Baptist Foundations - Vegetarians are Welcome to Worship, Too
Romans 14:1-4
Vegetarians are Welcome to Worship, Too
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.[1]
In the text before us, Paul contrasts Christians whom he designates as “weak” with those whom he will soon designate as “strong” [see Romans 15:1]. He uses the example of a Christian who has scruples about what may or may not be eaten. To be specific, he speaks of Christians who are maintain a vegetarian diet as examples of “weak” Christians. He could have been referring to any of a number of reasons these believers were vegetarian, several of which follow.
Some people have become convinced that Paul was referring to Jewish Christians. There is no certainty in assigning this term exclusively to Jewish Christians, though the Jewish community did have religious dietary restrictions that were frequently carried into the Christian Faith by early saints who came from that Jewish background.
There is nothing in the Old Testament law that required Jews to be vegetarians. There were careful distinctions between “clean” and “unclean animals, of which Jews were free to eat the former, though not the latter. There were specific prohibitions against eating the blood of animals, which had to be properly drained even from edible meat. Jews who “keep kosher” today are careful to only eat meat from animals that have been slaughtered under the watchful eye of specifically appointed rabbis who are authorised to place kosher labels on the meat. Observant Jews also avoid eating dairy products at the same time as they ingest meat products as a part of “keeping kosher.”
Speaking of “weak” Christians, Paul uses the Greek word asthenéo. It is interesting to observe that the Greek term asthenéo is used to translate the Hebrew term kosher in the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament makes it clear that the word Paul uses to describe a “weak” brother is often used for the term kosher in the Old Testament.[2] It is probably accurate, therefore, to understand that Paul was including Jewish Christians who chose to be vegetarians instead of running the risk of a non-kosher diet as “weak.” It should not be inferred that he was thinking exclusively of Jewish Christians, however.
There were also Gentiles who reacted to the excess of pagan society through practising a form of asceticism—dressing in plain clothing, eating a vegetarian diet, and drinking only water.[3] Such people may well have assumed that the simple fare of their former lifestyle was complementary to the Christian Faith they had received.
Readers of the New Testament are aware of the fact that in Corinth, many Christians struggled with eating food offered to idols [see 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:23-33]. Meat was sold in the agora—the marketplace—and that meat was almost without exception offered to idols before it was sold. Coming out of the bondage to idolatry, many Christians in that day still associated food offered to an idol as belonging to the idol, and they dared not risk violating their consciences through eating such meat. Therefore, in order to avoid even accidentally eating meat associated with the idolatry they formerly practised, these Christians chose to maintain a vegetarian diet.
Whatever the reason, or reasons, for tension between the “weak” and the “strong,” their censure of one another did not honour God. Similarly, our tendency to categorise one another within contemporary churches, condemning some as weak while imagining ourselves to be strong (for that is, tragically, the common assumption for most of us), fails to honour the Lord Christ; and such attitudes certainly harm the cause of the Master.
In order to confront our tendency toward thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought, and to provide a clear warning against censuring our fellow saints when such censure is not warranted, let’s explore the instruction Paul gave a church that questioned whether vegetarians were welcome to worship. As we explore the passage, I have no doubt that we will come to the conclusion that vegetarians are welcome to worship, too.
Welcoming Others into the Faith — There is no escaping Paul’s intent in his words, welcome him. The church of the Living God is to be a welcoming place—a refuge for those who are wounded, a haven for those who are battered by the storms of life, a place of nourishment for those who are growing in the Faith. Too often, the church has been reduced to a duty performed instead of being the Body of Christ ministering.
The church is not an organisation one joins, but it is the Body of Christ. Members are added to the church, and because the Master of the church adds whom He wills to the local assembly, those who are members are to joyfully receive whomever He appoints. The word Paul uses points to this vital truth. It is not merely that as members we are to “give the right hand of fellowship” to those coming into the fellowship of the assembly, but we are to receive each one as God’s precious gift to His people.
