Disputable Matters

There’s the friendly argument. They can get awkward, but they’re fine. I’m talking the likes of the argument you might have when you and a friend both insisting on paying for the coffee you’re about to get together.

Then there’s what I call the cross wired argument. You make a statement. It gets misheard. The other person then reacts. But you don’t realise they’ve misheard, and so you react to their reaction. And before you know it, you’re having an argument over something you more or less agree with.

You can also have the silly argument. I don’t know, maybe arguing over who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman. Silly arguments are usually when you don’t even care about the issue but you argue anyway.

But arguments can also take on a more nasty dimension to them.

There’s what I call the wrong issue argument. This is when the subject of your argument isn’t really the main issue, rather it becomes the spilling point for the frustration that has been building up. This happens when you start to become really frustrated with someone, perhaps for a whole range of matters, but then they put the wooden spoon in the wrong drawer, and so you blow up about the wooden spoon, but the reality is, the wooden spoon is nothing.

But this can then lead to the heated argument. At this point, emotions boil over. The contents of the debate are almost secondary. Our instinct to win the argument at all costs takes over - and results are normally ugly and hurtful.

Now, for those who are married, I expect you can probably identify with each one of these arguments.

They’re bound to happen. In fact, if they’re not happening, I might wonder whether you’re actually spending any time with your spouse.

But it’s not arguments between spouses that I want to focus on this morning. You see, the reality is, that these types of arguments will happen between people within the church.

Though, just like I mentioned with the arguments between husband and wife, having arguments is actually inevitable. Hopefully there won’t be too many heated arguments - but when you have a church full of a diverse group of people (which is what the church should be), then differences are going to come about.

The issue is not whether we have arguments (or perhaps to use a kinder word… a disagreement), the issue is whether we’re allowing these arguments or disagreements to divide us.

The sad reality is, if you’ve been involved with churches for say, more than a decade or so, I suspect you’ve witnessed churches split.

And unless you’re intimately involved, it can be difficult to actually get to the bottom of what the issues actually are. Because, even if you hear the surface level debates, the issues go much deeper then that.

You see, something happens. While the specific will change from one church to another, essentially a dividing spirit enters the church and meaningful debates can’t occur because such deep division exists.

Now, perhaps you’re thinking - oh, I know a church that fits this description. But let me tell you, this message is not for them. For the churches that have the deep seated issues - they need healing. Rather, this message is going to be for us. Because today, we’re going to look at how you can have disagreements and still remain united.

We’re going to look at the reasons why we should tolerate some disagreements for the sake of unity.

These are attitude that we need to foster while things are healthy, so that way, when the devil inevitably creeps in and does what he does best, that is divide and conquer just as things are starting to improve, we’ll be able to see the schemes for what they are and keep our view on what it needs to be kept on.

Romans context

Okay, so lets recap where we’re up to in the book of Romans.

The first eight chapters give perhaps the best detailed discussion on the gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ. That while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And if we accept this with faith, we are no longer condemned but can enjoy the love of Christ that we can never be separated from.

Chapter 9 to 11 were an interlude of sorts, looking at the place of Israel in this discussion.

But then chapter 12, which we looked at two weeks ago, started us on what all of this means from a practical point of view. It showed us that because of this good new story, we need to be deliberate in the way we try to get along with one another. We are to show love - and this needs to extend beyond just the people we get along with, but even to those we might call our enemies - those who can be somewhat antagonistic towards us.

And as we looked last week, he even took us to the place where we needed to see that this idea of living at peace should include the way we relate to the government.

But in chapter 14, Paul brings us to what I think is ultimately a far more tricky relationship to work out. It’s the family split - only we’re not talking a biological family, we’re talking our spiritual family.

In some ways, it can almost be easier to say I love those people who are antagonistic towards Christianity, then it is to look at the brother in Christ who is undermining everything you are doing.

Because for the person who is antagonistic towards Christianity, while we might completely disagree with them, but we can easily enough acknowledge that we’re coming from a different point of view. For our brother or sister in Christ, however, well… we expect more from them, so the conflict cuts deeper.

So what does Paul have to say about all of this?

Romans 14 context

Well, when we come to Romans 14, I’m not exactly sure if Paul is aware of a specific issue among the people he is writing to, or as I suspect, just generally aware of the issues that tend to pop up among believers.

