Romans 14

INTRODUCTION: Romans 14:1–15:7 deals with the problem of questionable things in the Christian life and what to do when sincere Christians disagree about personal practices. Paul recognizes that in each local church there are mature believers (“We that are strong,” 15:1) as well as immature (“him that is weak in faith,” 14:1), and that these two groups may disagree on how the Christian is to live. The Jewish Christians might want to cling to special holy days and OT dietary laws, while the Gentile believers might turn their Christian liberty into license and offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. Many Christians have the false notion that extreme legalism (observing days and diets) shows strong faith, but Paul states that just the opposite is true! It is the Christian that is mature in the faith who recognizes the truths found in Col. 2:18–23.

Colossians 2:18-23, “20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”

In the church today we have differences on how to regard such things as worldly amusements, and Paul tells us how to face and solve these differences. He does not give a list of rules; rather, he lays down six basic principles that can be applied by all Christians of all stages of growth. We can state these principles in the form of questions and test our own lives.

AM I FULLY CONVINCED? (ROMANS 14:1–5)

In verse 1, Paul deals with the question, “Should this type of Christian be received into the fellowship of the local church?” There can be no question that a brother who has all kinds of scruples can be a very trying person to have in a local congregation. I know, I have experience.

Paul leaves no doubt about that at all. He says, “receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations” (v. 1). The idea is that no questions are to be asked about his scruples, nor are those who are strong in the faith to argue with him about them.

“There are to be no second class citizens in the church because of matters of difference.” ~ Jay Adams

In the church at Rome, to which Paul addressed this epistle, there were Christians who had been saved out of dark paganism. These were shocked when Jewish Christians ate meat which had been offered to idols. They felt that although this meat was offered for sale in the public marketplace, still those who partook of it were in a definite way contributing to idolatry.

Jewish believers, strong in the faith, thought that such accusations were nonsense. To eat meat offered for public sale, even though it had once been offered to an idol, did not constitute idolatry.

On the other hand, these Gentile Christians who had come to Christ without any of the background of Judaism with its rites and rituals, its feasts and fasts, its truths and traditions, could not see what effects Judaism had on Christianity.

Their unwillingness to conform to certain days scandalized their Jewish-Christian brethren. Each group was thus perturbed by the other. Each judged and condemned the other. Each thought that his own background was the right one from which to view Christianity.

It is an old problem and one which is still with us. We may have different issues, but the pattern is still there. Today, issues may deal with music or clothing or lesser truths that do not really affect foundational doctrine. For some it is when the church actually began. For others, it’s do we allow other like-minded believers to join in the Lord’s Table.

All the while, God chose to use Jonathon Edwards, who baptized babies, to spark the Great Awakening in America. God chose to use Richard Wurmbrand, a Lutheran priest who was sprinkle baptized, to be tortured for Christ and have a testimony that would reach millions around the globe and to start the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs.

I’m not saying that doctrine isn’t important; if you know me at all, you know I have great emphasis on right doctrine. I’m just using extreme examples to show that most of our little disputes aren’t even major doctrinal issues, and all the while God is not nearly as picky in who He uses as we are.

Paul says that all such externals are not to be made the basis for criticism, especially when they have to do with things about which Scripture is not explicit. People from different cultures have different customs, so where Christianity does not speak specifically, it is best not to be dogmatic.

This is especially true on the mission field. So then, Paul says that the weak brother is to be received heartily, even with all his issues, and he is not to be mocked or criticized by the local fellowship because of his views.

“Consideration for other people’s viewpoints is the outward manifestation of love’s merciful conduct.” ~ John Phillips

Christians are not to act from mere emotion, but from settled inward convictions that are the result of diligent prayer and study of the Word. There would be no serious disagreements if every Christian acted from conviction. Many pastors try to control their congregation with harsh preaching on standards without one Bible reference to back them up.

Someone has said that opinions are what we hold, while convictions are what hold us. The stronger Christian is not to despise the weaker one for his or her immaturity; neither is the weaker believer to judge his or her more mature brothers and sisters for their liberty.

God has received both in Jesus Christ and we should receive each other. Our lives are to be directed by Him, not by people’s ideas or judgments. Mature Christians know why they behave as they do, and these convictions control their lives.

Now, before I move to the next point, let me show you a great promise in verse 4. Most of us know I Corinthians 10:13.

I Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

If one or the other of the persons mentioned in the chapter complains to you that he “can’t take it anymore,” that someone in the church is persecuting him beyond his ability to withstand, there is not only 1 Corinthians 10:13 to turn to, but also Romans 14:4.

And what is said here goes beyond what Paul says in I Corinthians. In addition to all the hope that the wonderful verse in I Corinthians gives, Paul in this verse implies that if one falls it is his own fault. God is able to make him stand.

If he doesn’t stand in the face of criticism, it is because he has failed to access what God has provided for him to be able to do so. He has no complaint that he can rightly level against the Church or against God. God has promised to enable you to stand. Isn’t that wonderful?

AM I DOING THIS UNTO THE LORD? (ROMANS 14:6–9)

“The self-love people need to spend time understanding and applying this verse to themselves. It is their idea, at least as it is expressed by some of them, that people should live to meet their own “needs” (often expressed as needs for security and significance). . . But this verse puts the matter straight: one is to live and die for Christ, not self. Even suicide is forbidden by the verse, it being a selfish act that, in the eyes of the self-murderer, is done to fulfill some “need” of his own. Most so-called needs are not needs at all, but desires. The suicide thinks so highly of himself that, disregarding what effect his act may have on others, he dies in order to avoid some thing or things that he thinks he is too good to have to bear. And, worst of all, he totally disregards the command of God not to murder. In life or death whatever we do, therefore, it is to be done for the Lord and not for us (v. 8). That is how both the weaker and the stronger brother should regard their activities.” ~ Jay Adams, The Christian Counselor’s Commentary

“There is a great deal of difference between uniformity and true unity. The one is cold and lifeless; the other is vibrant, living and warm. But how is unity to be obtained between believers who obviously differ on numbers of things even if they are not vital to true belief? Paul’s answer is the lordship of Christ.” ~ The John Phillips Commentary Series

The significance of a person’s conduct is not so much what other people think about it, as what the Lord thinks about it. Consider for a moment the spokes of a wheel. Take a movable point on any two spokes. The closer the two points get to the hub, the closer they get to each other; and the farther they get from the hub, the farther they get from each other.

The Lord Jesus, so to speak, is the hub of the wheel of Christian fellowship. The important thing is for each to move closer to Him, acknowledging His centrality and sovereignty. The matter of unity will then take care of itself.

“I’m living my own life!” is a statement no Christian ought to make, for we belong to the Lord, whether we live or die. He is the Lord, and we must live to please Him.

So often the Christian who has questionable practices in his or her life cannot honestly say that these practices are done as “unto the Lord”; for in reality, they are practiced for selfish pleasure and not to honor the Lord. Christians who observe special days as unto the Lord will be accepted by the Lord, and we should not judge them. It is between them and their Lord.

WILL IT STAND THE TEST AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT? (ROMANS 14:10–12)

In verse 10, Paul shows how purposeless it is to judge. He says, “But why dost thou judge thy brother?”. Why indeed! What good does it do? How constructive is it? Gossip and criticism never accomplish anything worthwhile. The weak brother is not to judge the strong brother, nor is the strong brother to despise the weak. Criticism violates the law of love.

Paul then solemnly reminds us that criticizing another brother will be called into account at the judgment seat of Christ. We have no right to judge our brethren, for we will all have our works tested at the judgment Seat of Christ, so we don’t need to bring them up now.

I recently read in Genesis 49, where Jacob is giving blessings and judgment to his children before he dies. Everything about that chapter reminds me of the judgment seat of Christ. Things Jacob never brought up to them in the past are brought into account there.

It’s important to note that this is not the Great White Throne of Judgment found in Revelation 20. That is for the those who die without Christ. What we are talking about here is the testing of the Christian’s works after the church is called home.

II Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

I Corinthians 3:11-15, “11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

We do not have to give an account of our brother’s life, so we have no right to condemn him today. Certainly, all of us want to live lives that will stand the fiery test before Christ, lives that will win rewards for His glory.

AM I CAUSING OTHERS TO STUMBLE? (ROMANS 14:13–21)

In verse 13, the “cast off” and “put on” principle I mentioned last week is brought into light again. It’s not enough to stop judging others, but we must use that energy rather to judge ourselves. The Lord Jesus has wise words on this theme.

