The Jews did not eat pork or other meats that were not kosher. A list of these dietary restrictions appears in the Torah, in Leviticus 11, repeated in Deuteronomy 14. (See this Wikipedia article on Kashrut.) So what about these new Gentile followers of the Jewish Messiah?
Romans 14:1-3, Accept those with weak faith
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
Let people make their own decisions about their diet and do not judge them. This is still good advice, two millennia later!
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
Let people make their own decisions about their diet and do not judge them. This is still good advice, two millennia later!
Romans 14:4, You are not the judge
Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
There is a deeper principle: let followers of Jesus be responsible to Jesus, and leave their decisions to Him. This simple principle permeates this chapter.
Romans 14:5-9, Live to the Lord
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.
If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
There were (are) similar disputes about observing feast days or the Sabbath. Paul uses the same principle; let each us seek to serve the resurrected Messiah and be serious about it.
Romans 14:10-13, Stop passing judgment on each other! Instead...
You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "`As surely as I live,' says the Lord, `every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
The quote in verse 11 is from Isaiah 45:23.
The last verse in this paragraph, verse 13, expresses a community view: we are building up a church, a body of disciples, seeking to grow together in the Christ. Let us keep this in mind as we enjoy our freedom in Christ.
The quote in verse 11 is from Isaiah 45:23.
The last verse in this paragraph, verse 13, expresses a community view: we are building up a church, a body of disciples, seeking to grow together in the Christ. Let us keep this in mind as we enjoy our freedom in Christ.
As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
Paul, the once kosher Pharisee, now says that no foods are unclean. Like Peter, at the beginning of Acts 11, Paul has come to the surprising belief that the Messiah is available to all, regardless of their diet.
Paul, the once kosher Pharisee, now says that no foods are unclean. Like Peter, at the beginning of Acts 11, Paul has come to the surprising belief that the Messiah is available to all, regardless of their diet.
Sadly, I have seen this passage abused, to create the effect opposite of that desired by Paul. Church people place restrictions on others ("Don't drink, don't smoke, don't dress like that...") by claiming, "You might be a stumbling block to me or someone nearby." In so doing, they ignore the strong "Don't judge!" theme of the passage.
It has also been my experience that the act of Judging Others can itself be a significant stumbling block to the cause of Christ.
Romans 14: 17-21, Righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit -- and mutual growth
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
Diet and drink are inconsequential ... unless they are hurting others. It is how we act with others, caring for others in "righteousness, peace and joy", all provided by the Holy Spirit -- that is what matters.
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
Diet and drink are inconsequential ... unless they are hurting others. It is how we act with others, caring for others in "righteousness, peace and joy", all provided by the Holy Spirit -- that is what matters.
Romans 14: 22-23, Act from faith
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Paul calls for confidence and "faith", acting with commitment and submission to God.
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Paul calls for confidence and "faith", acting with commitment and submission to God.
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