Grafted-In Ministries
Does Romans chapter 14 conflict with Acts 15:29
I however do not think that you can use this verse, or even any of Romans 14, as Paul saying it is alright to eat either biblically unclean meats or meats offered to idols…
There are several reasons for this…
The first reason is what Peter wrote about Paul’s letters. “You can’t read Paul until you read Peter.” as the saying goes…
Let’s look at what Peter says in 2 Peter 3…
2 Peter 3: 13
(ISR) But according to His promise we wait for a renewed heavens and a renewed earth in which righteousness dwells.
So then, beloved ones, looking forward to this, do your utmost to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless,
and reckon the patience of our Master as deliverance, as also our beloved brother Sha ’ ul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him,
as also in all his letters, speaking in them concerning these matters, in which some are hard to understand, a
which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the other Scriptures.
You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless,
So Peter is concerned that some may twist Paul to teach it is acceptable to stop following Torah. Peter says that those who teach this are untaught and unstable and will lead us to the same destruction they face if we follow them…
Peter just said, “If someone tells you Paul taught that we do not have to keep the law- they are damned, if you follow them… you may end up in the same boat.
Knowing this…. Let us look at Romans 14 which you have rightly pointed out, and in which Paul wrote, "I know and am convinced by Messiah that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean ."
Taken as a single line it appears that “anything” may include unclean meats or things sacrificed to idols, this however, fails to consider the context of Paul's letter as well as the specific Greek words he used.
The majority of scholars seem to agree that Paul wrote the book of 1 Corinthians around A.D. 55 - just after the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15, and that he wrote his epistle to the Romans from Corinth in 56 or 57.
Since Paul was writing to the Romans from Corinth, where food sacrificed to idols had been a significant issue, and likely still lingered among some of the assembly (as these things do in assemblies even today), the subject was fresh on Paul's mind and is one of the two logical and only biblically supported basis for his comments in Romans 14 besides the more likely reason, the influence of the zealots, which in dissection of the chapter, had much MORE to do with it. We will use it to speak to both however it was intended.
Let us see if we can suss out Paul’s original meaning. I reckon we can.
Even as Peter said, Paul is “HARD to understand”, not impossible. That it required a specific education (we do not wish to be “untaught or unstable … leading to destruction” I am sure.)
Anyone who wishes to assume the subject of Romans 14 is a retraction of YHVH’s law regarding clean and unclean animals or the prohibition on eating food offered to idols must force these interpretations into the text because they have no biblical foundation.
The chapter itself shows that the discussion concerned meats being eaten at all! (In itself another issue).
Romans 14:2 contrasts the person who "eats only vegetables" with the one who believes "he may eat all things"— meat as well as vegetables.
We know from history, even from Josephus who was not always the best observer, that the early believers had trouble with Pharisee’s joining the assembly (Galatians, Acts 10–11, Acts 15, etc.), but they also record problems with the various Zealots who joined (Sicarii, Essenes, etc.) in Rome. These had very strict interpretations of their beliefs, and even (Sicarii) believed in putting to death those who believed differently!
The The Essenes believed in drinking no alcohol, much like certain evangelical sects today, they hedged the Torah rules against drunkenness into no alcohol at all, and even worshipped outside of synagogues rather than go inside as wine was a part of some of the worship in the first century as it is today (Kiddush).
They required vegetarianism using the same rules as today’s Rastafarian, that we were originally made to be vegetarian so that it must be the way.
They also believed in enforced fasting on specific days of the week as part of their worship (which they termed as “sabbath’s”.) Which caused great divisions historically from both secular and early church writings… So we can see the first point… these early believers believed that all believers should be vegetarians and fast often on specific days of the week, (also celibacy as intercourse rendered them “unclean” based on an overly strict hedge around this Torah Law:
Leviticus 15:16
‘ And when a man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until evening.
‘ And any garment and any leather on which there is semen, shall also be washed with water, and be unclean until evening.
‘ And when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they both shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
Which of course does not call for celibacy.
But now the stage is set for Romans 14 where:
Romans 14: 6
(ISR) He who minds the day, minds it to יהוה. And he who does not mind the day, to יהוה he does not mind it. He who eats, eats to יהוה, for he gives Elohim thanks. And he who does not eat, to יהוה he does not eat, and gives Elohim thanks.
Discusses eating vs. not eating on these specific fast days commanded by the Essenes, and is fasting is plainly what is being spoken of. This verse shows Paul is not speaking of eating unclean meats or meats polluted by idols, but meats made “unclean” in the minds of the Zealots by eating on their extra “sabbaths”
Romans 14: 21
(ISR) It is good not to eat meat or drink wine, nor to do whatever by which your brother stumbles.
Is further proof that the Essenes, with their vegetarianism, fasting and alcohol prohibition was the underlying issue of this chapter: "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles."
There were also issues on this from the Pharisees who kept Kosher.
Pharisees required their meat to be killed by a Rabbi, with a certain knife, in a certain way…. Kashrut! What we would call Kosher today. Jews even today won’t eat just any meat no matter the species. It needs to have been ritually slaughtered according to the oral Torah that Messiah spoke against in Mark 7!
These fragile new Jewish converts, both Pharisee and Zealots, were slowly coming into the faith from extreme Judaism and were to be offered a gentle road, the same as the gentiles were offered a gentle road into the faith in Acts 15..
