Well, I invite you, as we are continuing our study in the book of Romans, we return to it, and we are in chapter 14 tonight. You'll find that on page 1127 in the Bibles that are in front of you, Romans 14, and we will be reading together the first 12 verses, actually 13, of Romans chapter 14. Let's give our attention tonight to the holy Word of the Lord.
"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls, and he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself. None of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end, Christ lived, died, and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, as I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to god So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother."
May the Lord bless the hearing of His Word. Those are really powerful words, and you see the gravity of them. This is such an important text tonight to consider.
I want to begin with a scenario, and I want you to think about how you would feel about this particular scenario. It is a biblical scenario. I want to know what you would think of the Apostle Paul if you had witnessed this thing and heard about this thing that happened. And here it is, from Acts 16:
"Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek."
The Jerusalem Council that had just preceded that had made clear that there was no requirement of circumcision for Gentiles. And this was a huge dispute in the early church. And if you have any understanding of the Christian gospel, you know uh the how much trust the Jews had placed in circumcision that it was a major stumbling block to the advancement of the gospel. Paul writes very strongly about this in many different places. But in the next chapter after the Jerusalem Council, he takes Timothy and has him circumcised. And I asked the question: what would you think of that?
You might think that's a big compromise. You might be offended by Paul. Paul might have done things that make us really uncomfortable in ministry. You may have stopped attending his church. Would you frown at him? Would you be angry at Paul for such a thing? Why did he do it? Well, because Paul didn't want any barriers in bringing the gospel to the Jews. And I want you to think about that tonight.
Why do I raise this? Because it's that spirit that governs this entire discussion. I say "spirit" on Christian liberty. I don't want to ever get in the way of the gospel. I don't ever want to get in the way of something that is so important. And I have to have an ability to discern the most important issues and to have a Christ-like mind in how I deal with my brethren on those issues where we think differently. That's the whole point of this tonight, that I don't stand over another man's conscience on issues.
Because, did you notice how much attention is given? The Lord is the judge. The Lord is the judge. I'm not the judge.
And the book begins tonight in chapter 14. Begin working toward a close with something that was really important for Paul to address in Rome, in the church in Rome, that he knows is a real problem in the life of every Christian church. This is, very instructive. This is very practical. That the reality is in any given body, not all are in the same place on convictions. There are a variety of different convictions on matters. And of course, I expect everyone to be just where I am, right? Because I'm the most mature one here, aren't I? Not really. I see a whole row of very mature saints right here who I think are way better than I am. But I make the point tonight: we're not all in the same place.
Sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit in somebody's life. And how we look at somebody and how we treat somebody matters, because often the way we're judging them is we expect them to be where our convictions are. And there are a variety of convictions and practices that come together as we come together as a church. that If a certain spirit, that's what I'm after tonight, a certain spirit is not present, you'll be disconnected from it all. And that spirit can rip apart and destroy the mission of the church. That is a predominant concern of the Apostle Paul here.
At the heart of this becomes the most difficult thing: which is the commandment to self-denial, which is not really given as great attention in the regulative principle. Self-denial, we have explicit commandments on. And so in the life of any given church, you have these variety of people from different backgrounds, different upbringings, different convictions on certain things. And if it's not handled correctly, it can become a direct attack on our very purpose and mission.
And I don't need to go through all of the different challenges that this has come. There have been legitimate church splits, and then there have been many church splits, even in the reform world, over ridiculous things. And Paul knows that because this is a reality in a given church body, there will be clashes that happen in conviction and in practice. So this is what he's dealing with in Rome.
Imagine the church here in its early formation in this important city. You've got Jews and Gentiles trying to work together the challenge of that. And this is vital for the church to be wise and discerning in how we handle ourselves on these things. There are those who come to a conviction that is shared in the body, and the attitude and approach of how it's handled can actually hinder the heart of gospel ministry. And that's really important when we think about standing before the Lord of how we stand. We stand in grace. Do we want to get in the midst of that and cause stumbling blocks in that regard? This is what Paul's dealing with.
We see a command given here, the clash that he describes, and the chief concern that he wants us to be about in our service and in the kingdom with one another. So in verse one, you'll notice that he breaks into this after we looked at the law of love, and we were called to love our neighbor that love fulfills the law. So there's clear stream of thought in this book as we're working. And in this gratitude section, you'll notice here that in chapter 14, he begins with: "As for the one who's weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions."
