We have reached Chapters 14 and 15 in the book of Romans, Paul’s outline of what he felt was most important about faith in Jesus Christ. Behind all that Paul writes is his conviction that Jesus died on the Cross and God raised Jesus from the dead; that a person finds salvation, not through what they can do through their works but in trusting in what God had worked in Christ. Salvation was through grace by faith.
Christian life was therefore a matter of being molded by God’s Holy Spirit rather than the ways of the world. Such a life was open to all for God’s gifts were freely given, to both Jews and Gentiles. Such belief touched on every area of a person’s life and in Chapters 12 thru 15 Paul is giving practical illustrations of what living a Holy Spirit directed life looked like in practical ways.
He has spoken about relationships in the church and relationships with the state. Now he talks about getting along with those who are Christians but whose convictions differ from ours. The early Church was made up of people from widely different backgrounds. A particular division was between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. Each group had a particular history which shaped the way they thought about things such as ‘what they should eat’ and ‘when they should worship’.
When one reads a book like Romans one thing that strikes you is how some things haven’t changed over the centuries. Christians still disagree over everything from eating and drinking to working and worshiping. What is acceptable to some upsets others. What some think is a given for others becomes a negotiable.
How do we handle that? Well the first thing that Paul suggests we all need to do is recognize that we are all at different stages of our spiritual journey, that for some it’s all new and strange, for others it’s as old as the hills. Some have a strong faith and deep convictions that are as solid as a rock, others are weak and easily defeated in their spiritual life. So our first verse;
Romans 14:1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.
Eugene Petersen in the Message transliterates this first verse;
“Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.”
From this very first verse we see a number of principles to help Christians get along.
• Firstly, we need to recognize that believers in Jesus Christ can have different opinions on things that are not essentials of the faith. About some things Paul was unwavering. But beyond that it became not a matter of salvation but of personal opinion. And the church was a community based on belief in Jesus Christ not a talk shop or a chat show. Therefore all who believed in Jesus Christ were to be made welcome to the table.
• Secondly, quarreling was not a faith building exercise. ‘Jumping all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with’ did not create authentic Christian community. If you observe people at an airport they all have a lot of baggage. Some have caseloads, others just a rucksack full. If you look inside their baggage each would have a different story to tell. Likewise when people come to church they are carrying different types of baggage. Telling them ‘they shouldn’t pack so much’ or saying ‘I don’t like that sort of baggage’ does not help them carry it or unpack it!
• Thirdly, implicit in the idea of welcome and that of avoiding being quarrelsome is the virtue of gentleness. There’s nothing more off putting to a hurting person than being boisterously welcomed. There’s nothing more likely to drive somebody away from a church than folk with harsh tones in their voices and self-righteous words on their lips. ‘Be gentle with people’ urges Paul. People are fragile. They break easily.
He then moves on to consider two of the issues where people were not agreeing and were not being gentle with each other… the ‘eating’ issue and the ‘holy days’ issue.
2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord1 is able to make them stand. 5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.
The issue of eating and the issue of holy days were two issues that Paul, as a Jew had dealt with all his life. And he had changed his mind about both of them. There was a time when he, like his fellow apostle Peter, would never dream of touching anything the Old Testament suggested was unclean.
In Peter’s case it was because of a dream that he had a change of heart. (You may recall in the Book of Acts his dream of clean and unclean animals in a sheet and God telling him get up… Pete… and eat!). In Paul’s case it was his growing conviction that God had initiated a new covenant in Jesus Christ that had set him free from the old rules and regulations. Echoes of the words of Jesus can be heard in Paul’s instructions regarding both eating and observing special days;
Matthew 15:17-20 7 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."
Luke 13:14-17 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." 15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
The Gentiles also had their special days and dietary problems. At various civic occasions food was blessed or offered in the name of idols. Did eating such food imply they believed in such idols? And when they could never or had never been Jews, what point was there to them of observing Jewish holy days? It just wasn’t part of their tradition!
Before dealing with these issues Paul levels the playing field by reminding the readers, be they Jews or Gentiles, that they shared certain things in common. In verse 4 he writes: “ Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall.”
• This idea of all Christians being servants could easily be lost in arguments about right or wrong conduct. If they were ‘masters’ of each other, then fine. Make judgments about what those beneath you should do and shouldn’t do. You’re the boss. Go ahead and tell others how to live. But if you say ‘Jesus is Lord’ then that means that you are a servant not a master. And what right did a servant have to go telling a Master how He should make His servants behave? That was up to the Master… wasn’t it?
• The other word that leveled the playing field was the word ‘Welcome’. Those who were in the Church were there for one reason. God had invited them. And it is not for us to say whom God may or may not choose to invite. You may recall the sting in the tale of the parable of the prodigal son concerns an elder brother who will not come to the table because his Father has welcomed the younger prodigal home. “I don’t care if you have forgiven him, I’m not sitting at table with the likes of him!”
