Combating Critical Christianity - Romans 14:1-13

© September 29th, 2024 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Romans

When Ashlee and I began to talk about marriage, there were several conversations we wanted to have. Early in our relationship we had talked about our faith, and how that informed our lives. We talked about what our living situation would look like if we got married. We talked about the various complexities of my life, and how we would navigate that together. We also talked about food.

For those of you who don’t know, Ashlee has been a vegetarian for many years. I respected that, but wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be an issue in our marriage. I had no problem with her choosing to not eat meat…but I wanted to be sure she didn’t care that I was going to eat it! She didn’t. I also wondered if that meant that I would be preparing all my own meals for the rest of my life. This wasn’t a deal-breaker, as I am able to cook for myself, but I wanted to have my expectations set properly. She said that she loved me enough that she would touch meat and learn to cook it for me. And she has! She’s learned to cook all sorts of meat, which isn’t easy when you can’t taste it!

Even in our vows, we each (independently) included a line about respecting the other’s choice of food, while being willing to happily share of our food if the other’s choices changed. I believe this is a healthy approach to such a difference of opinion. A foolish approach would have been to conclude that because we disagreed on this, we must break off the relationship. Thankfully, we made what I think is the wiser choice.

Why do I share a story about my wife today (which is a dangerous choice…)? Because it is surprisingly relevant to our passage this morning. In it, Paul speaks to this exact issue, which existed in the church in Rome. He gives some important and far-reaching principles to us about how we are to deal with other believers, especially when we have different convictions. I think you’ll find that as we look at Paul’s teaching, we all still have a long way to go in this area.

Eating Meat

Paul begins by talking about the issue of Christians disagreeing about eating meat vs. eating only vegetables.

Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. (Romans 14:1-4, NLT)

In these verses, Paul seems to describe two groups of Christians—the weak and the strong. Paul seems to be speaking to the “strong” group initially, but ultimately addresses both. What makes someone strong or weak? I think Paul would describe a person with a strong faith as someone who understands their freedom in Christ and feels free to enjoy things that aren’t forbidden in scripture. Those with weak faith feel the need to abstain from certain things that are not expressly forbidden.

The Life Application Commentary had a helpful note on this distinction,

A person’s faith is strong in an area if he or she can survive contact with sinners without falling into their patterns. The person’s faith is weak in an area if that individual must avoid certain activities, people, or places in order to protect his or her spiritual life.[1]

So, what was the specific situation Paul was addressing in Rome? Some immediately assume that it was the same issue he was addressing in his letter to the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 8). In the Corinthian church, there was a debate about whether it was ok to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. You can understand how a person who had previously been an idol worshiper would see eating such meat as an affront to God. But a person who had not worshiped idols would see it as no big deal, because the false god doesn’t exist, so their conscience would be clear.

Paul makes no mention of idols in Romans, and instead seems to focus on those who eat meat and those who don’t. So even though the principle Paul teaches seems to be the same, he was probably addressing a different issue in Rome.

Nobody knows what it was for sure, but there are a few different ideas that have merit.

1. Jewish Christians still felt the need to follow Jewish dietary laws, but couldn’t ensure their meat was kosher, so they chose to remain vegetarians, rather than risk eating meat that was “unclean”. This would be like what Daniel and his friends did in Babylon. It’s possible that the Jewish Christians looked down on those who didn’t follow this practice.

2. Former pagans who had lived an ascetic (avoiding many pleasures) lifestyle, who, as Christians, felt that devotion to God should include abstaining from meat.

3. Christians who simply felt they should abstain from meat as an act of worship.

Whatever the case is, we know a few things.

1. Paul does not condemn either group’s conviction as wrong.

2. The scriptures do not condemn the eating of meat.

3. Paul’s concern seems to be the disagreement between the believers.

So, what is Paul’s instruction? Don’t condemn each other! His argument is simple—can you tell another person’s servants what to do? To put it in modern language, do you have any right to tell the employees of another company how they should behave? Of course not, only their boss can do that—and you are not their boss. In the same way, every believer is a servant of God, therefore people do not answer to us, but to Him!

