The people of the time of John Chrysostome (347?407) tried to limit the meaning of Paul’s words in Romans 14:23: “But he that has doubts, if he eats, is condemned, for what he does does does not come from faith; and all that does not come from faith is sin. Chrysostome warns: “Now, all these things paulo has said on the subject in question, not above all. “
Leon Morris follows this delineation and says:
- Whatever the truth about actions taken before someone became a believer.
- Paul is not discussing it here.
- His concern is the believer.
- Who sometimes does things that are not motivated by faith.
- (The Epistle to the Romans.
- 493).
But Lenski says, “No!”
Should this be limited to the one believer and only to the question of adiaphoria, that is, faith in this area?No, no, no, no, it covers this area just because it’s part of a much larger area (Introduction to the New Testament)
What you think?
Here is the context to help you stay oriented (Romans 14:21-23)
It is good not to eat meat, drink wine, or do anything your brother encounters [or is offended or weakened]. Your faith, have it for you before God. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves of. But he who has doubts is condemned if he eats, for what he does does does not come from faith; and all that does not come from faith is sin.
Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of Saint John, quotes Romans 14:23 as a universal phrase that covers all human conditions.
Not that you can say, “Before I believed, I was already doing good deeds, and that’s why I was chosen. “For what good deed can be before faith, when the Apostle says, “All that does not come from faith is sin?(Nice and post-nicen parents, volume 8, 353).
Thomas Schreiner agrees with Augustine and points out that Paul could easily have made a more limited point by stopping the first part of verse 23 (?That’s a point. End of discussion. Of course not. Now add a generic maxim: anything that does not come from faith is sin (Romans, 739).
Of course, it is true, as Morris says, that Paul does not dispute the actions of those who are not spoken of in Romans 14, but that is not a solid argument. We regularly support specific points with generic points.
For example, we could say: “The big hands of grandpa’s watch in this store run 360 degrees every hour. Why do the largest hands of all watches that have circular faces rotate 360 degrees every hour?No one would consider us reasonable if we said, “From these two sentences, what we can learn is that the only watches whose larger hands rotate 360 degrees every hour are the grandparent’s clocks of this shop, because Grandpa’s clocks are the subject of our conversation ?. No, we bring a universal point to support a specific point.
That’s what Paul did. ” Is everything that does not come from faith a sin?It’s a universal point. There are several supports for this other than Romans 14:23. Like what:
1. Paul’s point in Romans 4:20 is that faith glorifies God: “Abraham by faith has been strengthened, giving glory to God”. The reason unfaithful acts are sins is that they do not glorify God as trustworthy.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul said, “So whether you eat, drink, or do anything else, do it all for the glory of God. “But you cannot glorify God if you dishonor Him by not trusting Him. there is no faith, 1 Corinthians 10:31 is disobeyed in every action (however neutral).
3. Hebrews 11: 6 says: “In truth, without faith, it is impossible to please God, since it is necessary that those who approach God believe that he exists and that he becomes a reward for those who seek him” ( Hebrews 11: 6) Therefore, where there is no faith, all acts displease God.
That is why Augustine said that even the virtues of the unbelievers are sins. Can an example make this radical accusation? Human faith is no longer clear.
Suppose you are the father of a teenage child. It reminded him to wash the car before using it to take his friends to the basketball game tonight. He had agreed to do it before.
He gets angry and says he doesn’t want to do that. You remind him gently but firmly of your promise and tell him that’s what you expect. He’s resisting. You say, “Listen, if you’re going to use the car today, do you have any obligation?”He leaves the room angry. Later, you see him washing the car.
But it does not do so based on love or the desire that honors Christ to obey the Bible. He wants to go to the game with his friends. That’s what drives his “obedience. “Should I say it? Enclosed in quotation marks, because it is only external. Is that what I mean when I say all this, virtues?Are human beings depraved if they do not go from a heart of love to Heavenly Father?Even if the behavior conforms to biblical standards.
The terrible condition of man’s heart will never be recognized by people who evaluate it only in relation to others. Your child will take friends to the basketball game. It’s a nice thing. You’ll see this as an “advantage. ” Therefore, the evil of our actions can never be measured simply by the good or harm they do to other humans.
Romans 14:23 clearly shows that our depravity is a condition in relation to God in the first place and only secondly in relation to man; it is the great awakening that must occur in people to see the extent of their sins and the greatness of the Savior.