Enthymeme’s in the Bible: Romans 14:1-6

Romans 14:1-6
¹ Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. ² For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. ³ Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. ⁴ Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. ⁵ One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. ⁶ He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

There are Sunday-observers (those who keep what is wrongly called “the LORD’s day”) who would wrongly use Romans 14 to justify not needing to keep the Sabbath on the seventh day. They would argue that Romans 14 allows Christians to keep the Sabbath on any day which they please, or even to disregard Sabbath-keeping altogether. Moreover, these same persons would use Romans 14 to justify eating any type of food whether clean or unclean. Yet, it is almost certain that these persons would not support using Romans 14 to justify the eating of blood (Acts 15:29) or of any animal that dies from strangulation (Acts 15:29) or any animal knowingly sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:29). Such certainty is based upon the explicit prohibition against these forbidden foods that was promulgated at the Jerusalem council of Acts 15 (Acts 15:20,28-29). Nor would I fault the Sunday-observer for this stance. For rational Christians must allow for the idea that Paul took for granted that his readers would know to exclude such foods from the expression: “one believeth that he may eat all things” (Romans 14:2). After all, Romans 14 is being addressed to believers exclusively. Indeed, the rationale behind the Sunday-observer’s refusal to include the meat of idolatry, blood or strangled animals among the foods which are permissible for a believer to consume is flawless. After all, in Acts 15:28 the Holy Spirit deemed it necessary that New Covenant believers observe these two commandmentsㅡ commandments which, by the way, are explicit citations from the wrongly-thought- to-be-abolished Mosaic Law (i.e., eating meat sacrificed to idols Exodus 34:15; i.e. eating blood Leviticus 7:26; eating strangled animals Leviticus 17:13). 

Yet, in a rank display of inconsistency, the Sunday-observer will fail to apply the same rationale towards the exclusion of the Sabbath from the expression: “another esteemeth every day alike” (Romans 14:5). Why wouldn’t Paul also take for granted that his readers would know to exclude the Sabbath from that expression? After all, in Isaiah 56:1-8, the Holy Spirit expressly commands Gentiles who would embrace the New Covenant to also keep the Sabbath. Because the Isaiah 56 mandate for Gentiles to keep the Sabbath is not only explicit, but also tethered to the New Covenant offer, and then repeated thrice, the believer can no longer argue that Sabbath observance or the day on which it falls is merely a matter of preference. Else, consistency would force him to also conclude that eating blood or strangled animals is merely a matter of preference in spite of the explicit prohibitions given to Gentile believers in Acts 15:20,28-29.

Those who have some facility with the discipline of logic might easily recognize that each of Paul’s two propositions in Romans 14:6 are enthymemes. Enthymemes are condensed arguments in which either a premise and/or a conclusion is omitted for one reason or another. As such, these propositions present ideas which are at best incomplete, at least until the reader “fills in the blanks.” But how would the reader know that Paul’s two propositions are enthymemes? One reason is because Paul’s premises, if allowed to stand by themselves, would introduce teachings which irremediably militate against the whole counsel of Scripture. For instance, the idea that a believer can eat anything (including blood and strangled animals) whilst claiming that he does so to honor God is a hopelessly false idea. Nor did Paul mean for the reader to walk away with such an idea in light of other foreboding Bible verses. Likewise, the idea that a believer can treat all days the same (including the Sabbath) whilst claiming that in doing so he is honoring God is a hopelessly false idea. Nor did Paul mean for the reader to walk away with such an idea in light of other foreboding Bible verses. But alas, all communication is unavoidably rife with enthymemes therefore such tedious delineation of words and ideas is usually needed to ensure one is not misapprehending the message. Hence the following syllogisms are included to establish what Paul had in mind when penning these propositions against the backdrop of the whole counsel of God: 

Premise 1 (provided): All believers who eat all things are those who eat all things unto the Lord (Romans 14:6)
Premise 2 (missing in the immediate context): The Lord prohibits believers from eating restricted foods (Acts 15:28)
Conclusion (missing): All believers who eat all things to the Lord are those who exclude restricted foods-from-the-term-‘all-things.’

