Tuesday August 16, 2022

Today, we are continuing our discussion about Romans 14. If you have not read my entry from Monday (15th), please look at that entry first...then continue with this one.
Hello friends and family, God bless you all. Let's dive right in and look at the first 4 verses of Romans Ch. 14:

Romans 14: 1-4 (NASB)
Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Right away Paul lets us know what the entire chapter is all about: those weak in faith, a.k.a. new believers. It is important that we keep that in mind as we read the rest of the chapter. Paul is being very specific-his intent was not: "we should never judge people." If that were his intent-then Paul himself would be the greatest breaker of this rule. 
Paul then goes on to say: "but he who is weak eats vegetables only," meaning, that a new convert to Christianity (from the Jewish tradition) may still feel as though he needs to live by the O.T. law. Paul makes it clear that those who do not feel bound to the O.T. law should not hold that new convert in contempt. The point here is summed up in vs. 4: those that are weak in the faith will be made strong in the faith-not by constant shaming, but by the Lord.
Now, I want to compare the NASB vs. "The Message." Here is the first 4 verses in "The Message" Bible:
14 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

​So, am I the only one who sees a HUGE difference between the two versions? If the only version of Romans 14 is read from The Message, one could be forgiven for missing the point of the chapter entirely. 
Now, I am not a KJV or NASB only person-but we must be careful when studying the Word, as opposed to reading it for ourselves. Remember, the point of my assignment was to study Romans 14 and find the take-aways. I contend that the key points are already missing in The Message, and we are only 4 verses in. More tomorrow...