Rom 14-Taboo or not Taboo-2

| verizonTaboo or Not Taboo – Part  2 – Weak Faith or Strong Faith?! Romans 14:1-5, 22-23; 15:1

July 6, 2008(NASB) 1Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.4Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.5One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.22The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.15:1 – We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. PRAY Scripture Memory: Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. – Rom. 13:8(NLT) Intro:Three weeks ago we began a five part series entitled “Taboo or NOT Taboo.” At that point we did an overview of the larger issue. This morning and over the next several weeks we will be looking at:·         Weak faith or Strong Faith?·         Sabbath Principles in the New Covenant·         Calling Sin “Sin”·         Christian Liberty  in Christian Community Review:In this passage, Paul is addressing the problem of divisions within the body of Christ over disputable life-style issues:Dietary restrictions – What we eat (or don’t eat) – drink or don’t drinkHow we view holy days – SabbathNext to circumcision, diet and calendar were the most sensitive issues that separated Jews from all Gentiles.It was very difficult for Jews to get kosher meat (from animals killed under the supervision of a rabbi), so many Jews chose to eat only vegetables. Furthermore, in most places it was impossible to tell whether the meat came from animals sacrificed to idols. “For some Jews, strict adherence had become a badge portraying loyalty to Judaism.” Paul addresses two critical responses:Believers who were “strong” were viewing those who were “weak” with contemptBelievers who were “weak” were passing judgment on those who were “strong”The deeper issue, here, is not so much theological as attitudinal. And yet, there are theological concerns here.The crucial problem that needed to be addressed was the critical responses of the groups to one another. But there is also a need to understand what constitutes strong or weak faith, as well as to understand what is & what is NOT sin. Don’t Judge each other, Accept each other1Accept (welcome) the one who is weak in faith…not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions (NIV without passing judgment on disputable matters).3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt (NIV look down on) the one who does not eat (who abstains)The one who does not eat (who abstains) is not to judge (ESV pass judgment on, NIV condemn) the one who eats4Who are you to judge (pass judgment on) the servant of another?10But you, why do you judge (pass judgment on) your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? (Review:) We need to learn how to agree to disagree on non-essentials.What are the “non-essentials?”What does it mean to disagree agreeably? Discerning the Essential IssuesWhat are the “non-essentials?”The “non-essentials” are those areas in our lives which do not determine, in and of themselves, whether or not we are truly Christians, or whether or not we are living in obedience to God.There are areas where the Scripture is explicitly clear – i.e. drunkenness, homosexuality, physical intimacy outside of marriage, etc.) – Calling sin “sin” – over the next few weeks…“Often Christians base their moral judgments on opinion, personal dislikes, or cultural bias, rather than on the Word of God.”In order to understand what the nonessentials are, we have to understand what the essentials are. Essentials:1.     Absolutes: things which define a person as a child of God – The Gospel…2.     Convictions: things which are right or wrong because GOD says they are…The need to have our convictions BIBLICALLY formed – The alternatives:·     Convictions which come from other Christians·     Convictions which come from our own druthers ·     Convictions which come from the society in which we live, or from the way we were raised Nonessentials:Ø     Things which are not explicit in Scripture. ORØ     Things which seem pretty clear to ME in Scripture, but are seen differently by others whom I deeply respect.Agreeing to Disagree on Non-essentialsWhat does it mean to disagree agreeably?Two problems: contempt or condescension (looking down on others) and passing judgment on others.BOICE: “The libertarian (liberal) Christians were acting superior to the more scrupulous ones.” “The narrow-minded” (conservative) Christians… became judgmental of the more liberal Christians.” Paul refers to them as “weak in faith.”This leads us to this morning’s topic. On what basis do we see weak or strong faith in these matters? 1. Those who are weak in faith:Life Application Commentary on those whom Paul referred to as the “weak” in faith: “Rather than broaden their understanding of freedom in Christ, they adopted a view of condemnation toward those who ate the wrong foods and treated every day alike.”In other words, Paul calls those who stand in judgment over others in matters of conscience (as opposed to clear biblical issues) as weak in faith. This shows itself today in many ways:We tend to look down on others when we, ourselves, are convicted in an area – i.e. sweets / smoking / how we use the Lord’s Day / Home Schooling (public schooling) / music style    |   | “The problem is that we judge other Christians by whether they measure up to what we ourselves do, forgetting that we are probably not very good models in these areas ourselves, at least if we are to measure our performance by the saints of a past era, and that the other Christian may be excelling in areas with which we are not even familiar.” (Boice)  Often, as in our passage this morning, “Both are acting according to their consciences, but their honest scruples do not need to be made into rules for the church.” WHY do we condemn each other, or judge each other? And why is that a sign of weak faith? (Review)1st We are threatened when