Romans 14:1-18 - The Conscience in Community, Part I

Introduction

Over the past few weeks we have been listening to what God’s Word tells us about the role of our conscience in our lives. Your conscience is God’s gift to you to know the difference between right and wrong, and it is a powerful voice in your life that can either accuse you or excuse you. It is dangerous to ignore your conscience, and it is spiritually harmful to violate your conscience—if you deliberately do what you honestly believe to be wrong in God’s sight, you are sinning against God.

Last week we considered the fact that there are so many matters of conscience facing us in the world today that we must have a conscience that is “calibrated” according to God’s standards, and not our own. You must be utterly convinced in your own mind about where your conscience draws the line for you in the battles that are sure to come in the coming days and months. Towards the end of last week’s sermon we considered some specific examples of where we may be called to make a stand on the basis of conscience: Will your conscience permit you to violate a government mandate that prohibits you from gathering for worship because of some new virus variant? Or would your conscience convict you that you need to obey the government’s prohibition?

If the nest of vipers on Capitol Hill make good on their bloody threat to outlaw any attempts to protect unborn children and provide Federal funding for murdering children in the womb, will you begin figuring out how to evade your income taxes with a clean conscience? Or would you have a clear conscience to keep paying your taxes?

If the tinpot tyrant in the White House tells you you can’t cross state lines without your “vaccine” papers or your employer knuckles under and threatens to cancel your healthcare coverage unless you show proof of “vaccination”, would you use a fake "Vaccine Passport” with a clear conscience? Or would your conscience allow you to go ahead and take the vaccine and show your papers whenever you were asked?

As we have observed before, your conscience is your conscience—you cannot bind other people to your conscience, and you cannot be bound by other people’s conscience. Over the past eighteen months or so thousands of churches descended into fights and acrimony and division and even church splits over mask wearing, social distancing, mandated prohibitions on worship and the like—and I am convinced that so much of that came about because they were completely unprepared and unskilled at understanding how matters of conscience are to be handled according to Scripture.

So for the sake not only of your own conscience this morning, but for the sake of the unity and love and fellowship of this body of believers at Bethel, we must consider what the Word of God says about how to live together and fellowship together and love other believers—even when their convictions of conscience differ from yours.

This is such a perilous endeavor precisely because of how powerful the voice of your conscience is in your life—when you are utterly and thoroughly convinced in your own heart and mind about a particular matter of conscience, it can seem threatening to encounter someone who is just as convinced in their conscience on the other side of the issue. For instance, say you are bound by your conscience that you cannot take the COVID shots because it was developed using stem cells from aborted babies—but another church member went and got the shots with a clean conscience. The temptation is to look at them as if they had broken faith with Christianity, and are guilty of a “bad testimony” and complicit in the scourge of abortion. And their temptation is to look down on you for not getting the shot, that you are legalistic and narrow-minded and need to get a grip.

Neither of those attitudes is healthy—both of those attitudes will eventually split a church. And we must not let that happen.

In many ways, this is the same kind of dynamic that was arising in the church in Rome that Paul addresses here in Romans 14. The issue in their case was whether it was lawful for a Christian to eat non-kosher foods. There were divisions between Christians who came from a Jewish background that said it was sinful and dirty and shameful to eat non-kosher foods and Christians from a Gentile background who were digging into their lizard fritters without a second thought. And others were so uncertain of what was the right thing to do that they just quit eating meat altogether. One side thought the other was breaking faith with Christ, the other side thought the first side needed to get a grip, and the rest were just giving up on trying to figure it out.

And so Paul writes these chapters to address the issues of conscience in community. There is much to unpack about what was going on in their church, and there is a great deal that we can learn as we consider together the challenges of different consciences within our own church family. So today we will take some time to get a broad overview of the passage and the issues relating to it, and over the next couple of weeks dig in further to some specifics.

But the overall message of this chapter, and the truth that I want you to go home with today, is that

The DIVISIONS of our CONSCIENCE must never outweigh our UNITY in CHRIST

Now, one of the first things that we need to do as we consider what God is telling us in this passage is to figure out whether there are any issues that should actually divide us—in other words, are there things that we hold as convictions that ought to separate us? So in order to figure out where we have room for differences, we need to understand those places where fellowship may really be either inadvisable or impossible. So the first step in understanding our conscience in community with other believers is that

I. We are called to SPIRITUAL TRIAGE

At one time or another you’ve probably experienced triage—most likely in a medical setting. Several years back I took Caleb into the ER because he had fallen and cut his scalp pretty badly. (And if you don’t know, a scalp wound can bleed in a simply spectacular fashion!) So we got to the ER and had a triage nurse take a look at his injury. She directed us to the waiting room (which I thought wouldn’t take long, since he was actually bleeding from the scalp!!! But the nurse knew as well as anyone that a bleeding scalp may look life-threatening, but was actually a pretty minor injury. So we got to spend our couple of hours in the waiting room while people with more serious injuries went ahead of us.

