Commentary on Romans, Biblical exegesis 2 · Chapter 14 · Section 3 · Subsection 1 – Subsection 2
1. Quest. Who are the weake in faith, and how they are to be receiued.
1. Chrysostome sheweth the occasion of the Apostles discourse in this chapter to be this: that whereas there were certaine beleeuing Iewes among the Christian Gentiles, and especially at Rome, which beeing converted to the faith, yet would not be suddenly weaned from the ceremonies of the law, as in abstaining from some kinds of meates, in obseruing of festivall daies, betweene whome and the other Christians there was some dislike, who beeing better instructed, held all the ceremonies of the law to be abrogated: the Apostle fearing, least by the too great forwardnes of the more perfect in iudgement, the weaker sort might be offended, and caused vt prorsus ex fide defuerint, to fall away quite from the faith, he therefore perswadeth such to beare with the weake in such things, not to offend, nor grieue them, &c. And as in the former chapter he taught inferiors how to carrie themselues toward their superiors; so here contrariwise he giueth a rule to the more perfit, as superiors in faith, how they should behaue themselues toward them which were weake: Lyranus.
2. Chrysostome also well obserueth, how the Apostle wisely tempereth his speach: for he speaketh vntounto those which are strong, occulte vero infirmos increpat, and yet secretly he taxeth them which are weake: for in that he calleth them weake, he sheweth, that they were sicke: and in saying, receiue them, he, sheweth that they hauehave neede to be cured: But yet the Apostle neither blameth those which were perfect, as though they did euill, least he might hauehave confirmed the weake in their error, neither doth he commend them, as though they did well, least he might hauehave made them more forward in accusing the weake, sed commensur atam increpationem instituit, but he tempereth his rebuke, speaking to the one, and yet finding fault with the other.
3. The weake in faith. 1. Origen maketh here a difference, betweene the strong in faith, the weake in faith, and the infidell: which Haymo explaneth thus; he is weake in faith, qui in aliquae parte fidei dubitat, who doubteth in some part of faith, who beleeueth not perfectly as he should: he is an infidell, qui ex toto, &c. who doubteth altogether: he is strong in faith, qui nihil dubitat, doubteth nothing at all. 2. and yet to speake more distinctly, there is a double kind of strength and weaknes, one is concerning faith and doctrine, the other touching life, and manners: about faith some are weake, or strong, either totally, or in part: they are totally strong, which are throughout confirmed in the faith, as was Abraham, of whome it is said before, c. 4. He was not weake in faith: and such he calleth perfect, Philip, 1.15. they are strong in part, whose iudgement is setled in some speciall point of doctrine, wherein others doubt, as here the beleeuing Romanes were strong, and well perswaded in the vse of Christian libertie: againe, some are totally weake in faith, as they which are newly conuerted from Paganisme, and not well instructed … some weake in part, as the Iewes, which here thought, that with a good conscience they might not eate of all kind of meates: some likewise are strong in matters touching manners, who are perfectly regenerate in respect of others whom the Apostle calleth spirituall, Gal. 6.1. some may faile in their life, in some particular act, and so are weake, such the Apostle calleth carnall. 3. so then there is great difference betweene a weake faith, and a false faith: for faith, though it be weake may iustifie, so can not a false faith. But it will be obiected, that it should seeme that the faith of these Christian Iewes, was not a right faith, because they beleeued not all, that was to be beleeued,Difference betweene a weak faith, and a false faith. namely, that the ceremonies of the law were abrogated: to this I answer, that where this happeneth, that something is not beleeued, which appertaineth to faith, if it be vitio credentis, by the fault of him which should beleeue, as not yeelding himselfe in humilitie to be taught by the word of God, this is so right faith: but if the reason be this, that the matter proposed to be beleeued, be not sufficiently explaned, so that for want of knowledge and iudgement, rather then of an obstinate minde, it be not beleeued, such a faith, though yet weake, yet may it be a true faith; where there is a willingnes and readines vponupon better instruction to be otherwise perswaded: Mart. or here by faith we may vnderstand the perswasion of the vse of things indifferent, by a synecdoche, the whole beeing taken for a part, as Piscator obserueth: and so such weaknes shall be no impediment at all to iustifying faith.
Receiue him: 1. the word is foreign, which signifieth to receiue affectu charitatis, with a charitable affection, as Haymo: and it differeth from the word foreign, vsed Act. 20.35. which is properly to support, to hold or life vp one that is falling, Beza. 2. so this word signifieth three things; that they should take such an one vntounto them, not cast them off, or separate themselues: then they must patienter tolerare, patiently beare with him, and by further instruction seeke to restoare him, as S. Paul aduiseth, Gal. 6.1.
2. Quest. What is meant by controversies of disputations.
1. The vulgar Latine readeth, as the Rhemists also translate, not in disputations of cogitations: but the word is foreign, which signifieth not cogitations, but disputations: Erasmus readeth, ad diiudicationes, &c. for the iudging of the thoughts: so Augustine in the exposition of this Epistle giueth this sense, that they should not take vponupon them to iudge the thoughts of the weake: so also Lyranus, gloss. interlin. Gorrh. for God onelyonly iudgeth the thoughts: Tolet also by the thoughts vnderstandeth their secret opinions, which they held touching things indifferent, which he would not hauehave controverted but the word, as is saide before, signifieth disputations, not thoughts: and Beza well translateth. certaminae disputationum, for controversies of disputation: whereby the weake might be entangled more rather then edified. 2. he forbiddeth not all questions, which may be mooued about matters of faith: for there are profitable questions, which tend to the discussing of doubts, and make for edifying: but all vaine ianglings and brabbles which breed contention rather then serue for instruction must be auoided, such as these were about the eating of meates, obseruing of daies: such the Apostle calleth foolish and vnlearned questions, 2. Tim. 2.23.
This place then doth nothing at all fauour the opinion of the Mahumetanes, which can endure no disputations at all: Tertullian hath a good saying, suspecta est doctrina, quae vult occult, that doctrine is to be suspected, which would be hid: and our Bl. Sauiour disputed with the Pharisies, so did S. Paul, Apollos, and Aquila with the Iewes, Act. 28.