Romans 14:13-23 Don’t Be that Guy

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Recap

We’ve been moving through these last several chapters of Romans looking at the practical application of our faith. We don’t just have a faith that saves us, we have a faith that tranforms our lives. We have a faith that moves us from who we once were to who Jesus desires for us to be in order to carry out His plan for our lives.We are to live our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God realizing that we were bought with a price, therefore we should glorify God with our bodies!

Last week we looked at Paul’s instruction not to pass judgement on one another. Ken pointed out that this is not saying that we shouldn’t hold a brother or sister in Christ accountable, or bring a gentle rebuke in order to point out sin in another’s life so as to restore them. What the first part of chapter 14 pointed out is that there are personal convictions in the life of every believer, both the mature and the new believer, that we all feel we need to live by. These can come from scripture but are often opinions and not based on doctrinal truth. One Christian may feel the conviction to not watch any TV at all, or maybe not watch TV that isn’t G rated. Another believer may not share this same conviction, but here Paul is saying that neither of them should look down on or devalue the other based on their convictions being different than their own.

This same type of conviction has been brought over to many amoral issues. The real issue is that sometimes we feel so passionately that this one thing is really sin that we want to impose our views on everyone else, when the issue really isn’t a moral issue, it’s an issue of conviction. Whether or not everyone around you, in the body of Christ, shares your same convictions can be a huge point, not just of contention, but of division.

Unity is one of the goals inside the church. Again, unity doesn’t mean uniformity, it means togetherness on the issues that we can all agree are hills worth dying on.

Today, we move from Paul’s charge to “Not pass judgement” to not causing a brother or sister to stumble.

If passing judgment and despising your brother is really looking down on them or looking on them as less valuable because they do things you think are sin, or because they seem week in their faith we miss the mark. Paul in verse 12 calls us all to realize that we will all give an account of HIMSELF to God HIMSELF one day! Do we really want to stand before Him and try to justify why we sat around judging other believers all the time over somewhat trivial stuff? I hope the answer is no!

Remember, the goal of all of these practical application steps Paul is writing about now is the hope that the thing applied would directly effect our relationship with other sin the church as well as those outside the church that we hope to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. A witness that will either be a sweet fragrance or leave a stench in the nostrils of the listener.

Let’s go ahead and dive back in to Romans 14.

Don’t be an Obstacle

Romans 14:13 ESV

13 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.

Therefore, so because some things are not moral issues, but issues of personal conviction, “let us not pass judgement on one another any longer.” He’s not saying “can you decrease the amount of judging you do?” Or, “only do it when you absolutely have to”. NO, he’s saying, don’t do it any longer. Don’t look down on another because they do something that is a personal conviction to you. Or don’t look down on someone because their faith is week and haven’t matured enough to realize that we have the freedom to do some things that aren’t sin based on scripture.

What we are really talking about is the fact that we can cause our brother to stumble or fall in two ways. We can discourage or beat them down through our legalism against them, or we can do it by enticing them to sin through an unwise use of our liberty.

For example, I had someone come down on me one time because I watched a certain kind of movie. The movie itself wasn’t explicit, or filled with violence. It was simply of a particular subject matter that some in the church choose to abstain from because they feel it is dangerous or sinful to watch them.

Notice I am purposefully not saying what the movie was because I want to use what maturity I have to not cause a brother to stumble in my freedom.

They felt like it was sin I was committing while I was resting in my freedom to enjoy a good story line, but not at the sacrifice of my morals. I was not sinning.

Similarly, I have had to use discretion at times when choosing to exercise my freedom in some areas because to do so could cause someone to think, well the pastor is doing XYZ so I can to and then abuse the situation and fall in to sin.

Both of these scenarios are less than ideal and are not neutral. They both carry consequences and can have a negative effect on the unity of the body of Christ if mishandled. This is where the second part of that verse comes into play. Either way, legalism or liberty if misused runs the risk of placing a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

The greek word for stumbling block is - which means “a trap stick (bent sapling), i.e. snare: occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumblingblock.

