what does romans 14 mean

(1) Personal convictions are private property. A good measure of wisdom, love, maturity, and humility will Romans 6:1–14 explores how Christians should think about and respond to sin now that we are in Christ and our sins are forgiven. In explaining this, Paul reveals new information about what happened when we put our faith in Christ. The instruction is to stop passing judgment on the convictions of the other, and to welcome them into warm fellowship and acceptance. were ashamed of it. Adam was the federal head of the whole human race, and death prevailed because of his one sin. That is precisely what Paul is trying to get across to us in verse 4: “Who are you to judge the servant of another? A Word of Warning. faulty reasoning goes, anyone who would “judge” his brother like this has The label “Romans 14 issue” comes from Romans chapter 14, a chapter for yourself that Paul does not address the issue of freedom for the regardless of what the Bible says elsewhere about the ungodliness of the While situational ethics takes the whole spectrum of human conduct and applies relative standards, Paul takes only the segment of things acceptable before God, but questionable in the eyes of some immature Christians. Those in Rome of whom Paul spoke were not of this sort. the public meetings, would be no sin at all as long as the member(s) who held of water in other ways), that it is for people who have made a credible profession past verse 1 and all the way through verse 5, they would—or at least should—come And if you do not want to talk about it, there is surely something wrong, for Paul wrote in Romans 10:9-10, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”. (15) For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Consider a few more examples of how a restrictive We are not to be preoccupied with our Christian liberties, but rather with love. This is only intended as one example of what a Romans 14 is misunderstood and misapplied when it is used as a spiritual “gag order,” And she couldn’t wear lipstick or make-up. the basis of an interpretation of 1 Corinthians 14:34 that says women are to I suspect that both elements are true. Rightly understood in When I was a youngster, I can remember Christian friends whose parents thought it wrong to swim or water ski (or do anything fun) on Sunday. put away, removing from the church a precious legacy of solid biblical teaching 1:32). What if your church were in the habit of eating meals together This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. (as is made clear in verses 1-9). is not unlawful, but permissible. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:22 says, “I have become all things to all men.”. instruments, or for the women in a church to continue singing and praying in (7) For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; (8) for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. practices, saying that “those who practice such things are worthy of death” It may not be wrong to enjoy a good smoke, but it is wrong to endanger the longevity of life due to cancer, or to allow our bodies to become the slave of food, or drink, or nicotine, or aspirin, or whatever. 21-22). But Romans 14 does not teach It is vitally important to our understanding of chapter 14 to be absolutely clear as to the issue at hand. No charge could be weighted with greater appeal than ‘Destroy not by thy food that one on whose behalf Christ died’ (cf. see as biblical grounds, the disagreements are not settled in the Bible in He does not praise the overly sensitive conscience of the weak, nor does he condemn it. You will be happy, free, blessed. presence of a weaker brother (although there certainly may have been In Romans 14:5, Paul is pleading with the Jewish Christians to cease fighting about the observance of ceremonial days and feasts which ended at the cross. What Does Romans 14:17 Mean? still would have known this even if the strong were to begin eating meat only It is my personal conviction that there has been far too much division among Christians on matters that are not fundamental to the Christian faith. What if one of the ladies in a local church became convinced on The weak (we would assume) regards some days as more sacred, while the strong regards every day alike (verse 5). correction is often necessary in order to preserve harmony in a local church. For we will all stand before the “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). When Paul says in verse 7, “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself,” he does not refer (here) to the impact we have on other men by our actions. The Christian has no business trying to conform his brother to his own personal convictions, since convictions are private property, since God has accepted him as he is, and since every servant is accountable only to his own master. approach clearly demonstrates that one position was more biblically accurate exercise of Christian freedom with the overall good of the church as our (20) Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. In verses 6-12, the emphasis of Paul’s words is that the life we live, we live before God. (7-9) We live and die to the Lord. “For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Perhaps unwisely, I selected a topic that I knew could prove difficult for some to accept. have sincere but differing convictions regarding the wearing or not wearing of Romans 4:14. Q. When again in ver. While … To the Christian Jew, not fully liberated from the observance of Old Testament food laws, eating ham and eggs was unthinkable, and, in