Romans 14 - Contempt & Entrapment

Before we hear the Word of the Lord, allow me to set the stage so that you might know better what to listen for.

In March of 2020 before Covid-19 restricted a lot of our gathering, I preached a sermon on this chapter in the context of should we or should we not observe Lent. That was just one matter of conscience about which the Bible does not offer specific guidance, and so we look to principles that help us make godly decisions.

Today we look again at these verses with an eye toward “What does God expect of me when it comes to weaker Christians?” The last 2 weeks we considered our obligations to government, to the Lord, to the local Body of Christ and to the world we are trying to reach. Today we zero in on a portion of the local Body that is frequently easily offended.

Romans 14 ESV:2016

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 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. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For 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. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 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. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

The “strong” and the “weak”

Perhaps some better words for us to understand the mindsets that Paul is communicating would be bold and cautious. Just as Thomas is labeled “Doubting Thomas” just because He wanted to verify the facts before accepting the claim, and Peter frequently spoke first and then had to backtrack to undo a mess. Today there are some believers who think themselves “strong Christians” meaning it takes a lot to confront their decisions, and others play faith as a “better safe than sorry” proposal.

We tend to think of strong as positive and weak as negative, but a fresh look at these two groups from a little different perspective reveals they may be arrogant and prudent. Using these labels the positive and negative switch places.

TRANSITION: So that the Holy Spirit can make all the necessary corrections in our thinking and behaviors, how about if we step out of preconceived descriptions of who we think we are, and lay both our strengths and weaknesses on the table asking God to use what is good and transform that which is lacking.

The Bold should avoid Contempt (Romans 14:1-12)

Opportunities for Tolerance

1. Diet (vv.1-4)

The problem Paul highlights is NOT the choice, but the attitude toward those who chose differently.

I have very close friends who have diets different than mine. I tease about being a carnivore because some of you make you living off of cattle, but nobody in our body depends upon veggies for their livelihood. The end of v.3 and the end of v.4 both make it clear that God can be honored by that person who chooses different than you.

2. Days (vv.5-8)

As many churches have grown, they have moved to multiple services. Some of those multiple services have moved to Saturday and other nights of the week.

What if God called us to plant a church in an unserved community an hour away? Would it be more effective to hold service in that mission at 7:30 on Sunday morning so that the preacher and volunteers could be back here by 10, or might it reach more people to worship on Saturday or some evening?

Some in our church have very firm convictions about Sabbath and the Lord’s Day and those ideas get tested when a family who chooses not to work or play sports on Sunday goes to a restaurant staffed by employees who have to work on Sunday, or goes to a show or visits a store.

Since I “work” on Sundays, my day of sabbath is on Friday. In that practice I believe I am honoring the principle that God created in 6 days, then designated a separate day of rest. It is my general practice not to set an alarm clock on Fridays. And I set the Lord’s Day apart as unique also. I don’t offer this as tooting my own horn, or shaming you into a similar behavior, but for me, my routine and diet on the Lord’s day is different than other days until after I have been in Worship with God’s people. Similar to the concept of tithing—God is just as concerned with my use of the 90% as He is my giving of the 10%. God is just as concerned with my Monday-Saturday as He is my Sunday. Observing the Lord’s Day does not earn me a pass to be a poor steward of the rest of the week.

Paul says that one person chooses to honor the Lord in one way, another person chooses to honor the Lord in another way. What is most important in Paul’s mind is that each of us is living to honor the Lord.

3. Deity (vv.9-12)

The “judgment seat” mentioned in v.10 is the Judgment seat of Christ (determines rewards), not the Great White Throne Judgment of Rev. 20 that determines eternal destiny

You will not appear before the Judgment Seat of Dave and I will not stand before the Judgment Seat of You, so we can both extend our grace and leave God to settle His accounts.

Transition: The first half of this chapter is all about what I expect of others. The second half is about what others can expect of us. Others can expect that neither you nor I will shame or control them. That we will not do anything that slows their obedience.

Bold Believers should avoid Entrapment (Romans 14:13-23)

Have you ever considered the difference between guilt and shame? guilt is commonly based in actions—did the person do a particular behavior or not? Shame is more focused on how a person feels after doing a particular act.

I have intentionally been avoiding the word “judging” in this sermon, even though Paul mentions judgment 6 times in this chapter. That is because our 21st Century American sense of judgment is quite different than God’s evaluation of guilt and righteousness. Our generation’s concept of guilt is more connected with the shame of other cultures.

Here is just 1 example ripped from the headlines of our newspapers: immigration - which non-citizens deserve to be deported? Guilt says ANY person who crossed or stays without permission is illegally present and deserves deportation. Shame says only those who meet certain circumstances (violence or criminal activity) should feel bad about being here—what has happened since crossing the border?

Our opinions cannot change the guilt or innocence of others. But our opinions and convictions can entrap others in a prison of shame or cause them to stumble in their discipleship.

