Romans 14 deals with conscience though the word conscience does not appear in Romans 14. The teachings can also be found in other Pauline epistles as well.
The word conscience συνείδησις appears only in the New Testament and not in the Hebrew Scripture because the Hebrew language only has words forheart, which sometimes mean conscience, depending on the context. There is no separate word dedicated to the concept of conscience.
In the New Testament, the word conscience appears 32 times in KJV. 1 in John, 2 in Acts, 3 in 1 Peter and the remaining 26 times in Paul's epistles! So, Paul is the major "supplier" of the concept of conscience in the Bible.
The word conscience συνείδησις appears only in the New Testament and not in the Hebrew Scripture because the Hebrew language only has words forheart, which sometimes mean conscience, depending on the context. There is no separate word dedicated to the concept of conscience.
In the New Testament, the word conscience appears 32 times in KJV. 1 in John, 2 in Acts, 3 in 1 Peter and the remaining 26 times in Paul's epistles! So, Paul is the major "supplier" of the concept of conscience in the Bible.
Let's follow the scheme proposed by the translators of the Chinese Catholic Bible, the Franciscan priests, and put the Pauline epistles in chronological order. 1 Thessalonians (51). 2 Thessalonians (52). 1 Corinthians (56). 2 Corinthians (57). Galatians (late 57). Romans (early 58). Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon & Philippians [the captivity epistles] (63). Hebrews (64). 1 Timothy & Titus (65). 2 Timothy (67). Therefore, many themes that appear in the Romans had been more fully developed in earlier epistles. Paul would write them in a more concise and mature manner.
Paul brings up the question of those weak in faith in Romans 14. He illustrates it with his familiar topic which he has discussed twice in the First epistle to theCorinthians (1 Corinthians 8, 10). Here in the Romans, the focus is less on theology, but charity. Moreover, Paul is quick to point out the status of all believers. We are only fellow servants of God.
Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand (Romans 14:3-4).
God loves us all. God wants to save us all. Therefore, God will not condemn us. Who are you to condemn your fellow colleagues? Let us treat each other with charity because we are but slaves before God.
Paul brings up the question of those weak in faith in Romans 14. He illustrates it with his familiar topic which he has discussed twice in the First epistle to theCorinthians (1 Corinthians 8, 10). Here in the Romans, the focus is less on theology, but charity. Moreover, Paul is quick to point out the status of all believers. We are only fellow servants of God.
Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand (Romans 14:3-4).
God loves us all. God wants to save us all. Therefore, God will not condemn us. Who are you to condemn your fellow colleagues? Let us treat each other with charity because we are but slaves before God.
Paul repeats his point again from another perspective. Jesus is our Saviour. He dies and rises up again for you, me and our "weak" brothers. If Jesus our Saviour does not condemn us, we should not condemn our brothers too.
None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living (Romans 14:7-9).
Truly, our life has been saved by Jesus. Therefore, our life no longer belongs to us, but to Jesus. Therefore, the purpose of our life is to live and die for Jesus, not for ourselves. The logical conclusion is that Jesus will be our judge. We are not the judge of our brothers.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10).
Not passing judgment on others is good, but not good enough. Christians should aim higher, better and nobler. So, the next logical extension is this, though it is still framed in negative term.
Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother (Romans 14:13).
Gradually, imperceptibly, charity appears.
If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15).
More ambitiously, for team building, solidarity building, we should proceed with love, justice and peace in mind.
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19).
Paul then wraps up the whole discussion and brings it back to conscience, though he uses the word faith instead.
The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves.
But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:22-23).
Only God can judge our conscience/faith. If we do things in good faith, though we are later proven wrong, we stand blameless before God. The whole world may condemn our mistakes, but only God's judgment counts. Never acts from a dubious conscience. This is what we are learning in the Moral Theology course.
None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living (Romans 14:7-9).
Truly, our life has been saved by Jesus. Therefore, our life no longer belongs to us, but to Jesus. Therefore, the purpose of our life is to live and die for Jesus, not for ourselves. The logical conclusion is that Jesus will be our judge. We are not the judge of our brothers.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10).
Not passing judgment on others is good, but not good enough. Christians should aim higher, better and nobler. So, the next logical extension is this, though it is still framed in negative term.
Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother (Romans 14:13).
Gradually, imperceptibly, charity appears.
If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15).
More ambitiously, for team building, solidarity building, we should proceed with love, justice and peace in mind.
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19).
Paul then wraps up the whole discussion and brings it back to conscience, though he uses the word faith instead.
The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves.
But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:22-23).
Only God can judge our conscience/faith. If we do things in good faith, though we are later proven wrong, we stand blameless before God. The whole world may condemn our mistakes, but only God's judgment counts. Never acts from a dubious conscience. This is what we are learning in the Moral Theology course.
My Lord, help us act always in prudence with love. Amen.
Appendix:
ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ θεῷ.
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God (Romans 14:11)
ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, (Isaiah 49:18)
ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ ἐξομολογήσεται πᾶσα γλῶσσα τῷ θεῷ (Isaiah 45:23b).
In necessariis unitas.
In dubiis libertas.
In omnibus caritas. (St. Augustine)
Appendix:
ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ θεῷ.
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God (Romans 14:11)
ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, (Isaiah 49:18)
ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ ἐξομολογήσεται πᾶσα γλῶσσα τῷ θεῷ (Isaiah 45:23b).
In necessariis unitas.
In dubiis libertas.
In omnibus caritas. (St. Augustine)
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