Sunday School Notes: Romans 14:13
Therefore, let us no longer judge one another, but judge this more: not to place a cause of stumbling or an offense before [your] brother.
This past Sunday we started back into Romans. Much of our time was taken up with a review of 14:1-12, and we had a lively discussion around issues of Christian liberty. Since this is ground we covered at the end of the last season, I won’t go back over it here, but refer you to those Sunday School Notes.
We did, however, cover verse 13, which sums up the discussion on 1-12, and points the way forward. Paul uses the word “judge” (Greek: krinô) twice here, but with different meaning for each use. The first is a negative, condemnatory sense of “judge”–the sort of judging he has told the Jews and gentiles in the Roman church to stop doing with regard to one another. There should be no condemning of one’s brother in Christ, since there is no longer any condemnation from God against him or her because of Christ. The second use of the word is in the sense of “give consideration,” or “pay attention.” He’s calling the church to weigh the importance of the following command.
Notice also that Paul here addresses both groups, the Jews and gentiles, again not singling one out as right or pointing fingers at the one who’s wrong. Indeed, as we have seen (and will see) Paul certainly regards one position as correct, but Paul’s point is not whether one should abstain from meat or observe the old Jewish feast days. Rather, his complaint is about the attitude of both groups to one another. Here they are both at fault. As we’ve said before, it’s not that Paul is shutting down discussion or debate on these issues. What he wants to see is a respectful and tolerant attitude between brethren who differ on these minor points. As iron sharpens iron, so we should discuss our differences, but it should always be with love and respect, with a view to understanding while maintaining unity.
Paul admonishes them all “not to place a cause of stumbling or an offense before [your] brother.” The words Paul uses here for “stumbling” and “offense” are distinct Greek words with different nuances of meaning. The word translated “a cause of stumbling” is proskomma, which is literally something that you would strike against, that could cause a bruise. It conjures up a picture of someone walking along a path, and stubbing his toe on a rock. It causes him pain, maybe makes him turn back a little, or stop completely, before continuing his original course, limping and perhaps with difficulty and in distress. For “offense” Paul uses the word skandalon, which is where we get the English word “scandal.” It, too, can refer to a cause of stumbling, but it also has the added overtone of offense–something that causes emotional pain. In 1 Corinthians 1:23, Paul says that Christ is a skandalon to the Jews. 1 Peter 2:8 uses both Greek terms to describe Christ, who is “the cornerstone that the builders rejected.”
I see the distinction between these two words in this way. If I see a fellow believer who I know abstains from alcohol, and speak condemnation to him, questioning his salvation and his standing before God on account of his abstaining from alcohol, that would be an example of putting a proskomma in his path. If I see that same brother, but this time taunt him with a glass of wine, drinking it in front of him in a way that is intended to lord my understanding of Christian freedom over him, this would be a skandalon. It would be causing offense to him, either because he thinks I shouldn’t drink alcohol, or because of my attitude, mocking his conviction. Both are sinful, and Paul condemns them. As Peter notes, Christ is the proskomma and the skandalon, not us. If the gospel message causes offense–either kind–then that’s out of our hands. But our attitude, especially toward our brothers in Christ, should never be a cause of stumbling.
We’ll continue with verse 14 next time.
