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.The term edification means to build something, just as an edifice is of course a building. The idea of edification here is not so much teaching information. Paul talks about building up a life, seeing character formed; and mutual edification, each of us contributing to the others and being part of the plan of God that creates something beautiful and lasting in the others' lives. Peace allows for the building process to succeed. After the destructiveness of war peace creates the possibility of restoration.
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.This is a long discussion. Verses 1-18 talk about the issues of who was free to eat meat or not, drink wine or not, and worship on Saturday or Sunday or some other holy day. All of those were sources of tension in the first-century church. Most of us have not experienced anything as wide as the gulf or as painful as the suspicion that existed between Jews and Gentiles in the early church. There had been mutual antagonism from long before the Roman period. Jews were isolated unto themselves. They rejected the Gentile world and its influence, and the Gentiles in return rejected the Jews and treated them with suspicion. Now they were in church together, and the requirement was to love each other rather than let the little things in which they were different drive them apart. Verses 17 and 18 are a crescendo in the argument: "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."
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.
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.Being motivated rightly and doing what is right, knowing how to be a blessing to other people and asking the right questions about what is going on inside, have been the subjects of the last paragraph of Romans 14. What we are additionally encountering now in this section is the matter of endurance. The calling before us is to stay with it, to not expect people to get fixed as quickly as we would like them to.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.That is a succinct statement of this whole section. If you want to boil it down to one sentence, this is probably it. We are to accept one another---everybody on all sides, every direction, 360 degrees, all possible people, each of us reaching toward the other in acceptance---as Christ has accepted us. The basis for it is that we have been treated mercifully by the Lord, and we all relate to him on the same basis. Because he has accepted us, we accept one another in order to bring praise to God. The great beauty of Christian unity is not even that the believing people are praised for their unity, but that ultimately God himself is praised.
For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:Paul does something interesting in summarizing four quotes from the Old Testament, putting this in an ancient theological setting. He goes back and looks at all that God has done. He says to the Jews who are in Rome receiving this letter, "Christ became a servant of the Jews, but not because you particular Jews in Rome were attractive or worthwhile or had anything going for you. It is because he made promises to the patriarchs. So you have the advantage of his ministry because he keeps his promises." He says to the Gentiles, "Your experience of knowing God will result in recognition of his mercy. You may glorify God for his mercy---you don't deserve anything you have gotten, but a merciful God is going to include you as well."
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing hymns to your name."
Again, it says,
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."
And again,
"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing praises to him, all you peoples."
And again, Isaiah says,
"The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him."
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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