Matthew 7:1-5, “1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

There is one thing we should judge: we should judge ourselves to see whether we are abusing our Christian liberty and making others stumble. Certainly nothing is unclean of itself, but some practices and habits are considered unclean by others.

Therefore, if we deliberately do something that makes our brothers stumble, we’re not living according to the rule of love. It is a serious thing to cause another person to stumble and fall into sin. Note Christ’s words in Mark 9:42–47, where “offend” means “cause to stumble.”

Mark 9:42-47, “42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:”

The believer who holds on to his questionable practice and causes another Christian to fall in his walk with God is blind to the price Jesus paid on the cross. Our good should not cause evil talk. After all, the Christian life is not a matter of eating or drinking (or any other practice), but one of righteousness and peace and joy, all of which come from the Spirit.

Let me emphasize that last statement. Please note that peace, joy and righteousness are not dependent on circumstances or other persons (“I’d be happy if only she would …”). They all come from the Holy Spirit. They are the by-products that the Spirit provides when one follows His Word. Don’t make these elements dependent on people, things or situations.

Our aim should be not to please ourselves, but to build up (edify) other Christians in love. That word “edify” is from the Greek word oikodomh (pronounced: oy-kod-om-ay') which is often translated in the NT as the noun “building”. A building is a structure. Edifying is the creating of righteous structure in the life of another believer (14:19).

“What a wonderful verse for counseling! How often you will find a good use for it. This is God’s way for Christians to live with one another. To ‘follow after’ is derived from a word the means to hunt something, tracking it down until you find it. It is a forceful term. Building up others is the business of preachers and of the entire church. Here, then, in this summary statement are the divine criteria for your actions and attitudes toward your brother or sister. Do my words and actions bring peace between us? Do they build up the other person? There is a way to persuade that does; there is a way to persuade that doesn’t.” ~ Jay E. Adams

I Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”

What I Corinthians 10:23 states is that all things are lawful for the believer (for we do not live under law), but not everything builds us up or helps to build structure in others. “Destroy” in Romans 14:15 and 20 means “tear down.”

How selfish for a Christian to tear down another believer’s spiritual life because of his own selfish living. His practices may be lawful, but they do not come under the law of love.

“We must be careful of one another’s faith. Unkind criticism or ridicule, or the strong pressure of our arguments and reasons may impede the divine life in weaker natures by leading them to act in defiance of their own conscientious convictions. We must not flaunt our greater liberty or urge men to act against their conscience. We may, of course, temperately and lovingly explain why we are not held by minute scruples. We may show, as Paul did repeatedly, that Christ has called us to liberty; but we must not attempt the regulation of one another’s conduct from without. The sanctuary of the soul must be left uninvaded. The Spirit alone may speak his oracles in the shrine.” ~ F. B. Meyer, Through the Bible Day by Day

“Leave each disciple to his own Master, each plant to the Gardener, each child to the divine Fatherhood. . . We need not mind the censorious criticism of the Pharisee, but like the Good Shepherd with his flock, we must accommodate our pace to that of the lambs.” ~ F. B. Meyer

What is F. B. Meyers saying? He is saying that while we are called to make disciples, the true Disciple Maker is the Holy Spirit of God. Instead of forcing our standards on them, we must allow God to do a work of grace and develop them His way, not ours.

Isaiah 40:11, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”

AM I DOING THIS BY FAITH? (ROMANS 14:22–23)

The Greek word for “faith” in v. 22 means moral conviction, which makes sense when we think of the fact that our convictions are born of faith in God’s Word. These two verses lay down the principle that the Christian life is between the believer and his Lord, and that the believer must always be sure he is right with the Lord.

If there are doubts about some of his practices, he cannot have joy and peace. “Damned” in v. 23 has nothing to do with eternal punishment; it should read “condemned,” in the sense that the Christian who engages in practices with a doubtful mind is condemning himself and those practices by his very attitude.

There is a story frequently told of C. H. Spurgeon that for years he saw nothing wrong with smoking. To him smoking was no sin. He could do it in all good conscience—until he found out that a tobacco firm was advertising “the brand that Spurgeon smokes!” He had given a wrong impression about the Christian life, and from that day gave up the habit.