When Paul commands the church in Rome to “welcome” those who are weak, he uses a word that is somewhat rare in the New Testament. Nevertheless, it is used enough times to give us a sense of what the first readers of this letter understood the Apostle to be saying. As an example, when Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos speaking in the synagogue in Ephesus, they saw that he was a gifted speaker. However, he did not have a thorough grasp of the Gospel required of a preacher. Therefore, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately [Acts 18:26]. They took him—accepting him as a gifted servant in whom they were willing to invest everything God had entrusted to them.
When Paul and his travelling companions were shipwrecked on the Island of Malta, the native people kindled a fire and welcomed the shipwrecked mariners [Acts 28:2]. In the account, Doctor Luke places the stress upon the kindness shown to the distressed sailors and passengers.
When Paul is pleading for Onesimus, he urges Philemon to receive him as [Philemon] would receive Paul [Philemon 17]. Paul expected that Philemon would accept him as an honoured guest, and he instructed him to accept the runaway slave in the same way. Philemon was to show him kindness, accepting him as a brother.
In this portion of the Letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us that God has welcomed even the weak saint [Romans 14:3]. Therefore, we are responsible to welcome one another as Christ as welcomed us [Romans 15:7]. This action results in glory to God. Do you want to see the glory of God among His people? Then, determine to be a welcoming people. Determine that you will accept one another as a gift from the hand of the Saviour.
Perhaps we need to remember who we are as the Body of Christ. Each Christian is not only gifted by the Spirit of God, but each Christian is a gift from the Spirit of God. This is the reason that I caution against “joining” the church, preferring instead to teach that Christians are added to the church. God provides congregations that teach His Word, and in those congregations, we are nourished and refreshed. He guided us to the particular congregation that we call our home church and He set us there so that we could be blessed and also bless others. Together with the Body of Christ where we worship, we are charged to reflect the fullness of Christ the Lord. This is the reason for the diversity of gifts and the reason for the necessity of serving one another in a spirit of humility. By this means, the world sees something of the character of the Master and is drawn to consider the love of Christ.
This point is so vital that we dare not pass over it too quickly. We must not become guilty of attempting to substitute our best ideas for the divine plan. Among the churches of our Lord is a pronounced tendency for Christians to “hire” a preacher, instead of permitting the Head of the church to appoint whom He wills to shepherd the flock. Well meaning people determine that they must “control” the church, instead of trusting the people of God to exercise the gifts which He has entrusted to each Christian. We often convince ourselves that the church cannot accomplish the tasks God assigned, so we invent “wings” to do what the people of God were supposed to do through the congregations to which they belong. There are so many “wings” of the church that we wonder how a church ever “flies.” Detached limbs—wings and arms—purportedly belonging to the church litter the ecclesiastical landscape. God’s plan was that each local congregation would accept responsibility to fulfil the Great Commission and build each member of the Body through mutual participation in the life of Christ.
I must clarify this point, lest someone distort it to accomplish a personal agenda. Though all Christians are gifted, and though each gift is essential to the health of the Body of Christ, not all Christians are equally mature. Neither should we expect that all Christians act with the common desire to honour Christ. Sometimes, Christians substitute their own agendas for the divine program and seek their own interests instead of seeking the glory of Christ. For this reason, God has appointed among the churches apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers [Ephesians 4:11].
The charge to these gifted men is to provide guidance until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes [Ephesians 4:13,14]. God appoints whom He wills to guide His people, to equip His saints for service, to enable His people to mature in the Faith.
Those appointed to this divine service are responsible to recognise the gifted nature of each member of the Body and to assist those gifted to wisely exercise the gifts God has entrusted to them for the benefit of the Body of Christ. They must guard against arrogance that from time-to-time attempts to assert itself within the congregation.
I provide this review of basic ecclesiology in order to remind us that we are not the final arbiters of who we will receive into the church or even whether we deem them worthy of membership within the Body of Christ. We are responsible to graciously receive each person whom God sends to us, welcoming each one as evidence of God’s goodness to His people. This acceptance must be balanced by a measure of sanctified common sense that cautions against accepting those living in open defiance of the will of God. Instead, those who are disobedient must be held accountable when they seek to unite with us; and those who claim affiliation with us who are disobedient must be held to account for the profession they make as fellow worshippers of the Risen Son of God.
