Conflict Resolution: Whose Responsibility? (Part 1 of 2)

Laying the Groundwork

As Jesus went about “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23),¹ in many respects his earthly ministry was preparatory and an early transitional period between old-covenant Judaism and the establishment of his universal church. It was not the time to set aside the Mosaic Law, nor was it the time to teach exclusively Christian doctrine. It was, however, necessary to prepare the way for God’s approaching kingdom.²  

Chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel is part of a three-chapter discourse, wherein the Lord’s celebrated “Sermon on the Mount” is recorded. Jesus’s immediate listening audience was Jewish, inclusive of but not limited to his disciples. Matthew’s targeted reading audience was a Jewish-Christian community not far removed from Jesus’s original listening audience in time, geographical location, political environment, and sociocultural circumstances.³ 

In chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord’s recorded words are directed to “the disciples,” who would later be commissioned to spread Christ’s message to all nations.

When My Brother Has Something Against Me

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

The directive here, set in the context of early-first-century Jewish worship, is subsequent to proscriptions against being angry, unforgiving, prideful, spiteful, malicious, and hateful (vv. 21-22)—the opposite of the blessed attitudes and behaviors highlighted at the beginning of the sermon. The “gift” [δῶρον] brought to the altar, generically representing any offering presented at the temple, is an offering of worship.⁴

One cannot worship God acceptably without faithful adherence, both inwardly and outwardly, to his revealed will. Instead of mindless ritualism, genuine worship, “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24), involves intent, purpose, and the right frame of mind. Worship that is acceptable and pleasing to God begins in the heart and should be prioritized as “first” [πρῶτον], of utmost importance (Matt. 5:24b). Otherwise, any so-called worshipful act is vain, empty, meaningless (Matt. 7:21-27; 15:5-9; 21:13).

The realization that “your brother has something against you” is a matter of interpersonal relations and brotherhood. Considering the requisite of self-examination and fidelity of spirit,⁵ even if you think the disharmony or negative feelings are not entirely your fault, the responsibility is on “you” to take the initiative and seek reconciliation. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psa. 133:1). “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Cor. 10:24).

When I Have Something Against My Brother

Jesus, having taught an object lesson about childlike innocence and humility, stressed the absolute importance of saving a single soul (Matt. 18:1-14). He then addressed a disciple’s duty toward a sinning brother.

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).

One of the challenges of this passage is whether or not the prepositional phrase “against you” [εἰς σὲ] is original to the text. While most Greek manuscripts include these words, some important textual witnesses do not. Text critics, translators, and exegetes must therefore determine if v. 15a should read broadly, “if your brother sins” (NASB, NET, NIV), or more specifically, “if your brother sins against you” (ASV, CSB, ESV, N/KJV, RSV).

o   In favor of the shorter reading is the exclusion of the phrase from early Greek texts (incl. Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Origen). Its presence in later copies is explained as textual gap-filling, perhaps an inference from v. 21.⁶

o   In support of inclusion is the adjoining phrase, “between you and him alone” (v. 15b), followed by “let him be to you [singular] ...” (v. 17b), as well as Peter’s follow-up question, “how often shall my brother sin against me [εἰς ἐμὲ], and I forgive him?” (v. 21). The majority of witnesses, representing all text families, contain the words in question. Inadvertent omission from a few copies is understandable if copyists transcribed the audible reading of the text, where the words ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς σὲ (“sins against you”) combine expressions with vowel sounds (ῃ, ει, ε) that are similar when read aloud in Greek: ἁμαρτήσῃ (pronounced ha-mar-tay-say) and εἰς σὲ (pronounced ays-seh).⁷

o   Because of the “balance of possibilities,” the Nestle-Aland and UBS Greek texts include the words in [square brackets].⁸

At the end of the day, the immediate context, the overall context of scripture, and the “brother’s keeper” principle require application of both readings.⁹

The procedural guidelines that follow would surely apply if my brother sins against me. The verb “sins” [ἁμαρτήσῃ] is not descriptive of someone’s mere inconsideration or petty offense that might hurt my feelings, although heeding the Lord’s counsel would still be helpful in such cases. The Bible makes a clear distinction between persistent transgressions that jeopardize one’s soul, calling for disciplinary action in the church, and trivial matters or civil disputes that do not (1 Cor. 5:1–6:18).

To be like Christ and to follow his direction, we are called to be selfless, and if necessary, willing to suffer personal wrong (perceived or otherwise) rather than seeking retaliation or damaging the unity and reputation of his church (1 Cor. 6:7-8).¹⁰ Whether I am personally offended or not, the issue the Lord addresses is a trespass or wrongdoing that violates the holiness of God and his revealed will. His standard of judgment overrides my own (Rom. 2:1-8; 14:4).

