes things unfit to eat, just as the command to gather manna, "a certain rate every day" (Exodus 16) did not include the Sabbath day. It had reference only to days on which such work might lawfully be done.
It is strange how people will seize upon these words as proof that no attention ought to be paid to what one eats, and at the same time they would themselves exclude from their dietary such things as caterpillars, snakes, toads, rats, beetles, etc. When the apostle says, "One man believes that he may eat all things," (Romans 14:2) it is evident that he has reference only to those things which are fit to be eaten. Similarly, when he says: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) and, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," (1 Corinthians 15:22) it is evident that he is not speaking of the wicked, but only of those who are in Christ.--Present Truth, January 24, 1901.