As a congregation and as individual Christians, we have received a charge that has never been rescinded: go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age [Matthew 28:19, 20].[4] That charge imposes responsibility not only to tell people of Christ, but also to accept them when they confess His Name and it makes us responsible to instruct them so that they will grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Setting Limits to Dissent Within the Faith — According to what we have learned thus far, we are to welcome all Christians, even weak ones, into the fellowship. However, Paul sets practical limits to the welcome extended scrupulous saints. He warns that we must not accept an individual if his presence results in a quarrel over opinions.
There are doctrinal truths that are not negotiable; and there are opinions that must yield to the Word of God. The distinction between the two concepts defines the difference between convictions and preferences. Each Christian holds preferences, but it seems that fewer and fewer Christians hold convictions. Convictions are unalterable, but preferences can be jettisoned whenever it is convenient to do so.
As Christians, we hold certain truths that cannot be negotiated—Jesus Christ is very God in human flesh; He died a sacrificial death, was buried and was raised on the third day; He ascended bodily into Heaven where He is seated on the right hand of the Father; He is coming again to receive the redeemed to Himself; His salvation is freely given to all who believe this message of life and receive His reign over their life; and, the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God written for our benefit. These are convictions that are held by all who bear the Name of Christ in truth.
As Baptists, we hold to biblical authority for all faith and practise. We hold that a church is autonomous—free of all outside coercion in matters of faith and practise. We believe that baptism pictures the faith of the one baptised, and ought, therefore, be restricted to those of mature age who have freely received Christ as Saviour and Master. We believe that the church is the local, visible Body of Christ, consisting of redeemed individuals who have voluntarily accepted baptism since they believed and who are now covenanted together for fellowship, instruction in righteousness and to fulfil the evangelistic commission Jesus gave to His people. We hold to the priesthood of the believer and to individual soul liberty. We are convinced that the biblical ideal is a free church in a free state, and that church and state ought not, therefore, to be united. These convictions mark us as believers who are commonly known as Baptists.
However, within a given congregation will be many preferences represented. About many issues, there will be as many opinions as there are individuals. Someone has rightly said that wherever you have three Baptists, you will have four opinions. This is healthy, so long as we treat one another with respect and accept one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. It is fine to hold opinions, but we have no right to impose our opinions on others. Neither may we despise others who disagree with our opinions.
During the brief time of His ministry among the Jewish people, Jesus had numerous encounters with religious leaders who imposed their preferences on the people. In other words, these religious leaders held preferences as though they were convictions. In one particular instance, Jesus confronted a preference of the Pharisees. He charged, You say, “If a man tells his father or mother, Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” (that is, given to God)—then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the Word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do [Mark 7:11-13].
“Many things?” they might have objected. “For instance…”
Jesus could have replied, “How about your laws about keeping kosher?” He did affirm that there is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him [Mark 7:15].
The disciples were puzzled at this, and Jesus was compelled to clarify His point. Are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled [Mark 7:18, 19]? It is significant that Mark comments on Jesus’ words, Thus he declared all foods clean.
Jesus emphasised truth as He continued providing instruction. What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person [Mark 7:20-23]. Matthew includes an additional statement Jesus made as He taught at this same time. To eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone [Matthew 15:20].
Jesus was not concerned with external ritual, but He was gravely concerned about the condition of our hearts. What you eat does not make you pure. How you dress does not make you pure. What is in your heart is revealed through the way you live, and it is what is in your heart that is important. Paul, in our text, is simply emphasising the instruction the Master provided during His days before the crucifixion.
Whether my heart is pure or impure is important to the Master. Be cautious if you resist this point, for the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick [Jeremiah 17:9]. Because this is true, we need a new heart. God alone is able to change the human heart, transforming us into people that stand uncondemned before Him. This is what we should be concerned for, and cease condemning one another.
External efforts do not make a person pure. Some people enjoy an argument; they enjoy the reaction when another person disagrees with the position they advocate. However, each of us will do well to recall the words of Paul to Titus. The Apostle wrote, stay away from those who have foolish arguments and talk about useless family histories and argue and quarrel about the law. Those things are worth nothing and will not help anyone. After a first and second warning, avoid someone who causes arguments [Titus 3:9, 10]. Opinions can become destructive, when people are unwilling to let them go.