But what if my brother sins (in general) without directly affecting me? Can I legitimately say, “Well, the sin is not against me personally, therefore these procedural guidelines do not apply”? Notwithstanding the textual variant involving wider applicability (noted above), Jesus goes on to make particular application within “the church” [ἡ ἐκκλησία] (Matt. 18:17).

Alluding to the congregated followers of Christ and community of the saved, the term ἐκκλησία occurs only three times in the Gospel accounts, all in Matthew, all in the teachings of Christ. Having promised to build his “church” (Matt. 16:18), Jesus then provided instruction for how sin is to be dealt with in his church (Matt. 18:15-17). Whether or not the recognized sin is of a personal nature, its adverse effects have broader implications if left unaddressed, and if ineffectually handled, it necessarily becomes a congregational matter.

“Sin is like quicksand: Your own efforts only make you sink deeper. Only an outside hand can pull you out” (author unknown). It was never the Lord’s intention for his followers to be segregated or isolated or independent in their Christian walk. The word “church” always applies to a collectivity of believers, never individually, and Jesus’s emphasis on “one another” proliferates in the writings of his inspired emissaries.¹¹

Further Commentary

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:1-2).

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:19-20).

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (1996).

     ² See K. L. Moore, “Luke’s Unique Perspective on Jerusalem’s Fall and the Kingdom of God (Part 4),” Moore Perspective (2026), <Link>.

     ³ See K. L. Moore, “Layers of Context (Part 3),” Moore Perspective (6 May 2020), <Link>.

     ⁴ Cf. Matt. 8:4; 15:5; 23:18-19; Mark 7:11; Luke 21:1-4.

     ⁵ Cf. Matt. 6:21; 7:3-5; 9:13a; 15:8, 18; note also 1 Cor. 11:28; 14:15; Gal. 6:4; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16.

     ⁶ Philip Wesley Comfort, A Commentary on Textual Additions to the NT (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2017): 29.

     ⁷ Robert H. Gundry, Matthew: A Commentary on His Handbook for a Mixed Church under Persecution. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994): 367; Daniel M. Doriani, “Matthew,” in Vol. VIII of ESV Expository Commentary: Matthew–Luke (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021): 274. Pronunciation of NT Greek terms usually depends on the subjective preference of one’s Greek teacher!

     ⁸ Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek NT. 2nd ed. (Stuttgart: German Bible Society, 1994): 36.

     ⁹ The same textual issue occurs in Luke 17:3: “If your brother sins” (ASV, CSB, ERV, ESV, ISV, NASB, NET, N/RSV), or “If your brother sins against you” (NIV, N/KJV, WEB), although in the very next verse, the “against you” [εἰς σὲ] inclusion is undisputed among textual witnesses. The “brother’s keeper” principle is based on Genesis 4:9.

     ¹⁰ Matt. 5:9-14, 38-48; Rom. 12:17-21; 1 Thess. 5:15.

     ¹¹ Mark 9:50; John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17; Rom. 1:12; 12:5, 10, 16; 13:8; 14:13, 19; 15:5, 7, 14; 16:16; 1 Cor. 11:33; 12:25; 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; Gal. 5:13; Gal. 6:2; Eph. 4:2, 25, 32; Eph. 5:21; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:9, 13; 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9, 18; 5:11, 15; 2 Thess. 1:3; Heb. 10:24; Jas. 4:11; 5:9, 16; 1 Pet. 1:22; 4:9; 5:5, 14; 1 John 1:7; 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11, 12; 2 John 5.

Related Posts: Conflict Resolution (Part 2), Church Discipline

Related articles:

 

Image credit: https://favpng.com/png_view/fingers-hand-index-finger-png/LAsmYCNf

Warning Against Apostasy (Hebrews 10:26-39)

Dire Consequences for Rejecting Christ

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27, NKJV).

Reaffirming earlier admonitions (2:1-3; 3:12; 6:4-8), here the warning is even more severe:

o   Condition: “If we keep on sinning” [hamartanóntōn – present act. participle] – not occasional but ongoing, continual, persistent, habitual.

o   Qualifier: “willfully” – not inadvertent or in ignorance or in a moment of weakness (cf. 5:2; 9:7); intentional, deliberate, presumptuous, defiant, rebellious (cf. 3:12; 6:4-6).

o   Timing: “after receiving the full knowledge [epígnōsis] of the truth” – speaking to enlightened (cf. v. 32) Christians (cf. v. 29 [“sanctified”]; 2 Pet. 2:20-21).¹

o   Resulting loss: “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (cf. 5:8-9; 7:27; 9:12-15, 24-28; 10:10) – God cannot and will not forgive unrepentant sin (cf. 6:6; Luke 13:3, 5).

o   Resulting consequence: “but some fearful expectation and a fury [zēlos] of fire which will consume the adversaries” – eternal damnation (cf. 12:29; 2 Thess. 1:6-9; Rev. 20:15).

“Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:28-29).

Rejecting the Law of Moses (cf. Deut. 17:2-7) resulted in harsh penalties; much greater punishment awaits those who reject the superior way of Christ. With greater knowledge and blessings comes greater responsibility (cf. 2:1-4; 12:25). Turning your back on Christ is equivalent to:

o   Trampling the Son of God underfoot – disrespect, contempt, disdain (cf. 6:6; Matt. 5:13; Luke 8:5).

o   Counting the blood (cf. 9:14-22; 13:20) of the covenant (by which he was sanctified, vv. 10, 14; 2:11; 13:12) a common [koinós]² thing (cf. 1 Cor. 11:27-29) – disregard its sacred value.

o   Insulting (outrage) the S/spirit of grace:³ the Holy Spirit who makes God’s grace accessible (cf. Eph.4:30; Matt. 12:31),⁴ or the spirit (intent, disposition) of grace⁵ (cf. Eph. 1:6-7; 2:5-8; 6:24).      

“For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

This is a quote from Deuteronomy 32:35, 36 (cf. Psa. 135:14) to illustrate the severe judgment of God. To the faithful child of God, it is a comforting thought to “fall into the hands of the living God” (cf. 2 Sam. 24:14). To the rebellious apostate, it is a terrifying prospect (cf. v. 27; 4:1; Ro. 2:3-11; 11:22; 12:19; 2 Cor. 5:11). 

Remember the Past to Press On to the Future

“But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven” (Hebrews 10:32-34).

“But recall/remember⁶ the former days …” This indicates that the initial addressees had been Christians for some time (cf. 5:12-14). “After you were illuminated/enlightened” (cf. v. 26; John 8:12), early in their Christian experience. “You endured much struggle of sufferings ...” If Hebrews is directed to Jewish Christians in Rome, this could be a reference to Claudius’ edict of AD 49 (cf. Acts 18:2), or perhaps (less likely) to Nero’s persecution that began in AD 64.⁷ They were made a public spectacle (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9) through reproaches and tribulations. “They were held up to public scorn, taunted and jeered at, and even physically kicked about and abused” (N. Lightfoot, Jesus Christ Today 196).

They had become companions of/sharers with [koinōnos] (cf. Phil. 1:7) those who were so treated. “For indeed in the bonds⁸ you suffered together” (cf. 11:36; 13:3, 23); visited and took care of fellow-Christians who had been imprisoned (cf. 6:10; Matt. 25:36, 39, 43, 44), “joyfully accepted the plundering/seizure of your goods/property” (cf. Jas. 1:1-3; 1 Pet. 4:12-13; Acts 5:41; Rom. 5:3-4). What enabled them to endure: “knowing that you yourselves have a better and an enduring/abiding possession”⁹ (cf. 6:18-19; Matt. 5:11-12; 6:20).

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ‘For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.’ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Hebrews 10:35-39).

Do not cast/throw away—opposite of “hold fast” (v. 23; 3:6, 14)—your confidence,¹⁰ which has great reward. For you have need of endurance (cf. v. 23; 2:1; 3:14; 4:11; 6:11) in order that having done the will of God you may obtain the promise [epaggelía]”¹¹ – salvation is conditional (cf. Acts 14:22).

Quote from Habakkuk 2:3, 4 (LXX; cf. Isa. 26:20). Although a number of commentators apply this to the imminent return of Christ, the Habakkuk text was written about 600 years before Christ’s first advent, and Hebrews was written almost two millennia ago. Christ has still not returned. NT writers affirm that the time of the Lord’s second coming is unknown (e.g., Matt. 24:36, 42; 25:13; Mark 13:32; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10). Considering the context of Hebrews, this more likely applies to the Lord’s coming in judgment against Jerusalem in AD 70 (cf. 8:13; Matt. 24:1-34).¹² The admonition is to not retreat but to maintain saving faith: “But we are … of those who písteōs [have faith] to the saving of the soul.”

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ N. Lightfoot describes this state of affairs, “… a deliberate rejection of truth after truth has once been received, an extinguishing of light that has already shone in the heart, a conscious preference for the dark…. a state of sin” (Jesus Christ Today 193-94). 

     ² Unclean, profane, unholy, defiled (cf. Mark 7:2; Acts 10:14, 28; 11:8; Rom. 14:14).

     ³ Contrast the Law of Moses, “without mercy” (v. 28), with NT grace (cf. John 1:17). 

     ⁴ Every time the word pneũma (‘spirit’) is used in Hebrews for the Spirit of God, it is qualified with the adjective hágios (‘holy’) (2:4; 3:7; 6:4; 9:8; 10:15) except 9:14, which may indicate that in 9:14 the thought is Christ’s own eternal spirit. Other uses of pneũma in Hebrews include references to angels (1:7, 14) and to the human spirit (4:12; 12:9, 23).