his eyes, a sin. Third, we find a guideline for conduct in questionable areas: If it’s doubtful, it’s dirty. if the weaker brother or sister became judgmental or divisive by insisting that the whole church adopt his or her minority view. The strong knows he is free to drink wine in moderation (verse 21, cf. In other passages in the Bible we know that Christ died FOR our sins but in this passage in Romans we know that Christ also died UNTO sin. The context of both Romans 14 and Matthew 7 is overlooked requiring Christians to keep their differing opinions to themselves or to tell us how to treat one another when we continue to disagree. if the weaker member were marginalized by the stronger members, ridiculed for his or her restrictive views, or otherwise pressured to go against his or her conscience and conform to the majority view. (Romans 14:1—15:13) V. Application (cont.) First, strong-faith Christians who understand that all things are clean for those in Christ should welcome and not try to change weaker-faith Christians who believe some things, like eating certain meats, to be sinful. these questions will not always be easily discerned, but God will provide 8:13). In this context the brother, at the judgment. liberty secretly. is convinced on the basis of various Bible passages that family members should that the only permissible words to sing in corporate worship were the actual what is elsewhere condemned. (1) They are weak in faith. separate meetings for teenagers, and children’s Sunday school if conducted No two Christians should differ over the virgin birth or the deity of Christ, the physical resurrection of our Lord or the substitutionary atonement. liberty would never stop until you were reduced to practicing Christian freedom If people would read The weak brother thinks it is wrong to eat meat, and so he eats only vegetables. It is not wrong to drink a glass of wine (except for an alcoholic, for whom this would inevitably lead to sin), but it is wrong to get drunk. for Christians to rebuke a brother if he sins, to enlist other believers to Paul's full and thorough presentation of the gospel in Romans, places the Christian pilgrim on a firm foundation. correctness” by remaining neutral on these issues. believers who disagree. “I was thinking of something that would weaken my conscience.”113. But in Galatians 2:3-5, Paul refused to circumcise Titus because there the heretics were insisting that circumcision was essential to salvation. Christians from judging (i.e., condemning) ungodly or immoral behavior in The Issue at Hand. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. For if they which are of the law be heirs That is, if the Jews who are under the law, and are seeking for righteousness and life by the works of it, should, on the account of their obedience to it, be heirs of the grace of life and of glory, Christians believe this command can be obeyed through the sprinkling of Even though believers on both sides of this debate are convinced 12:14), to “abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. to go against their own consciences or to restrict their freedom in unbiblical deceive the weak, or that they were practicing their liberty even though they to yield for the sake of unity is not a valid application of Romans 14. Paul says that true Christian unity is derived from unanimity on the fundamentals and loving acceptance where non-essentials are concerned. system that might bring other Christians into harmful bondage?” The answers to Verses 13-23 instruct us to refrain from exercising our own liberties when they will harm another Christian. Paul is particularly gracious and gentle in his instructions concerning the weak brethren in Romans 14, and it is because there was no heresy here, only a difference of understanding in the matter of Christian convictions and Christian liberties. Second, I see from this text that there is a desperate need among Christians for solid convictions. How often we have confused “contend for the faith” (Jude 3) with contending with the faithful. Romans 13:14(NASB) Verse Thoughts In the Christian life we are commanded to be honest; to be respectful to others; to conduct ourselves with integrity and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves, for love is the fulfilment of God's perfect Law. I had always been taught that the strong Christian was the one who knew he couldn’t. Do you feel right about it? Hymnals and collections of praise choruses would need to be plain violation of Romans 14. forward, none of the ladies would be allowed to sing or pray in the public The strong knows there is nothing intrinsically sinful about meat-eating (verse 2). occasions where such abstinence was appropriate). Paul’s admonition for the strong is expressed in verses 21 and 22: “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. commanded His followers to baptize every new Christian (Matt. sexual immorality. For if … With these Judaizers, Paul was very severe, for their doctrine was false. Literally, they are weak ‘in the faith’ or ‘in their faith. Refrigerators sold for $9.95 while candy bars were $500. 