others don’t agree w/ usThis is an expression of weak faith because we are looking for others to confirm our actions rather than to God.2nd We tend to resent others who have freedoms where we feel restricted.This is an expression of weak faith, because we are resenting God’s standards, as though, somehow, there was a BETTER way than His way!!! A 3rd reason we condemn, or judge each other:Ø     We make assumptions without knowing all the facts.Like the woman on the train observing the father and his kids…We all have bad-hair days…Do we allow for what we have been taught…?1 Cor. 13:7 – Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.The invisible tape recorder around our necks…This is weak faith because we feel compelled to do the Holy Spirit’s work for Him and because, when we do this, we are forgetting the amazing grace which God is constantly showing upon us! A 4th reason we condemn each other, or judge each other:Ø     We forget that people are accepted by GOD. (HE is their judge… and OURS.)v. 1 – Accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.v. 3 – the one who does not eat is not to judge (NIV condemn) the one who eats, for God has accepted him.v. 4 –  Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls (NLT They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong); and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.The alternative: To accept each other - to take as one’s companion.Jew, Gentile, Roman, Greek, rich, poor, slave, free, new Christian, old Christian – we need “to accept, welcome, and love one another without judging or condemning—no matter how weak, immature or unlearned someone’s faith may seem. Acceptance creates room for growth to continue; rejection stunts growth.” Life Application Commentary The KEY Question: Are YOU and are THEY accepted by God?!? The gospel In 1 Cor. 8:7 Paul refers to those who are weak in faith as having a weak conscience.In other words, they have not fully understood the righteousness that comes from the gospel of grace. They are still living under the law. 2. Those who are strong in faith:(NASB) 1Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.2One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.The NASB refers to this group as those who have faith. (v. 2)15:1 (NASB) – We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. (NLT) We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this.Paul defines those who are strong as those who may eat all things. He says that this group is often guilty of looking down on or regarding with comtempt the one who does share this conviction.In 1 Corinthians 8:1, in this same context, he points out that knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies (builds up).The strong in faith have come to the point of seeing the idols of the pagans as “so-called gods” (1 Cor. 8:5). As such eating meat which has been sacrificed to them is just meat. It is not an act of worship.In the Old covenant, the eating of meat which had been part of a sacrifice was an integral part of the worship… The Strong in Faith:☞    Those who are strong in faith do what they do in obedience to God.☞    Those who are strong in faith are at peace in their hearts because God, alone, is their judge.☞    Those who are strong in faith eat and drink, celebrate the Sabbath,  and make all other decisions as to what is right and wrong as GOD is their witness, NOT because of what anyone else thinks. – NOTE: This means that they have come to their convictions through Scripture, not merely by what SEEMS right.☞    Those who are strong in faith are freed from worship which requires sacrifice… The Weak in Faith:☞    Those who are weak in faith are too concerned about what others think.☞    Those who are weak in faith are too concerned about what others are or are not doing.☞    Those who are weak in faith allow the opinions of others to cause doubts in their hearts and minds.☞    Those who are weak in faith still feel like THEY have to DO something in order to be acceptable to God. The Strong in Faith:☞    Have to be careful not to look down on, or to be contemptuous of those who do not share their freedom or knowledge.☞    Have to be careful not to cling to their rights at the expense of others who are weak in faith. The key question: Am I exercising this freedom for the glory of God, or because we will not have OUR freedoms controlled by others? 1 Cor. 10:31-33 – Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—  33even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. The Weak in Faith:☞    Those who are weak in faith need to stop comparing what they and others are or are not doing. ☞    Those who are weak in faith need to believe the gospel, that God accepts us by faith in what HE has done, not on the basis of what WE do or do not do…  “The problem is that Christians are always dumping on one another. Instead of getting on with living their own lives as best they can to the glory of God or, which is also necessary, living so as to win nonbelievers to Christ, they are wasting their time trying to find fault with one another. They do not trust what God is doing in the other Christian.” Boice Summary / Review:Whether strong in faith, or weak in faith, we need to do everything to God’s glory. We need to understand that strong faith comes from an ever growing understanding of the gospel and the FREEDOM that that brings… not freedom to sin, but freedom to do all things out of love, rather than out of duty or any sense of needing to justify ourselves. A Truth to Remember: We are ALL saved by GRACE, through faith. This grace should free us from guilt and from looking down on anyone else.A Challenge to Consider:Are you striving to obey God out of some sense of justifying your standing with Him, or in worship, out a growing sense of love and gratitude for His amazing grace in your life?One thing I heard this morning was… |