But that’s what triage is—its a way of prioritizing issues so that the most important things are given the most important place. The Scriptures tell us that, in fact, some teachings are more important than others—Paul says, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that he delivered to the church “as of first importance” what he also received—

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)

3 ... that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

This is an example of what we would call a “First Order issue”—articles of belief and conviction in the Bible that are so important that you must believe them if you are to be a Christian. Disagreement on “First Order” issues means

First order issues: Fellowship is IMPOSSIBLE - Separate Christians from NON-CHRISTIANS

If you do not hold first order issues with a good conscience, you cannot be a Christian in any meaningful sense. Fellowship is impossible if there is no agreement on these things, because these beliefs separate believers from non-believers. In addition to Paul’s statement about the “first importance” of Jesus’ death for sinners, burial and resurrection, we can add other “first order” beliefs:

- That God is one God eternally existent in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

- That Jesus Christ is both one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man, and that He was born of a woman who was a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25)

- That Jesus Christ actually and physically came back from the dead, and that the Resurrection is an historical event that actually happened (1 Cor 15:13)

That we are justified by God’s grace through faith alone, and there is nothing that we can do to save ourselves (Eph 2:8-9)

That Jesus Christ will actually and physically return to earth someday, and that His Second Coming is an historical event that actually will happen (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 2 Thess 1:7-8).

There are others, but these are examples of first-order issues in Christianity—to deny them is to deny the Gospel itself, and so denying these truths makes fellowship impossible, because holding these things with a good conscience is what divides Christians from non-Christians.

One step “down” from those first order issues are issues of secondary importance. These are issues that are not Gospel issues, but they make fellowship improbable.

Second order Issues: Fellowship is IMPROBABLE - Separate Christians into DIFFERENT FAMILIES

A number of years ago there was a TV show with a terrible title, but actually an interesting premise—do you remember the show Wife Swap? The premise of the show is that two women would live in each other’s homes for a week, and try to live according to the other’s house rules. The drama of the show usually came from the families they would pick—a family that lived off the grid in Montana would swap with a family who lived in downtown Boston, for example. And you can imagine how hard it was for those two families to get along with each other when they had such different outlooks on life.

In the same way, there are some issues in the Bible that make fellowship very unlikely—not necessarily impossible—if there is not a common agreement. For instance, some Christians believe that baptism should be administered to infants as a sign that they belong to the New Covenant, while other Christians believe (rightly!!) that baptism is administered to someone as a sign of their personal confession of faith. It is very difficult (but not necessarily impossible) for a church to have a healthy fellowship if there is disagreement on whether baptism should be reserved for believers or given to children before they believe. So this is an example of a “second order” issue that can cause a healthy separation between churches.

Other examples of “Second Order” issues would be the role of charismatic gifts in the church (e.g., speaking in tongues)—and so we have charismatic churches and cessationist churches. There is a difference of opinion on whether each church should govern itself independently or should be part of a larger system of authorities. And so we have Presbyterian and Episcopal churches and we have congregational churches. Some Christians see the role of God’s sovereignty in salvation as paramount, others are convinced in their own minds that each individual has the self-determination to choose salvation for themselves. And so we have “Reformed” churches and “Free Will” churches. Christians who agree on first order issues may differ on these “second order” issues, which makes it more practical and profitable for them to separate into different “families” with different “house rules”.

So there are Gospel issues where we must have unity, because to deny them is to deny being a Christian at all. There are some issues that are fellowship issues, where we naturally gather into different church “families” with common convictions about particular distinctions in the faith.

But there are other issues that we may call “third order issues”—issues that are not “Gospel” issues or “fellowship” issues. Also known as “matters of indifference” or “matters of conscience”, they are issues that Christians should be able to disagree on and still maintain the fellowship of unity in the bonds of peace. First order issues divide Christians from non-Christians, making fellowship impossible, second-order issues separate Christians into different “families” to make fellowship easier. But with

Third order issues: Fellowship is IMPERATIVE - Christians should not QUARREL over these things (Romans 14:1-2)

These third-order issues include the issue Paul was dealing with here in Romans 14—whether or not it was okay to eat meat that was not what is commonly today called “kosher”. There were some members of the church in Rome who had no issues of conscience whatsoever about what food they ate, while others took it very seriously indeed—to the point where they quit eating meat altogether because their conscience wouldn’t let them do something they believed to be a sin.

