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Introduction
Christian liberty.
We love the sound of Christian liberty until it gets in the way of our own scruples.
Scruples are those moral standards that we develop in life that stop us from doing certain actions.
It’s not unlike what the Pharisees and Rabbis and Scribes used in the first century to keep themselves holy.
I remember hearing an old saying that went “I don’t smoke and I don’t chew and I don’t go with girls who do.”
And perhaps there is something to that.
After all, doesn’t Paul say to the Corinthians,
In reality though, the “bad company,” in context are not boys/girls who smoke/chew, but those who deny the resurrection.
The resurrection of the dead has a profound effect upon our morals—and upon our Christian liberty.
Over the next three weeks, we are going to be dealing with some difficult or uncomfortable issues.
Romans 14 is commonly referred to as the “conscience” chapter of the Bible.
In reality, that word is never used in Romans 14, but the idea as we have come to think of it is.
This morning, as we begin our study on Romans 14, we are going to see how we are to respond to one another’s scruples, and how to have community with people who think differently than you do.
And we will do so by understanding the four elements to Paul’s argument here.
Namely: what Paul means by strong or weak in faith, some examples of being strong and weak in faith, our response to those who are strong and weak in faith (as well as to God), and finally, our place being strong or weak.
The Strong vs.
The Weak
Before we can go very far, we need to understand Paul’s line of thinking about the strong in faith versus the weak in faith.
It would seem that the strong in faith are what comprise the majority of the church while the weak in faith comprise the minority, which is why he is speaking to the strong to welcome the weak.
Both the strong and the weak are strong and weak “in faith.”
Sometimes that can be thought of as a weak Christian or a strong Christian, but I think it should be looked at more like a weak understanding and a strong understanding.
That seems to fit the context to me.
The weak in faith, are the ones who are weak in understanding what faith can be and do for them.
Those who are strong in faith are the ones who understand more fully what faith can be and do for them.
To be in faith is to be in Christ.
To be in Christ is to be set free.
Paul told the Galatians in
The idea of being in Christ is the idea of freedom.
The only way to be in Christ is to believe in him.
It is by faith that we are saved.
So to be weak in faith is to be weak in the freedom that Christ has provided.
That’s what I mean when I say that it is weak in understand what faith can be and do.
Faith sets us free because faith sets us in Christ who sets us free.
The strong believe firmly that Christ has set them free, and they embrace Christian liberty.
But notice how Paul states that the strong are supposed to treat the weak; they are to welcome them.
That word welcome literally means to receive near or to bring near.
In other words, Paul is telling the strong not to keep the weak at arms length, but to take them near.
And then he puts a caveat on it, because he understands the human need to prove oneself to be right.
“Don’t quarrel over opinions,” or we could say “scruples.”
Don’t argue about those moral standards that we develop in life that stop us from doing certain actions.
We’ll get to the examples that he gives in a moment, but let’s focus on why we are to welcome the weak in faith.
Romans 14:3 (ESV)
for God has welcomed him.
Did you catch that?
For us to not welcome the weak is to put ourselves at a higher level, a higher standard than God.
If God, who is the holiest of all beings, the most righteous and most moral of all, welcomes this person who has a weak faith, then ought not we?
And that really goes for the opposite.
The weak is to welcome the strong.
They aren’t to keep the strong at arm’s length either.
God welcomes the strong and the weak.
Examples of Strong and Weak Faith
So let’s take a look at some examples of those with strong and weak faith.
Paul gave two: food and events.
Certainly these are not the only things that people have scruples over.
There are many moral standards that we come up with in our own minds.
For whom should we vote?
Should we drink alcohol or abstain?
If we drink alcohol, should we do it in public?
Should it only be an occasional drink or is a glass of wine or a can of beer okay to have every night of the week?
Is smoking okay or is it not?
Is it okay to watch rated R movies, what about PG-13?
Should we boycott this company because of their stance on certain issues?
The people in Paul’s example are people who probably had good reasons for their opinions.
Perhaps, some were Gentiles who were used to eating meat, and it didn’t matter to them where it came from.
Others may have been Jews who had dietary laws.
These were things God put into place thousands of years ago.
Surely they were originally put there for a reason.
Others may have been so overwhelmed by idolatry that when they came to Christ they did not trust themselves with partaking of meat.
What if it makes them relapse into their old way of thinking and doing?
Jews may have continued to observe the Sabbath, while the Gentiles thoughts nothing about working on the sabbath.
The Jews may have continued to observe Passover, while the Gentiles thought that there was no longer any need.
But here is what we need to grasp.
The one who eats only vegetables and the one who esteems one day as better than another, they are the ones weak in faith.
Those who eat meat, those who esteem all days alike are the ones strong in faith.
They recognize the freedom that faith in Christ has given them.
For the weak to try and constrain the strong to his/her own scruples is just as wrong as the strong trying to make the weak go against his/her scruples.
Response of Strong and Weak Faith
Which leads us to the response between the two parties.
We already saw that they are to be welcoming to each.
They aren’t to quarrel over scruples.
But Paul goes further than that.
Because welcoming with arms and welcoming with the heart are two different things.
Arguing outwardly and maligning inwardly are two different things.
So Paul tells us,
So the stronger person in faith is to not look down upon those who are weaker in faith.
At the same time the weaker is not to be judgmental toward the one who is stronger in faith.
So, the person who votes one way is not to look down on one who votes a different way.
One who abstains from alcohol is not to judge the one who doesn’t, nor should the one who feels free to drink alcohol look down about the one who abstains.
The person who is okay with movies is not to think less of one who isn’t, and the one who doesn’t think it is proper is not to criticize or condemn the one who does.
Instead, going back to verse 1, we are to welcome, bring each other near.
While Paul was starting a whole new line of thought in this section, it still is logical to see a connection with the previous words he just wrote.
In particular, the idea of loving your neighbor as yourself.
To welcome one another in love, despite differences of opinions, is one of the great marks of a believer.
So that is how we are to respond to each other, but how about our response to God?
So, here is the principle of our response to God.
Honor and thanksgiving.
This is a major difference between what we do and what the world does.
It is a major difference of being.
Let’s go back to Romans chapter 1.
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