This chapter is frequently used to substantiate the belief that Christians can observe any day as their Sabbath. Believers sometimes use it to legitimize eating anything or refraining from everything. It can be a confusing chapter…
The chapter is not confusing as long as we keep in mind the background, the context and the point that is stated in the first couple of verses. This paper is an effort to help you do just that. It is not an exhaustive study on Romans 14. I have taught the chapter verse by verse. That teaching is available on this site. This article is written to challenge your viewpoint of Paul’s perspective on the Holy Scriptures. Let’s begin by looking at verse 1:
“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.”
The verse mandates that we are to receive into our midst, into our fellowship, those who are “weak in the faith.” What does this mean? We must first ask the question; “What is the question that Paul is answering by this statement?” Is he ambiguously stating that the fellowship is to be made up of only those who are weak? Of course not! Is he saying that the fellowship had gotten too full of those who were “strong?” Possibly, at least they might have looked at themselves that way. But quite possibly, Paul is suggesting that in a healthy body of believers BOTH the weak and the strong are present, both are the reality!
And in that body of believers containing the weak AND the strong, each must be conscious of the other and must be sensitive to the other. We will not attain perfection, personally nor corporately on this side of eternity. That is certain. However, the goal remains the same. The goal of pressing on to maturity! These exhortations hint at the process of growing, changing, and maturing from one level of understanding to the next and so on…
Now, having said that, let’s consider the remainder of the verse. In this reality of weak believers amidst the strong, there will always be “disputable things.” These are those things that might matter to the one, but not necessarily to the whole. These are matters that matter, but not to the degree that salvation hangs upon them. Since this portion of Scripture is often used to validate the belief that Paul is really settling the irrelevance of Sabbath, or the dietary law or even the Old Testament in general, wouldn’t it be necessary for Paul to have mentioned these issues by name in this text? He doesn’t. There is no mention of the Sabbath. There is no mention of the dietary regulations. Nor is there any mention here of Paul’s perspective on whether or not the Old Testament has been done away with. Why not you might ask? Well, it might be an over simplification on my part to suggest this, but it could just be that Paul is not talking about any of those things in this chapter! How can I say that, you might ask? Well, because to Paul (who still considered himself a Pharisee in Acts 23:6, even though he was currently a believer in the Messiah, Yeshua), he would never consider keeping Sabbath, the dietary regulations and the entire Old Testament, to be “disputable things!” Please indulge me for a moment.
The only Scriptures that Paul had at the time were the Old Testament Scriptures. When Paul was growing up, he kept the Sabbath. He kept the dietary regulations. He held to the entire Old Testament, from Genesis through the Prophets. These are the very Scriptures that spoke of the coming deliverer. But now as he is writing this epistle Paul has met the Master! He has heard HIS voice! Paul has experienced HIS divine power! He has been filled with the promised Holy Spirit of Ezekiel 36:27 and has received the “new covenant” spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31-34! He knows from those Scriptures that the very purpose of the Spirit’s filling was to cause GOD’S people to “walk in HIS statutes and keep HIS judgments!” These Scriptures were now alive to him…in him! He now sees them as they were meant to be seen! How could he, why would he now cast them aside like a used garment? Would he? Never! These are the very things that he is to walk in! Paul would never refer to these things as “disputable things!”
GOD does not change. HIS WORD is perfect. There is no “new” standard or basis for us living to please HIM. It is and always has been “by faith.” Believing HIM! Believing HIS immutable WORD! Believing HIS unchanging promises! Believing what GOD says (Biblical faith) was the precedent established in the Garden. And it is still the requirement today. Not believing in ourselves or in others, but believing HIM and what HE has said! How would Paul have known what that was? He would only have known these things by reading HIS WORD. What “WORD” did he have? As a Jewish boy and later a scholar destined for the Sanhedrin, Paul would have known the Old Testament. There was no New Testament while Paul was alive. What Paul now recognized as The Word of GOD, or The Scriptures, would have consisted of “The Torah”, comprised of the five Books of Moses, and “The Tanaak”, which included the Writings and the Prophets. And from that perspective Paul writes Timothy and reminds him that these Scriptures are really ALL that is needed. Listen.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16
Did you see that wording? Read it again. “All Scripture…” Again, what Scriptures is Paul referring to during the time of his writing this statement to Timothy? The only Scriptures inspired by GOD at Paul’s writing; The Old Testament!
And what does he say that these Scriptures are able to do? They are able to assure “that the man of God may by complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work!” Notice how emphatic this is! The man of God, by knowing the Scriptures, will be able to differentiate between unsound and sound doctrine. By knowing these Scriptures “the man of God” will have the basis for reproof. He will have the basis for correction. He will know the basis and the standard for measuring righteousness. And He will be able to make the distinction between incomplete and complete. He will know what is lacking and he will know how to recognize “thoroughly.” Also by them, he will be able to be equipped for every good work! Now, think about it. If Paul refers to these Holy Scriptures in this manner, would it be consistent or even logical that he, in Romans 14 would then refer to the very practices that these Scriptures mandate as “disputable things” or things that don’t really matter? Would he all of a sudden, put The Word of GOD in a category that New Testament believers can decide to either “take it or leave it”? Logic defies it! Paul would never refer to the Holy Scriptures with such disdain. So how has it come about that this chapter in Romans is being interpreted in such a way as to nullify the Biblical Sabbath and in its place support that “every day is the Sabbath in Jesus ” or “whatever day a person decides is okay” type thinking? This thinking also encourages the practice of canceling what The Word of GOD previously has established for determining what is food and what isn’t by encouraging believers to “eat whatever we want”, as well as discrediting the relevance of the Old Testament for professing believers altogether.
Historically, the tide of inaccurate interpretation regarding much of The New Testament seems to have gotten its beginnings with what is called “Antinomianism” (antinomos or “lawlessness”) that arose in the 1st century and continued through The Reformation even until this day. Viewing the Scriptures through the eyes of Antinomianism tends to lead one to embrace the philosophy that JESUS “fulfilled” the Law of GOD so that today’s believers do not have to be accountable to it. Articles on Romans, Antinomianism and The Commandments can be found on this site as well. Complete studies on some of these may be available for download as well.