     ⁵ Cf. Rom. 1:4 (“spirit of holiness”); 2 Cor. 4:13 (“of faith”); Eph. 1:17 (“of wisdom and revelation”); 1 Cor. 4:21; Gal. 6:1; 1 Pet. 3:4 (“of gentleness”).

     ⁶ Anamimnēskō = remind, remember (1 Cor. 4:17; 2 Cor. 7:15; 2 Tim. 1:6); cf. anámnēsis = memory, reminder (10:3); also mnēmoneúō = to remember, recall (Jn. 15:20; 16:4; Acts 20:31, 35; Eph. 2:11; 1 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 2:5; 3:5); mnēmē = memory, remembrance (2 Pet. 1:15); cf. 2 Pet. 1:9; Heb. 12:5.

     ⁷ Those who argue for a Palestine destination apply this reference to the persecutions in Acts 8:1 ff.; 12:1-3; etc. However, the fact that the readers had “not yet resisted to bloodshed” (Heb. 12:4) seems to argue against this application (cf. Acts 9:21; 12:2; 26:10).

     ⁸ The statement according to the UBS/NA text is tois desmíois sunepathēsate, “you showed sympathy to the prisoners” (NAS; cf. ESV, NIV, N/RSV); the Byzantine Majority Text reads tois desmois mou sunepathēsate, “you had compassion on me in my chains” (NKJ). The former appears to be the better reading (see B. Metzger, Textual Commentary 2nd ed. 600-601).

     ⁹ The Byzantine Majority Text adds en ouranois (“in heaven”).

     ¹⁰ “Confidence describes that bold attitude toward God, that firm assurance with which one approaches the throne of grace (4:16) and enters into the sanctuary (10:19), a confident outlook based on the sacrifice of Christ. For the Christian it involves also the unashamed confession of his faith, and as such is to be held on to (3:6) and not cast away as worthless” (N. Lightfoot, Jesus Christ Today 197). On the word parrēsía (3:6; 4:16; 10:19, 35); cf. Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 28:31; 2 Cor. 7:4; Eph. 3:12; 6:19; Phil. 1:20; 1 Tim. 3:13; 1 John 2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14.

     ¹¹ Noun (fourteen times): 4:1; 6:12, 15, 17; 7:6; 8:6; 9:15; 10:36; 11:9, 13, 17, 33, 39; cf. verb epaggéllō (four times): 6:13; 10:23; 11:11; 12:26.

     ¹² Compare Isa. 13:5; 19:1; Matt. 10:23; 16:28.

Related Posts: Heb 10:19-25, Perseverance of the Saints?

 

Image credit: https://www.mdlab.org/wooden-brown-judge-gavel-on-the-table-copy-space-banner-background/

The Weak and the Strong (Romans 14:1–15:13): Part 5 of 7

 “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble” (Romans 14:20-21, ESV).¹ 

Reiterating and thus reemphasizing what is said in vv. 13b-15, the idea of causing one to “stumble” is expressed here with the noun πρόσκομμα (as in v. 13b) and its verbal form προσκόπτω (as in 9:32), meaning to cause hurtful offense and/or induce to sin.² Though not the same word used earlier to describe a weaker brother’s spiritual demise (v. 15), here the term “destroy” [καταλύω], lit. “tear down,”³ is the opposite of the “upbuilding” image of the previous verse.  

Abstaining from Meat

While “food” [βρῶμα] (cf. v. 15)⁴ is generically applicable to whatever is eaten or abstained from, the modifier “clean” [καθαρός] would be more relevant to “meat” [κρέας]⁵ in the context of Jewish ceremonial protocol (cf. v. 14). Under Christ’s new covenant system, the eating of certain types of food or abstaining therefrom is neither enjoined nor forbidden. However, anything can be “wrong” or “evil” [κακός]⁶ if it causes unnecessary spiritual harm to oneself or to another. Therefore, “not only is lawful food sometimes bad, but abstinence from lawful food is sometimes good.”⁷

Whether an individual or the entire community is in view, the seriousness of the matter is magnified by the fact that “the work [ἔργον] of God” is impacted,⁸ especially when righteousness, peace, and joy are robbed from his kingdom (vv. 17, 19). Even though giving up something that injures others is an abstract principle easy enough to comprehend,⁹ it “can never be the rule of Christian conduct…. It does not define his duty, but only makes clear his responsibility …. looking with love at other Christians, and the effect of any given line of conduct on them, he has to define his duty for himself. All meat is clean, but not all eating.”¹⁰ It is necessary to appreciate, of course, the difference between radically coercive asceticism (e.g., 1 Tim. 4:3-4) and voluntary abstinence (e.g., 1 Cor. 7:1; 8:13).