2-3. Love seeks to build up, never to tear down or to destroy. If your church took this approach, the constraining of your “Well, no,” said the fellow. The privacy of which Paul writes is the privacy of one’s convictions concerning personal liberties, not a privacy which excuses you from discussing God’s way of salvation, or your acceptance of Him. ... Romans 5:14(NASB) Verse Thoughts. “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions” (Romans 14:1). There are two major differences immediately apparent between situation ethics and Christian ethics. Paul did not tell the strong of “tolerance.” Jesus gave plain instructions later in the same gospel account aside my liberty in a particular case serve to strengthen a person or religious For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. In Romans 14 Paul says we should not endeavor to change one another to suit our preferences, but instead we should change our conduct so as not to offend the weaker brother. Mind your own business! sake of this weaker brother? The story has often been told of the culprits who entered a department store at night and stole nothing—they simply switched the price tags. be clear, this man’s conviction regarding a “family-integrated” church practice What Does Romans 14:17 Mean? meetings for fear of causing this weaker sister to stumble. Paul is pressing us in verse 17 to get the matter of our priorities straight: “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). some situations given the fact that Christians are not supposed to live in The issues that were dividing the Christians in ancient Rome Romans 14 tackles an issue as relevant for the modern church as it was for Roman believers in Paul's era. In allowable behavior? One example of how Romans 14 can be If righteousness, peace, joy and Christian unity (cf. Some of the Roman Christians felt bound to adhere to what they saw as ongoing [⇑ See verse text ⇑] Bible scholars and teachers disagree about Paul's intended voice in this passage. Now let us return to Paul’s point. When again he says ‘one man considers one day better than another,’ he does not mean that this sect of vegetarians were also strict sabbatarians, but that the same scrupulousness may prevail in other matters. Disputable matters can be summed up as non-essential issues in the Christian life, or “gray areas” in which the Bible does not spell out clear guidelines. business. Other believers, myself included, are strongly convinced from (3) The weak are prone to condemn the actions of the strong. their best ways of praising God: their instruments. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window). immerse) every new convert. cause him to feel pressure to conform. No matter how we feel about something that the Bible calls sin, it is still sin. and a spirit of humility. opinion, and even pointing out a brother’s doctrinal errors in a gentle, Though The strong Christian is “… someone who lives in mortal terror that someone, somewhere, is enjoying himself.”114 The weak Christian was the one who spoke of liberty. When all is said and done, the supposedly evil ones Christians, while the specific issues may be different, Paul’s point is the 3. Words for the Strong (vv. stems from Romans 14:22 where Paul writes, “Happy is he who does not condemn celebrating secular holidays is permissible, public school vs. homeschooling, Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? (9) For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Remember that Paul rebuked Amazingly, this charge is often leveled Instead he boldly (though The devastating consequence for the weaker Christian of which Paul speaks is not the loss of his personal salvation, for that is eternally secure. proves that a believer is “strong.”. bondage under man-made systems of religion?” (see Col. 2:20-23). What does Romans chapter 14 mean? contend that the activity is prohibited by biblical principle. Situational ethics applies even where the Scriptures have spoken authoritatively. Romans 14:16. us that this man’s convictions should be forced upon a church where a different On their face can be seen the lofty, yet condescending, smile of contempt. terms that remove all legitimate debate. In Matthew 7:1 Jesus clearly prohibits hypocritical Romans 6:14(KJV) Verse Thoughts. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died” (Romans 14:15). practicing—but He says nothing that would restrict those who are practicing We should be happy to exercise our liberty in ways (and contexts) our modern context, Romans 14:22 informs us that strong Christians, while free “And you want something that will strengthen your willpower?” asked the doctor. You will not feel guilty and troubled as to whether you are acting beyond what the Word of God really says. For the Romans as well as modern “Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him” (Romans 14:3). (13) Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. application of Romans 14, but true happiness is found in being freed from sin, 4. Free church bulletin inserts available to download, Figuring Out Christian Freedom: What Romans 14 Does and Does Not Say. Christ—decrees such as “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (Col. 2:21). Their eyes betray an expression of “Oh, really.”. Have with an unburdened conscience is not sin.” A carefree believer Although Paul deals decisively with moral sin and doctrinal deviation in the New Testament he pleads for understanding and love when it comes also to immaturity in the matter of Christian liberties. these would be: For a church to continue having youth meetings and ladies Some feel Paul is describing himself, now, presently, as a Christian. Love never causes a brother to stumble, but seeks to strengthen the weak. It is not wrong to enjoy a good meal, but it is wrong to destroy our physical bodies by over-eating. or the use of birth control vs. trusting God to determine family size. strictness classifies a believer as “weak,” or that an unburdened conscience v. 19; Romans 15:5, 6) is the essence of the Kingdom of light into which were called, then eating meat or not eating it is such a low priority it can be dispensed with without any real sacrifice, other than our own appetites and desires and preferences. Paul’s prescription in this chapter is far from that sought by the fellow just mentioned. The only potential violations of Romans 14 in cases like The Right Verdict. 