EHarmony
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Romans 14-15.7
March 25, 2007
(final in Romans’ series)
Why can’t we just get along? The word ‘just’ is problematical. Getting along – or better put, unity in the body of Christ is one of the most important, and most difficult things to do.
We’re completing our look at Romans with a study of 14-15.7
Let’s look first at Romans 14:1 (ESV)
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
And the final verse of this section: Romans 15:7 (ESV)
7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Do you notice the repeated word?
Welcome one another.
Paul’s concern is that the church learn how to live together in harmony in the body of Christ.
While Paul has named general principles of Christian behavior in 12-13, now he looks more carefully into one area – unity among Christians in the body of Christ.
The gospel of grace is the basis of Paul’s call to Christians to live in harmony with one another. As you look at these verses, you will notice how often Paul grounds his appeal in the gospel itself.
Point One: Unity in the visible congregation is a fundamental issue
Virtually all of Paul’s letters include exhortations to unity in the church.
The reason given is that God, in Christ, has accepted us; therefore we should accept one another.
Notice what I said, he is concerned about gospel unity. We need to be united to one another through the gospel. And to do that, we need to work at it – (much like a marriage).
Further, the issues raised are not central matters of apostolic teaching. They are matters of great importance to the people he is writing to, but they are secondary matters – the kinds of things which often disrupt a congregation.
Ephesians 4:11-14 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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, 14 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.
John 17:11 (ESV)
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
Philippians 2:2 (ESV)
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
As for essential matters – well that is another response. Look at Romans 16:17 (ESV)
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
Point Two: Differences
The differences were deep and sincerely held.
He describes one group as weak in faith, and the other as strong (15.1)
One person sincerely believes that he can eat only certain foods – vegetables in v 2. The other thinks he can eat anything.
The strong despise the weak, and the weak judge the strong. (v 4) These are strongly held views.
Who are the weak, and who are the strong.
The weak in faith does not mean they are barely Christians. Their weakness, according to John Stott consisted in their continuous conscientious commitment to Jewish regulations regarding diet and days
Perhaps they were overly scrupulous about certain customs or traditions which they observed, and which Paul doesn’t condemn, but apparently no longer thought he had to observe. Nevertheless, they were sincerely held customs and should not be despised by those who did not observe them.
In fact, Paul seemed to sit loose to Jewish traditions which must have bothered the Jewish believers.
And it could well be that these customs or practices would never completely go away.
Notice the strength with which each group held on to their customs –
Romans 14:3 (ESV)
3 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.
There will be points of division – and apart from divisions on essential Christian doctrine, Paul urges these Christians to accept one another and to live together since they have saved by God through Christ – the gospel is what unites them.
Point Three: The Need of a Renewed Mind
Romans 12:2 (ESV)
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Christian ethics require a renewed mind. Or we might say a Christian World View requires a renewed mind.
In this example, and in many other examples of tensions within churches over secondary issues, what is needed is a renewed mind and heart.
For example, Paul acknowledges that both the strong and weak have thought through the issues:
Romans 14:5 (ESV)
5 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.
Paul’s own practice – and here he aligns with the strong – was arrive at only by careful thought:
Romans 14:14 (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.
Legalism doesn’t help resolve this issue or many others. We need the law; but we also need renewed minds to apply the law lovingly to many different situations.
Notice Romans 14:22 (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.
Notice the words, faith, and reason. He has faith, and he has a reason. He has a clear faith and he can give a reason for that faith.
Now, notice what Paul has said about those who have not believed in Christ.
Romans 1:28 (ESV)
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
A mind that is debased – which is unfit to solve any of these problems. It can’t know God and it can’t deal with my neighbor.
We would like God to tell us exactly what to do – but now we are grownups – We need to say what we think. We have God’s mind expressed in the scriptures. With one another we need to express our own thinking.
Ex. The Lord has told me…
The Lord has told me the opposite… let’s reason this out together.
We are seeking the Lord’s will with a mind renewed by his Holy Spirit; further, we also need the counsel of others.
Proverbs 15:22 (ESV)
22 Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.
With our minds, renewed by God’s Spirit, and wrestling with the Word of God, we need to filter through ideas that belong to the world, and distinguish them from what are God’s ideas.
Ex. Episcopal Church – unfortunately what we face are issues of central importance, not secondary importance. Calling good bad, and bad good is not peripheral or secondary.
I point you to Romans 16:17 (ESV)
17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
But even here, decisions are difficult. We know we can’t accept teaching on central issues which is contrary to God’s clear expressed will; but how to respond is hard.
I know two congregations which agreed in principle but not in action. One simply left their church building to the diocese and regrouped elsewhere. Another fought in court to retain their building; lost in court and then moved. Others believe we should stick it out to the end. There are a lot of possible responses.
We have taken certain action – we still are involved in the life of the diocese, but our relationship is impaired. We have chosen not to support the diocese financially until they express their desire to accept the teaching of the Bible on sexual ethics, and agree with what most of the Anglican Communion does believe.
But, we have not completely separated from the church as we await the counsel of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the godly admonition of the Anglican Communion.
POINT 4: Case Study in Incentive Ethics
The incentive to act one way or the other in Romans 14 is related to the Lord, and to the gospel.
Look at Romans 14:5-9 (ESV) We are to behave in light of God as Lord
5 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. 6 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. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 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. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Romans 14:10-12 (ESV) God as Judge
10 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; 11 for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:13-23 (ESV) God as Savior
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
God is my Lord; he is my judge, and in Jesus he is my savior. That is the incentive to govern my behavior. What matters is our position before God, then our position in regard to others will follow.
Summary
Paul wants unity
Paul won’t steamroll over differences since they are so deep
Therefore, he calls for a renewed mind to deal with them
And he calls upon God to enable me to act responsibly vis a vis my neighbor.
Romans 14:1 (ESV)
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Romans 15:7 (ESV)
7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Unity is not therefore based on shared experience – no, unity is based on the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has welcomed us, and we now are to receive others in the same way, especially those who profess the name of Christ.
