This chapter, 14., teaches in what spirit we ought to behave towards the scrupulous or “the weak,” i.e., towards such as are still under the influence of Jewish elements. The same subject continues to the 7th verse of chap. 15.—the obligation, the grounds, the sphere, and the end of Christian forbearance.
Various principles ought to govern the sentiments and conduct with regard to the weak. It was hard for the Christian, who had been a Jew, to renounce his old and divinely-established differences of clean and unclean, of days holy and days common. The converted Gentile had, or ought to have had, no difficulty whatever; for what respect could he have longer for the particular parts of a system which, as a whole, he had rejected as false and idolatrous? But these very diversities of their circumstances exposed the Christians, who comprised both, to danger from disputes as to these questions of conscience about outward things. For it must be carefully borne in mind, that what the Holy Ghost lays down does not refer to matters of moral good or evil, not to doctrine or revelation, but to questions which grew out of the relics of Jewish feeling. In other words, “the weak” brother was one who loved Christ, and who hated sin, not less really than” the strong.” The weak were not lax, but the contrary: they were extremely and painfully scrupulous, hence their anxiety as to eating meat or keeping a day. It was a remnant of legalism from which they had not been set free, from feebleness in apprehending the place into which we are brought through and in Christ risen from the dead.
Now it is well to remember that human nature always tends to one or other of the perils which threatened the saints at Rome. Liberty, if not exercised immediately in Christ's service, is apt to slip into a lack of conscience: sense of responsibility, if not maintained with full and unclouded rest in God's grace, soon degenerates into a burdened and groaning scrupulosity. The Christian is in principle delivered from both these snares: he is dead with Christ, and so ordinances of “touch not, taste not, handle not” no longer apply. They are meant for those who are living in the world; whereas, he is dead with Christ and risen with Him, no longer to be occupied with such earthly restrictions, but free to set the mind upon things above, where Christ sitteth at God's right hand. Such is the position of the Christian for himself; but then for his brethren, there is the love that bears with and respects the conscience that is tried by the very things in which he realizes his liberty. Love bends to feebleness of faith, never to latitudinarianism; love does not put a cause of tripping or stumbling before one's brother.
The apostle, then, exhorts that the weak in the faith (i.e., as to the ancient ceremonial precepts) should be received, but not to the discussion of questions. The Christian should know his superiority to such a point as eating herbs, but if he had doubts about it from Levitical associations, &c., he was not to be disdained, nor should he judge another who knew no scruples of the sort. It is remarkable that the stress is laid, in verse 4, on not judging. It is the weak who are liable to judge the strong, the strong in danger of making little of the weak. Who art thou that art judging another's servant? he belongs to the Lord, not to us; and what he does, he does to the Lord, giving thanks to God. Living or dying, we are the Lord's-the expression of entire consecration to God in the Christian life. Founded then upon this truth of Christ's universal lordship over His own, (“for for this end Christ both died and lived, that he might rule over both dead and living,”) the apostle urges once more with increased force, not upon the ground of our service, but of His Lordship. “But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother?” Or, again, why dost thou make nothing of thy brother? for we shall be presented before the judgment seat of Christ.... each of us shall render account concerning himself to God. Christ has the authority to judge, we have not: why should we judge our brethren?
Besides, charity demands that we should respect our brother. The more right a man is, the more he can afford to be gracious. “Let not then your good be evil spoken of; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.” We have been called to liberty, but true liberty proceeds by love. It is very touching to serve the Lord even in these details. We shall appear, too, before His judgment-seat, not to be judged, but to render account to God—a striking proof of the deity of the Lord Jesus. We are already accepted, so that the righteousness of God will by no means put us again on our trial; and if it is a question of us on this point in any way, it will be to show that we are “the righteousness of God in Christ.” But in this circumstance what a discovery shall we not make of the tenderness of Christ, and what will not be our admiration, when we shall know all the watchful care wherewith the faithful Savior has surrounded our weakness, during the passage through the desert! Seen in this light, this moment presents something delicious to the mind.
Practically, peace and edification are to be the great aim in all these debatable points. If thou hast faith, instead of doubts, so much the better, but have it to thyself before God. Blessed is he who does not judge himself in what he allows, (or approves,) but he who doubts is condemned if he eat, because it is not from faith; but whatsoever is not from faith is sin: that is, whatever is not done in liberty of faith.
Chap. xv. 1-7. “But we who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves.” If we are really better off than our brethren, how are we to show it? As Christ, we are to act in love and in this spirit of candor which finds pleasure in the society of the humble. How well Paul could speak of it, who, with a ministry so elevated as his knew how to bend down to the level of all, even of the least. Further, the Christian represents God so that if any one outrages God, the Christian receives the outrage. What a marvelous position this passage puts us in! “As many things as were written before, were written for our instruction, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have our hope.” But it is in God that these graces are found which are communicated to us by the scriptures. God is in Himself the God of patience and of comfort. Patience is for the strong; the weak have hardly any; patience is in the number of the qualities which characterize the apostleship. Christ received us, not because we were wise, enlightened, &c., but by an effect of His grace to the glory of God. So should we receive brethren in a like spirit.