Chapter # 14 Paragraph # 2 Study # 14
August 22, 2021
Humble, Texas
(140)
1769 KJV Translation:
22 Hast thou faith? have [
it] to thyself before God. Happy [
is] he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because [
he eateth] not of faith: for whatsoever [
is] not of faith is sin.
1901 ASV Translation:
22 The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in that which he approveth.
23 But he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because [he eateth] not of faith; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
- I. Paul's "Repetition" Of His "Kingdom" Principles.
- A. The aforementioned "chiastic" structure of Paul's words (see (127)) made the essence of The Kingdom of The God his major subject of interest.
- B. We have looked at Paul's second half of his chiasm.
- II. Paul's Summation: 14:21-23.
- A. Regarding the "on the ground issue" of "eating and drinking" in the light of the conflict because of "baggage" brought into "The Faith" by those who believe the Gospel.
- B. Regarding the exercise of "faith" in view of "freedom" given in Christ.
- 1. The one who "has faith".
- a. The use of "possessing faith" is in view of biblical revelation plus...
- 1) In this context Paul is dealing with "actual revealed Truth" along the lines of "...we know there is no such thing as an idol..." (1 Corinthians 8:4) and "...food will not commend us to God..." (1 Corinthians 8:8) and "...eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience sake..." (1 Corinthians 10:25).
- a) These statements were written within the backdrop of God's "Law" for Israel.
- b) These statements seem to imply that God's restrictions upon the diet of His people were not deeply rooted. They raise the question: "Why did God impose upon Israel dietary constraints if what one eats is of no on-going consequence?"
- c) However, these statements reveal a progression in the divine program that reveals a movement away from "physical well-being" as a high priority. There is no question that a great deal of God's dealings with Israel was focused upon the well being of the "outer man". There is a rationale for dietary directions: health for the body. But, there is also a rationale for dismissing those directions: too much focus upon the "outer" and not enough focus upon the "inner" man. In the divine program of bringing men into the salvation of "Life", there has been a kind of "weaning" of men away from the "milk" so that there may be a greater perception of the benefits of the "meat". There is, in man's innate selfishness, too much of a focus upon lesser issues at the expense of the greater issues. Thus, in the large view of historical progression, there will be "demands" that focus upon "lesser things" for a time in order that a greater understanding of the "greater things" might develop.
- 2) However, the issue of "biblical revelation" is not a simple concept; thus, a plus...
- a) According to Hebrews 5:14 it is "...because of practice [that] the senses [are] trained to discern good and evil". This means that the "words" of divine revelation are not "discernible" in terms of meaning and/or significance apart from "experimentation", or "practice".
- b) And, according to 2 Corinthians 4:6, there must also be divine illumination whereby God "flips the light switch to 'on'" so that we are enabled to "grasp" what is actually already present in the words, but which we do not apprehend.
- c) And, according to 1 Corinthians 2:13, we must be "taught by the Spirit" in order to grasp much of what is already revealed by the words were we able to grasp them.
- d) This "plus" is all bound up in the complexity of "Truth" wherein all is present in every word, but is only meted out to us in bits and pieces as our ignorance allows.
- b. The use of "possessing faith" is anartharous in distinction to "The Faith" (in 14:1).
- 1) In 14:1 Paul wrote of "The Faith" (articular).
- 2) In his next reference to "faith" in this chapter (14:22), the word is a reference to the human response to "The Faith" as the words of divine revelation because it is "anartharous" (Greek syntax issue regarding the use/absence of the definite article).
- c. The use of "possessing faith" indicates a "settling of the conscience" into "acceptance". An unsettled conscience signals the absence of "faith" and, thus, nothing should be done in the realm of an "unsettled" conscience. Abstain from any/every thing that is rooted in the ambiguous illness of "ease". God is more interested in our function according to conscience than He is in our "understanding" (which is always lacking to some degree).
- 1) This "greater interest" is "greater" simply because it addresses the most fundamental issue of "harmonious relationships": a genuine desire to "build up" rather than "tear down".
- 2) Without this "greater interest" and its corollary of bringing more important issues into play, men will simply settle for the minimum. In the case of Romans 14, that "minimum" is "the least that will actually work". "Believing" in "The Faith" is a "minimum" issue when "just getting in the door" is all that men care about. God is never satisfied with men "settling" for the minimum. "Pressing on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:14-16) is a mandate, not an option.
- d. Paul's instruction is "have [faith] according to the standard of yourself before The God".
- 1) What Paul means is that there are times when what a person believes is to be kept to him/her self in the privacy of one's own interactions with The God.
- 2) What is "at stake" here is "what a person approves" as a matter that does not hinder his/her relationship with God.
- 3) Paul is still dealing with those actions that a person chooses to take, and can take, with an attitude of "serving God" and "giving thanks to Him" (14:6) within the boundaries of the reality that none of us "lives for himself and/or dies for himself" (14:7-8). We are God's possession and all is to be done under that reality (14:8-9 compared with 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
- 2. The one who "does not have faith".