Premise 1 (provided): All believers who regard-all-days-alike are those who regard-all days-alike-unto-the-Lord (Romans 14:6)
Premise 2 (missing in the immediate context): The Lord prohibits believers from desecrating the Sabbath (Isaiah 56:1-8)
Conclusion (missing): All believers who regard-all days-alike-unto-the-Lord are those who exclude-the-Sabbath-from-the term-’all-days.’

Is The Punishment for Sin Death?

This thread is in response to the following YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZrAtTfskso&list=PLHjVR-mjXyvH0JUij49wuNmkg4lUBnM6R&index=25&ab_channel=IdolKiller

The thread is only tangentially related to the YouTube video. So watching the video will not benefit the reader one way or the other.

This a discussion between 5 persons about whether the punishment for sin is death.

1. @kisstheson9519
The punishment for sin is death. Isn’t it simply understood that Jesus conquered death and through Him, we have victory over the punishment of sin?

2. @IdolKiller –> @kisstheson9519
Death was a MERCY God enacted upon man, to limit his suffering and provide means of redemption. Though there are specific sins so grave death is a penalty enacted upon the guilty as a mercy to the living.

3. @kisstheson9519 –> @IdolKiller
The punishment for sin is death and we are able to conquer death through Christ.
James 1:15
“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

1 John 4:9
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”

4. @ChristPlusZero.org –> @kisstheson9519
I am interested in this claim that the punishment for sin is death. Can you provide a verse or two that would help a biblically ignorant person to understand this claim to be true?

@Dizerner –> @ChristPlusZero.org
The soul that sins shall die

5. @ChristPlusZero.org –> @Dizerner
Thanks for your response. I agree that Ezekiel 18:4 (to which you refer) is indeed a punishment. But this verse does not appear to support the idea that each and every sin deserves death which is usually what is meant when someone says “the punishment for sin is death.” Ezekiel 18 refers to a sinner’s UNTIMELY death on account of his unfazed and utter disloyalty to God’s law. Such death is an execution and not mere mortality. This is seen when the same chapter speaks of a repentant sinner who does not die. Ezekiel 18:4, then, serves to show that the generic penalty for sin cannot be death (at least not the one mentioned in Ezekiel). Is there another verse you can provide that supports your initial claim?

6. @kisstheson9519 –> @ChristPlusZero.org
Forgive me, I misspoke.
The payment for sin is death which is a payment that no one can afford, so technically it can be considered a punishment 😉

James 1:15 – Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Romans 5:12 – Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

7. @ChristPlusZero.org –> @kisstheson9519
I think we can all agree that whatever James 1:15 means, it cannot mean that the punishment for sin is death. Otherwise, the Scriptures would not speak of a sin that is not unto death (1 John 5:17). The mere fact that there are several sins in the Bible that do not require UNTIMELY death is a testament to the fact that the generic penalty for sin is not death. Hence, it seems that so far, the popular premise that “the punishment for sin is death” is unproven. Else, are there other passages that serve to bolster this premise?

Life is a test and all things in this life are just distractions!

It has become apparent to me that all things in this life are just distractions. Yes, I mean ALL things that do not involve reading, learning and loving the Word of God. There are of course good distractions and bad distractions. A good distraction is that which will eventually lead one to the pages of God’s Word, which in reality are the only words of life (Philippians 2:6, 1 John 1:1). One example of a good distraction is a godly wife who urges her husband to go and lose himself in the pages of the Word of God (1 Corinthians 7:33). Another example of a good distraction is a daily hour of passive commute time (e.g. on a train) which allows a prudent believer to routinely engage the weighty parts of God’s word. It is a distraction because it is a commute, but it is a good distraction (if re-purposed advantageously) because it forces one into a routine of Bible study which might not otherwise be as routine. There are also necessary distractions such as eating and sleeping. Nevertheless, these necessary distractions are still distractions as they do not lead us to the Word of God, though they enable us to continue that quest. Living a spiritually healthy life is all about managing the many distractions that are in one’s life. Do not get caught up in distractions.

