ROMANS 14
The Book of Romans, and almost all of Rav Shaul’s (Paul’s) writings are greatly misunderstood by the Church. The reason behind this is that all of Rav Shaul’s writings are written from a Hebrew perspective based completely on expert Torah understanding.
Therefore, his letters must be read and understood from Torah wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. So, it is understandable that most Christians misinterpret the writings of Rav Shaul because they have not been taught sufficiently from Torah nor have they gained a Hebrew perspective of the Scriptures. The Book of Romans is a good example of a Torah based writing that is greatly misinterpreted by the Church.
Before beginning the study, the author would like to point out that Rav Shaul was a Torah observant Messianic rabbi, and that alone has also been greatly misunderstood by the Church. To verify this, we must go directly to Scripture. We find in Acts 21:24 that the Word states that Rav Shaul lived in obedience to Torah (the law). Acts 21:26 shows that he went so far as to take the Nazarite vow in accordance with Numbers 6 Torah instructions. In Acts 16:3, Rav Shaul circumcised young Timothy in accordance to Timothy’s heritage as a descendant of Avraham as specified by Yahweh in Genesis 17:9-14. Rav Shaul also kept Shabbat or Sabbath observance on his missionary journeys. This is supported by Acts 13:14-15. With this understanding now about “Paul,” we can progress to the teaching on Romans Chapter 14.
Rav Shaul addressed his letter to the Messianic congregation meeting in the City of Rome by saying, “To all in Rome which are loved by Elohim (God) and called to be saints….,” Romans 1:7a, NIV. In order to keep the continuity of this statement running throughout his letter, Rav Shaul advised the believers in Rome to love one another, and behave in a manner worthy of their calling as saints. Romans Chapter 14 carries this same thought pattern throughout its instruction. Rav Shaul was simply telling the saints in Rome to stop judging and criticizing one another and to be tolerant of one another’s beliefs.
To properly understand the Book of Romans and Romans Chapter 14 in particular, one must understand that the congregation in Rome was diverse in such a way that it was comprised of three categories of believers:
1. Messianic believers who were descendants of the House of Israel or ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the House of Judah of the Southern Kingdom of Israel that had been scattered among the “nations” as punishment by Yahweh for their sins (Dueteronomy 28:64-68). These were the descendants of Israel that Rav Shaul referred to as “Greeks” in Romans 1:14-16. He did so because these were Israel descendants that had fully assimilated into Greco-Roman culture prior to salvation; so he equated them with the “Greeks” or “Hellenized” people of that type of culture. But upon hearing the “Good News” of Yahweh’s forgiveness of their sins through the blood atonement of Yahshua HaMashiach, the Messiah or “anointed one“ of Israel, they came out of the “nations” and “Greco-Roman” culture and returned to Yahweh and His Torah to become members of the Messianic congregation meeting in Rome.
2. Messianic Jewish believers from the House of Judah of the Southern Kingdom of Israel which had also been scattered among the “nations” by Yahweh for their sins (Dueteronomy 28:64-68 applies to all twelve tribes). Prior to salvation, these Jewish believers had retained Torah observance as they sojourned “among the nations” but when they heard and believed the “Good News” of Yahshua HaMashiach’s blood atonement for their sins, they left traditional Judaism to became members of the Messianic congregation meeting in Rome but were a minority within the congregational numbers.
3. Gentile converts (non-Israelite descendants) to the Messianic faith of Yahshua HaMashiach who had come out of the world of paganism. They became “saints” by accepting Yahshua HaMashiach as their “savior,” and were transformed in their minds by obeying Torah instructions.
Thus, there would be differences among the believers in the Rome congregation according to their spiritual growth and knowledge of Torah obedience.
In Romans 14, Rav Shaul addresses two issues that were dividing the Messianic congregation in Rome. The first issue concerns vegetable vs. meat diets, and the second issue is regarding “fast days“ considered special to the Jewish believers and not to the other believers within the congregation.
When scrutinizing Romans 14, we find that apparently, the Jewish believers, who ate meat in their diets were looking down on and judging or criticizing those that did not have their faith fully resting on the foundation of Torah, and Yahweh‘s implementation of meat into man‘s diet. Rav Shaul tells the Jewish believers that it is all right that the others eat only a vegetarian diet, because both diets came from Yahweh. Yahweh first prescribed a vegetarian diet for mankind in Genesis 1:29, and later included meat in man’s diet in Genesis 9:3. But Yahweh gave no restrictions against eating the vegetarian diet that He first gave to mankind. Rav Shaul wanted to correct the Jewish believers on this point. He also understood the others point of view of eating only vegetables.
