John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 14:1-23
The Duty of Sympathy and TolerationIn chapter Romans 13:12 St. Paul urged his readers, by their expectation of Christ’s coming, to avoid the licence and immorality of the heathen. Now he turns to the opposite extreme, and deals with the ascetic scrupulousness of certain Christians.Under the Jewish Law there was a distinction between clean and unclean meats. This distinction, which perpetuated the separation between Jew and Gentile, Christ abolished (Mark 7:19 RV), as was afterwards revealed to... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 14:7-8
In Romans 14:7 Paul did not mean that our behavior influences other people. Obviously it does. He meant that no Christian should live to please himself alone but should live to please the Lord. The context makes this clear (Romans 14:6; Romans 14:8). Really the dedicated Christian’s desire to please the Lord will continue beyond the grave, so Paul could also say that we do not die for ourselves. Our whole existence this side of the grave and the other, in life and in death, should express our... read more