The man is condemned in Ro 14:23 because he broke the rule--"each man must be fully convinced in his own mind" because "God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith" Ro 1:17.
Justified by Works
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mailmandan
Well-Known Member
Romans 14:22-23 is not the unpardonable sin. Other translations (vs 22) say - Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves/doesn’t feel guilty for what they do. Condemn here means condemns or judges themselves. Not condemned by God in hell.
The condemnation in v22 is one condemnation, the condemnation in v23 is another--one person is condemned for how he eats with faith (in a way that causes his brother to stumble), the other person is condemned for eating without faith.
No, it's not the unpardonable sin, it's just stating that that step the man took was not taken in faith, and it was a sin, and he needs forgiveness and restoration.
Study first THEN read commentaries, selective commentaries-expository and exegetical commentaries is what I use on problematic verses and Customs and Manners-here is some I would recommend.
Hard Sayings of the Bible
How to read the Bible for all it's worth
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
How to understand your Bible
You can understand your Bible Utley
NT history F.F. Bruce.
Life and Times of Jesus Messiah.
Rom_14:1 Re a weaker brother.
Theme of ch. 14 & 15
Reconciliation of Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians
In this passage Paul addresses the tension between two groups within the Christian community ... Paul’s message urges the Roman Christians to withhold judgment of their fellow believers, which was a threat to unity.
Now -- Paul often moves from one subject to another by means of a transition; but he often simply turns from one subject to the next without a bridge of thought. That is the case here. Now (transitional δέ) - Lenski
Receive [accept; welcome] -- The present tense Greek word refers to personal and willing acceptance of another.
Same word and tense as Rom_15:7.
The exhortation here is directed to the strong, for they are tempted to enter into quarrels with those who have a weaker faith. - ESVSB
weak -- One not convinced of their liberty in Christ. - (NIVZSB)
one who is weak in the faith -- Likely refers to Christians who remained committed to observing certain parts of the law, such as food laws and the Sabbath (Rom_14:2-3).
The immediate context probably refers to Jewish Christians, though other practices concerning food and observing certain days (Rom_14:6) were issues for non-Jewish people as well (see Gal_4:1-11). The law of Moses designated certain animals as ritually unclean, and it therefore prohibited Jews from eating them (see Lev_11:1-47). - FSB
The strong Jewish believers understood their freedom in Christ and realized the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic law were no longer binding. The mature Gentiles understood that idols are not gods and, therefore, that they could eat meat that had been offered to them. But in both cases the weaker brothers’ consciences were troubled, and they were even tempted to violate their consciences (a bad thing to train oneself to do), become more legalistic under the feelings of guilt, or even to sin. Knowing that the mature Jews and Gentiles would be able to understand these struggles, Paul addresses most of his comments to them. - MSB
Being weak in faith means having scruples against doing certain things that Christian liberty would allow. In Rome, most of the weak in faith were Jewish Christians whose consciences did not give them liberty from certain requirements of Jewish law. - NLTSB
weak in the faith -- This characterizes those believers who are unable to let go of the religious ceremonies and rituals of their past.
The weak Jewish believer had difficulty abandoning the rites and prohibitions of the Old Covenant; he felt compelled to adhere to dietary laws, observe the Sabbath, and offer sacrifices in the temple. The weak Gentile believer had been steeped in pagan idolatry and its rituals; he felt that any contact with anything remotely related to his past, including eating meat that had been offered to a pagan deity and then sold in the marketplace, tainted him with sin.
Both had very sensitive consciences in these areas, and were not yet mature enough to be free of those convictions. Cf. 1Co_8:1-13. - MSB
This [weak in faith] refers to a legalistic mindset. The over-scrupulous Christian brother is described in this chapter in three ways (1) prohibitions of food (cf. Rom_14:2, Rom_14:6, Rom_14:21); (2) emphasis on special days (cf. Rom_14:5-6); and (3) prohibition of wine (cf. Rom_14:17, Rom_14:21). This same type of person was mentioned in Rom_15:1 and 1Co_8:9-13; Rom_9:22. Be careful not to categorize yourself too quickly as a strong or weak Christian. Often believers are weak in one area and strong in another.