One thing that the reader probably should take into consideration regarding the issue of vegetable vs. meat diets in this chapter is that the Gentile believers, and possibly some Messianic Israelites who had sojourned among the Gentiles, had come out of the nations that maintained vulgar eating habits such as eating meat from animals that had been strangled, whereby the blood became “backed up” in the body of the dead animal and became tainted or “poisoned” due to the manner of gentile or pagan slaughtering of animals for their food. Pagans often drank the blood from dying or dead animals as part of religious ceremonies, and superstition that the life of the animal, including the animal‘s strength, would enter into their bodies so that they could become like the “gods.” They also offered “unclean” types of animals to their pagan “gods” that were an abomination to Yahweh, and consumed the meat in their diets.
The purpose of the Council at Yerusalem’s letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia was to inform the new Gentile converts not to continue to eat as they had done before their salvation (Acts 15: 23-29). When they converted to Torah obedience, it was very possible that they deeply repented of their disgusting ways and choose to stop eating meat totally to eat only a vegetarian diet so that they would not take a chance of offending Yahweh. The Jews on the other hand ate meat that was butchered according to “kosher” instructions learned from the Levitical priests of their past heritage. It would be understandable then that Rav Shaul would point out to the Jewish believers not to look down and judge those that did not choose to eat meat like they did. However, Rav Shaul also reminds the Gentile converts not to judge or condemn the Jews for eating meat in their diet. Both diets are within Torah boundaries and Yahweh will be the judge as to the individual’s belief, and the thanksgiving that he gives to Yahweh for his food provision.
The second issue in Romans Chapter 14 deals with a certain day that is considered to be “sacred” or “relevant” to one group within the congregation and not the other. What is this “day” that Rav Shaul is referring to? The Church has traditionally taught that this “day” mentioned in Romans 14:5-6 is justification for the Church to consider Sun-day as their worship day rather than the 7th day, the Shabbat or Sabbath day that Jews go to worship on. But is that what Rav Shaul is talking about? If it is, then he is supporting division within the Body of Mashiach. One day for the believing Jews and one day for the believing Gentile converts. Yet, Rav Shaul stresses in this chapter that division is not the way in a congregation and that everyone should be tolerant of each other‘s personal beliefs. By having a loving attitude and good behavior towards each other within the congregation than unity, peace, and mutual edification are maintained within a body of believers.
It is a grave error of the Church to insert the subject of a pagan day set aside for Sun-god worship or Sun-day in Rav Shaul’s correction to the congregation at Rome. It is absolutely absurd to even suggest that Rav Shaul points to this idea when many believers within the congregation of Rome had come out of pagan Sun-god worship that was prevalent in the “nations” at that particular time including Rome and its “multi” Sun-gods and goddesses.
We must understand that Romans Chapter 14 is a correction about eating habits of two groups within the congregation of Rome that are bringing conflict to one another. In staying with the food subject of this chapter, the only “day” that would have any relationship to the subject of food would be a “fast day” when one chooses not to eat food. In actuality, the whole chapter is about food and how some in the congregation had certain beliefs that incorporated “fast days” into their spiritual lives. Rav Shaul corrected both sides on their views on the subject of “fast days.”
The “day” that Rav Shaul was referring to in this chapter would be one of the traditional Jewish “fast days” that the Jewish believers continued to keep, and the Gentile believers did not and probably did not understand why the Jews continued to do so. These “fast days” were not Torah commanded but were times of remembrance special to the House of Judah. They were times for the Jewish believers to remember their ancestors’ captivity in Babylon. Thus these times had no relevance or cultural interest to the Gentile believers in the same congregation. The “fast days” that Rav Shaul was referring to were the House of Judah’s “fast days” found in Zechariah 7:5-6:
- The fast day in the 4th month of the Jewish calendar was in remembrance of the destruction of the Wall of Yerusalem.
- The fast day in the 5th month was in remembrance of the burning of the Great Temple in Yerusalem.
- The fast day in the 7th month was in remembrance of the killing of Gedaliah which brought about their ancestors’ exile into the nations.
- The fast day in the 10th month was in remembrance of the siege of Yerusalem.
In this second issue, the Gentile believers were judging the Jewish believers for keeping “fast days” that were not commanded by Torah. Rav Shaul again corrects the congregation about judging and criticizing one another regarding their beliefs on “fast days” in the same manner as he did regarding their eating habits. As a descendant of the Tribe of Benyamin assimilated into the house of Judah, Rav Shaul would understand the Jewish tradition of fasting on those days considered to be “special” to the Jewish people. Because those days did not violate Torah, but were a part of the House of Judah‘s history, Rav Shaul understood then that the Jewish “fast days” were acceptable to Yahweh when observed in a right attitude. Thereby, one can not in anyway insert the subject of “Shabbat vs. Sun-day” into these verses without breaking the continuity of Rav Shaul’s correction.