Throughout the years of my service before the Lord, I have witnessed some disturbing instances of people that held opinions that were so divisive that it was necessary to confront the people holding those opinions. There seem always to be among the churches some who hold the opinion that we must enforce a rule that women may not speak in the church, that they may not have any public role. Though the Bible is quite clear that women are not to be elders, there is specific teaching that women are to participate through public prayer and through testimony within the congregation, actively participating in the worship and the conduct of business within the assembly.
At other times, there have been people present within the churches that insisted that women must wear some type of head cover. I have taken the position that if a woman chooses to voluntarily wear a head cover, I supported her right to do so. However, to impose this condition on all women because someone assumes that personal opinion trumps the historic understanding of the churches is wrong and terribly hurtful.
Others have held opinions concerning the frequency of the Lord’s Table, concerning dress, concerning the length of sermons, concerning the content of the messages, concerning the type of music employed in worship, concerning instrumentation for musical accompaniment—all these are issues of opinion and are not to become occasions for conflict. If you hold an opinion and can no longer participate with the way things are done in the assembly, you should have the courtesy to find a church where your opinions are accommodated and move to that congregation. In that way, you will honour Christ by worshipping with others who see matters as you do, and you will leave behind people who respect you for the courage to act on your preferences.
Points for Strong Believers — Are you a “strong” believer? What should you learn from the apostolic instruction? Are you a “weak” believer? What steps should you take in order to strengthen yourself? There are several truths that we must grasp if we will honour God and avoid censuring one another. If we will actually practise soul liberty within this congregation, we must hold truths Paul emphasises in this passage.
First, we must recognise that other Christians do not answer to us.[5] The Apostle asks self-styled “strong” believers, Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another [verse four]? Though we who are Christians are taught to cultivate a servant’s heart, seeking to honour God through serving one another in love, no one of us can claim to be the master of another saint. No believer has the right to dictate to a fellow Christian in issues of faith and practise; our association is voluntary, based upon common acceptance of biblical truth. Christ alone is Master, and therefore, we do not have the right to demand an accounting from another believer within the congregation.
Of course, we recognise this point in the mundane aspects of life. Employees of a given firm are responsible to fulfil the conditions of employment agreed upon when they accepted work from their employer. The employer has a right to set hours of work and conditions of work, to set compensation and conditions of employment. Though the employee may disagree and quit employment, the employer sets the conditions of work. Another business does not have the right to set the conditions of employment. Though you may disagree with what an employer other than the one for whom you work is doing, you have no right to dictate to that employer.
The same holds true with Christians. We do have mutual concern for one another, and we are to seek to employ our gifts to build one another, but ultimately we do not answer to one another. Believers answer to Jesus; leave them to Him. If you cannot any longer walk with certain believers, do not try to impose your opinions on them.
Perhaps you wonder about the issue of church discipline in this context. This instruction does not obviate church discipline, since discipline is not to be exercised over issues of mere opinion. Discipline should be invoked in instances of recalcitrance, obstinacy, and divisiveness. This is done reluctantly and out of concern for the health of the congregation, but mere opinion does not justify invoking discipline. Whether a person holds an opinion at variance from my own or whether that person agrees with me must not become the basis for fellowship. However, when an opinion becomes the source of continual division and conflict, the divisiveness must be judged.
Keep in mind that God has already accepted the other Christian as he or she is. No one stands before God because of human effort. A Christian is one who stands before God based on Christ’s death for him or her. We have no righteousness of our own to present, and we certainly have no standing based on our own personal efforts. Since every other believer has been accepted by Christ, you also should accept him or her as fellow believers.
In saying this, I am not advocating that everything a fellow Christian does is acceptable, or even right. However, it means that each Christian has already been accepted by Christ and must not be subject to our judgement for their standing. Acceptance within the Body of Christ is not dependent upon whether we always agree or do not agree with what others do. When we begin to make acceptance within the assembly contingent upon what is or is not done, we have reduced membership—to say nothing of salvation—to a matter of works and we have denied the Gospel of grace.