In other words, something set before hand to cause one to fall or be offended. A snare to catch you in your offsense.

The greek word for hindrance is - a stub, i.e. occasion of apostasy; offence, stumbling block or stone.

Our contduct in how we live our our own personal convictions can trip someone up. Whether you think it is stupid or not is irrelevant. Paul is saying, get over yourself and think of others first.

Would you want to do anything in your walk with God that would cause a brother or sister to stumble? Absolutely not. The problem is all too often these days, and I’m sure back in Paul’s day otherwise he wouldn’t be addressing it here, is that too many times we look at others and think, “they just need to get over it. I have freedom in Christ so I can do whatever I want as long as it isn’t sin or a moral issue.” The thing is, that attitude is a sin issue! One might also say, “I have the personal conviction that no one should put their kids in public school” and then pass judgement on or look down upon everyone that does, all the while thinking that they are right and the other is wrong. This is an issue of personal convictions. You may feel very passionately about your point of view, but there is nothing in scripture that says we have to home school our kids or put them in a private christian school. Frankly the public school parents might have a biblical conviction of their own as to why the choose to leave their kids in the public school system.

What I’m getting at is this. Neither the home school parent or the public school parent needs to pass judgement on their brother or sister in Christ over these issues. Follow your own convictions and don’t impose them on others as doctrine.

Romans 14:14–15 ESV

14 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. 15 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.

This is where we have to find balance in how we live our lives our in front of others. God through Paul is saying, “you can’t just spout off with your opinions and risk hurting others. You must love your neighbor as yourself.” Don’t allow your own personal convictions lived out recklessly be what causes you to “no longer walk in love”. “Do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.”

I read this out of a commentary by Chuck Swindoll:

On August 7, 1974, the citizens of New York noticed somehting strange 110 stories above the streets. As the sun peeked above the horizon they saw a man casually walking between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, balanced on a taut steel cable he had stretched between them the night before. Philippe Petit, then a mere twenty-five year old French tightrope artist, walked, danced, hopped, and ran across the 140 ft span no fewer than eight times. At one point he even dropped to one knee for the traditional salute of the tightrope walker. Afer 45 minutes, the daredevil stepped off the wire into the waiting grip of exasperated NYC police officers.

Friends warned him that winds could cause the towers to sway and snap the cable or perhaps toss him from the wire, but he insisted on doing the stunt without a harness. He didn’t want anything to restrict his feeling of complete freedom or diminish “the rapture of the heights”. The only apparatus he used was a 52 lb. balancing pole. Philippe Petit believed that the feeling of freedom was worth all the risks.

Walking through the life of a believer that wants to have unity with his fellow believers is much like walking a tightrope from 110 stories up in high winds. We must learn to use our balancing pole, (the Holy Spirit and a growing maturing faith) in order to live out the life of freedom in Christ.

Walking in love isn’t an issue of personal liberty it is walking in love towards one whom Jesus loves and died for. If Jesus was willing to give up His life for the sake of that brother, I can certainly give up my steak dinner or my glass of wine, or whatever you have liberty to do, in order to not destroy one whom Christ died for.

A natural response might be, well they just need to mature, and you may be correct in that but it is more important that the mature one take measures to protect the heart and attitude of the one that isn’t mature yet.

Let’s keep reading.

Focus on what’s eternal and most important

Romans 14:16–18 ESV

16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

The liberty or freedom that we have in Christ from law is a good thing, but not if we use our freedom to destroy another brother. If we use our freedom in that way you open yourself up to be seen as “doing evil”.

One of the best examples in our culture would be drinking alcohol. The bible doesn’t say you can’t drink alcohol, but it does say that to be drunk is a sin. It also says not to obsess over it or linger over it. Our culture does a really good job of lingering over their alcohol don’t they? It is celebrated even. In most circles in our culture if you don’t drink you’re seen as weak or less of a man or woman if you don’t drink.

