Romans 14
1 Accept other believers who 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’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval.
5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6 Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.
10 So why do you condemn another believer[a]? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say,
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.[b]’”
12 Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
14 I know and am convinced 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 And if another believer 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 criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we 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 others 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, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. 22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. 23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
The Crowd:
Who was Paul talking to? This letter seems to be addressed to a room full of critics. It seems to be a room full of preferences and opinions. Sound like your church? Sound like your home? Probably so.
Our Day:
We are not much different from the Romans in this aspect. We are so opinionated. We are constantly criticizing, and constantly being criticized. A big thing going on today is a constant battle between traditional and contemporary music. Organ vs. guitar. You have your preferences and so do I. Does this make one better than the other? Does it really matter if I wear jeans or slacks? We have made things like this into a religion. We have divided God's family with denominations and preferences. Paul writes that this should not happen.
Less Talking, More Honoring
It is made clear that these grumblings were not to glorify God. It was made obvious that the critical hearts were not honoring God. Verses 5 through 8 sum up the entire Chapter. As Paul writes, we are to do everything for Christ and His honor. Whether we like Lacrae or the Presbyterian Hymnal, we are to do so in a way the honors God. Paul expresses this in a way that really grabbed my heart. He writes that whether we live or die, we do so honoring Christ. Challenge: Quit criticizing others. Examine your own heart. And, do everything so that it will honor Jesus.
Aiming for Harmony
I cannot sing. I love music, but could never make my own. I can't harmonize. My voice goes up and down, in and out, and cracks constantly. It's awful. And, sometime the church is not much different. Because of our preferences and opinions, we get in arguments and have fall outs with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul reminds us that this should not happen, but that we should aim for harmony in the church. We should love others like Christ has loved us. Do not allow your junk to tear apart the love that should be binding us together.
Conviction
We are not called to examine everyone else for imperfections. But, we are called to examine ourselves. We are called to look at our lives and throw out everything that does not resemble Jesus. Paul writes that we are to live by conviction. If the Spirit gives you a tap on the shoulder, and gives you a hint that what you are doing is wrong, don't do it. If you have to question whether something is right or wrong, it is probably wrong. A good example of this is sexual impurity. The question of, "How far is too far?", is often asked. If you're unsure if something is okay, then stay away from it. Paul writes that if we go against our heart's conviction, that we are sinning. What are you feeling led to do? Are you being convicted of you're sin? Don't fight conviction, but fight what you're being convicted of. Fight sin.
Constantly criticizing others doesn't honor Jesus. If it doesn't honor Jesus, don't do it.
The Crowd:
Who was Paul talking to? This letter seems to be addressed to a room full of critics. It seems to be a room full of preferences and opinions. Sound like your church? Sound like your home? Probably so.
Our Day:
We are not much different from the Romans in this aspect. We are so opinionated. We are constantly criticizing, and constantly being criticized. A big thing going on today is a constant battle between traditional and contemporary music. Organ vs. guitar. You have your preferences and so do I. Does this make one better than the other? Does it really matter if I wear jeans or slacks? We have made things like this into a religion. We have divided God's family with denominations and preferences. Paul writes that this should not happen.
Less Talking, More Honoring
It is made clear that these grumblings were not to glorify God. It was made obvious that the critical hearts were not honoring God. Verses 5 through 8 sum up the entire Chapter. As Paul writes, we are to do everything for Christ and His honor. Whether we like Lacrae or the Presbyterian Hymnal, we are to do so in a way the honors God. Paul expresses this in a way that really grabbed my heart. He writes that whether we live or die, we do so honoring Christ. Challenge: Quit criticizing others. Examine your own heart. And, do everything so that it will honor Jesus.
Aiming for Harmony
I cannot sing. I love music, but could never make my own. I can't harmonize. My voice goes up and down, in and out, and cracks constantly. It's awful. And, sometime the church is not much different. Because of our preferences and opinions, we get in arguments and have fall outs with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul reminds us that this should not happen, but that we should aim for harmony in the church. We should love others like Christ has loved us. Do not allow your junk to tear apart the love that should be binding us together.
Conviction
We are not called to examine everyone else for imperfections. But, we are called to examine ourselves. We are called to look at our lives and throw out everything that does not resemble Jesus. Paul writes that we are to live by conviction. If the Spirit gives you a tap on the shoulder, and gives you a hint that what you are doing is wrong, don't do it. If you have to question whether something is right or wrong, it is probably wrong. A good example of this is sexual impurity. The question of, "How far is too far?", is often asked. If you're unsure if something is okay, then stay away from it. Paul writes that if we go against our heart's conviction, that we are sinning. What are you feeling led to do? Are you being convicted of you're sin? Don't fight conviction, but fight what you're being convicted of. Fight sin.
Constantly criticizing others doesn't honor Jesus. If it doesn't honor Jesus, don't do it.
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