But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Here the Apostle mentions someone who is eating meat but "not from faith." Based on his discussion so far, we can conclude that the "belief" in view is that "the kingdom of God does not consist of eating or drinking."
Thus, the word translated "doubts" should be understood as "he who is contentious". The man who causes division for the sake of food does not remember the essential truth that the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking. His eating the meat is not consistent with a faith that places righteousness and service to Christ over religious rules and mores.
No, not even close:
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
Verse 23
23.
But he who is undecided, etc. He very fitly expresses in one word the character of that mind which vacillates and is uncertain as to what ought to be done; for he who is undecided undergoes alternate changes, and in the midst of his various deliberations is held suspended by uncertainty. As then the main thing in a good work is the persuasion of a mind conscious of being right before God, and as it were a calm assurance, nothing is more opposed to the acceptance of our works than vacillation. (435) And, oh! that this truth were fixed in the minds of men, that nothing ought to be attempted except what the mind feels assured is acceptable to God, men would not then make such an uproar, as they often do now, nor waver, nor blindly hurry onward wherever their own imagination may lead them. For if our way of living is to be confined to this moderation, that no one is to touch a morsel of meat with a doubting conscience, how much greater caution is to be exercised in the greatest things?
And whatever is not from faith, etc. The reason for this condemnation is, that every work, however splendid and excellent in appearance, is counted as sin, except it be founded on a right conscience; for God regards not the outward display, but the inward obedience of the heart, by this alone is an estimate made of our works. Besides, how can that be obedience, when any one undertakes what he is not persuaded is approved by God? Where then such a doubt exists, the individual is justly charged with prevarication; for he proceeds in opposition to the testimony of his, own conscience.
The word
faith is to be taken here for a fixed persuasion of the mind, or, so to speak, for a firm assurance, and not that of any kind, but what is derived from the truth of God. Hence doubt or uncertainty vitiates all our actions, however specious they may otherwise be. Now, since a pious mind can never acquiesce with certainty in anything but the word of God, all fictitious modes of worship do in this case vanish away, and whatever works there may be which originate in the brains of men; for while everything which is not from faith is condemned, rejected is whatever is not supported and approved by God’s word. It is at the same time by no means sufficient that what we do is approved by the word of God, except the mind, relying on this persuasion, prepares itself cheerfully to do its work. Hence the first thing in a right conduct, in order that our minds may at no time fluctuate, is this, that we, depending on God’s word, confidently proceed wherever it may call us.
(435) The Greek isὁ διακρινόμενος, “he who discerns,” that is, a difference as to meats; so [
Doddridge ], [
Macknight ], and [
Chalmers ] regard its meaning. [
Beza ] has “qui dubitat — who doubts,” and so our version. The word used by [
Calvin ] is
dijudicat , which properly means to judge between things, to discern, but according to his explanation it means to judge in two ways, to be undecided.
The verb no doubt admits of these two meanings; it is used evidently in the sense of making or putting a difference, but only, as some say, in the active voice. There are indeed two places where it seems to have this meaning in its passive or middle form,
James 2:4, and
Judges 1:22. But as Paul has before used it in this Epistle,
Romans 4:20, in the sense of hesitating, staggering, or doubting, we may reasonably suppose that it has this meaning here, and especially as in every place where he expresses the other idea, he has employed the active form. See
1 Corinthians 4:7;
1 Corinthians 11:29; etc. —
Ed.
_______
Since it is raised in the commentary...
Romans 4
20No unbelief made him
waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
Should the word be translated "contentious" there, too?
Of course not, because, not least,
the theme is faith, and we see that
the counter to the "wavering by reason of doubt" is "faith"--same as is the case in Romans 14:23 (
the theme is faith, "each man must be fully convinced in his own mind", and
the counter, the opposite, to the "wavering" is "faith", "he who
wavers is condemned if he eats, because what ever does not come from faith is sin").
