Romans 14
The Weak and the Strong
14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Compassion for the Weak
The “strong” Christian must exercise patience so as to understand that the “weak” have not reached the level of knowledge that is possessed by the more mature (vv. 2-3). Therefore, the strong must extend compassion and longsuffering, allowing the weak time to grow, thus reaching a level of comprehension wherein he can move forward in Christ without violating his conscience (vv. 5-6, 13, 15-16).
Paul’s Example
Paul was a Jew in the supreme sense of that term. His loyalty to the Mosaic system was beyond reproach. As he instructed his Jewish brethren in the more advanced elements of the gospel, he acknowledged the temporary design in the Law. His letters are filled with affirmations of the Law’s abolition. The Mosaic code provided no means of ultimate justification. One has only to read the argumentation in several of his epistles, e.g., Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, 2 Corinthians, and Colossians, to see the clear picture regarding this matter.
Yet the great apostle was ever sensitive to the spiritual needs of his Jewish brothers, exerting himself to accommodate their misunderstandings until they were able to access a richer comprehension of truth.
Though Paul knew there was no salvation associated with circumcision (Galatians 5:2, 6), he nonetheless had Timothy, a preaching companion whose father was a Gentile, circumcised so as to not be offensive to potential Hebrew converts (Acts 16:3).
He knew there was no redemptive virtue in temple ceremonialism, yet he yielded to a purification ceremony in order to defuse a volatile situation in Jerusalem (Acts 21:26). That selfless act cost him four years in prison (Acts 24:27; cf. 28:30). The apostle openly affirmed his willingness to subordinate himself to those of lesser knowledge for the sake of their souls (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). What a man Paul was for this Church. He had wisdom in areas we currently lack today or at least fail to recognize within ourselves. It is clear in the scripture what he expects from us if we walk the walk and talk the talk so to speak.
Nevertheless, this church itself has had its run of biblical ignorance or spiritual absence. We see others in their walk and their walk is different from our own. Immediately we internalize their situation or circumstance or behavior and deem it as unworthy to God or the church as an organization. In turn, conflict, back biting, insult, emotions, and infighting appear and are reinforced by more and more ignorance upon more and more ignorance. Then one or the other in the conflict excuses themselves or is removed only to go out and commit more rumor and innuendo that serves to take away from true Christian behavior and intent. Epworth has suffered from this cycle of events more than once and is scarred by it today. Oh, how healing it would be to this building and ourselves if only we would do some simple research scripturally and see what is really a spirit driven or God guided life.
I was involved in a debate over human nature contrasted by spiritual requirements given to us by the scripture. I had mentioned that the best way to get past this horrible episode in Aurora, Colorado, was to pray to God in order to find a way to forgive the murderer.
I was met with disbelief and opposition. “You can’t be serious?”, “Would you say that to the families?”, and “What if it was you or Jordan, or Ryan, or Amy?” I responded by saying my understanding of God’s grace in our lives and how forgiveness is a prerequisite to experiencing it. We must forgive others before we can expect to experience the benefit of God’s grace in whatever troubles we are currently experiencing. It cannot be a trifling forgiveness either. I remember telling my boys to stop fighting and I asked one to tell the other he was sorry. As if he was following my instruction, he looked stubbornly at his brother and remarked. “You’re sorry.” you see, my son was not feeling contrite in the very least. He was in the flesh and the spirit was not convicting him on his own behavior as Paul spoke of.
I am not a Buddhist but there is one proverb of Tao that struck me as very valid and very enlightening. It says “You will not be punished FOR your anger, you will be punished BY your anger.”, meaning the torture, anguish, and pain of unforgiveness is not an expressed or shared condition. It is a lonely and solitary thing that sits within those who choose to feel it. It becomes this kind of intellectual and emotional hell on earth. This pain is self induced and the object we cannot forgive is guided by his or her own conscience and is not affected by how we feel one way or the other. We in essence are allowing another to unknowingly live rent free within our own mind because we are the ones with the problem.
We should not concern ourselves with whether a person runs on and on during joys and concerns in the sanctuary. We certainly should not let it dictate our enjoyment of the service. We should let things that are trivial remain so and things that are of important matters be addressed as scripture sees fit.
There are those of us who have not cracked a bible or studied the word in years let alone put it into practice. Some of us merely go through the Christian motions and put up a façade without having the spirit within to demonstrate our faith. Do we pray? Are we sincere? Do we show love and tolerance in our respect for God, Jesus, and the Spirit? Do we have the train of thought to put ourselves in check when we begin to sound or behave vindictive, superior, or condescending? Are we our own and this churches worst enemy? Would we rather demonstrate our own politics, influence, power, rather than restraint, slow-pulsed reason, and fairness? Are we accepting of others and welcoming to a fault? Are we forgiving? Do we argue over trivial matters and turn them into things that are not in proportion to their significance?
Proverbs 26:4-5
"When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.
When arguing with fools, don't answer their foolish arguments or you will become as foolish as they are."
Some people will try to pull you into foolish arguments and in our own perception of self-importance; we join in and give it fuel until it is witnessed by those on the outside who instead of a debate see two children at a playground acting out.
Always strive to rise above matters of contention that have no significance to doctrine or the faith of others. We must not put stumbling blocks in front of the young believer no matter how long they have been members of this church.
2 Timothy 2:23-24
Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil.
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
We must always exhibit a slow pulsed and rational means of reasoning when confronted with anger or conflict. We are representing God’s business as Christians. It could be as if he left us in charge of the store while he was out and a customer comes in with a complaint. We should be as much about adhering to God’s policy involving customers as if our own job depended on it. We need to show proof we are qualified to represent the church and God alike. Jesus gave his example. The Golden rule is the one commandment we need adhere to.
Matthew 7:8-13
New International Version (NIV)
8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Be giving to those you come in contact with. Be forgiving. Be calm. Be understanding. Be tolerant. Be about the word. Be vigilant of your own behavior. Be your biggest critic yet be your best friend here on earth. Forgive yourself of your faults and always seek to make the next moment a better representation of God in your life. Struggle against the flesh and grow in the Spirit. Don’t be a shallow Christian but a deep believer of the word and way of God.
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