Sinners Made Saints — Christian Liberty

Between 1618-1648 Europe fought one of the most destructive wars in European history. It was called the The Thirty Years' War and was a conflict fought largely within the Holy Roman Empire. Estimates of total deaths caused by the conflict range as high as 8 million. Some areas of Germany experienced population declines of over 50%. It didn’t start as a religious war, but the stark religious divide between Protestants and Catholics fueled passions, divisions, and atrocities.

In 1626, half-way through the conflict, German-Lutheran theologian, Rupertus Meldenius published a book calling for peace among the contending parties, and unity among Christians. The most famous quote from the book is: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”

The great strength of evangelicalism has been to unite Christians from diverse theological traditions around the gospel. The message of the incarnation, life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is certainly the essential of the Christian faith in which believers from different denominational identities can unify around.

The question for this morning is “What are the non-essentials of the Christian life where believers must offer liberty?” This a question the Apostle Paul has addressed on any number of occasions. He speaks to it in 1 Corinthians 8-11, Romans 14, and Galatians 5.

In 1 Corinthians, as the Apostle comes to chapter eight, he address a specific issue the Church at Corinth has asked about, “Now concerning food offered to idols: ... “ (1 Corinthians 8:1, ESV). The most common problem for Christian liberty in 1st century New Testament churches was the clash between Jews and Gentiles uniting in the same congregation. The Jews had a background rooted in the Mosaic laws of clean and unclean — the ceremonial laws. The Gentiles had a background in the pagan religions as well as the culture of Rome and Greece. The Jews tended to practice the customs of the Mosaic Law even in the church, often insisting the Gentiles conform as well. The Gentiles often refused because of their understanding of the New Covenant and the Apostolic teachings. How were these issues to be resolved?

Three Kinds of Conduct

Two Kinds of Christens

One Essential Attitude

I. THREE KINDS OF CONDUCT

1. distinguishing between right and wrong in matters of cultural issues is often difficult

a. this is evident from the fact that there is so much disagreement among Christians as to what behaviors are sinful

b. practices which are approved of — even condoned — by some Christians are rejected, and condemned by others as being inconsistent with a Godly lifestyle

ILLUS. Case in point: Many of you will recognize the name of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon is considered the greatest English preacher of the 19th century. He was a Baptist, and pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle Church — probably the world’s first mega-church. Even today Spurgeon is referred to as the “Prince of Preachers.” When churches all over England were surrendering to theological liberalism, Spurgeon remained a rock-solid biblicist. His life and theology and sermons are still studied in Evangelical Seminaries around the world.

Rev. Spurgeon was a Baptist preacher who thoroughly enjoyed cigars — especially Cuban cigars. Everyone in his church knew he smoked cigars. He smoked a cigar every evening before he went to bed, and he smoked a cigar every Sunday on his way to church to, according to Spurgeon himself, “Prepare my throat for preaching.”

In the Fall of 1874 Spurgeon had invited the prominent American evangelist, George F. Pentecost to preach at the Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in London. Dr. Pentecost stepped into the pulpit and proceeded to preach a fiery message against the sin of smoking, not knowing that Spurgeon was an avid smoker. Dr. Pentecost preached away, telling Spurgeon’s people how God had delivered him from the foul practice. As he preached the people in congregation just got quieter and quieter. After Dr. Pentecost concluded his message, Charles Spurgeon stood up, and said, “Let’s open our bibles to Romans 14.” He used the passage to talk about Christian liberty. He told his congregation, “For some Christians, their conscience won’t let them smoke cigars. I have no such qualms. If anybody can show me in the Bible the command, 'Thou shalt not smoke,' I am ready to keep it; but I haven't found it yet. I find ten commandments, and it's as much as I can do to keep them; and I've no desire to make them into eleven or twelve. Not only do I smoke cigars, I smoke cigars to the glory of God.”

1) there are a lot of Baptists who wince at that statement, and wish Spurgeon had never said it

2) on the other hand there are a lot of Baptists in North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia whose livelihood comes from growing tobacco who say Amen and amen!

ILLUS. Spurgeon finally did resolve to stop smoking when, one day, he passed a haberdashery with a display in the window advertising cigars to teenagers. It had a picture of Spurgeon and declared “Spurgeon Smokes!”

