Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

In this section of Romans where we take what we say we believe and apply it to our every day activities, we have encountered many different scenarios.

We have covered how are love one another with brotherly love, how to treat our enemies, and even how we are to react to our government.

Last week we saw that the entire law is wrapped up in loving our neighbor as ourselves.

This morning, we will go even deeper with our relationship to our brothers in Christ, we will hit some nerves as we deal with brothers who think, act, and have different priorities then we do, as we unpack Paul’s admonitions to the strong and weak brethren in Romans 14:1-13.

A. HOW TO TREAT EACH OTHER (1-4)

The link to this next section is the last verse in chapter 13:

Putting on Christ will have a profound effect in how we treat those who are different from ourselves.

1.

The strong are to receive and not despise the weak (1-3a)

(1) the one who is weak in faith – Not referring to saving faith but those things that may be controversial and not settled in their own mind.

Meat offered to idols

Welcome (proslambano [Pres; Act; Part] (“receive” – KJV)) - to take to, take in addition, to take to one’s self

(2) One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables

(3a) Let not the one who eats despise (exoutheneo - to treat as worthless) the one who abstains - because they don’t have your strength

2. The weak are not to judge those God approves (3b-4)

(3b) let not the one who abstains pass judgment (krino - to subject to censure) on the one who eats

for God has welcomed him - the reason why

(4) 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 - in other words, it is between him and the Lord!

B. HOW TO BE TRUE TO THE LORD IN THESE MATTERS (5-9)

1. Be fully convinced in your own mind (5)

fully convinced (plerophoreo) - to carry through to the end, accomplish

2. Do what you do as to the Lord(6-9)

to the Lord (Dative case) – “the Lord”, is the direct object of all a believers activities

Observing or not observing special days

Eating or not eating certain meats

Living or dying

C. DO NOT JUDGE ONE ANOTHER (10-13)

1. Christ is to be our judge (10-13a)

pass judgment on your brother - Jewish convert, who attempts to arraign the Gentile disciple, as if he had violated a law of God

despise your brother - Gentile convert, despise the Jewish disciple as being unnecessarily scrupulous and superstitious

judgment seat of God – We will all stand equally before Christ and give account to Him, not to each other

2. Our concern should be not to put stumbling blocks in a brother's way (13b)

stumbling-block (proskomma) - an obstacle in the way which if one strikes his foot against he stumbles or falls

hindrance (skandalon ) - the movable stick or trigger of a trap, a trap stick