And this is a reminder that just because we call these issues “third-order” issues or “matters of indifference”, it doesn’t mean they are unimportant. Calling them matters of “indifference” means that it doesn’t matter for your salvation whether you hold to one side or another on a particular issue—but they are important issues in so far as they impact our ability to fellowship together.

In our day, these sorts of “third order” issues would include such questions as

- How we are to observe the Lord’s Day—what should we do or not do on Sunday?

- What sort of clothes is it appropriate to wear to church?

- Is it okay for Christians to have tattoos?

- Should Christians observe holidays like Halloween or Christmas?

- Should Christians smoke or use alcohol?

- What Bible version should we read?

- Should Christians take the COVID shots?

-Should we wear masks in church?

Again, these matters aren’t unimportant, but church members ought to be able to disagree on these sorts of things and still maintain healthy fellowship with one another. This is what Paul is saying in the Romans 14:1:

Romans 14:1 (ESV)

1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

In other words, we are to welcome one another, and not quarrel over these sorts of issues. The divisions of our conscience must never outweigh our unity in Christ.

Third order matters of conscience are not Gospel-defining issues, they are not fellowship defining issues, but they are important issues. As we are always reminded,

II. We are called to OBEY our CONSCIENCE (Romans 14:14)

Look at the way Paul talks about the matter of eating or not eating meat in Romans 14:14:

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.

Notice how Paul addresses the question of whether it is lawful for a Christian to eat non-kosher meat: He says, “I am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing wrong with eating lizard fritters” (that’s the Thompson Translation). In other words, nobody is going to lose their salvation because they ate food considered “unclean” in the Old Testament. Paul knows this; he is persuaded of this, his conscience is clear about this. (And in coming weeks I want to unpack that glorious phrase, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus...”)

But he goes on to say that if you think it is sinful to eat lizard fritters, then it is a sin for you to eat lizard fritters. Do not violate your conscience when it tells you something is sinful—if you have to have your conscience calibrated, do it under the direct supervision of God, but don’t violate what your conscience tells you. When Paul says in verse 1 to welcome and not quarrel with someone who is “weak in faith”, he is not talking about their saving faith—he is not saying that they are “barely a Christian” because of their convictions about eating meat, he is saying that they are weak in their convictions over whether it is sin or not.

In fact, we can say it this way: A matter of conscience is

Not a matter of SAVING FAITH, but convictions regarding FAITHFULNESS

Again: Paul is convinced that there is no Gospel-issue attached to whether you eat beef or pork, whether you eat shrimp cocktail or have a bacon cheeseburger—those things have nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not you are saved.

But eating those things might cause you to worry that if you eat them you are not being faithful to God; that you are somehow failing in Christlikeness or turning away from the righteousness He is calling you to. Again, a Christian who has a “weak” conscience is one who is not persuaded that they can be a faithful Christian in a certain matter.

So in this situation, Paul was persuaded in his conscience that going in for a lizard on a stick was no problem—there was no judgment or condemnation from God for eating non-kosher. He was “strong” in his conviction. But another believer who was genuinely uncertain over whether it was lawful to eat those foods—who was not persuaded in Christ that he was free to eat—was weak in his confidence. And for that person to eat those foods would be sin;

Romans 14:23 (ESV)

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.

So a “strong” conscience or a “weak” conscience is not a matter of saving faith, but a conviction regarding faithfulness. And what we see in this passage (and what we see in our own experience) is that a believer with a “strong” conscience is more likely to put issues into “third order” categories. Think of it this way:

A “STRONG” believer leans DOWNHILL (v. 14a, cp. v. 22)

Paul says that he is persuaded that nothing is unclean in itself—he is certain that the kind of meat you eat is a third order question, not a second order question. In other words, it is not a “fellowship” question—you don’t need to create whole separate denominations for people who eat kosher or non-kosher (a “Baconist Church” on one side and a “Pastramiterian Church” on the other!) A Christian with a strong conscience on a particular matter is willing to place that issue as a matter of indifference—they “lean downhill”.

In contrast, as we see in Romans 14:23,

A “WEAK” believer leans UPHILL (v. 14b, cp. v. 23)

Romans 14:23 (ESV)

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.

