Romans 14.15b-The Strong Are To Continue Their Habit Of Not Causing The Weak On Behalf Of Whom Christ Died Suffer Loss Because Of Food
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 6, 2010
Romans: Romans 14:15b-The Strong Are To Continue Their Habit Of Not Causing The Weak On Behalf Of Whom Christ Died As A Substitute To Suffer Loss Because Of Food
Lesson # 482
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 14:13.
Last Thursday evening we began a study of Romans 14:15, in which Paul presents the reason why his readers who are strong with respect to conviction must obey his command at the end of verse 13.
He employs a first class conditional statement to persuade the strong believers to operate according to God’s love and not exercise their freedom with respect to food when in the presence of the weak believer.
He tells them that they are no longer operating according to God’s love if because of the exercise of their freedom with respect to food they cause their fellow weak believer to go against their conviction to eat only kosher foods and thus sin in their own mind and lose fellowship with God.
This evening we will complete our study of Romans 14:15 by noting the prohibition that Paul issues the strong to continue making it their habit of not causing the weak on behalf of whom Christ died as a substitute to suffer loss of fellowship because of the inconsiderate use their freedom with regards to food.
Romans 14:13, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this -- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.”
Romans 14:14, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”
Romans 14:15, “For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.”
“Do not destroy” is composed of the negative particle me (μή) (me), “not” and the second person singular present active imperative form of the verb apollumi (ἀπόλλυμι) (ah-poe-lee-mee), “do destroy.”
The verb apollumi should never be translated “destroy” or “ruin” since these translations have the connotation of putting out of existence, or rendering inoperative or no longer useful, which is excellent when the word is used in relation to eternal condemnation but not when it is used in relation to believers.
Rather, a better translation would be “to suffer loss,” which is a meaning that appears in the papyri (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament; P. Oxy., IV, 743, 23 [second century B.C.]).
This translation makes much better since Paul is speaking in the context of the weak believer and all believer’s are eternally secure (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 2:8-9).
It speaks of the weak believer “suffering the loss of” fellowship with God because they have sinned in their own mind as a result of going against their convictions and eating non-kosher food because they attempted to live by the strong believer’s convictions.
The verb’s meaning is negated by the negative particle me, “not.”
This indicates that Paul is commanding the strong believer to continue making it their habit of not causing the weak believer for whom Christ died to suffer loss (of fellowship with God) by means of their freedom of conscience with respect to food.
Paul employs me and not ouk since the latter is much stronger than the former and would indicate that the believers who were strong were in fact causing the weak believers to suffer the loss of fellowship with God because of a guilty conscience as a result of walking according to the strong believer’s convictions.
Thus, by employing me instead of ouk, he does not believe that the strong were doing this, which ouk would indicate.
Therefore, the particle me indicates that this has not taken place but is used with the verb apollumi to prohibit in the future the strong believers in Rome from doing this.
The present imperative form of the verb is a “customary present imperative” whose force is for the strong believer to simply continue making it their habit of not causing the weak for whom Christ died to suffer loss (of fellowship with God) by means of their freedom of conscience with respect to food.
The present imperative is a command for action to be continued, action that may or may not have already been going on and is often a character building command to the effect of “make this your habit,” “train yourself in this, discipline yourself.”
The present imperative of the verb is used of a general precept for habits that should characterize one’s attitude and behavior.
Therefore, it denotes that the strong believer is to be characterized as one who does not cause the weak believer for whom Christ died to suffer loss (of fellowship with God) by means of their freedom of conscience with respect to food.
Paul’s statements in Romans 15:14-15 indicate that the strong were already obeying this prohibition.
Therefore, the present imperative form of the verb indicates that Paul’s command is simply giving his readers a reminder to continue doing what they were doing and was designed to protect their fellowship with God, each other and their testimony among the unsaved.
The active voice of the verb apollumi is a causative or ergative active voice indicating that the strong believer is the ultimate cause of the weak believer losing fellowship as a result of influencing the weak by eating non-kosher food in their presence.
Romans 14:15, “For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.”
“Him” is the accusative masculine singular form of the demonstrative pronoun ekeinos (ἐκεῖνος) (ek-ee-nos), which means “this person” and is used with reference to the weak.
“For whom” not only marks the weak believer as “benefited” by the spiritual and physical deaths of Jesus Christ on the Cross but also it denotes the Lord died as their “substitute” as well.
“Christ” is the nominative masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (Χριστός) (cree-stoce), which designates the humanity of Jesus Christ as the promised Savior for all mankind who is unique as the incarnate Son of God and guided and empowered by the Spirit as the Servant of the Father.
“Died” is the third person singular aorist active indicative form of the verb apothnesko (ἀποθνῄσκω) (apo-tha-nee-sko), which refers to both the spiritual and physical deaths of Christ on the cross.
“With your food” indicates that Paul does not want the strong believer’s freedom of conscience with regards to food to be the “cause” of the weak believer suffering the loss of fellowship with God.
In summary, the apostle Paul in Romans 14:15 presents the reason why his readers who are strong with respect to conviction must obey his command at the end of verse 13.
He tells them that they are no longer conducting their lives according to God’s love if because of the exercise of their freedom with respect to food they cause their fellow weak believer to go against their conviction to eat only kosher foods and thus sin in their own mind and lose fellowship with God.
He follows this up by commanding the strong that they were to continue making it their habit of not causing the weak believer on behalf of whom Christ died spiritually and physically as a substitute to suffer loss of fellowship with God because of the inconsiderate use their freedom with regards to food.