DRAWING NEAR
Paul didn’t mince words when he discussed the relationships we are to have with fellow-believers. We’ll see in this study how to deal with tricky situations. Have you ever been truly offended by another Christian? How did you handle it? What was the result?
THE CONTEXT
A major theme of the New Testament is that of sin’s power to destroy the spiritual and moral character of the church. But outright, blatant sin is not the only danger to a church’s spiritual health and unity. Certain attitudes and behavior can destroy fellowship and fruitfulness, and they have crippled the work, the witness, and the unity of countless congregations throughout church history. These problems are caused by differences between Christians over matters that are neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture. They are matters of personal preference and historic tradition, which, when imposed on others, inevitably cause confusion, strife, ill will, abused consciences, and disharmony.
The diversity of the church displays Christ’s power to bring together dissimilar people in genuine unity. Yet Satan often works to create division and threaten that unity. The threat to unity Paul addresses in this passage arises when mature (strong) believers—both Jews and Gentiles—conflict with immature (weak) believers. The strong Jewish believers understood their freedom in Christ and realized the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law were no longer binding. The mature Gentiles understood that idols are not gods and, therefore, that they could eat meat that had been offered to them. But in both cases the weaker brothers’ consciences were troubled, and they were even tempted to violate their consciences (a bad thing to train oneself to do), become more legalistic under the feelings of guilt, or even to sin. Knowing that the mature Jews and Gentiles would be able to understand these struggles, Paul addresses most of his comments to them.
This section is extremely helpful to all who find themselves worshiping in a congregation of diverse believers, and who struggle to accept those who are different. And isn’t that all of us?
KEYS TO THE TEXT
Idol Worship and Practices: The Greeks and Romans were polytheistic (worshiping many gods) and polydemonistic (believing in many evil spirits). They believed that evil spirits would try to invade human beings by attaching themselves to food before it was eaten, and that the spirits could be removed only by the food’s being sacrificed to a god. The sacrifice was meant not only to gain favor with the god, but also to cleanse the meat from demonic contamination. Such decontaminated meat was offered to the gods as a sacrifice. That which was not burned on the altar was served at wicked pagan feasts. What was left was sold in the market. After conversion, believers resented eating such food bought out of idol markets, because it reminded sensitive Gentile believers of their previous pagan lives and the demonic worship. Paul and mature believers knew better than to be bothered by such food offered once to idols and then sold in the marketplace. They knew the deities didn’t exist and that evil spirits did not contaminate the food. Knowledge mingled with love prevents a believer from exercising freedoms that offend weaker believers and, rather, builds the others up in truth and wisdom.
UNLEASHING THE TEXT
Read 14:1–15:13, noting the key words and definitions next to the passage.
Romans 14:1–15:13 (NKJV)
1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
weak in the faith (v. 1)—a reference to believers’ inability to let go of the religious ceremonies and rituals of the past
2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
only vegetables (v. 2)—the strict diet of conscience-stricken Jewish and Gentile believers who could not bring themselves to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols
3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
despise (v. 3)—to have contempt or disdain
judge (v. 3)—to condemn
4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
To his own master he stands or falls. (v. 4)—Christ is the ultimate judge of our motives and actions.
5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
Let each be fully convinced (v. 5)—In matters not dictated by Scripture, believers must follow their Spirit-led conscience (regardless of what others say or do).
6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
to the Lord (v. 6)—Whether weak or strong in conscience, our decision must be with a view to bring honor and pleasure to God.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
judgment seat of Christ (v. 10)—a future day of accounting before God’s throne in which our decisions as believers will be examined
11 For it is written: “As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
stumbling block (v. 13)—anything a believer does—even biblically permissible things—that causes another to sin
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
grieved (v. 15)—to cause pain or distress; that is, a weak believer seeing a stronger believer enjoy a freedom that the weak believer is convinced is sin
destroy (v. 15)—in this context, not damnation, but devastation
16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;
your good (v. 16)—one’s rightful exercise of Christian liberty
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
eating and drinking (v. 17)—trivial, nonessentials
18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
approved by men (v. 18)—suggests approval after careful examination; here, it suggests that our righteous behavior and love for one another would be seen as genuine by a skeptical world
19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
15:1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
bear (15:1)—literally, “to pick up and carry a weight”; the strong believer is to not just tolerate the weaker brother, but is to show consideration and love by shouldering their burdens
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
Christ did not please Himself (v. 3)—Christ’s goal was always to please the Father.
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
written before (v. 4)—the Old Testament Scriptures
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
receive (v. 7)—to warmly accept and embrace, even with differences
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers,
9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.”
the promises made to the fathers, and . . . the Gentiles (vv. 8–9)—God’s plan has always been to bring both Jews and Gentiles into His kingdom.
10 And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!”
11 And again: “Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”
12 And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1) What was the situation in the church at Rome? Why do you think there was so much judging of each other?
2) In areas where the Scripture neither prescribes nor prohibits behavior, what counsel does Paul give for determining a course of action?
3) Behind all the different convictions and behaviors, what does Paul suggest should be our ultimate goals when we confront issues not addressed by the Word of God?
GOING DEEPER
The Roman church wasn’t the only congregation in Paul’s time that suffered tension due to differences in the body. Consider the apostle’s instruction to the church at Corinth.
1 Corinthians 8:1–9 (NKJV)
1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
EXPLORING THE MEANING
4) The struggle in the church at Corinth was over meat that had been sacrificed to idols and then was sold in the nearby marketplace. “Should a Christian eat such meat or not?”—this was the big debate. Some concluded that the meat was fine since idols are manmade and not truly divine. Others could not, in good conscience, enter into this practice. What was Paul’s solution?
5) Read Galatians 5:13. We are free in Christ, but for what purpose does Paul say our freedom is to be used?
6) Consider the twelve men Jesus chose to be his closest followers (Mark 3:13–19). We know from the biblical record that these men were from a wide range of backgrounds, political persuasions, and occupations. How does this diverse group serve as a model for the kind of unity that modern-day congregations can enjoy?
TRUTH FOR TODAY
To accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us, is a sure mark of godliness, and failure to do so is just as surely a mark of carnality. Failure to accept one another in love and compassion is an affront to the Savior who accepted us. A congregation that is divisive, quarrelsome, contentious, and judgmental gives the world reason to ridicule Christ’s church and to reject the One who is their only hope of salvation.
REFLECTING ON THE TEXT
7) What biblical command or principle from this passage is most helpful to you as you think about relating to others in your local church?
8) When dealing with differences between people, four things are necessary: recognizing the differences; working to understand the differences; learning to appreciate the differences; and wisely utilizing the differences. Which of these steps do you have the most difficulty with and why?
9) What particular behaviors in today’s culture are okay or not okay for a Christian to participate in? Ask God to give you wisdom to honor Him and love others in all that you do.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Write out additional reflections, questions you may have, or a prayer.
ADDITIONAL NOTES