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Subject: Corpus-Paul

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  • From: "Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] (no subject)
  • Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 17:33:43 -0500

Title: Re: [Corpus-Paul] (no subject)
Dear Ryan,

I am doing a paper on the strong and weak in Romans 14.  I came across
your postings in my research and decided to join the discussion.
My question for this post would be if anyone has interpreted Romans 14
from a "super-Lutheran" perspective-- that the eating/ not eating and
day distinctions represent all works that one does to "earn" right
standing with God rather than accepting Grace through Faith.  the
eating and drinking and day distinctions just being recognizable
examples of works to the recipients, Torah or no Torah (Reasoner argues
that the dietary restrictions were not necessarily Jewish in origin, as
the Roman sumptory laws reflect).  I have not come across anything in
my studies that has suggested this interpretation(even Luther hasnt
made that explicit argument, though his main lecture on Romans, that I
have found, was written early in his career).  This may be
de-contextualizing the Letter as theological rather than situational,
but it seems to be consistent with Paul's gospel of faith.


HH: There are enough texts along those lines. I don't think Romans 14 is talking about things people do to earn salvation. The context is believers, people who are already saved. The situation is not one of doing works but of expressing faith. We are to accept the person weak in faith. His faith does not allow him to do everything that he could do. We don't earn right standing with God by eating meats anyway, as Paul himself says here:

Rom. 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

And Paul says elsewhere:

1Cor. 8:8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Paul is talking about what a person believes he can do. There is nothing said about earning merit by doing it, is there? Obviously there are all sorts of ideas that one can attach to an activity, but we should focus on what Paul is focusing on.

The person strong in faith might be tempted to look down on the one weak in faith, but he is not to do that. We cannot judge one another, since the Lord is the Judge, and the Lord has already accepted the person weak in faith as His servant. After all, the Lord only asks that we have faith in Him. Faith the size of a grain of mustard seed is sufficient and more than sufficient, since it can move mountains.

                                Yours,
                                Harold Holmyard






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