We’ll see throughout the chapter, Paul will consider two basic debates that were common in his time. The first broad category being: what people eat. And the second broad category being: the observation of sacred days.

Now, as I’ll get to later, if this was written today, Paul would have most likely chosen a different set of issues, but what we’ll see, is that despite our issues being different, the same principles will apply.

Strong v Weak

Now, before I continue, its worth giving attention to the fact that throughout this chapter (and into chapter 15), that Paul talks about two groups of people. The weak and the strong.

It won’t take much to figure out that Paul is not talking about physical strength here.

So what is he talking about? Who are the weak? And who are the strong?

Well, the first verse points us in the right direction. It uses the phrase “…whose faith is weak”.

So it’s got something to do with faith. But there is more to this then just a measure of faith.

Paul rather seems to have something more specific in mind. And you could say this ties back to the whole message of the gospel.

You see, central to the gospel is the idea that we are saved by faith and faith alone. This was particularly emphasised in chapter 4. There is nothing you can do to save yourself, other than having faith. It really is that simple.

Unfortunately, however, we can unintentionally add things to this. It’s partly a result of knowing that God has set certain expectations in place about how we are to live. Particularly in the time of Paul writing this letter, there was still a poor understanding of how the Jewish expectations fit into all of this.

Within the Old Testament we can find various rules relating to what you can and can’t eat, and various days you need to keep sacred.

What becomes very clear in the gospel, however, is that while this all served a purpose, it is not a requirement for salvation. Yet for some people, they elevated these matters above what they should be.

So, essentially, what we find in Paul writing here, is that the strong in faith, are those that recognise the freedom of the gospel, that the only requirement for salvation is faith. The weak however, are those who feel the need to elevate other matters.

Now, Paul certainly identifies with the strong - he says as much in the first verse of chapter 15.

Now you might think with using language like strong and weak, that clearly the strong are right and the weak are wrong, therefore the weak should just get in line with the strong and we can be done with it. Surprisingly however, this is not the approach Paul takes. It is as we see his approach that we will see how we can develop an attitude that can avoid unnecessary splits.

Looking after the weak

So let’s look at that attitude now.

The attitude can essentially be summed up in verse 1 - “accept the one whose faith is weak”.

In some ways, it’s as simple as that. Stop thinking of yourself as so superior, and just accept the other person.

Paul puts it in the context of eating in verse 2. Some people are going to put all sorts of requirements on their eating. They’re going to put religious requirements on those requirements. God doesn’t want us eating that sort of food.

Now we know that God has actually declared all food clean. Jesus himself says it’s not what someone eats, but what’s in his heart that matters.

This may be true, but Paul says: do not treat that person with contempt!

It’s the same when it comes to sacred days. Paul reminds us that some people are going to treat some days more special than others while other will consider each day alike.

And what does Paul say of this? Well essentially… don’t get too worried - just be convinced in your own mind.

If we can have this attitude, then church arguments can be so much better. Rather than the heated arguments - we can have much more healthier discussions of ideas.

But it’s worth considering why Paul thinks we should overlook such matters. So let’s quickly look at some of these reasons.

God has accepted them

The first reason comes in verse 3. Quite simply, we should accept the weak person, because God has accepted them. If we can see the work of God in someones life, then why are we trying to question them. We don’t have to agree with them, but if God is going to accept them, then really, so should we.

Christ death and resurrection

The second reason comes in verse 9. Paul tells us: “Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living”.

Paul is shifting our focus back onto what Christ has done. Christ didn’t just die for you. He also died for that person you’re arguing with. When our focus is on the death and resurrection of Jesus, then our focus is on the common heritage that we share.

We’re not the judge

The third reason comes in verse 10 - we’re not the judge!

Just remember, whenever we come to any particular issue, we’ve made a decision based on the best information that we’ve got. So has the other person. We can of course try to point out faults in their logic, but judging other based on their conclusions is a very foolish thing to do. Just remember, as Paul points out for us in verse 10, we too will need to stand before God’s judgement seat.

The Kingdom of God is more important

The fourth reason we should be careful not quarrel over disputable matters, comes in verse 17, where Paul gives a much better picture of the Kingdom of God.