Abstaining from Wine

To illustrate the avoidance of “anything”¹¹ that causes a brother to stumble, Paul uses the examples of “meat” [κρέας] and “wine” [οἶνος], probably as hypotheticals, given that both were part of the normal dietary habits of many Jews and non-Jews alike. Since forgoing meat could be related to the kosher laws of Judaism (v. 14) or to association with pagan sacrifices,¹² aversion to wine may similarly be motivated by non-Christian religious practices.¹³ However, the current circumstances under consideration are perhaps more complicated. 

With the prohibition against drunkenness [μέθαι] understood (13:13),¹⁴ there is a distinction in the NT between “wine” [οἶνος] that is “new” [νέος], prior to fermentation, and fermented “wine” [οἶνος].¹⁵ Abstention from either is not unprecedented in the biblical record.¹⁶

Jesus and his disciples engaged in eating and drinking,¹⁷ so when they drank “wine” [οἶνος],¹⁸ was it fermented or not? The Lord had table fellowship with sinners in order to lead them to repentance,¹⁹ whereas he condemned eating and drinking in drunken environments.²⁰ When he therefore turned 120-180 gallons (450-490 liters) of water into “wine” [οἶνος] for those who had already “drunk freely,”²¹ the “good wine” [καλὸν οἶνον] that he made appears to have been new and fresh, without having undergone the process of fermentation (John 2:1-10).²²  

But what about the consumption of fermented wine in antiquity? A fair assessment begins with recognizing the common “apples-and-oranges” fallacy of comparing the English word “wine” and its modern connotation with that of the ancient Mediterranean world.²³ As noted above, the so-called “wine” of biblical accounts was not always fermented,²⁴ and when it was, the alcohol concentration was significantly less than today’s standards. The alcohol content of modern wines, with added boosting agents (inoculation), is much more potent than the product of natural fermentation of the distant past. 

The sugar of grape juice can only ferment to 3 or 4% alcohol with wild yeast — airborne yeast. For grape juice to exceed 4% alcohol, then the winemaker must add yeast. The yeast added to ancient wines produced between 4-11% alcohol. Alcohol kills these yeast cells and prevents levels of alcohol from exceeding ~10%. Today, wines average 12-20% alcohol due to modern fermentation by adding sulfur dioxide and Saccharomyces (a cultured GMO yeast) to a late harvest of ripened grapes with higher fructose.²⁵

Reducing the alcohol concentration to avoid intoxication, the ancients routinely diluted fermented wine with water, sometimes as much as twenty parts water to one part wine.²⁶ The Greek rhetorician Athenaus of Naucratis (early third century), citing nearly 800 ancient authors and 2500 separate works in his fifteen volumes entitled Deipnosophistae (“Scholars at the Dinner Table”), documents the common practice, among society’s more sophisticated, of drinking wine diluted with water (of various water-to-wine ratios ranging from 1:1 to 20:1), regarding it uncultured to drink full-strength undiluted wine characteristic of barbaric Scythians.²⁷ The first-century Greco-Roman historian Plutarch speaks of recommended proportions of 3:2, 2:1, and 3:1, the greater part water making it harder to get drunk (Symposiacs 3.9). 

Concerning the Lord’s Supper, Justin Martyr (ca. 100-165) spoke of “bread [ἄρτος] and a cup (of wine) [ποτήριον] mixed with water [ὕδωρ] …. deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread [ἄρτος] and wine [οἶνος] mixed with water [ὕδωρ] over which the thanksgiving was pronounced …” (First Apology 65). 

Among the Jews of the intertestamental period, 2 Maccabees 15:39 states: “Just as it is unpleasant to drink wine by itself or just water, whereas wine mixed with water makes a delightful and pleasing drink, so a skillfully composed story delights the ears of those who read the work …”²⁸ In Talmudic times (post-70 to fifth century AD),²⁹ the normal dilution rate was three parts water to one part wine (Pesaḥim 108b), while 2:1 was considered “impure” (Niddah 2.7). According to rabbi Rava, “Any wine that does not hold one part wine diluted by three parts water is not wine. Wine must be sufficiently potent to be capable of being diluted with water three times its measure” (Shabbath 77a).³⁰ Moreover, grape juice was often boiled down to a concentrate before adding water.³¹

Mixing fermented wine with water may also have had a purifying effect, making water safer to drink,³² although the well-known practices of boiling and filtering were commonly used for this purpose.³³ At the same time, contrary to what is often assumed and alleged, clean water was readily available for drinking.³⁴ In fact, while extoling the merits of drinking only water, Athenaus observes, “He who has been accustomed from his earliest upbringing to drink water takes no pleasure in the cup” (Deipnosophistae 2:40-46).³⁵

Unless historical context is ignored, the recreational drinking of full-strength, fortified, ethyl alcohol is not biblically maintainable.³⁶ Paul’s allusion to “meat” or “wine,” notwithstanding the likely hypothetical nature of his point, is simply illustrative of whatever may cause a fellow-Christian to stumble and ought to be relinquished by considerate, loving brethren. “While freedom is a right, it is not a guide for conduct. Love serves that purpose. Rights are to be laid aside in the interest of love.”³⁷

Personal Faith

“The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:22-23). 