3 Abuses of Grace

1. Food (vv.13-18)

2 standards can be found in v.18: acceptance and approval.

Only God has the right to determine what is and is not acceptable (e.g. guilt).

For the sake of my brothers and sisters in the Lord I am to live in such a way that they can honestly say, “I approve (refuse to shame or throw shade) that he is living his life to the glory of God the best he knows how.”

approval is closely connected to tolerance. Intolerance occurs when I view myself as the arbiter of shame. Sometimes we need to tolerate what we do not approve or affirm.

It would cause you distress to hold you to the things that I know, so I am free to let you live according to the things that you know.

2. Formation (vv.19-21)

God is at work, but our preferences can undermine His work of spiritual formation. Do not allow your high expectations to ruin (destroy) the work of unity that God wants for His people.

Expectations can significantly alter our mood. During VBS I ordered an item to aid in some volume issues we were having. It was not promised to deliver until this past Monday. Since that was after VBS concluded it really didn’t matter when it came. Then it got delayed until Wednesday, but surprisingly arrived on Tuesday. My disappointment on Monday and my elation on Tuesday really had ZERO effect on fixing the problem.

If we learn to set our expectations of other graciously low about menial things like diet and days, it allows the delight of harmony to keep from destroying the uniting work of God.

Not everything is of equal importance. There are commands in Scripture and we all have convictions and opinions. When our opinions determine our fellowship, we destroy the Spirit’s work of Discipleship in another.

3. Faith (vv.22-23)

The final warning is about putting on airs, to pretend that you are something that you are not.

Don’t pretend! Live out what you think to be right. If your understanding of God’s will permits you to eat bacon, and it won’t cause a weaker brother to sin, order a double. If your conviction is that everything is better with bacon, but it causes your brother to doubt his faith, it might be better to pass on bringing a platter of bacon to the church potluck. If your understanding of God’s will limits you to a salad, then order the salad! Don’t violate your conscience to impress another person, but don’t flaunt your conscience if it may hurt another person.

If the Bible calls a particular action Black/White, don’t alter it to some shade of grey. If the issue is unclear, you can be absolutely full of faith in the way you decide either way.

Conclusion:

Doug Moo formulates three principles that relate to today: (1) Believers continue to differ over certain matters that are not essential to the Christian faith. Paul did not expect such differences to vanish. (2) Thus we should learn to relate to people in terms of their background and particular scruples in a loving manner. (3) The unity of the church and the glory of Christ should be our ultimate goal.[i]

Last Monday night Dr. John MacArthur entered eternity. One of the memes that appeared on my social media was this picture of R.C. Sproul and Johnny Mac. Sproul was a conservative Presbyterian until his death on Dec 14, 2017. They disagreed and debated issues like baptism and the role of Israel. Sproul was convinced there was no literal millennium, and MacArthur was equally convinced that the rapture is the next thing on God’s calendar. Yet they both joyfully agreed that these disagreements were no reason to break fellowship. Can you name 3 brothers or sisters whom you are convinced are true believers, but you both hold some differing views?

show video clip - https://x.com/KuiperBelt117/status/1944756017557897487

Commend - Do you truly speak well of those who differ from you?

2. Celebrate diversity - “Diversity” is a buzzword for both Progressives and Conservatives. Diversity does NOT have to be opposed to Merit. Some have used the pursuit of diversity to affirm and promote those with lesser skills. Nobel diversity acknowledges different perspectives and give voice to others of equal ability.

Stereotypical men and women are different—A man is happy with a sandwich on the tailgate or using his pocket knife to hold a hot sausage. Ladies think of table cloths, picnic blankets and utensils that are not disposable. The ingenuity of one and the precision of the other are both positive contributions that deserve celebration.

3. Collaborate for Christ - When we over-emphasize the dotting of i’s and crossing of t’s it dilutes our witness, rather than concentrates it.

While I personally believe that the revelation of Scripture is sufficient and mostly think the need for tongues or prophecy has ceased with the death of the Apostles and the canon of Scripture, I believer if Chase County started another local church, our neighbors would be best served by a “full-gospel” or “Pentecostal” style of ministry. I don’t believe in that emphasis, but I do see how that type of emphasis could reach some of our neighbors who currently remain at arm’s length from our commitments.

I fully admit that what I just said doesn’t sit well with some of our listeners. Some of you look at these 3Cs and will accuse me of being “woke”. But notice I NEVER said that our commendation, celebration or collaboration should EVER compromise our obedience to the revealed Word of God. I hope that I am humble enough to be awakened to my own limitations. I pray that I would never sit in unrighteous judgment on other believers or that I would ever cause a brother or sister in Christ to stumble in his or her obedience.

If I could summarize this chapter of Paul’s letter in just a few words I think it would be “Be Faithful to God and His Word, while at the same time being gracious to others in the family.”

Response Song#...........................................................................”I Love You with the Love of the Lord”

[i] Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans, ed. Robert W. Yarbrough and Joshua W. Jipp, Second Edition., Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic: A Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018), 713.