The section just concluded (Rom. 12: and 13:) was an exposition of what constituted,

and what arose out of, "reasonable service". The section now before us met a very real

need in the Church of the Apostle's day, and also indicates what should be our attitude

to-day, even though the particular questions under discussion may not be exactly the

same as they were while the "middle wall of partition" between Jewish and Gentile

believers still remained.

The subject of this section is that of "reception". The Apostle deals with this in two

ways: (1) Negatively: "Not to doubtful disputations" (14: 1), and (2) Positively: "As

Christ received us, to the glory of God" (15: 7). The "doubtful disputations" were

concerned with the eating of "meats" and the observance of "days". The true spiritual

attitude in these things is to realize that they make little or no difference to the believer,

and that things are in themselves neither clean nor unclean. Days can be neither sacred

nor secular in themselves; what matters most is the effect upon the conscience and the

motive that is behind the action. It will not be difficult for the reader to see, beyond the

concrete examples here introduced, the general principles which must govern the setting

of all such grounds of dispute and offence.

The structure of such a section as this is necessarily a long one, and it is not

practicable to set it out in full in these pages. We give a condensed outline here, and in

the course of exposition each section will be expanded as the occasion demands. It will

therefore be a simple matter for the earnest student to reassemble the whole structure

should he so desire. Those who do not think it necessary to do this may nevertheless feel

assured that the whole structure is before us, even though it cannot be exhibited. The

skeleton structure is as follows:

A1 | 14: 1. Receive the weak.

B1 | 14: 1. Diakrisis. Doubtful disputations.

C1 | 14: 2-5. Meats, etc., and the estimate of faith.

D1 | 14: 6-12. The Lordship of Christ. It is written.

C2 | 14: 13-22. Meats, etc., and the estimate of faith.

B2 | 14: 23. Diakrino. Doubts and damnation. Not of faith is sin.

D2 | 15: 1-5. The humility of Christ. It is written.

C3 | 15: 5. Something better than meats, etc.

B3 | 15: 6. Homothumadon. One mind and one mouth. Better than diakrisis.

A2 | 15: 7. Receive ye one another, as Christ also received us.