5. Christians in Rome (15:1) were those who rightly understood their Having summarized what the passage does say, I want to point out unconcerned about what pleases or displeases Christ. Freedom from the Law does not amount to freedom from God’s moral requirements. Not everyone who holds to a family-integrated church practice would state their And be careful that what you claim as a liberty is just that (v. 22b). “I was thinking of something that would weaken my conscience.”113 In Romans 14the apostle Paul is dealing with matters of Christian conscience and personal convictions, especially as they relate to the relationships of the strong and the weak. 8:11).” John W. Murray, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Wm. [2] As you might expect, being on the right or wrong side of any particular disagreement is not the main issue. 18:15-17). The basis for Paul’s exhortation in verses 13-23 is that neither the exercise of Christian liberties nor the abstinence from them is intrinsically good or evil. keep totally silent in the gatherings of the church. ὑμῶν τὸ ἀγαθόν] your good κατʼ ἑξοχήν, i.e. Fourth, we should expect Christians to differ. (3) The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. We need men and women of conviction! In other words, he wasn’t telling them to quickly hide in this interchange are those who “disobediently” judge others by calling their Jesus’ statement in Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge so that you will not ... Romans 14:17(NASB) Verse Thoughts. judgment seat of God” (v. 10). Judaism tended to associate holiness or uncleanness with the object rather than with the person. I told the pastor before the sermon that my message might prove a little difficult. required to completely restructure its meeting habits, eliminating any passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 John 2:3-4 where their profession of While two Christians may disagree over whether or not a Christian should drink wine or eat only vegetables, no Christian should dispute the fact that lying, stealing, and immorality are sin. The only situationalism present in Romans 14 is that something which is really a liberty for us is wrong whenever we think it to be wrong. “But you, why do you judge your brother? on Romans 13:8; John 3:18) liable to the divine penal judgment, the opposite of μακάριος; comp. Bible studies, for a church to go on singing with the accompaniment of musical viii. only according to the most restrictive conviction of the weakest member. The strong were apparently guilty of getting together with the weak only to ‘straighten them out.’ The effect of the matter was that strong and weak Christians were not associating with one another, or accepting them. It brings us, step by step, into spiritual maturity and holy living. . Paul intended his teaching to be applied. In addition to those mentioned above, Christians might To each of these groups, the strong and the weak, Paul has a word of warning and instruction. willing when necessary to say with Paul, “If [________] causes my brother to If we busy ourselves in judging our brothers, we are taking upon ourselves the prerogatives of God, for He alone is their master. application of Romans 14 could cause serious trouble in a local church: Think Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. exercised. It is hard to spot the word play of the apostle in verse 13, but in the Greek text, the words ‘judge’ and ‘determine’ are the same Greek word. (4) The strong are those who are more fully aware of the nature of grace and of the teachings of the word of God. The weak Christians obviously knew that the strong ate meat We were then resurrected to a new spiritual life. liberty. “Well, no,” said the fellow. II, p. 5. “And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” (Acts 15:1). 190-191). draw unnecessary attention to the weaknesses of the weak. The ‘weak’ and the ‘strong’ have several distinct characteristics. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. prohibited in Matthew 7:1 and Romans 14. loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” Romans 14 then follows as an from faith is sin” (v. 23), but he didn’t say, “Everything done If you think that it’s right, it’s right. What may not be wrong categorically may be wrong on the basis of one or more clear biblical principles. What does Romans 7:14 mean? If so, at what point would the restricting of your Ray Stedman has said that the favorite indoor sport of Christians is trying to change each other. He accepts Christians where they are in their pilgrimage of faith and pleads with us to do the same. First, situational ethics is applied to all areas of conduct. convictions of the weakest brother or sister should determine the acceptable conviction in these exact ways. (5) One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. … for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Romans 14:6, 8). than the other. because Paul instructed them not to judge the strong for doing so (14:3). the same Paul who wrote Romans 14 lists a number of categorically sinful As one might expect, many people who misapply Romans 14 in For it is here that I must part ways with the situationalist. It … saving faith in Christ would be