Paul’s attitude toward these matters is very different in Gal_4:9-10 and Col_2:16-23. These texts reflect the attitudes and teachings of false teachers. In Romans these are sincere believers who have over-scrupulous consciences. - Utley
the faith -- In his faith. Is the faith here to be understood at subjective, or objective as the gospel, the will of God in Christ. Probably subjective.
not to disputes [quarrel; judgment] --
Better translated, “for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions (or scruples).” The mature believer should not sit in judgment on the sincere but underdeveloped thoughts that govern the weak believer’s conduct.
Lit. not to criticisms of (his) scruples. “receive him, do not criticize him; let him come with a welcome, —The noun rendered “criticisms” (or its cognate verb) is used (e.g. 1Co_12:10; Heb_5:14;) for detection of differences. (CBSC)
over doubtful things [over opinions;] --
In Rom 14 and 1Cor 8 Paul argues for mutual toleration. It is unmistakable, from all the passages in question, with which Paul sided. Paul clearly decides against the principle of the “weak brethren;” though he treats it as an error which might lawfully and usefully be met by toleration. (CBSC)
The last word in the verse is διαλογισμός (dialogismos), which basically means “a thought, an opinion,” and can mean “a doubt, a dispute.” The best translation in this context is simply “opinions,” which is after all the subject of the whole section. The NASB says it best: “but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.” - CPNIV
Hope this is helpful.
J.
P.S. @Ernest T. Bass handle on righteousness is correct, see for yourself how many garments are there for the believer to put on in the Imperative Tense.
"is condemned This is a PERFECT PASSIVE INDICATIVE from kata + krinō, meaning
"placed in a guilty light by contrast" (cf. Harold K. Moulton, The analytical Greek Lexicon Revised, p. 216)
"not condemnation, but the punishment following sentence" (cf. Rom. 5:16,18; 8:1 [cf. Moulton and Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, p. 328])
Here, it refers to the violation of one's conscience and the resulting pain associated with the convicting of the Holy Spirit, not to one's salvation.
@mailmandan is correct, as always.
J.
It goes beyond this.
Romans 14:23 just has to be taken in context....
We can't separate each verse and make some doctrine on IT ALONE.
Because our conscience condemns us doesn't mean we're headed for hell.
I never said the person who sins one time is going to hell, I was simply outlining the parameters.
Not doing much reading these days.
I did read The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah but many moons ago.
Also, I like to understand what the bible says by reading the bible.
One rule I go by is that it never contradicts itself.
Some time ago I used to take verses members would post and go all the way back to the beginning
of the chapter and explain the entire chapter.
Context is the name of the game.
Don't have much time for this, at least for right now.
Right!
It is indeed about how to behave around a weak brother.
Thanks for a good job!
Just got back GP.
No
You said the verse contained the word CONDEMNED.
Condemned means condemned and, as I've been saying, words are important.
I was going to go over all of chapter 14 now but I see that @Johann and @Grailhunter have taken care of the conflict
which, I THINK, might have been created by your attention to one word: CONDEMN.
No one said it refers to one's salvation.
and @mailmandan is NOT always right !!
But he's a nice guy so it's OK.
Condemned means "not in right standing", whereas justified means "in right standing".
The verse teaches that when someone is in sin, they are not in right standing.
Do you disagree?
Agreed Dan.
I'm not the one you have to convince...
The entire chapter has nothing to do with condemnation.
We agree!
Yes.
I disagree.
I could be IN SIN but still be in right standing with God.
Are YOU saying that every time I sin I lose my standing with God?
I just believe the verse--the one who does what he doubts sins and is condemned. Forgive me. Lol
Grailhunter
Well-Known Member
So you think you know what this verse means.....
Now read the whole chapter.....
Does the verse have more than one meaning?
It's OK GP
This is how it is. You've got at least 4 persons right now telling you your understanding is incorrect...
but you keep believing your version.
It's just how things are.
I do wish it wasn't like this....
Which part of the verse did you disagree with?
"The one who doubts is condemned if he eats"
It's not up for debate. It's as clear as clear could be. To reject it is unbelief.