The second person singular pronoun “you” [σύ], with which v. 22 begins (cf. also vv. 4, 10), indirectly and emphatically identifies the convictions or personal “faith” [πίστις] each Christian has concerning matters that should not challenge or unsettle the objective faith all believers mutually share.³⁸ If a legitimate activity (related to the issues at hand) has the potential of adversely affecting the unity of the church or the spiritual well-being of a brother or sister in Christ, it is to be kept private “between yourself and God.”³⁹ No need to flaunt your religious freedom (cf. vv. 4-12). “For faith is in itself so good that we can afford to forego some points of its outward manifestation, and be satisfied to enjoy it in our own hearts and in the presence of God.”⁴⁰

Note the repetition of κριν- (assessment-making) words: “pass judgment” [κρίνω], “has doubts” [διακρίνω], “is condemned” [κατακρίνω]. The unacceptable judging of others (vv. 1-4, 10-13) extends to self-condemnatory “judging” [κρίνω] (cf. v. 5a). “Blessed” [μακάριος]⁴¹ (cf. 4:7, 8) or “happy” (ASV, NASB, N/KJV) is the one who avoids this pitfall. Otherwise, one is fraught by needless misgivings, uncertainty, and “doubting” [διακρίνω] – the opposite of a solid Abraham-like faith (4:20).⁴² If not fully convinced, one is “weak in the faith” (v. 1), trying to function as a Christian on tenuous footing, and “is condemned” [κατακρίνω] (cf. 2:1; 8:3, 34)⁴³ if engaging in an uncertain activity (like “eating” something about which one is unsure) that is “not from faith” [οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως]. This is in contrast to one “having faith” [πιστεύει] to eat anything (v. 2). 

The eating in itself is not the problem. Rather, eating when one thinks it may be wrong or when one is unconvinced it is right in the sight of God (vv. 14, 20) constitutes “sin.” This is the final occurrence of the word “sin” [ἁμαρτία] in the letter that has been thoroughly discussed, in both its noun and verbal forms, since chapter 2.⁴⁴ “For a Christian not a single decision and action can be good which he does not think he can justify on the ground of his Christian conviction and his liberty before God in Christ.”⁴⁵

In chapter 14 Paul seems to be using the noun “faith” [πίστις] and its verbal form (vv. 1, 2, 22, 23) in reference to “the confidence that one’s Christian faith permits one to do a particular thing, an inward liberty with reference to it.”⁴⁶ Yet here he establishes a general principle exceeding the representative samples he has noted thus far, applicable to “whatever” [πᾶν] is not “from faith” [ἐκ πίστεως], including “other matters in which believers might act contrary to what they believe is true.”⁴⁷

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ The Byzantine Majority Text and Textus Receptus have the added, “or is offended or is made weak” (NKJV) [ἢ σκανδαλίζεται ἢ ἀσθενεῖ]. While many believe this is “a Western expansion … which gained wide circulation” (B. M. Metzger, Textual Commentary on the Greek NT [2nd ed.] 469), it is attested quite early and both readings “have good documentary support; either reading could be original” (P. W. Comfort, A Commentary on the Manuscripts and Text of the NT 310). Based on the longer reading, John Calvin observed a descending order of “falling” [προσκόπτω], “stumbling” [σκανδαλίζω], and “weakening” [ἀσθενέω], as Paul proscribes instigating the latter to avoid the more serious leading to the most serious (Commentary on Romans 433).

     ² Compare 1 Cor. 8:7-13.

     ³ Cf. 2 Cor. 5:1; Gal. 2:18.

     ⁴ 1 Cor. 6:13; 8:8, 13; 1 Tim. 4:3; Heb. 9:10 (incl. drink); 13:9.

     ⁵ The only other occurrence of this word in the NT is 1 Cor. 8:13.

     ⁶ Cf. 1:30; 2:9; 3:8; 7:19, 21; 12:17, 21; 13:3, 4, 10; 16:10.

     ⁷ J. A. Beet, Romans 358.

     ⁸ Cf. 1 Cor. 3:9-17; Eph. 2:10.

     ⁹ Cf. 1 Cor. 8:13; 9:12, 15, 19; 10:27-33; Gal. 5:13-15, 26; Phil. 2:1-4.

     ¹⁰ J. Denney, “Romans” 2:706.

     ¹¹ To complete the thought, the English pronoun “anything” is added by translators to the triple negative μή … μηδέ … μηδέ, which normally expresses a sense of urgency.