Once again, the Life Application Commentary has some helpful guidance,

While the church must be uncompromising in its stand against activities that are expressly forbidden by Scripture (such as adultery, homosexuality, murder, theft), it should not create additional rules and regulations and give them equal standing with God’s law. Often Christians base their moral judgments on opinion, personal dislikes, or cultural bias, rather than on the Word of God. When they do this, they show that their own faith is weak, and they demonstrate that they do not think God is powerful enough to guide each of his children.[2]

Some issues are not issues of conscience or conviction. They are clear teachings of scripture. These are areas where we must insist on agreement and adherence to God’s commands. But there are a great many other areas where the scriptures are silent. Different people may have different convictions based on their own experiences, strengths and weaknesses, or personality tendencies. To insist that our convictions must be the same as someone else’s is the height of arrogance.

What are some things we sometimes elevate to the point of looking down on people as “inferior” Christians if they don’t share our convictions?

· Consuming alcohol or abstaining from it (though note that drunkenness is roundly condemned in scripture)

· Whether Christians should watch certain movies or TV shows

· Listening to music that isn’t explicitly Christian

· Dancing, playing cards, going to a bar or casino

· How we dress in general or how we dress for worship

· The translation of the Bible we read

· The details of how a given church functions (music, communion, baptism, etc.)

· The political beliefs we espouse and believe to be “Christian”

This is not to say these issues aren’t important, but they must not be of first importance! We must recognize that sincere, devoted believers may have wrestled with these issues in their lives and arrived at a different conclusion than we have. And that’s ok!

It is ok to have discussions about such things, and even to argue our point, but we must also recognize that genuine believers may be led in different ways. Not every issue is a question of right and wrong—sometimes it’s just a matter of different. We should show grace to each other, recognizing that each of us answers to God, not one another.

A famous formulation puts it like this: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

Holy Days

Paul continues his argument about differences in conviction by talking about holy days.

5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. (Romans 14:5-9, NLT)

Paul says the same issue can show up with regards to the way people view certain days. What was the issue he was addressing in Rome? Again, there are several theories.

1. The insistence of Jewish believers on keeping the Sabbath regulations, while Gentile believers may not have seen that as important.

2. The insistence of Jewish believers on keeping the Jewish feasts, while Gentiles may not have had felt they were important.

3. The decision to worship on “The Lord’s Day” (Sunday) as opposed to the Sabbath (Saturday).

Paul is not explicit in describing the exact issue in either of his examples in this chapter, and I think that’s by design. His intention is not to address a specific issue, but to illustrate the underlying principle that is applicable to all such disagreements. Paul says this is not a question of right and wrong, but of personal conviction. As such, we ought not tear down one another over things that are not black and white.

Paul points out that on both sides of these issues are people seeking to live out their faith to God. They are not sinning; they are doing these things as a way of honoring Him. As such, we should rejoice in their worship, rather than criticizing it.

But this raises a question for us—does this mean Christians do not need to meet together on Sundays? Does it mean the “Sabbath principle” no longer applies?

Here is what I think the scriptures teach us. First, we are designed to have a day of rest. God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. I don’t believe this is because God was tired, but because He was setting up a pattern we should follow. When we ignore this design, we suffer and are run ragged.

Second, we need to meet together. The scriptures teach this quite clearly. Hebrews 10:25 commands us not to give up meeting together, and as we have seen throughout Paul’s letters, there is an assumption that the church will meet together regularly. The scriptures are clear that we need one another, and they seem to assume that instruction, encouragement, and service will be part of the regular routine of all Christians.

Third, none of these are salvation issues.Can a Christian be a Christian and not attend church? Absolutely. Are they going to be robbed of the blessings and opportunities for growth that God intends for them? Unquestionably. Is it sinful to not be part of a local body of believers? Maybe. Can we be forgiven for that? Certainly.

