Romans from a Torah Covenant Perspective – Chapter 14

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.. Romans 14:2 For one believes that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eats only vegetables. Romans 14:3 Let not him that eats (esthiō) (‘meat’ is not in the text. if a translation has it here it’s a translator making their own value judgement) despise him that eats not (me esthio) (‘meat)’; and let not him who does not eat (‘meat’) judge him that eats (‘meat’): for vuvh has received kol Yisrael. The status quo interpretation is one where the weak in faith – the Jews,  are eating kosher and keeping sacred days like the seventh day sabbath. These archaic practices are fine, but not binding or necessary for modern believers – Jewish or gentile. Romans 14:4 Who are you that judges another man’s eved? To his own Master vuvh he stands, or falls. Yes, he shall be held too: for vuvh is able to make him stand. Romans 14:5 One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Romans 3:31  Do we then nullify the Torah through faithfulness? May it never be! On the contrary, we uphold the Torah. The context is ‘opinions,’ V.1, held by human individuals, not commandments given by the One True Living Elohim! The context supports Paul addressing a controversy that had erupted during mealtimes due to the fallout from the Edict of Claudius and how it had affected the availability and accessibility of meat for the Jewish community and the believing community at large…. Jew’s couldn’t procure meat and wine from their own sources, Jewish butchers and slaughter markets were no longer readily accessible. The few Jewish butchers that had returned as the Edict was lifted would have been unwilling to sell meat to Jewish followers of Yahusha! (I know, I’ve had many an uncomfortable experience in an Orthodox Jewish butchers and restaurants. 1 Samuel 14:32 Then the people rushed greedily upon the plunder, took sheep, oxen and calves, butchered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood. 33Then they reported to Saul saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against Adonai by eating with the blood.”  Be aware of a change of status: A clean animal once slaughtered changes status from animal to meat and meat can be designated clean or unclean even if from a clean animal, and the act of consuming it can thereby be sin or not all depending upon  the method of slaughter/the origin of the meat. There’s an Oneg in a “strong” persons house ( a seasoned gentile/Ephramite believes house) and the Jewish neophyte will eat only the vegetables; and is abused by the ‘strong’ for doing so! Judean Jews were highly skeptical of the kosher adherence of diaspora Jews. ‘Weak’ is akin to a ‘seared’ or ‘sensitive’ in conscience! Additionally we know that the early Nazarenes and the Ebionites only ate vegetables as  recorded in the early Christian Epiphanius writing’s! Vegetarianism easily eliminated the threat of idol contamination or association. What works to build a community and what does harm to a community is what this section of the letter is about….not abrogating Torah! Acts 15:20 sets a precedent: “abstain from the contamination of idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what is strangled, and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has had in every city those who proclaim him, since he is read in all the synagogues every Shabbat.” Romans 14:2 For one believes that he may eat ‘all things’: another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.This is NOT an abstract statement, the ‘all things’ are NOT unqualified! Paul is writing in line with the Apostolic decree of Acts 15, so this is a qualified statement! Paul already designated the meat clean in V. 20 anyway; Gk. ‘katharos’,  Heb. Lev 14: tahor, châṭâ’.  But just because it’s clean according to Lev 14 doesn’t guarantee that it’s not ‘koinos’ ‘common.’(V. 14)  from Roman instead of Jewish sources. The stricter people who eat only vegetables