2. what do we do when we have such a profound difference of opinion over whether-or-not a behavior is sinful when the bible says nothing about it?

a. this is what the apostle addresses in this chapter

b. he addresses it because Christian unity is at stake within the church at Corinth

3. there are three kinds of conduct talked about in the Scriptures

A. WRONG CONDUCT (i.e. ... SIN)

1. obviously there are many areas of conduct, attitude, and behavior where the Bible clearly speaks

“Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:13–14, ESV)

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21, ESV)

a. in these, and similar passages, the bible lists behaviors that are always wrong

1) there's no way that a confessing Christian can shoplift something off of a store shelf and say with a straight face, "Well, I really don't believe stealing is a sin — especially if I really need it."

2) there is no way that a confessing Christian can engage in premarital sex, or adulterous sex, or homosexual sex, and confess, "You know, I just don't think that's wrong. God made me this way. Who are you to judge?"

3) there is no way that a confessing Christian can drink themselves into a drunken stupor and say, “I’m blitzed to the glory of God!”

2. there are some behaviors that are wrong because the Scriptures clearly tell us they are wrong

a. every Christian is fully accountable for their behavior in those areas where the Bible clearly speaks

b. and, we are accountable to the church, and it’s spiritual discipline when we continue to practice a conduct which is specifically forbidden

c. the culture may preach that there are no moral absolutes, but the confessing Christian knows better because we have the absolutely inerrant Scriptures

B. RIGHT CONDUCT

1. just as there are many kinds of behavior that the Scriptures thoroughly condemn, there are also many kinds of behavior that the Scriptures thoroughly condone

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:4–6, NIV84)

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–18, NIV84)

a. in these, and similar passages, the bible lists behaviors that are always right

1) there is no reason for a confessing Christian to ever ask, “Gosh, I wonder if I should respect the leaders of my church or not?”

2) there is no reason for a confessing Christian to ever ask, “I wonder if I should express gentleness toward that obnoxious believer in the pew behind me?”

3) there is no reason for a confessing Christian to ever ask, “I wonder if I should be patient with that weak believer who is struggling in their faith?”

2. there are some behaviors that are right because the Scriptures clearly tell us they are right

a. we act righteously, because we have received the righteousness of Christ by faith, and we are a new creation

C. DISPUTABLE CONDUCT

“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:6–9, ESV)

1. there is some conduct that, for the confessing Christian, is always wrong

2. there is some conduct that, for the confessing Christian, is always right

3. there is some conduct that, for one confessing Christian, is wrong, but for another confessing Christian is permissible

a. how can this be?

1) isn’t this moral relativism?

2) isn’t this exactly what the world teaches us ... that there is no objective morality? — that just because it’s wrong for you, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong for me?

b. no, Paul is not teaching moral relativism, because what the Apostle is dealing with is the inner workings of the confessing Christian’s conscience when the bible does not clearly speak on an issue

1) it may be possible for believer "A" to participate in a behavior that for believer "B" to participate in would be sinful because it would be a violation of his conscience

ILLUS. The Apostle opens chapter 8 with one of those areas. Believer "A" has no moral objections to chowing down on a good steak. They do so with a clear conscience. However, believer "B" believes that eating a succulent ribeye is sinful, and so he chooses to be a vegetarian. For believer "B" to eat meat would be a violation of their conscience, which the apostle says is sin.

Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that God the Father is a jealous God, who is deeply offended when his creation worships anything but Him. Pagan worship in the ancient world was not just about worship. It was also a major economic enterprise. Worshipers would bring their animal sacrifices to the temple as an offering to whatever deity they were worshiping. The priests would slay the animal as a sacrifice to the deity, and then the meat would be sold in the open market to help support the upkeep of the temple. The question arose among Christians, "Can a Christian, in good conscience, eat meat that was sacrificed to a pagan deity?"

The apostle Paul's attitude was, "Why not? It's only a dumb, dead idol anyway. Why let perfectly good meat go to waste?" So the Apostle Paul had zero problem eating a T-bone steak from a bovine that had been sacrificed to Zeus. There were other Christians who felt differently than Paul on this issue. For them, eating meat sacrificed to a pagan deity was to be complicit in maintaining the system of pagan worship.

c. the question becomes how do these two believers engage with each other? — how do they fellowship?