We are all the unworthy yet welcomed people of God. We all were lost and now are found, were dead but now we are alive. And it is all because of the welcome of God. So Paul writes “3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.”
Refusing to be drawn into arguments about eating and festival observing Paul feels that decisions made about such matters had to be done on the basis of personal conviction. They were not essentials of the faith but matters of personal conscience.
Now Paul was not saying that ‘anything goes and long as you feel it’s the right thing to do go ahead” As an example in the Corinthian church when he discovers some gross immorality taking place he advises that those who were the guilty parties should be driven out of the church and not be made welcome till they had seen the error of their ways. Eating and observing special days however did not come under the category of ‘gross immorality’.
What really mattered, as our passage from Matthew where Jesus talked about what made a person clean or unclean, was the intentions of the heart. Matt 15: 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, false witness, slander. If by eating or not eating a
person was seeking to honor God then nobody should feel a need to cry
‘fol’! That’s where Paul now takes the argument;
6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 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. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?1 Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister?2 For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.3 11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to1 God." 12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.1 13 Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.1
Again we are back with precepts taught by Jesus.
Matthew 7:1-5 NRS "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
‘Judging each other’ is not part of the Christians job description. Evaluating our own lives and taking responsibility for our own actions is right near the top of list. Before we start getting on somebody else’s case, we should deal with the matters that prevent us from being all that God wants us to be. I suspect for most of us, if we took that task seriously, we wouldn’t have the time or the nerve ever to offer a word of negative criticism to anybody else!
We are never commanded to pass judgment on each other. We are however commanded to love each other. And sometimes the best way love can be expressed is by not insisting on our personal rights. Sometimes, because of love, we may choose not to do something, even though there is nothing wrong with it and our conscience is clear about it.
As an example consider Christian attitudes to alcohol. All Christians agree that alcohol can be a problem. All recognize that alcoholism is a serious sickness. All agree that going out and getting drunk just for the fun of it is not acceptable behavior for a follower of Jesus Christ. Some Christians believe the best way to proceed is to totally abstain. Other Christians believe that in moderation it is a gift to be enjoyed.
It is prudent on the abstainer not to insist that because it is their choice to abstain then any other believer who differs in that choice is not a true believer. Likewise it is prudent on the one who drinks in moderation not to reckon themselves as somehow superior in their views.
And one can see circumstances where the one who thinks it right to drink may choose not to do so. For example, if such a person were eating out with somebody who had a drink problem it would be rather unloving to go ahead and order a bottle of wine. Likewise if such a person was eating with those who chose to abstain it would be a good thing to follow their example so as not to cause any offense.
Conversely, if one who abstained found themselves in company where the others did not, it would not be the loving thing to spend the entire meal with a disapproving scowl on their face and then later complain to like minded friends what an awful witness those so called Christians had been. As Paul says in this upcoming passage; “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building.” But let us read the whole of that passage;
14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 If your brother or sister1 is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. 19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; 21 it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister1 stumble.2 22 The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. 23 But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
The stress in that whole section is not upon insisting on your freedoms, but rather using the freedom we have in Christ to build each others faith. What that looks like will vary from circumstance to circumstance and person to person. The intention and motive behind it all remains the same thing… love. This discussion continues over into Chapter 15, and reminds us that the way of love was the way of Christ.
Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. 3 For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
The first part of chapter 15 re-iterates the arguments of chapter 14. ‘Recognize that believers have different opinions because we all come with a different history and we are all at a different stage of our faith journey’. ‘Don’t live to please ourselves, but to help each other along the road of discipleship’. ‘Live in harmony, welcoming each others differences and insights.’ And do all of this because that is how Jesus has welcomed us into the family of God.
Hear how the first part of that passage reads in ‘The Message’.
“Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?" That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but waded right in and helped out. "I took on the troubles of the troubled," is the way Scripture puts it.
This section on Christian living concludes with Paul returning to his theme of the relationship between the Jewish and Gentile believers. He points out that God had worked out His purposes amongst the Jews, as that was the way the prophets had always said it would be. But it didn’t end there. His purpose of calling one nation to be His own was that all nations and all people would be His own. He points out various scriptures to back up his claims.
Maybe this is Paul’s way of saying, ‘Listen church, I know you all arrived here by differing paths. But there was a purpose from the beginning of time to get you where you are today. It didn’t start with you and it won’t finish with you. So hold fast to what you believe!’
8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will confess1 you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name"; 10 and again he says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people"; 11 and again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him"; 12 and again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope." 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And on those closing words we will also finish this session.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”