Receive one. Welcome them. Welcome them in the faith. Welcome them in the church. Embrace them in the body of Christ. But not over doubtful things. Don't separate or divide or fight over doubtful... It's interesting what the old King James says: "Welcome the one who's weak in the faith, but not over doubtful disputations."
We've all met people like this. They're hung up on something, and they really can have no true fellowship with anyone who does not take their view on the position. When we come to the biblical writers, we always find this this this yes self-denying but careful approach on these matters. And and this one is really beautiful. This one that Paul tackles here is really such a pastoral way of handling it.
Notice how the Apostle dresses this. I want you to welcome the weak, but not to quarreling over opinions. Your goal should be to have the same welcoming spirit that you were welcomed with into the kingdom of God by Jesus himself, to those who come in.
Now, when you hear that, you have to ask: what sort of opinions is he talking about? Indeed, there are certain things to which we are to be unyielding and unbending about. You can't go through the scriptures and miss that. And that's not at all what he's addressing here in Romans chapter 14.
But, you know, something like Colossians. And this is where I think what is crucial to understanding when you're comparing Scripture with scripture is to understand the particular context of each church to which he's writing on these matters, because each church has its own challenges. And so in Colossians, he comes along and says: "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle which all concern things which perish with the using, according to the commandments and doctrines of men. "These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom and self-imposed religion, false humility, neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh."
I could go on and read many things that the scriptures give us that the Christian is to be unyielding and unbending about. These on these things, the scriptures call us to be intolerant. There have to be stands taken on the clear moral commandments of God. But we never seem to confine the right approach on these things. We typically will not separate over these things, over justification by faith, over some crucial cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith, but we'll separate over the matters of opinion.
And it takes a very mature a Christian to be able to discern that in behavior of what those are and what that looks like. And even if you think you're right, how you handle that. It means you have to decide whether your convictions are "thus saith the Lord," or those things wherein Christians have not always been aligned and agreed.
Those things that we are united on, which cannot be compromised, are the essentials of the Christian gospel. And if you want to study that more, I always say this is why the Lord told us to write down truths and to teach and train in the truth and to catechize. And that's why we have confessions they help us to understand what we cannot compromise on. And if that is highlighted in our confession, that is a good a good place to begin. We have church orders to help us with that too.
But the main thrust of Paul's concern tonight is this: there are opinions, there are doubtful things. And nobody ever thinks it's a doubtful thing if they're absolutely convinced. That's the challenge, isn't it? And Paul is dealing with those things in the life of the church that you might say are non-essentials. I think it's a it can be, a dangerous word. These things can be, in somebody's view, very essential. But there is a kind of person the Apostle Paul is concerned with here: the person that struggles to make any kind of distinction in this.
And he goes on to give examples of doubtful things that people should not divide over in the body of Christ. And there are a whole bunch of things like this. These were the issues obviously facing the church in Rome. But the issue probably went something like this, if we can put this together.
The situation was probably this: the Jews were expelled from Rome by Claudius and later returned. And studying the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, we know there was a clash of Jew and Gentile over customs and practices. The Jews were still quite concerned with foods and observance of religious days. The Gentiles saw this as baggage that needed to be shedded in light of their newfound freedom.
Now, you take statements like this from Jesus, and you could understand the challenge. "There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him, but the things which come out of it out of him are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
Do you know how hard that would have been for a Jew to hear? that Hard teaching. For Jews, Jewish Christians would have been a real work to get over. To think about, they had been living with rigor and believing in the unclean, clean distinctions of the old Levitical codes. And Jesus realized how difficult it would be: "He who has an ear to hear, let him hear. He who has that ear and the ability to hear that he who has by the Spirit the open mind to receive it."
The Holy Spirit is very patient and forbearing. That's one of the great truths of the Christian gospel. And Paul makes a very important distinction here that's crucial for us to understand.
When people thought by observing days and eating foods there was some contribution to their justification before God, he thundered down on such views. He wrote to the galatians again a different church, different context over that problem. "And these things I'm concerned for you, he said, lest somehow I've labored among you in vain."
They were returning back to Judaizing tendencies by which people they said were justified before God by doing these things.
Colossians: "Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourself to regulations?"
In both cases, Paul condemned these things because they thought there was some kind of securing of God's favor in them. That's what they thought: that this is an addition to justification, this is how we will be made right with God. And Paul was unyielding, unbending, and condemning that.
Here's my point: you don't have that in Romans. Whole different context. And we need to learn from this. You don't have people running around saying, "I do this because I think I'm right with God this way."