A Christian with a “weak” conscience over a particular issue is more likely to place that issue higher in importance—whether or not you eat kosher (or go to a restaurant on Sunday, or watch R-rated movies, or get a COVID shot) is a matter of faithfulness to God. A believer who is unpersuaded about an issue, who does not have peace in their conscience about it, feels that these issues are of higher importance, and can even struggle with whether they can fellowship with those who differ. And the reminder again here is that if a believer with a “weak” conscience believes an action to be sin, it is sin for them—even if other Christians with “strong” consciences can do those same things without sinning.

But whether a Christian has a “strong” or “weak” conscience about these third order issues, the divisions of our conscience must never outweigh our unity in Christ.

We must understand what issues should and shouldn’t divide us, we must obey our own conscience (and leave room for other believers to obey their own conscience). And see here in Romans 14:18,

III. We are called to REMEMBER what UNITES us (Romans 14:18)

Romans 14:18 (ESV)

18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

This is what we must remember as we navigate the issues that arise from our conscience in community with others. No two Christians are going to completely and totally agree on every single issue of conscience that comes our way—we must remember that we are united in Jesus Christ. If you can agree with your brother or sister in Christ over first order issues, and if you agree in fellowship over second order issues, then third order issues must not divide you. And our fellowship in the face of differing consciences will be strengthened when we remember that

We are each LOVED and WELCOMED by God (Rom 14:3)

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.

Do you have no qualms about getting the COVID shot? Don’t despise your brother or sister who cannot in good conscience do the same. Does your conscience draw a line in the sand that says you will rather lose your job and your healthcare and your income rather than submit to the COVID shot? Then do not pass judgment on your fellow church member who takes the shot, for God has welcomed him! There is much more to be said in future weeks about how you use the “strong conscience” God has given you in service of others, but for now, see that God’s Word reminds you that in all these matters you are dealing on both sides with precious children of God that He loves and welcomes!

Secondly, Paul reminds us that

We are each DRIVEN to HONOR God (Rom 14:6)

Romans 14:6 (ESV)

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.

Paul says that the Christians who stayed away from “unclean” foods did it because their heart was in the right place—they desired to honor God. And the Christians who said that nothing was unclean anymore and they were free were doing it because their heart was in the right place—they desired to honor God. The strong believer and weak believer both want to glorify God through their convictions—whether strong or weak, never forget that you are unified by your drive to honor God!

And there is one more reminder for “strong” and “weak” Christians here in these verses—Paul urges us to remember that

We will each STAND BEFORE God (Rom 14:4, 12)

Romans 14:4 (ESV)

4 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.

Romans 14:12 (ESV)

12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Never forget, Christian, that someday you will stand before your Master to give an account of how you obeyed your conscience. You will not be called to answer for how other people obeyed their conscience. If you believe that your fellow believer is gravely mistaken, and that their conscience is not calibrated rightly and that they are dishonoring God by the way they handle third order questions of conscience—you leave it between them and God, because you will have enough to answer for when you stand before Him. And part of what you will answer for is how you loved and welcomed and accepted without quarrelling with those whose conscience differed from yours!

That brother or sister in Christ on the other side of whatever conscience issue is dividing you is the precious child of God bought by the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ. They may differ from you greatly in matters of conscience—but you are not their master! If they are mistaken, or if they need to have their conscience “recalibrated” in some way, it is their Master who will guide them—your role is to welcome them in His Name and not quarrel. As Paul wrote to the church in Philippi:

Philippians 3:15 (ESV)

15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

So Christian, follow your conscience—your fully persuaded conscience that rests in the Lord Jesus and trusts in Him—and let your fellow believers follow their conscience. The divisions of our conscience must never outweigh our unity in Jesus Christ.

You see, the world around us has no way of understanding how to get along with others whose conscience does not align with theirs. And make no mistake, the only way that you can live in love and harmony with Christians who differ with you on vaccines, masks, lockdowns, Bible versions, Halloween, Sabbath—any of it—is when you realize that every single one of us stands together under the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ, and every single one of us who hold those first order issues with a clear conscience have confidence that He is Lord of all of us. You may stand or fall on third order issues of conscience—but you will be upheld and strengthened and made able to stand because of what is of first importance: The death, burial and resurrection of your Savior, Jesus Christ!

BENEDICTION:

Hebrews 13:20–21 (ESV)

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

What are the differences between “first”, “second”, and “third” order issues in Christianity? How is fellowship affected by issues in each of these categories?

What does Paul mean by calling some believers “weak” in matters of conscience? Does this mean that they are “weak Christians?” Why or why not?

Consider one area where you are “fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus” about a matter of conscience. How does this passage tell you to relate to another believer whose conscience may lead them to different conclusions than you?