For those whose consciences were not troubled by eating meat purchased in local markets just because it might not be properly slaughtered (not meat that may have have been ceremonially offered to idols, that is forbidden plainly in:
Acts 15: 19
(ISR) “ Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the gentiles who are turning to Elohim,
but that we write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols , and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood. a
“ For from ancient generations Mosheh has, in every city, those proclaiming him – being read in the congregations every Sabbath.”
But also Paul says the same in
1 Corinthians 10: 19
What then do I say? That an idol is of any value? Or that which is offered to idols is of any value?
No, but what the gentiles offer they offer to demons a
and not to Elohim, and I do not wish you to become sharers with demons.
You are not able to drink the cup of the Master and the cup of demons, you are not able to partake of the table of the Master and of the table of demons.
Where Paul plainly demands we are not to eat food offered to idols. He says it in 1 Corinthians 8 as well, but in his circular manner that as Peter told us in 2 Peter 3, He is hard to understand and that that lets unstable and untaught twist him to teaching lawlessness leading to damnation.
That is Peter’s verbiage, not my own.
Which makes sense as Paul, James and of course John taught:
1 John 3: 4
(ISR) Everyone doing sin also does lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
Everyone staying in Him does not sin. Everyone sinning has neither seen Him nor known Him . a
Little children, let no one lead you astray. The one doing righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. a
T he one doing sin is of the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of Elohim was manifested: to destroy the works of the devil.
Yes, The apostle John just told us that those who break Torah Law serve the Devil not the Messiah…. Moving on.
So when Paul says :
Romans 14: 4
(ISR) Who are you that judges another ’ s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. But he shall be made to stand, for Elohim is able to make him stand.
One indeed judges one day above another, another judges every day alike. Let each one be completely persuaded in his own mind.
He who minds the day, minds it to יהוה. And he who does not mind the day, to יהוה he does not mind it. He who eats, eats to יהוה, for he gives Elohim thanks. And he who does not eat, to יהוה he does not eat, and gives Elohim thanks.
He is not telling us that if we think it is allowable to eat shrimp we may, He is telling those who know the truth of the matter of avoiding sin “to be without spot or blemish, but count on Grace for salvation” (2 Peter 3) not to judge and hammer those who have it wrong…. making conversion a burden rather than a joy…
In both foods and fasting!
As new believers would pick up ALL the faith over time.
He also told us in:
Romans 14: 22
(ISR) Do you have belief? Have it to yourself before Elohim. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
But he who doubts, if he eats, is condemned, because it is not of belief, and all that is not of belief is sin.
That if we believe that we would be sinning by eating meat, we should not eat it. Not that if we believe eating pork is okay, it would be okay. He can’t mean that or he would be not only doing what Peter said he didn’t do, teaching lawlessness. He would also be teaching sin.
That seems fairly plain, does it not?
The Greek words used also clarify Paul's meaning
An understanding of the Greek words Paul used can also help us understand Paul's meaning.
The New Testament writers referred to two concepts of unclean, using different Greek words to convey the two meanings. Unclean could refer to animals YHVH did not intend to be consumed as food (listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14). Unclean could also refer to ceremonial uncleanness.
In Romans 14 Paul uses the word koinos, which means "common" (W.E. Vine, Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, "Unclean," p. 649). In addition to the meanings of "common" and "ordinary" (see Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32;Titus 1:4; Hebrews 10:29), the word also applied to things considered polluted or defiled. This word, along with its verb form koinoo, is used in Mark 7:2, Mark 7:15–23 where it obviously refers to ceremonial uncleanness.
Koinos and koinoo appear throughout the New Testament to refer to this kind of ceremonial uncleanness. Something could be "common"—ceremonially unclean—even though it was otherwise considered a scripturally clean meat.
An entirely different word, akathartos, is used in the New Testament for those animals Scripture specifies as unclean. Both words, koinos and akathartos,are used in Acts 10, where Peter distinguished between the two concepts of uncleanness by using both words in Acts 10:14
When Paul said in Romans 14:14 that "I know and am convinced by the Messiah Yah’Shua that there is nothing unclean [koinos, or 'common'] of itself," he was making the same point he had made earlier to the Corinthians: Meat that was otherwise lawful to eat may have been associated with idol worship which means it is no longer fit for consumption by believers!
As seen from the context, Paul wasn't discussing biblical dietary restrictions on clean meats at all.
Paul goes on to state in Romans 14:20 that "all FOOD is clean".
The word translated "clean" is katharos, meaning "free from impure admixture, without blemish, spotless" (Vine, "Clean, Cleanness, Cleanse, Cleansing," p. 103).
"Clean" meats as such aren't addressed in the New Testament, so there isn't a specific word to describe them. Katharos is used to describe all kinds of cleanliness and purity, including clean dishes (Matthew 23:26), people (John 13:10) and clothing (Revelation 15:6; 19:8–14), "pure" religion (James 1:27), gold and glass (Revelation 21:18).
Realize also that, in both Romans 14:14 and Romans 14:20 , the word food or meat doesn't appear in the original Greek, but was inserted by later translators. No specific object is mentioned relative to cleanness or uncleanness. The sense of these verses is merely that "nothing [is] unclean [koinos: common or ceremonially defiled] of itself," and "all is clean [katharos:free from impure admixture, without blemish, spotless]."
Paul's point is that association of food with vegetables only or food with idolatrous activity had no bearing on whether the food was inherently suitable or unsuitable for eating.
Its unsuitableness is from its association with idols/demons.
Understood in its context, Romans 14 does not convey permission to ignore the biblical laws as to which meats are clean or unclean or eating of food polluted by idols.