4. this brings us to the heart of the issue — What is a disputable matter?

a. a disputable matter is an issue, or a disagreement over an issue, that the Bible does not specifically forbid, but which some Christians are nevertheless uncomfortable with

1) in other words, this refers to conduct some confessing Christians think is wrong, even though it’s not condemned in the Scriptures, but which their conscience or denominational tradition finds questionable while other confessing Christians see nothing wrong with the conduct

b. that's the kind issue the Apostle is dealing with in this passage — what the Apostle refers to as a disputable matter in the Book of Romans

5. I’m one of those folks that sees most things as black and white — I like things neat and well defined — I like to-do lists and I like rules

a. I would have preferred if Paul had just said, “I’m going to address this issue. Here’s the way it is. The meat is fine, but nix the booze.”

1) that would have settled it, and Baptists would be vindicated

b. instead, the Apostle tells them, it’s a matter of personal conviction. After all, Jesus said ... “ ... “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ ” 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” 15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ” (Matthew 15:10–20, NIV84)

6. what are the disputable matters of our era?

a. the first great disputable matter of our day is “What’s a disputable matter???”

ILLUS. Can I be honest with you? The entire Christian world believes that the use of alcoholic beverages is a disputable matter. Except Baptists. For many Baptists the prohibition against alcohol is a firmly established doctrine of the church as thoroughly orthodox as justification by faith alone. There are Baptists who have gone to great lengths to prove that the wine at the marriage in Cana, and the wine at the Last Supper were actually Welch’s unfermented grape juice.

Baptists were not always as persnickety about “demon rum.” Do you recognize the name Jasper Newton Daniel? His family called him “Jack.” He was raised a Primitive Baptist, and was a Baptist lay-preacher. He also created bourbon-whiskey, and started the distillery that sill bears his name — Jack Daniels. Our Baptist forefathers were not above a good snort now-and-then. Oh, did I mention that Spurgeon also enjoyed wine, beer, and brandy? (Pastor, are you sure Spurgeon was a Baptist?”)

b. just in my life time, disputable matters have included; card playing, board games that use dice, attending movies, watching television, dancing, the use of cosmetics, smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, eating certain foods, drinking certain beverages, “mixed bathing”, women wearing slacks, pledging allegiance to the American Flag, shopping on Sunday, and celebrating certain religious days (like Christmas)

1) taboo or not taboo? ... questionable or permissible? ... right or wrong?

2) the bible addresses none of these specifically so what is a Christian to do?

c. some of you could probably add to that list

1) the point is that all of these are, whether you like it or not, disputable matters

ILLUS. I have a pastor friend up in New Bloomfield who told me a funny story a few years ago. One Sunday he mentioned during the sermon that he believed smoking was a sin. One of the older deacons in the church gave him a resounding “Amen preacher!” The problem was that Jim knew he dipped chewing tobacco. As he was leaving the church the deacon shook his hand and said, “Great sermon pastor!” Jim looked at him and said, “So. You think smoking tobacco is a sin, but chewing it is OK?” With total seriousness he responded, “Absolutely. It’s a sin to burn anything that tastes so good!”

7. for the confessing Christian, there are three kinds of conduct:

a. Wrong Conduct — those behaviors that the New Testament specifically condemns

b. Right Conduct — those behaviors that the New Testament specifically condones

c. Disputable Conduct — those behaviors that the New Testament is silent on, but which may be sinful for one Christian because it goes against their conscience, but not sinful for another Christian because their conscience is clear

II. TWO KINDS OF BELIEVERS

1. in this passage, the Apostle refers to three kinds of conduct, and two kinds of believers

A. THE WEAK CHRISTIAN

1. five times in this passage, Paul speaks about the Christian who’s faith is weak

a. when Paul refers to one who is weak in the faith, he is referring to a Christian who has not progressed in Christian maturity

2. the weak Christian has two characteristics

a. their list of sins is longer than God’s list

1) this is what the Jews did in the Old Testament

2) they had the word of God, and in an honest attempt to apply it, began adding to it, and soon their traditions became as important, if not more so, than God’s Word

3) Jesus told the Pharisees in Mark 7, “You have made the word of God of no effect because of your traditions.”

