Unity in Christ: Who over What

Introduction

E. Stanley Jones (1884–1973) Talk about what you believe and you have disunity. Talk about who you believe and you have unity (cited in Larson, p. 170)

The church in Rome was like any other church. When you get people together there is going to be disagreements. There are going to be times when we disagree on how passages should be translated.

When we focus on what we believe we are going to disagree. So we focus on who we believe in. That is Jesus Christ. There is no church that is immune to this.

Not even in Paul’s time when the church was just beginning. The church in Rome doesn’t seem like they have gone as far as the church in Corinth, but.... Peoples is Peoples.

Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:1–12 NIV

1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

The Christians in Rome were united by their faith in Christ, but they were very different people. Jews and Gentiles worshipping together.

They had Disputable matters that was starting to cause a problem.

Food

Observance of sacred days on the calendar

Paul's answer to the problem is to stop judging one anther. Paul pictures Christians as the servants of God, and accountable to him alone.

The early church was starting a whole new way of doing Christianity, Religion. The transition from the old covenant to the new covenant was not an easy one for Jewish believers.

The reason that food and sacred days were a problem derives from the integration of old covenant Jewish standards with new covenant church practice.

Jewish life in the Old Testament was governed by “the law”—all the way from the fourth commandment which required the appropriate keeping of the Sabbath to scores of ordinances about eating.

The kinds of foods, how they could be produced and prepared, and even the source of the foods were all governed.

The purpose of this, of course, was national identity (along with purity-based health concerns). God’s people, the Jews, were to be separate and distinct from all the peoples on the earth, thereby attracting legitimate attention to themselves and their God.

But the laws proved to be too burdensome for people with sinful and weak constitutions. The laws were good—it was the people who were not.

So when God sent his Son to fulfill the law righteously for humankind—thereby doing away with the laws as a source of righteousness—the question immediately arose, What do we do with the laws and regulations that we used to follow.

When Paul heard that the Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome were at odds over the issue of food regulations and the keeping of sacred days, he was not surprised.

He set about to instruct them as he had done several years earlier with the Corinthians.

It appears that some believers were avoiding meat altogether for religious reasons. These were most likely Jewish believers (but could have been Gentile believers influenced by their Jewish brethren) who held one or more fears: the kind of meat they were purchasing in the market was forbidden in the Old Testament; the meat had possibly been part of a sacrifice to a pagan deity before ending up for sale in the market; the meat had not been drained of blood properly—all of which would have violated their strict Jewish sensibilities.

As a result of not being able to control the source and method of preparation of marketplace meat, these believers were eating only vegetables.

This is a real concern as Jews had been cast out of the city all together at parts of History. It has been suggested by some that there weren’t Jewish butchers in parts of town. And Butchers often got there meat or at least part of it from the temples around them. What if a good Jew couldn’t even get meat that hadn’t been sacrificed in the Name of some deity or another.

Instead of condemning one part or another. Paul only chastises is the person who would look down on or condemn one who holds to a different view than one’s own.

Do you eat everything in the market? Fine, but do not look down on those who pick and choose.

Do you pick and choose? Fine, but do not condemn those who shop and eat with their eyes closed.

Paul’s main point in this entire section is that there is a kingdom of God, and it is one that is of unity manifested by “righteousness, peace and joy” (Rom. 14:17).

Paul is not saying that one may commit any act or indulge in any behavior as long as he or she is convinced in his [or her] own mind.

Rather, the point is that, among those spiritual behaviors that people do for the Lord, giving thanks and glory to him in the process, all are acceptable to God—and therefore should be acceptable to each other.

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Paul’s words to the Roman believers echo his words to the Corinthians: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

Here he says whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord, but the implication is the same. The person who eats meat and he who abstains from meat does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God (cf. 1 Tim. 4:4–5).

We should not be about the business in the spiritual life of making up our own rules, i.e., living to ourselves alone. Our life is to be lived to the Lord, and if our convictions about how to live to him include something that another person does not include, Pauls says it is fine.

Some consider one or more days in the week sacred, others consider every day alike, i.e., every day sacred.

While the Sabbath day comes immediately to mind, there were any number of other days in the religious calendar that Jewish believers could have been observing. And Paul is saying that he does not object to that, nor should anyone else.

In then end, Paul reminds his readers that, we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

There is only one judge of all people; for that reason, people can afford to live generously with one another.

Unity in the body of Christ is bigger than anyone’s personal perspective, and should therefore show grace freely towards one another.

Paul’s justification for saying that we should mind our own business, and not that of others, is the death and resurrection of Christ. There is no one over whom Christ is not Lord, as demonstrated by his death and resurrection.

Because Christ was raised by the power of God (2 Cor. 13:4), God has made him Lord of both the dead and the living.

