Rom 14:22

“This person should keep his faith to himself and not try to impose it on others.… It is reward enough to have God's approval.There are many people who start off with good intentions, e.g., they decide they are going to live a celibate life, but in the course of time, either by negligence or desire, what they originally decided to do gets spoiled and corrupted. He is an unhappy person, therefore, who pronounces himself defeated in what he has tried to do, for he judges and condemns himself. A happy person is one who perseveres and thus has no reason to judge or to reprove himself for what he does.”

“Here he seems to me to be giving a gentle warning to the more advanced on the score of vanity. And what he says is this, Dost thou wish to show me that thou art perfect, and fully furnished? Do not show it to me, but let thy conscience suffice. And by faith, he here means that concerned not with doctrines, but with the subject in hand. For of the former it says, "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. x. 10); and, "Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny." (Luke ix. 26.) For the former by not being confessed, ruins us; and so does this by being confessed unseasonably. "Happy is he that condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth." Again he strikes at the weaker one, and gives him (i.e. the stronger) a sufficient crown, in that of his conscience. Even if no man see, that is, thou art able to be happy in thyself. For after saying, "Have it to thyself," to prevent his thinking this a contemptible tribunal, he tells him this is better to thee than the world. And if all accuse thee, and thou condemn not thyself, and thy conscience lay no charge against thee, thou art happy. But this is a statement he did not make to apply to any person whatever. For there are many that condemn not themselves, and yet are great transgressors: and these are the most miserable of men. But he still keeps to the subject in hand.”

“Here he secretly hints that the mature one was displaying his maturity out of vainglory. He says: you want to show me that you are mature in faith regarding food, believing that everything is good and clean? Do not show me, but be content with the testimony of conscience before God, to Whom you show this. Even if no one else sees your blessedness, be content with yourself, if you yourself do not condemn yourself and your conscience does not condemn you in a matter that you have approved or chosen. Understand this only concerning the present subject, that is, concerning food.”

“Third, he rejects an excuse. For someone might say: although my neighbor may be scandalized at my eating all foods indiscriminately, yet to profess my faith, which tells me that it is lawful, I will use food indiscriminately. But the Apostle rejects this reasoning, saying: do you, who would use all foods indiscriminately, have faith, through which it is clear that it is lawful to use these foods. This faith is good and praiseworthy, have it secretly before God, whom such faith pleases: God is well pleased with faith and meekness (Sir 18:14). As if to say: it is not fitting to manifest your faith by an outward work, when this becomes a stumbling block to your neighbor. But this seems to be contradicted by something he said above: man believes with his heart and so is justified; and he confesses with his mouth and so is saved (Rom 10:10). Therefore, it does not seem to be enough to keep the faith in your heart between yourself and God, but it should be manifested by confessing it before one's neighbor. The answer is that among the matters of faith some have not been perfectly manifested by the Church, as in the early Church it had not been perfectly declared to men that Jewish converts were not bound to observe the practices of the law, and as in the time of Augustine the Church had not yet declared that the soul was not transferred from the parent. Hence, in cases of this kind it is enough for a man to keep his faith between himself and God. Nor should he manifest his faith, if it scandalizes his neighbor, except perhaps among those who have to decide about the faith. But certain things of faith have already been determined by the Church. In such matters it is not enough to keep one's faith between oneself and God, but one should confess it before his neighbor, no matter what scandal might arise, because doctrinal truth must not be set aside on account of scandal, just as Christ did not set aside the truth of his teaching just because the Pharisees were scandalized, as it says in Matthew 15:12 et seq. It should also be noted that although in such matters a person should manifest his faith by oral confession, he is not required to manifest it by performing the outward work. Thus, if someone hold by faith that the use of marriage is licit, he is not required as a manifestation of his faith to use. And so it is also not required of those who have correct faith, that they manifest their faith by the use of foods. For they could manifest it by word. Then when he says, blessed is he who condemns not, he shows how the use of foods becomes unclean for certain persons from the fact that it is against their conscience. In regard to this he does three things: first, he shows what is good in this matter, in order, namely, that a person not have remorse of conscience from something he does not do. Hence, he says: blessed is he who condemns not himself, i.e., whose conscience neither chides nor condemns him in that which he allows to be done. This, of course, supposes that he approves with right faith that which is to be done. But if he uses a false opinion in approving something to be done, say if he deems it a service to God to kill Christ's disciples, as it says in John, he is not excused just because he does not judge himself in this matter (John 16:2). Indeed, he would be happier if his conscience were to rebuke him on this point, because he would thereby have been restrained more from sin. But we should understand that the Apostle is speaking here of lawful things. For it pertains to man's glory that his conscience not rebuke him: our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience (1 Cor 1:12); my heart does not reproach me for any of my days (Job 27:6).”