They were attaching no saving significance to this. They understood the gospel. Look at what we have for 13 chapters they had just explained. Paul had been explaining the Christian gospel to them. But some of the customs were still observed. The factors in rome some were observing days and refraining from foods, not with a view to salvation, but out of custom, because they had not yet grasped their full freedom yet in Christ. And Paul considers them weak.
Paul considers them weak. But he knows that this sort of stuff can divide and destroy a church customs and practices. And then sides are taken. And it's the very thing that happened in Philippi. You know that the whole book of Philippians was written about gospel fellowship, and what happened was a faction happened in the church between two women. These women fought and divided out the body, and their fellowship of the gospel was lost. And Paul had to come along and say, "Listen, you're missing there are things to which you are agreed, and then those things to which you're not agreed. You're separating out? No, no, no, that is not the approach." He rebukes them for that.
C.S. Lewis once said, "One of the certain marks of a certain kind a bad man is that he cannot give up a thing himself without wanting everyone else to do it." And that's exactly what he's going after here.
You know what this creates? In these people, they become so hard-line on these issues that their behavior, this is what I think is so important, their behavior actually ends up hurting their own cause. They've separated out from the brethren so that no one can hear them. If you've ever seen disputes over these kind of things, the reason positions are not changed by other people when they hear these things is often because the approach of the person who holds the conviction, people won't now listen to them over spite because of the behavior, you see? They won't even listen. The whole thing shut down, and they make no progress in their position.
Paul was concerned about this that walls would be raised in these opinions to hurt the gospel. And the fact that Christ has torn down the middle wall of separation so Paul, Paul's really calling for patience here and unity. And he's going to say: "Pursue those things that lead to peace and mutual edification. Those are what you need to pursue. That's where you need to be among the body pursuing not separating over that issue."
Paul knows that each group is critical of each other. And this is important in our world. We know there are different Reformed groups, and I want you to know each one couldn't be can be considered christian but you see what can happen? Absolutely no talking, no fellowship over this kind of stuff.
So Paul gives us examples to help us. There's broader applications you need wisdom, but he gives us examples on this. And you notice verse two: "One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables."
So he agrees the strong are those who understand the full significance of what Christ has done for them. You can apply this in many ways. You could apply this to alcohol. You could apply this to many different things. As long as you're not abusing it and getting drunk, there are those who understand their liberty. Then there are those who absolutely think it is absolutely wrong for the Christian to touch it, right? People still have traditions and positions.
He goes in verse three: "Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats."
It's carefully crafted. Notice that "for God has welcomed him." God has welcomed him. So in many respects, the weak and the strong are expressed by the words here that Paul uses to describe the emotions that come out when practices are not observed the way we want them to be observed by our own convictions.
And sometimes, I always like to think: who really is the weak and the strong? Everyone thinks they're the strong. The strong are those who know how to handle their convictions. Those are the strong. They know how to be sacrificial in their convictions.
So notice what he says. What happens when the strong, who understand their liberty, see somebody doing something they feel attacks their freedom in Christ? See, that's that's a big issue. Paul uses the word... here's what happens. Here's the common response: disdain, despising, disregard of that person. It's really an attitude of disgust with the person and the people, and they wear it and they make sure they show it.
Here, the Gentiles had become prideful against the Jews when they saw them refusing meats. "These vegetarians They don't know the gospel. they don't get the gospel they're stuck to their old traditions and the weak were the ones who despised the newbies for not doing it the way it always been done. We've never seen anything like this, right? There's life in the church. And when this happens, this horrible attitude of contempt and pride follows. It's pride.
Now, it's interesting what Paul says about the week "Let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats."
So you see that the way it's carefully constructed here, the week we're disdaining these Gentiles, and here's the response from the Lord on the whole thing.
"Who are you? Who are you to judge another servant?"
In other words, that's not your servant. That's my servant. That's my servant. To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
What he's saying is: whether one is strong or weak, that person belongs to the Lord and answers only to the Lord, not you.
Now we're getting the conscience. You see? You are not the judge. You don't have the right to pass that kind of judgment, especially on things that aren't expressly clear in the Word of God.
Verse 5, he gives another example: "One person esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind."
That is so beautiful. See the room the Lord gives you all here to have liberty of conscience on issues? It's really beautiful.