If Christ is going to judge every person one day, Paul asks the obvious questions: Why do you judge your brother? and Why do you look down on your brother?

Does this problem exist in the modern church?

How often do believers find themselves guilty of passing judgment on one another over matters which are in the “gray zone”—that area to which the Bible does not address clear guidelines, especially on cultural matters that were not even part of the biblical world?

Where we try to apply the wisdom of the Bible to guide us but we believers often arrive at different practices.

Just think of the areas which have been “hot buttons” in the twentieth-century church:

Alcohol

ownership of luxury goods

movies

dancing (nobody puts baby in the corner)

Christian schools vs public education

Halloween and HHF

And the list goes on

And that is not to mention non primary doctrinal beliefs, about the Bible

The reality is that we often focus on these things.

But what we should be focusing in on is the who

Jesus Christ.

Next Steps

1. Reflect on Personal Judgments

Personal Reflection: Take time to reflect on any areas where you might have judged others based on personal preferences or cultural practices. Consider how you can shift your focus from "what you believe" to "who you believe in"—Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Ask God to reveal any areas in your life where you may be passing judgment on others and pray for a heart of understanding and unity.

2. Engage in Open Conversations

Listen Actively: Seek out conversations with those who hold different views on disputable matters. Listen to understand their perspective without the intention of correcting or judging.

3. Practice Unity in Diversity

Participate in Community Activities: Engage in church activities that bring together people from different backgrounds and viewpoints.

Support Others: Find ways to support and encourage others in their walk with Christ, regardless of their different practices or beliefs on non-essential matters.

4. Live Out Grace

Show Grace in Everyday Life: Make a conscious effort to show grace in your interactions, especially in areas where you might have strong opinions. Let your actions reflect the unity and love that Paul encourages.

Forgive Quickly: If you realize you have judged someone harshly, seek forgiveness—both from the person and from God—and make amends.

5. Focus on the Essentials of Faith

Deepen Your Understanding of Jesus: Spend time in Scripture, prayer, and worship, focusing on the central truths of the Christian faith—Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.

Encourage Unity in the Church: Advocate for unity in the church by focusing on shared beliefs in Jesus Christ and the essentials of the faith, rather than on disputable matters.

6. Pray for the Church

Pray for Unity: Pray specifically for the unity of the church, both locally and globally. Ask God to help believers focus on Jesus and to extend grace to one another in disputable matters.

Intercede for Others: Lift up those in your church who may be struggling with judgment or division, asking God to bring healing and understanding.

Bibliography

W., Jackson. Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul’s Message and Mission. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2019.

Boa, Kenneth, and William Kruidenier. Romans. Vol. 6 of Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000.

Chip, Ingram. R12 Living on the Edge Study Guide: Dare to Experience True Spirituality . New York: Howard Books, 2009.

Bruce, F. F. Romans: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 6 of Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985.

Questions for Further Discussion

What was causing disagreements among the Christians in Rome according to the sermon?

How did Paul advise the Christians to handle the disputes over food and sacred days?

What was the main point that Paul emphasized in Romans 14:17?

Why did some believers in Rome avoid eating meat according to the sermon?

How does the sermon explain the transition from the old covenant to the new covenant in terms of food regulations and sacred days?

In what way does Paul's instruction to the Roman believers reflect the teachings in 1 Corinthians 10:31 about doing all things for the glory of God?

How does the sermon connect the unity of the body of Christ with the death and resurrection of Christ?

How can believers shift their focus from 'what they believe' to 'who they believe in' based on the sermon?

What are some practical steps suggested in the sermon to promote unity and understanding among believers with different practices?

How can believers demonstrate grace and forgiveness in their interactions with others based on the sermon?

Why is it important for believers to focus on the essentials of the Christian faith rather than disputable matters, according to the sermon?

How can believers advocate for unity in the church by focusing on shared beliefs in Jesus Christ, as suggested in the sermon?

What role does prayer play in promoting unity among believers, as highlighted in the sermon?

What was the main problem the Christians in Rome were facing according to the sermon?

How did Paul advise the believers in Rome to handle their disagreements over food and sacred days?

How does the sermon explain the significance of focusing on Jesus Christ for unity among believers?

What does the sermon teach about the transition from the old covenant to the new covenant in relation to food regulations and sacred days?

How can teenagers apply the principle of showing grace and understanding to those with different beliefs or practices, as emphasized in the sermon?

What can teenagers learn from the sermon about the importance of unity in the body of Christ despite differences in non-essential matters?

What steps can teenagers take to promote unity and understanding among their peers who may have differing beliefs or practices?

How can teenagers demonstrate a mindset of focusing on the essentials of their faith rather than getting distracted by disputable matters, based on the sermon?