God—understanding that we need significant amounts of undistracted alone time with Him in order to truly know Him and excel in this test that is life— prudently designated 1/7th of our time here on this earth as distraction-free. In His study guide for how to pass the test, He called this distraction-free time, the Sabbath. He promised that those who partook of worship and rest during this period would experience the blessings specifically associated with this time segment. However, most have seen this Sabbath as an affront to their own personal time and/or have decided to re-designate another unblessed and unhallowed time-segment as their Sabbath. They have also shunned the idea that the entire time-segment needs to be distraction-free and have hence encumbered their Sabbath with all sorts of distractions which are sure to limit the time spent in the word of God.

Surprisingly, many times our own family members can be the greatest distractions. Jesus in Matthew 10:25 says: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” A brother, a relative, or a friend can prove to be a bad influence and therefore a bad distraction. We pursue earthly distractions because we think that they will bring us happiness. But the Bible tells us that Christ has gone to prepare mansions in Heaven for those who believe in Him (John 14:1-3). The earthly success that we desire is merely a glimpse of the joy that believers will realize in Heaven. The Bible in Psalms 16:11 tells us that “in God’s presence is fullness of joy; [and] at His right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Therefore, if we do not seek to place ALL of our dreams, desires, and hopes in Christ then we have misunderstood our purpose here on earth and will surely encounter disappointment. This is why Paul in Colossians 3:2-3 says “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” The success that we desire is “hid with Christ in God.” Though we may encounter success in this life, that is not the purpose of life. Each person whom God allows to live in this world must realize that they have entered a test, a final examination. This a profound test as it involves our future well-being. There are only two outcomes for this test: a future eternal life with Christ in a world which unlike our current one is not cursed (Genesis 3:16-19, Romans 8:20-22, Revelation 22:3) or dying the “Second Death” which the Bible tells us is experiencing eternal torment in the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 and Revelation 20:14-15; 21:8). Hence, the outcomes of this test called life involve the greatest incentive (i.e. the good news of the gospel) and the greatest disincentive (i.e. the failure to obey the gospel). No one knows when the test will end; for some people, the test ends a lot sooner than they hoped or expected and some sadly find out that they have not done what it takes to even get a passing grade. Therefore, we all need to be concerned with passing the test with flying colors. How do we pass the test with flying colors? By realizing that all things in this life that do not involve reading, learning and loving the Word of God are distractions. Once we understand this then we can manage the distractions in our life so that we will leave this life with a rich understanding of the true knowledge of God. Do not, therefore, allow the distractions in your life to steal your destiny. Many church-goers will end up dying the Second Death because they thought it was more important to chase “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The Bible reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:10 that in chasing these distractions, many have “erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” From the day we are born, we are told and taught to covet “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” and sadly most people will die in pursuit of these earthly treasures. Jesus urges us not to pursue these earthly treasures and warns us that “moth and rust will corrupt” them and that “thieves break through and steal” them. Christ’s advice is to instead “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Matthew 6:20). So how do we lay up treasures in Heaven?

God knows that we all yearn for some measure of earthly happiness which I will hereafter refer to as “these things.” That is why He has provided us with a non-destructive way to arrive at “these things.” A way that doesn’t involve the pursuit of distractions. In Matthew 6:33, God says “seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all ‘these things’ shall be added unto you.” In Psalms 34:10, God says: “they that seek the LORD shall not want [i.e. lack] any good thing.” In Psalms 37:4, God says “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” In Psalms 145:19  we read “God will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.” In John 15:7 Christ says “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Therefore, anytime you (or anyone you care about) find yourself yearning for “these things” or wondering whether you will find some modicum of success in this life, just remember God’s advice: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, delight yourself in the LORD, fear Him, abide in Him, and allow His words to abide in you.

To many, this advice may sound counter-intuitive. After all, why would someone want to read a Bible if they can’t eat, buy clothes, or do not have anywhere to sleep? Yet, we must remember that all our help comes from God. I am weak having my own burdens. I need God’s grace each day just to survive. But my King is strong and He is still coming back soon! He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). He supplies my needs in proportion to how relentlessly I pursue His Word.