Romans 14:23 ends with the phrase, “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Sometimes well-meaning brethren may use this phrase to prove that there must be scriptural authority for what one says and does. They use the word “faith” here to refer to the gospel, the body of truth that God has delivered in His word, as it is used in Jude 3: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” The Bible certainly teaches that we need to live by what God says (Matt. 4:4). The faithful dare not take liberties where the scriptures are silent. Whatever we do in word or deed, we are to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, that is by what He has authorized in His word (Col. 3:16, 17). When God has specified His requirements, His silence regarding other options is prohibitive not permissive (see Heb. 7:14). This principle is true, but Romans 14:23 is not a verse that teaches it.
The context of Romans 14 demands a different meaning for the word “faith” than gospel truth. Romans 14 is a discussion on matters of conscience and how the strong ought to give up certain liberties to avoid causing the weak to sin. Some of these matters were regarding eating certain meat (Rom. 14:2) or setting aside special days (Rom. 14:5). When one comes to the question in Romans 14:22, “Hast thou faith?”, it is evident that “faith” here refers to personal conviction, not the system of truth to which Christians adhere. This is the same meaning of “faith” in verse 23. Reading verses 22 and 23 together makes it abundantly clear, “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” The lesson is that a man should not engage in anything that goes against his conscience even if it is not intrinsically wrong. Additionally, the conscience of weaker brethren ought to be respected by the stronger.
This discussion does not terminate at the end of chapter 14 either. Romans 15 continues the discussion:
We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. (Rom. 15:1-7.)
Thus, at both ends of this discussion—Romans 14:1 and 15:7—Paul instructs them to receive one another.
No doubt these matters arose because of the Jewish and Gentile backgrounds from which the members of the church came. Paul specifically addressed the Jews (Rom. 2:17) and Gentiles (Rom. 11:13) in this inspired epistle. Remember, the Jews had been expelled from Rome by Claudius (Acts 18:2). Evidently, they were able to return after his death. Paul greeted Aquila and Priscilla in Romans 16:3, so they were back in Rome when he wrote Romans. Imagine how congregations in Rome would deal with an influx of Jews after years of having only Gentile members. They regarded different foods as unclean and had respect for different days. One of the major issues facing the first-century church, not only in this city but throughout the empire, was Jew-Gentile relations in Christ. How should they approach these differences? They are to receive one another because God has received them in Christ. “For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him” (Rom. 14:2, 3).
Romans 14 should not be used to say “Let’s agree to disagree” on an issue that concerns right and wrong. Eating meat is not this kind of issue (1 Tim. 4:3, 4). “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). Romans 14 is about issues wherein brothers can have different convictions regarding conscience without transgressing the will of God. Neither should Romans 14 be applied in such a way as to hold the church hostage with personal convictions; the point is pursuing peace on matters of opinion (Rom. 14:19).
Let us resolve to live by what the Bible says instead of taking the silence of the scriptures as God’s consent. Let us be aware of the personal convictions of others, respecting the conscience while patiently instructing. Moreover, let us resolve to use the proper verses for teaching biblical principles. If we are not careful to consider the context, it is very easy for us to use a verse in a way it was not meant to be used. The point that we may be making is true, but truth is not helped when the scriptures are misused. As we all grow in our knowledge of the scriptures, we recognize more fully the meaning of verses and ways we might have misused them in the past. We must continually go back to the Bible to avoid misusing scripture in the future and, when we have the opportunity, kindly show others where they have misused scripture. If we have a Christ-like mindset, we ought to be able to help each other along this line without any hard feelings.
–Mark Day