We can sometimes equate the church with the Kingdom of God, which to be fair, the church is an outworking of the kingdom of God, but what happens, is we start to equate church politics with the Kingdom of God. But this is not the case.

As Paul says in verse 17: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Why is it that the church so often completely misses the idea of the Kingdom? It’s like we forget what God has formed us to be...

Christ our example

The final reason I want to give comes in the next chapter. We operate in this model, because this is the example Jesus gave us.

In chapter 15, we’re reminded that “Christ did not please himself”. It’s an attitude we have described for us in Philippians 2 - where we’re told that Jesus emptied himself, taking on the form of a servant. Though he was God himself, he allowed himself to suffer.

When we take on this attitude, it can’t be about big noting ourselves. You might think you have the answers - perhaps your understanding is even demonstrably superior to another person, but we follow the example of Jesus and accept them for who they are.

The reasons summed up

Okay, so we have some good reasons here. We accept the person who differs from us:

Firstly, because God has accepted them

Secondly, because Christ died and rose for them

Thirdly, because we’re not the judge

Fourthly, because the Kingdom of God is so much better then this petty church politics

And fifthly, because Jesus has set the example for us.

What are disputable matters

Well, this is all well and good, but I’ve neglected an important aspect of all of this.

You see, back in verse 1 of chapter 14, it uses this term “disputable matters”.

The very important question is: what defines a disputable matter?

Does Paul mean not to quarrel over any matter? Or are there some matter that can be considered disputable, and others that are clear cut?

Well, I think we can start to unpack this question by looking at the reasons I’ve just gone through.

You see, we don’t quarrel about those disputable matters, because God has accepted them. So who are those whom God has accepted - well, it’s those who have accepted him through faith.

Paul might describe them as being weak in faith, because they haven’t fully grasped the freedom to be found in the gospel, but they still have that saving faith.

So when disagreements are about secondary issues of scripture, in that they don’t deal directly with matters of salvation, then we should be careful how we discuss them.

So what are some examples?

Well, there are perhaps many modern examples. The role of women in ministry is one. As is our specific interpretation regarding end times. We could also add things like modes of baptism, or our understanding of the use of certain gifts of the Spirit like prophesying and speaking in tongues.

Now I’m not suggesting that those matters I’ve just listed are not important. Each of them are worth discussing and thinking about.

But let’s take our end times theology as an example. Do you think God is going to either accept you or not based on what conclusion you come to regarding the chronology of Christ’s return? I hope your answer is no. God’s acceptance of you is based on whether you repent and turn to him in faith. So by all means, have discussions about the end times, but don’t let it come between you and another believer.

Seeking peace

Chapter 14 verse 19 says: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification”.

If your discussions and not leading to peace and mutual edification, then perhaps you need to have a good think about the way in which you are approaching the topic at hand.

It’s sad really, the way in which our modern narrative says that to have peace you have to agree with everyone. But that’s not peace the way God intends it - that’s not shalom. A peace that is based on everyone agreeing with each other, that’s actually just a superficial ceasefire.

When we talk peace, we talk shalom. This is more than a ceasefire. It’s about everyone being heard and allowing the Spirit to move among the people.

And when the Spirit moves, we start to see the Kingdom of God for what it is. It is so much more important than a few disputed interpretations of a some bible verses.

Practice

This sort of attitude actually takes practice. It is something we need to develop. Because our natural tendency is to win the argument.

We need to become aware of our emotions. When things start to heat up, learn to take a moment. Ask whether this is useful. Ask whether what you are quarrelling over is in fact just a disputable matter. And if it is, change the tone of the discussion. And if it’s not leading to peace and mutual edification, then consider whether it’s worth having the discussion at all.

Conclusion

When the church is alive with the Spirit, we really do start to get a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. And it is a beautiful thing.

Unfortunately, too often a dividing spirit gets in and we try to crush and destroy our opponent. But your opponent is actually your brother and sister in Christ.

We need to remember this. We need to do everything we can to make sure that we are promoting shalom in our community.

And this will sometimes means not getting your way - and we all need to be okay with this.

As I mentioned earlier - this message is not just for the churches that are in deep trouble. This message is for us - a church where to be fair, we more or less get along with one another - because we can develop good habits now, because we know the devil is keen to get a foothold, and we can’t let him.

So therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.