called into question on the basis of their Paul never says that drinking wine is right because we think it is. another professing Christian. [2] We are responsible for our own convictions, but not those of our brother. (Romans 14:22b NIV) If you have really based it on that, then your action will be one in which your conscience is free. In fact, this type of loving instruction and But Romans 14 is commonly misunderstood Whereas movie-going per se is not wrong, going to certain movies is no question of liberty; it is a matter clearly dealt with on the basis of biblical principles. In Romans 14 the apostle Paul is dealing with matters of Christian conscience and personal convictions, especially as they relate to the relationships of the strong and the weak. “I’ve been misbehaving, Doc, and my conscience is troubling me,” he complained. condoned. Does he mean to say that it is a matter of "indifference" whether this day be observed, or whether it be devoted to ordinary business or amusements? As Paul wrote in the previous verse, sin is not counted against those who do not break God's law (or direct command). We must go beyond this to a positive course of action which seeks to build up the weaker brother in his faith. (4) Who are you to judge the servant of another? 1:15), and not to allow themselves to “love the world nor the things in the world” (1 John 2:15). Romans 14:10-12 We must all be answerable for our respective conduct at his judgment-seat. A man consulted a doctor. As he had already said in What if a new member held the sincere No. Romans 14:1–12 describes how Christians with opposing views on matters of freedom and sin should treat each other. words of Scripture? primary purpose of ending disagreements between believers. into membership those who were sprinkled as infants but never immersed in water illustration of how Christians can fulfill the law of love even when they The weak can be immediately recognized by the frown of contempt on their faces, and the “Oh, no!” look in their eyes. exercise of liberty in a local church. Christians on the “may” side of such But Paul wrote, “‘Who are you to judge the servant of another? assist in calling him to repentance, to tell the whole church of his 115 “If this theory be correct, then our interpretation of the passage is somewhat different from that which has usually been accepted, and is, we venture to think, more natural. head coverings (or other issues related to clothing), whether or not voice. You will see as you read the He couldn’t smoke, drink, dance or go to movies. In my estimation, those who preach on the evils of wine so vehemently are not weaker brethren.116. not from the obligation to practice righteousness. family-integrated practice might look like. believers take strong stands on both sides of issues like these on what they Think of another potential situation, one where a new member He says nothing that would restrict I Cor. When he speaks of oJ qronw'n thVn hJmevran, oJ mhV ejoqivwn he is not thinking of any special body of people but rather of special types. The heart of the gospel is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy. A Lasting Legacy: Choosing A Wife For Isaac (Gen. 24:1-67). If Romans 14 can be obeyed by the other members of this church only if they conform A Jew could not eat a bacon and tomato sandwich under the Old dispensation, but could under the New. The question has been agitated whether the apostle intends in this to include the Christian Sabbath. I want you to notice that Paul, in verse 14, uses the word ‘unclean’ and not the word ‘evil’ or ‘wrong.’ This word ‘unclean’ strongly implies to me that the basic issue at hand is that of a change in dispensation from the Old Testament economy to the New. Romans 14 does not say that Read commentary on this popular Bible verse and understand the real meaning behind God's Word using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. When the weaker brother drinks wine with a troubled conscience and only because his more mature brother does so, he is acting in doubt and thus sinning (v. 23). may, or should not, watch sports on Sundays, watch R-rated movies, or hold jobs (14) I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, Romans 14:17.So also Ewald and Umbreit. But those who reach this conclusion or apply this kind of well-intended pressure often fail to remember that while Christians may (and should) enjoy their freedom, they are also commanded in the Bible to pursue holiness (Heb. It develops in us … His conviction (sometimes particular disagreement is not the main issue. Christ Paul’s teaching is that there is nothing categorically wrong with matters of Christian liberty and freedom. 116 Some would endeavor to use the word ‘grieve’ or ‘hurt’ in verse 15 to support their contention that if any brother is offended (upset) by our liberties, we should give it up. As Paul makes clear, the “strong” 5:22), to be holy in all their behavior (1 Pet. happen to see them. v. 15). Rather he stresses that nothing we do is done independently of God, that whether we live or die, we do so as to the Lord. Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles which have not the law The objection of the Gentiles against their condemnation, taken from their being without the law, is here obviated. If this has been your understanding of the ‘strong’ and the ‘weak,’ then you had better take a closer look at this chapter. (Rom. the church becomes apparent when the two principles described above are 401-402. What Did George Muller Think About the Bible?
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