     ¹² Acts 15:20, 29; 1 Cor. 8–10; Col. 2:20-22.

     ¹³ Wine was used in Jewish drink offerings (Lev. 23:13; Num. 15:5), and pouring out a libation of wine to the gods was a common practice among the Greeks, both in drinking wine and accompanying sacrifices (see W. Burkert, Greek Religion 70-73; L. B. Zaidman and P. S. Pantel, Religion in the Ancient Greek City 28-40). The Greek verb μεθύω (to “get drunk”), according to Aristotle, is derived “from the use of wine after sacrifice” (as reported by Athenaus of Naucratis, Deipnosophistae 2:40).

     ¹⁴ Cf. Luke 21:34; Gal. 5:21; also 1 Cor. 6:10; Eph. 5:18; 1 Pet. 4:3. The noun κώμοι in Rom. 13:13, translated “orgies” in the ESV and NAB, is more closely related to drunkenness in the sense of “reveling” (ASV, NRSV) or “carousing” (NASB, NIV).

     ¹⁵ Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-38. 

     ¹⁶ Num. 6:1-4; Jer. 35:6-14; Dan. 1:8; Luke 1:14; 7:33.

     ¹⁷ Matt. 11:19; Luke 5:30, 33; 10:7.

     ¹⁸ Luke 7:33-34; John 2:1-11; 4:46. In the NT the word “wine” [οἶνος] is never used with reference to the Passover meal or the Lord’s Supper, notwithstanding some modern English paraphrastic versions. Rather, the terminology used is simply “cup” [ποτήριον = “drinking vessel”] as a metonymy (Matt. 26:27; Mark 14:23; Luke 22:17, 20), and “the fruit of the vine” [τοῦ γενήματος τῆς ἀμπέλου] (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18).

     ¹⁹ Luke 5:29-32; cf. Matt. 9:10-12; Mark 2:15-17.

     ²⁰ Matt. 24:48-51; Luke 12:45-46; cf. Prov. 23:19-21; Eccl. 10:17; 1 Pet. 4:3-5.

     ²¹ The verb μεθύω and its transitive form μεθύσκω mean to “get drunk” only when intoxicants are involved (Luke 12:45; Eph. 5:18; 1 Thess. 5:7). Otherwise, the sense of “indulging” or “overindulging” (cf. Rev. 17:2, 6) would include excessive eating (1 Cor. 11:21), as well as drinking “freely” or “fully” without inebriation (John 2:10).

     ²² The description “good” does not imply fermentation, although “old” [παλαιός] (fermented) wine, as opposed to “new” [νέος] (unfermented) wine, is usually preferred by those who have developed a taste for it (Luke 5:37-39), especially when addicted (cf. Prov. 23:29-35). See also Prov. 20:1; Hab. 2:15. Elsewhere in John’s Gospel, the adj. “good” [καλός] always applies to Jesus (10:11, 14, 32, 33); note also the comparable ἀγαθός (1:46; 5:29; 7:12).

     ²³ The Greek word οἶνος reportedly came from Oineus, the name of the first person to have used the term for what he squeezed into cups from the clusters of grapevines, according to Hecataeus of Miletus (6th-5th century BC Greek historian and geographer), Melanippides of Melos (5th century BC Greek poet), and Nicander of Colophon (2nd century BC Greek poet, grammarian, and physician); reported in Deipnosophistae 2:35 by Athenaus of Naucratis (ca. 228).

     ²⁴ Cf. Gen. 49:11-12; Num. 18:12; Deut. 11:14; 32:14; 2 Chron. 31:5; 32:28; Neh. 10:37; Prov. 3:10; Isa. 16:10; 27:2; 62:8-9; 65:8; Jer. 40:10, 12; 48:33; Joel 1:10-12; Amos 9:13.

     ²⁵ S. J. Shifferd, “What Kind of Wine Did Jesus Drink?” The Breath of God (retrieved 29 March 2024), <Link>; cf. J. Chorniak, “Wild Yeast: The Pros and Cons of Spontaneous Fermentation,” WineMaker (retrieved 29 March 2024), <Link>; J. L. Jacobson, “Upsides of Wild Fermentation,” Wines & Vines (April 2012), <Link>; “Wine Alcohol Content,” Alcohol Content Database (retrieved 29 March 2024), <Link>. 

     ²⁶ See E. Ferguson, “Wine as a Table-Drink in the Ancient World,” RQ 13 (1970): 141-53. 

     ²⁷ See The Deipnosophistae of Athenaus, LCL Vol. 4; also available online. On the reputation of the Scythians as uncultured barbarians and drunkards, see B. Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe 52-54.

     ²⁸ USCCB translation, © 2019-2024.