What sort of days is he talking about? Well, he's not talking about the Lord's Day. That's a commandment right out of the fourth. You don't have the right to disobey that. He's talking about the extra feast days of the Jews. The Jews had a bunch of them. Um, Paul addresses to galatia again different context
"But listen to it but now after you've known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I'm afraid for you, lest I've labored for you in vain."
Whole different context of a people who are trusting in those things and turning to those things and disregarding the commandments of God for their justification. It's legalism.
Now, Romans is different. He's not condemning, in the way that he did the Galatian or Colossian churches, on these things. There was no saving significance attached to observance of days. The weakness that he's talking about here are those who want to observe certain days still, in light of their customs, in light of their traditions, as special.
So there's a fine difference between observing a day because I think I'm gaining justification versus doing it because I want to worship God on that day. If you know the history of the church and you know all the debates surrounding festive days and days like this, it's been a huge contention. Maybe this person thinks that it's more special than the Lord's Day. Now, what do you do with someone like that? It's real weakness, isn't it? It's real weakness.
I have to admit, I look at the hype surrounding Christmas. I look at all the energy we give, and we wear ourselves out on that season. Is it wrong to observe? Paul would not say that it's wrong to observe, but he would say that kind of attention and a far lower view of what happens on Sunday is real weakness. is real weakness Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, these kind of things paul's unwilling to say here that coming to worship on a special day is wrong. But surely it's weakness if we attach something more to it then God has. not That's how he views it as weak.
And I think this is where we begin to see the heart of the Apostles on matters like this. That's why I raised the Timothy thing: that was circumcision, and he did it.
Notice the point. Here's the point.
"He who observes the day observes it to the Lord. And he does not observe the day to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God. He who does not eat to the Lord, he does not eat and gives that God thanks."
You see? Liberty of conscience is a vital point in the Christian life, and God gives that to you. Both the weak and the strong can honor the Lord. That's the intention here. That's the maturity: to look at this and understand this.
The strong always think they're strong. The weak never think they're weak. But who really is the strong? Who is the weak? Well, I think the strong truly is the one, on these things, who's willing to go the extra mile as Jesus commanded and welcome your brother.
Now, I've seen all kinds of different stuff on this. We can have convictions on schooling. I've seen in my life that we think the Christian school is the only way. We think homeschooling is the only way. And those camps go. I've seen it across the board. I could go down the line on this.
This is where he wants us to land on these issues, though: our convictions at time may be even weak or misguided. A true Christian, at the end of the day, is not doing what he does this is what he says here to live for himself. Did you catch that? He's doing these things as unto the Lord. The judgment of charity is that we are always called to give much grace in the areas of liberty, trusting that our brethren are doing it unto the Lord. That's how he wants us to think.
So he's giving us a reminder: he's the judge. You're not. Aren't you so thankful for that?
"Each one does what he does before the Lord. For none of us lives to himself. For seven and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or die whether we die we are the Lord's. For this end, Christ died and rose and lived again that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it's written, as I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me I'm i'm the Lord, not you of conscience. Every tongue shall confess to god So then, each one shall give an account of himself to God." those those what he's saying is those convictions are before God, and he sees what's true from the heart.
So what is the calling? Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore on these things. Stop it. Stop the separation. For the kingdom of God is not in eating or drinking, but in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He will say rather: resolve this not to put a stumbling block or cause to fall in our brother's way. To the weak, Paul says, "Stop condemning." To the strong, he says, "Stop despising." See that? Stop condemning, you weak. Stop despising, you strong.
Therefore, verse 19 you could look down this is part one. We'll come back to it next time.
"Therefore, let us pursue the things that make for peace and the things which one may edify another."
If the basic point is understood here, it will create in God's people a warm-hearted people, not a hard people, not a fighting people a warm-hearted people who bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ, because that person knows how they've been welcomed in Christ, with all their sins, that they've been covered by him.
What a wonderful God you serve.
Let's pray.
Lord, thank You for helping us on this matter, and thank You for giving us liberty of conscience within the bounds of Your law. And help us, oh Lord, to be thankful and to consider others better than ourselves and to consider how we handle ourselves, for your watching. And You know, oh Lord, that You are the Lord of the conscience, that we stand before You, and so does our neighbor. And so let us not become judges of the law and let us not stand over it ourselves. But oh Lord, help us to be people of compassion and mercy to Your children, wherever they are on this path of sanctification, and give us patient hearts with one another in our convictions, that we, Lord, might see the body built up and the church strengthened for Your glory, in Jesus' name, amen.