Whatever we do that is not of faith is sin, for the Christian lives by faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, according to Romans 10:17; so anything I do that I cannot back up by the Word of God is sin, because I cannot do it by faith. “If it’s doubtful, it’s dirty!”.

If I gave you a glass of water and then told you, “By the way, just and FYI, this water is possibly contaminated,” would you drink it? Would you accept food that might possibly be poisoned. Yet many Christians carelessly engage in practices that even the world questions.

They never face the fact that whatever is doubtful is not of faith, and therefore is sin. If I did something I thought was offensive to God then later on found out that I misunderstood the Bible and it wasn’t offensive, did I sin? Yes! In my heart I purposed to offend God.

Now, faith is not to be displayed in such a way as to show off one’s superiority to those who have scruples about things. The man whom Paul calls happy is the one who can eat and drink what he likes without having any qualms of conscience about so doing.

But how can he be truly happy if the exercise of his liberty is causing a weaker brother to stumble? Hence the man is doubly happy who not only has an easy conscience as to what he permits in his life but who also has an easy conscience knowing that he has truly been his brother’s keeper.

“The spirit of charity would sum up Paul’s argument thus far in this way: in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” ~ John Phillips

AM I PLEASING MYSELF OR OTHERS? (ROMANS 15:1–7)

But Paul has not finished yet. He has even higher ground to map out for us. It is a great thing to treat a weaker brother in the spirit of charity. It is greater far to treat him in the spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christ demands that we take the hard road.

The hard road is the cross-demonstrating road (vv. 1–2). Selfishness has no part in the Christian life. Paul is not arguing here that we continually give in to a weak brother’s desires. Rather, we are to act in a way which will be to his lasting benefit. We help him carry the cross of his weakness.

Then it is the Christ-displaying road (v. 3). The Lord Jesus lived to please God and serve and help men. He died not just for the strong, the steadfast and the scholarly but for the feeble and the faltering as well.

These verses fit best in chapter 14’s outline. The strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the immature Christians, and while doing this, seek to build them up in the faith. We should follow Christ’s example and seek to please others, not ourselves.

“He was always going out of His way to bear someone else’s burden. He always went the second mile. It was the maimed and halt and blind, the palsied and the deaf who most obviously were the recipients of His grace. He was patient with Peter when he blundered; with James and John when they wanted to call down fire on Samaria; with Thomas when he doubted; and even with Judas when the blood money jingled in his purse. How paltry is any inconvenience we may suffer because of the weak brother in the church when compared with what Christ suffered. The spirit of Christ will make any such burden light.” ~ The John Phillips Commentary Series

Psalm 69:9, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”

Then too, it is the character-developing road. Paul has just finished quoting concerning Christ from Psalm 69. Now he wants to remind us that the entire volume of Old Testament Scripture is of permanent value and that it should be read and studied.

It will point out the road for us, even if it is the hard road (v. 4). Do we find the road bothersome, this character-developing road of shouldering the weaknesses of others? Are we apt to lose patience with the weak brother and his scruples? The antidote is in the Scriptures.

We must get back into the Book and see how God helped others over the hard places and be comforted, for He has not changed. He will help us too.

Does this OT verse apply to the NT Christian? Of course it does, for the OT was given for our learning, that we might receive patience (hopeful endurance), comfort, and hope from the promises of God. We ought to be like-minded, and we will be if all believers seek to help others grow in the Lord. Paul’s final conclusion in v. 7 is simple: receive one another, for Christ has received you.

This will bring glory to God. Local churches have the right to establish standards, but not beyond what the Word teaches. We must lovingly allow for differences among Christians and not use these differences as opportunities for division.

Paul began by telling us that God has received the weak brother (14:3). He finishes by reminding us that Christ has received us. With all our own foibles and failures; with all our own weaknesses and wickednesses; with all our own lack of loveliness, defects of character and spiritual infirmities, He has received us.

How can we close the doors of fellowship to someone else who is genuinely saved but who has different problems? The spirit of Christ demands that we extend to all believers the hospitality of the Lord’s Table and the warmth of the local fellowship.

Let’s beware of the spirit of Diotrephes who, as John said, “loveth to have the preeminence.” This man became so inflated with his own importance that he prated against the aged apostle with malicious words.

III John 10, “Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.”

What a dog-in-the-manger attitude! What a reputation to be recorded for time and eternity in the Book of God! This man would not even receive the Apostle John!