4) there’s a second characteristic of a weak Christian

b. they often condemn those who don’t follow their list

1) too many believers see Christianity as a faith of rules and regulations

2) they believe you gain God’s favor by doing certain things and abstaining from doing other things

3) essentially, many believers are still trying to earn a right relationship with God and have not yet accepted the way of grace

4) there are some believers who live in mortal terror that some Christian somewhere is enjoying himself

c. the temptation that lies before the weak Christian is that of legalism — their faith will become about rules and rites

B. THE STRONG CHRISTIAN

1. the Apostle also refers to Christians whom the Bible calls strong, and they live under liberty

a. in Romans he writes, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1, NIV84)

b. so Paul was in the strong camp

1) he said, “It’s okay to eat meat”

2. the strong Christian has two characteristics

a. they are set free from man’s lists

1) their mind is held captive to the Word of God, not the traditions of men

2) every generation of Christians faces the need to decide just what behaviors are morally mandated of all believers, and what beliefs and behavior may be left to the individual believer’s conscience

3) disputable matters are not unimportant matters

a) they are disputable in the sense that participating in a certain behavior or not, adopting certain practices or not, does not keep a person from inheriting the kingdom of God, but they may not be consistent with a Christian lifestyle or witness

ILLUS. Paul illustrates this in the last half of chapter 13. He tells the Corinthians, “Look, some of us have matured in the faith and know that idols are not real deities. Food offered to them is not defiled because it’s really being offered to a “fake god.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But look, there are believers who don’t see it this way, and if I assert my right to chow down on a ribeye offered to Apollo, I may have the right to do so, but I’m offending the conscience of the weaker brother. He may see me eat, and follow my example, and then afterwards feel really, really guilty about doing so. In that case I’ve become a stumbling block to a fellow believer. My sin is not in eating the ribeye; my sin in cause a brother to stumble in their faith because I ate the ribeye knowing it would probably offend them.”

4) Paul’s conclusion?

“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” (1 Corinthians 8:13, ESV)

b. Paul’s admonition to the stronger Christian is to be careful not to offend a weaker Christian

“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.” (Romans 14:20–21, ESV)

1) if the temptation for the Christian who is weak in the faith is to move toward legalism, the temptation for the Christian who is strong in the faith is to lean toward being a libertine

2) Paul says to those mature in the faith, “Hey. It’s not about your Christian liberty. It’s not about you. It’s about love and unity within the local Church. You may have liberty in a certain conduct, but don’t flaunt that conduct to the point where it causes a brother to stumble in their faith.”

III. ONE ESSENTIAL ATTITUDE

1. in this passage, the Apostle refers to three kinds of conduct, and two kinds of believers and one essential attitude

“Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.” (1 Corinthians 8:12, ESV)

2. here is the overarching principle Paul is laying down ...

A. DON'T BECOME A STUMBLING BLOCK TO OTHER CHRISTIANS, DO BECOME A STEPPING STONE FOR THEIR FAITH

1. "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity"

a. Paul would have us embrace and accept one another, even those who disagree with you about some of these matters of personal conviction

2. Paul is saying, “To all of you Christians who know that you are strong and you’ve been set free from man’s lists, you’re living under grace, you’ve been set free by the truth, but don’t flaunt your liberty, don’t force it on somebody else. While they’re over at the vegetarian table, don’t say, ‘Boy, this sirloin steak is delicious. Too bad you can’t eat it.’”

3. Paul is saying, “To all of you Christians who are weak in the faith, grow up. Quit imposing your behavioral rules list on somebody else. It’s okay if you’ve got that list. Make sure it doesn’t compromise anything in the Bible, but don’t make somebody else follow your list.”

There are all kinds of disputable matters that come up in churches today. Church members debate over the translation of the Bible. Church members debate over whether to use organ and piano or use guitars and drums in worship. Church members debate over how much of the budget should go to missions, whether to tithe the gross or the net, and what Sunday School literature to use. Church members debate about whether it is proper for a Christian to have a tattoo or whether to wear dress clothes or casual clothes to a worship service. Some churches debate over whether or not it is proper for a man to wear short sleeves and a woman to wear makeup.

So how do we handle it when disputable matters come up in the church? Romans 14:4 asks, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” The point Paul is making is that the Lord Jesus is the Master. We’re all ultimately responsible to him, so don’t get overly persnickety over sideline issues.

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