1 Accept Christians that are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let Him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do what they should.
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter. 6 Those who have a special day for worshiping the Lord are trying to honor Him. Those who eat all kinds of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who won’t eat everything also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we are not our own masters when we live and when we die. 8 While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that He might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died.
10 So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say,
“As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.”
12 Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God. 13 So don’t condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an obstacle in another Christian’s path.
14 I know that I am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 If another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be condemned for doing something that you know is all right.
17For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what you eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. 21 Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble. 22 You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right. 23 But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn’t eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything that you believe is not right, you are sinning.
Sanctification is a life long journey. The journey begins when we come to faith in Christ, and continues until we meet Him in heaven. Just as a child grows and develops from birth to adulthood, we do the same in our walk with Christ. We start as spiritual babies, and just as a baby grows and learns, we too will grow in our faith in Christ.
We develop in Christ just as we develop as humans. There is a natural progression. And, just as in life, there are those who are more mature than others. We never stop growing. We look to those who are more mature for guidance and instruction. And, before we know it, we are the ones that are guiding and instructing.
The amazing thing about Christianity is that it crosses all cultural boundaries. Christ is the center of the faith, no matter who you are or what culture you came from. The early church was made up of a cultural melting pot. There were Jewish Christians that were glad to give up the dietary and ceremonial laws, and there were others that weren’t. There were gentile Christians that never worshiped a god at all, and there were others that made daily sacrifices to pagan gods.
Although verse 1 assumes that there were differences in opinion of rights and wrongs, it appears that Paul was just giving some solid advice. Paul had dealt with this issue in the Church at Galatia earlier, and most likely assumed that it could be a problem in Rome
Christ established the Church on earth as a way of lifting up fellow believers to a greater relationship with Himself. We are never to break them down. We need to come together in unity on the essentials of the faith, but we need to give some slack on the non-essentials.
Paul began by addressing dietary habits. Some of the Jewish Christians did not feel comfortable giving up the dietary laws that they grew up with. It made them feel closer to Christ by obeying the old laws. Others were happy to give them up. Some Gentile Christians worshipped false gods, and grew up eating the meat that was offered in pagan worship. Now, they wouldn’t think of buying that meat at the market. It just felt wrong.
Jesus addressed this very issue in Mark 7:1-23. Some Pharisees had come from Jerusalem
I have to wonder if Paul was one of the Pharisees that heard Jesus say this. He summarized this exact thought throughout chapter 14. It’s not the food that is the problem. The problem is what is in your heart. When it comes to non-essential issues, we need to give liberty to our fellow Christians. If one feels in his heart it is bad, then for that person, it is bad. But, it is never our place to condemn a fellow Christian for holding to a belief that makes him feel closer to God.
In the same way, Paul brought up the issue that some people think that one day is more holy than another, while others think that every day is the same. Each of us should have a personal conviction about this matter. The point in all of this is honoring God in our lives. If we live every day in the presence of God, with our focus on honoring Him, we will know what is right. “While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8)
It is the power of the Holy Spirit living in us that guides us in our journey. Paul wrote in verse 4, “Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let Him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should.” The most awesome part of having the Spirit of God living in us is the fact that we will always know when we step outside of His will. We instantly feel the conviction of the Spirit when we are doing something wrong. We turn from it, we ask forgiveness, and we get right back on track. It gives me comfort in knowing that the Spirit of God has my back. I’m not alone on this journey. I have a guide that knows the way.
We grow and we change as we move forward. We gain new insights into the plan and purpose that God has for our lives. Things that we may have felt strongly about when we were new in the faith, might not even matter anymore. We are being shaped into a new creation. We spoke in an earlier study that we are shaped from the same piece of clay, each into our own individual design, by the Master Designer Himself. God does not own a set of cookie cutters - each of us is unique in our design.
As a Church, we need to constantly grow, just as our bodies have. We should encourage each other in this growth, and we should stand in awe of how of the transforming power of God has made us better than we could have ever imagined.
But still we sin. Pride creeps in as we look at others who have matured in faith. Envy and jealousy come over us and we think and say things like, “You used to be so strict on what you ate, and now you eat anything… you are such a hypocrite!” “You used to be a devout Catholic, and now you are a Protestant. Do you even know what you believe?”
Paul warns us not to do this in verse 10. Just as different as we are individually, so is our path to Christ. Each of us is on our own journey, and we will grow and we will change as we are directed by the Holy Spirit. We will all stand individually before the judgment seat of God. We will bow before Him, and our life will be presented for all to see. We will see all of the good things we have done, and we will see the bad. We will be reminded of the times when we caused another to stumble and fall, and God forbid, those that we have caused to lose faith all together.
Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 18:6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” We need to understand how important it is for Jesus, and how important it should be for us to help each other on our journey of Sanctification. It is our personal responsibility as a believer.
In verse 17, Paul explained that the Kingdom of God
He goes on to say that if we serve Christ with this attitude, we will please God, and others will notice. Our aim should be to live in harmony as a Church and try to always lift each other up.
Study Questions
What is your attitude towards other Christian faith groups?
Do you see us all as one body – as one Church? Or, do you see some Christians as out on the fringes? Remember that every Christian’s path is different, and it is each of our responsibility to keep each other focused on Jesus Christ as the Author and Finisher of our faith.
What can you do to lift up other Christians in their walk of faith?
Do you ever think of asking others around you where they are in their walk, and what you can do to help? Too often, the Holy Spirit will prompt us with a thought and direction, but just as quickly, our head is filled with doubt. We need encouragement. Try asking someone if they have felt this prompting, and see how you can help them get it moving.
No comments:
Post a Comment