In the church culture there are differing convictions on alcohol consumption. I here the statement, “all things in moderation”, to which I object. There are certain things where moderation is allowed scripturally, alcohol being one of them, but when it comes to sin, there is not room for approving moderation with sin. It all creates separation between us and the Father when we sin.

Take this issue of alcohol and apply it to our lives. I have the liberty to have a glass of wine of I choose to, but what if I was to have a drink infront of someone that is a recovering alcoholic and a new believer? That would cause Him to stumble. Or maybe he’s not a recovering alcoholic, maybe he is a raging alcoholic and my having a drink in front of him as a brother in Christ would cause him to feel justified in his own abuse of the substance. In both instances, I would have sinned.

In the scenario of the recovering alcoholic, my one glass could through him into a tail spin of confusion because of the exercising of my freedom and how that clashes with his personal convictions.

In the scenario of the raging alcoholic, my one glass could cause him to plunge even deeper into his addiction and lead him into even more danger and possibly the destruction of his physical life.

Why would I want to do either of these to a brother or sister in Christ. This is where I must use my balancing pole one end being self-control and the other end being my love for others. Neither should tip much higher than the other. We must be in touch with the priorities and heart of our heavenly father.

Serving God with a heart for His righteousness, peace and joy is the kind of service that is acceptable in His sight, and in turn, will be approved by men.

Build each other up

Romans 14:19–21 ESV

19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 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. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

Paul is saying that if eating or drinking will cause a brother to stumble, then we are not free to eat or drink in that circumstance. Even if we have the freedom or personal liberty, we don’t have the liberty to cause to stumble, offend, or weaken a brother in Christ.

Ultimately Paul is conceding the point that there is nothing impure about somethings, in this case, food or a particular day to worship the Lord. But he likewise insists that there is nothing pure in causing a brother to stumble. At the same time the other side of this argument is live from a sincere heart, not one catering to the whims of someone’s legalism.

Paul ran into this with the Galatians who were being told by the Judaizers that they could only have true faith if they believed in Jesus and were circumcised. Paul didn’t cater to the legalistic demands of the Judaizers of his day. Any “gospel” that claims that salvation comes through Jesus plus something else preaching false doctrine.

Galatians 5:13–14 ESV

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The dark side of Freedom

I want to pause for a second and cover something that isn’t in Romans directly. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul covers a side of freedom that I want to warn us all about.

1 Corinthians 10:23–24 ESV

23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Paul here is saying that something may not be against the law, but that doesn’t make it helpful. Something may be lawful but not all things build up. If we are seeking what brings peace and a mutual building up, this should temper our freedom. We are no less free to do somethings, but if we have something in our lives that doesn’t build up, or as another translation says, “I will be mastered by nothing”, we must ask ourselves, is there something in our lives that we have the freedom to take part in but it has a hold on our lives? Is there something in our life that has mastered us? This is where we really must be willing and ready to ask the Lord if it’s something that needs to make an exit out of our life.

This is where we get to the last two verses.

Romans 14:22–23 ESV

22 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. 23 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.

Your walk and relationship with Jesus is between you and Him. But our relationship with Jesus isn’t just about us telling Him things, we must be ready to listen to things He wishes for us to do or not do outside of our freedom in Him because He needs us to, for our good and the building up of the body!

Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgement on his own life and the things that he has approved. Paul concludes with another principle which we can judge “gray areas’ if we can’t do it in faith then it is sin. This is a hard but wonderful check on our tendency to justify ourselves in the things we permit. If we are troubled by something, it likely isn’t of faith and likely is sin for us.

Ultimately it all comes down to “will we do what it take in our own walk of faith in order to be building up the body of Christ in stead of tearing it down? The Life of faith is truly a daily, moment by moment walk with Jesus! It’s not for the faint of heart. I’ll close with the words of Paul to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 5:14–24 ESV

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

What needs to change in your own life in order to be mutually building up those around you regardless of opinions, maturity, or agreement!

Let’s Pray!

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