Rom 14:13-15 | TNotes | STEP | 14:13 This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12 , while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23 . • stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9 , 13 ; 1 Jn 2:10 ; cp. Matt 21:42-44 ; Luke 20:17-18 ; Rom 9:32-33 ; 1 Pet 2:8 ).

14:13 ^a This verse acts as a bridge. Let’s stop condemning each other summarizes 14:1-12 ^b, while the concern about causing another believer to stumble and fall becomes the major emphasis of 14:14-23 ^c.

• stumble and fall: This phrase originally applied to obstacles that could trip people as they walked, or to traps into which a person might fall. It is used metaphorically throughout the New Testament for behavior that might bring spiritual harm to another person (see 1 Cor 8:9 ^d, 13 ^e; 1 Jn 2:10 ^f; cp. Matt 21:42-44 ^g; Luke 20:17-18 ^h; Rom 9:32-33 ⁱ; 1 Pet 2:8 ^j).
14:14 ^k no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat (literally nothing is common in itself): The word common signals that the root concern that Paul was addressing was Jewish purity regulations. Jews described food as common if it was not clean (i.e., not kosher), thereby causing a Jew to become ritually impure (see Lev 11 ^l; cp. Mark 7:2 ^m, 5 ⁿ; Acts 10:14 ^o). Paul again follows the teaching of Jesus that “every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes” (Mark 7:19 ^p).

• for that person it is wrong: The truth that no food is wrong to eat was not easy for pious Jews to accept because they had been raised to honor God by avoiding certain foods. Paul urges those who are strong in faith not to force others to violate their consciences (cp. 1 Cor 8:1-13 ^q).
14:15 ^r The word translated ruin (Greek apollumi, “destroy”) is often applied to eternal damnation (see 2:12 ^s; Matt 10:28 ^t; 18:14 ^u; Luke 9:24 ^v; 13:2-5 ^w; John 3:16 ^x; 10:10 ^y, 28 ^z; 1 Cor 1:18-19 ^aa; Jas 4:12 ^ab; 2 Pet 3:9 ^ac). By insisting on their freedom to eat whatever they want, the strong might cause sensitive Jewish Christians for whom Christ died to turn away from the faith.