     ²⁹ Granted, the rabbinic teachings were recorded after the earliest period of the Christ movement, but since undiluted wine became commonplace in later Jewish tradition, greater moderation in earlier times is assumed.

     ³⁰ From the William Davidson edition of the Babylonian Talmud, trans. A. Even-Israel Steinsaltz. On the question of using unfermented grape juice for the cup of blessing at Passover, R. Rava affirms: “One can squeeze a cluster of grapes and say Kiddush over [the juice]” (Bava Batra 97b).

     ³¹ J. Kulp, Mishnah Yomit: English Explanation of Mishnah Pesachim, USCJ Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem (retrieved 21 March 2020), <Web>.

     ³² E. Ferguson, “Wine as a Table-Drink” 146.

     ³³ Athenaus, Deipnosophistae 2:45. “The Greeks and Romans used different methods to improve the quality of the water if it did not satisfy their quality requirements. From written sources and archaeological excavations, we know that using settling tanks, sieves, filters and the boiling of water were methods used during antiquity. At least boiling of water, which was widely recommended by the medical authors during antiquity, would have diminished the biological risks of poor quality water” (P. S. Juuti, T. S. Katko, and H. S. Vuorinen, eds. “A Brief History of Water and Health from Ancient Civilizations,” IWA Publishing [retrieved 30 March 2024], <Link>).

     ³⁴ See Mark 9:41; John 4:7-13; 1 Tim. 5:23a; Jas. 3:11-12.

     ³⁵ In 1 Tim. 5:22b-23, prompted by the reminder to “keep yourself pure,” Paul inserts the parenthetical comment: “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.” The present active imperative verb ὑδροπότει (from ὑδροποτέω, to “drink water”), is suggestive of Timothy’s ordinary means of hydration, drinking water exclusively and total abstinence from wine. The young evangelist is therefore encouraged to alter his customary routine to address his digestive problems and other “frequent ailments.” He is not instructed to imbibe or indulge but to “use” [χράομαι] (cf. 1:8), for medicinal purposes, a small amount [ὀλίγος] (cf. 4:8) of “wine” [οἶνος], the only explicit exception to the apostle’s earlier stance against “much wine” (3:8).

     ³⁶ See K. L. Moore, “Here’s Why I Don’t Drink Beverage Alcohol,” Moore Perspective (28 Sept. 2013), <Link>.

     ³⁷ R. Mounce, Romans 257-58.

     ³⁸ As per Rom. 1:5, 8, 12; 3:28; 5:1-2; 10:17; et al.; cf. also 1 Cor. 1:10; Eph. 4:4-6, 13; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:23.

     ³⁹ Lit. “before” [ἐνώπιον] God: cf. Luke 1:74-75; 12:6-7; 16:15; Acts 7:46; 10:31; 1 Cor. 1:29; 2 Cor. 4:2; 8:21; Gal. 1:20; 1 Tim. 2:3; 6:13; Heb. 4:13; 13:20-21; Jas. 4:10; 1 Pet. 3:4; 1 John 3:18-21. Note also 1 Cor. 14:28.

     ⁴⁰ J. A. Beet, Romans 358.

     ⁴¹ The adj. μακάριος means “blessed, fortunate, happy, usu[ally] in the sense privileged recipient of divine favor” (BAGD 486). While the Latin beatus, from which the English term “beatitude” is derived, means “fortunate,” “blissful,” or “happy,” the word “blessed” is probably the better sense in most biblical texts, wherein the focus is directed upward and implicitly acknowledges God from whom the blessings proceed (cf. Matt. 5:3-11; Col. 3:2; Jas. 1:12, 17, 25).

     ⁴² Compare Matt. 21:21; Mark 11:23; Acts 10:20; 11:12; Jas. 1:6; Jude 22-23.

     ⁴³ As Paul consistently uses the expression (cf. also 1 Cor. 11:32), this is not merely self-condemnation but divine condemnation. 

     ⁴⁴ Verb ἁμαρτάνω, Rom. 2:12; 3:23; 5:12, 14, 16; 6:15. Noun ἁμαρτία, 3:9, 20; 4:7, 8; 5:12, 13, 20, 21; 6:1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23; 7:5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 23, 25; 8:2, 3, 10; 11:27; 14:23.

     ⁴⁵ H. N. Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology 291.

     ⁴⁶ C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:728-29. Cranfield also speaks of the word’s “limited applicability,” which he says contextually “refers only to matters which have been under discussion, the matters at issue between the weak and the strong …” (ibid.); cf. also 697-700.

     ⁴⁷ C. Kruse, Paul’s Letter to the Romans 526.

Related Posts: The Weak and Strong: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7

Related articles: Patrick Swayne, Was Jesus a Drunkard?

Image credit: https://www.freepik.com/premium-vector/man-thinking-with-feel-tension-vector-silhouette-22_207161104.htm