I should not need to stress the point, but I do not want anyone to be misled. Acceptance of fellow Christians does not depend upon what one does or does not do. God has welcomed each one who has faith in the Son of God [Romans 14:3], and Christ welcomes all who come to Him in faith [Romans 15:7]. Since each believer is welcomed by the Father and by the Son, we, also, must welcome one another in the Body of Christ.
It is appropriate to state again that we are welcomed by God based on grace. Paul states that it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast [Ephesians 2:8, 9]. Since each Christian receives a divine welcome because of faith in the Risen Son of God, within the congregation, those whom God sends to us are also to be welcomed.
Remember that the other Christian stands by the grace of God, just as you do. Grace is the basis for our standing and even for our function within the Faith of Christ the Lord. This is the Apostle’s point when he writes, 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 [Romans 14:4b].
We are welcomed into the Faith because of Christ’s death and we continue throughout all eternity as those who have been welcomed by the Master. We are welcomed to stand before the Father because we have accepted Christ’s sacrifice in our place. Welcomed by the Living God, we serve at His pleasure. He equips us and enables us to fulfil the ministry He assigns. It is not the responsibility of anyone else to make me do the tasks that Christ assigns. He directs my steps to the glory of His Name through my labours. I was welcomed by His grace, and I am kept from falling by His grace.
If the life of a fellow believer needs to be changed in order to accomplish God’s will, God will bring about the necessary change. It is not my responsibility to change you; and it is not your responsibility to change me. If Christ does not change your conduct, then it is of no consequence to Him and it should be of no concern to me. I have enough responsibility caring for the work to which Christ has appointed me.
As He neared His Passion, Jesus excoriated the religious leaders of that day. Matthew quotes Him as saying, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others [Matthew 23:23]. These religious leaders were myopic at best, and utterly unbalanced at worst. Though they were utterly contemptuous toward those who did not share their scrupulous observance of religious minutiae, they neglected the very things God considered important. Moreover, despite their careful adherence to keep the traditions they had invented, they had no trouble breaking many of their own rules in order to arrest Jesus and have Him executed.
I saw that in a church I briefly pastored in the City of New Westminster. The leadership of that church was proud that they were not like “other Christians.” Though they were ever so careful not to play softball on “the Sabbath,” nor even to run a race, many of the leaders were notorious gossips, filled with malice and bitterness toward most other Christians, and masters of deceit.
Finally, remember that you are accountable to God, as is every other Christian. Not only those whom we detest must give an accounting to Christ, but we, also, must give an account of our life and service to Him. Paul soberly reminded the Corinthians Christians that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [2 Corinthians 5:10]. How awesome is that thought, and the more awesome still when we consider that Jesus cautioned that we must give account for every careless word [we] speak [Matthew 12:36].
Since these things are true, don’t you imagine that we have enough about which we must be concerned without worrying about every opinion our brothers and sisters may hold? Don’t we have enough to occupy our attention without trying to straighten out every other Christian that shares our worship? We do not need to castigate one another any longer, but instead we need to labour to ensure that our own lives are honourable.
Of course, your life is not right and you have no prospect of being right if you have never been saved. If you are merely religious, or if you simply go through the motions of pretending that you are a Christian, you need to be born again. You are still in your sin, and therefore under the condemnation of God. In this case, you need to know that Christ died because of your sin and rose to life for your justification. The call of the people of God is not a call to become religious, or to participate in a ritual. Rather, the invitation of the people of God is to faith in the Risen, Living Son of God.
The Word of God declares that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. That passage continues by quoting the promise of God that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9, 10, 13, author’s translation].
And that is our invitation to all who are today outside the precincts of grace. Believe this message of life and receive the gift of life. Christ will welcome you and your sin will be forgiven. Do this now. Receive Him and be saved today. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Gerhard Kittle (ed.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 1, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 1964) 490
[3] James Montgomery Boice, Romans: The New Humanity, Romans 12 – 16, Volume 4 (Baker, Grand Rapids, MI 1995) 1733
[4] The Everyday Bible: New Century Version (Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN 2005)
[5] The following points are suggested by Boice, op. cit., 1736-7