Giving an Account

This leads to what I think is the overarching principle Paul would have us understand about these issues and all issues like them.

10 So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance praise to God.’ ” 12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. (Romans 14:10-13, NLT)

Paul makes an important point—each of us will answer for our decisions. Our job is not to change people or to convince people to share our convictions. Explaining our convictions can help people think through the issues for themselves, but we must recognize that there is great diversity in the church. This is by design! Not everyone will have the same convictions, and that’s ok. We should be willing to extend grace to one another.

Paul’s point here cuts both ways. First, we should show grace, because we will have to answer for our judgmental attitudes. Paul reminds us that one day we will stand before the Lord and give an account of what we have done. So rather than trying to police everyone around us, we might be better to turn our magnifying glass onto ourselves, to examine the places of compromise in our own lives and work to correct them. When we judge others, but refuse to judge ourselves, we will have to give an account for our hypocrisy.

Second, we will answer for our convictions.Admittedly, this teaching opens the door for some to claim that they can do whatever they want because their convictions are different than ours. Some will use these verses as a shield against self-examination. They too will have to answer to the Lord for their hypocrisy. We must each decide what we believe is right for us to do—we must carefully examine our strengths and weaknesses and how we believe we can best honor the Lord. To approach Christian convictions flippantly is foolish. So we must seek the Lord’s wisdom, examine the scriptures, consider the views of other believers, then make the best decision we can. We must think through these issues carefully, knowing that one day we will give an account for the decision we make.

Conclusion

This passage is hard, because it doesn’t really spell out for us in clear terms what we should or shouldn’t do. We are far more comfortable with a list of rules than we are with the notion that some things will be different in different contexts and situations. But I think that is Paul’s point. He wants us to be comfortable with the fact that God leads different people in different ways at different times. He tells us to be patient with one another, to extend grace to each other, and to trust that God works in the life of each believer in His own time and His own perfect way. Believers have the Holy Spirit to lead them…so they don’t need us to lead them nearly as much as we might think.

So, let’s draw some concluding principles from this passage.

First, we should carefully examine our own lives.We’re really good at looking critically at other people, assuming their motives, and passing judgment. This is completely backwards. We should use our keen and penetrating insights to look carefully at our lives, our motives, and our decisions. We must remember that one day we will give an account for our actions. We must therefore choose what we do and what we choose to abstain from wisely.

Second, we should be clear on which things are convictions and which are commands. There are some things scripture tells us to do or not do, and those things are not open for debate. They are binding on all Christians. Some of the commands of the Old Testament have passed away, and now simply serve as a historical reference point and give us a sense of God’s character, which should inform our actions. But everything we find in the New Testament is intended to be binding on Christians. These are things where a different opinion is wrong. We must make sure we know what are clear teachings of scripture and what are preferences or convictions.

Finally, we must trust that God is speaking to other believers as He speaks to us. It is hard when others don’t share a conviction you feel strongly about. But it doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong. It may mean that they have a different set of strengths and weaknesses than you, and therefore they do not need to have the same boundaries. It may be that God is still teaching them (or that He’s still teaching you!) Do not insist that others abide by your convictions. We tend to believe that other believers are not nearly as committed as we are. That’s not always true. Be willing to believe that other believers are equally sincere in their beliefs and are seeking the Lord and He is leading them.

Paul is trying to help us see that the church is not supposed to be a place of ranking and judging one another. It is supposed to be a place where we learn from one another and grow together. We should extend grace, rather than condemnation. We should hold out the truth but recognize that God works differently in and through different people. Refuse to allow issues of preference to rob you of the joy God intends for His Church. Live in freedom, as you respect the freedom God has given to others as well.

© September 29th, 2024 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Romans

[1] Barton, Bruce B., David Veerman, and Neil S. Wilson. Romans. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. [2] Barton, Bruce B., David Veerman, and Neil S. Wilson. Romans. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992.