Written by: Brian Hooper - Salvation Army
Romans 14 v 1-4
Accept into your group someone who is weak in faith, and do not argue about opinions.
One person believes it is right to eat all kinds of food. But another, who
is weak, believes it is right to eat only vegetables. The one who knows that
it is right to eat any kind of food must not reject the one who eats only vegetables.
And the person who eats only vegetables must not think that the one who eats
all foods is wrong, because God has accepted that person. You cannot judge
another person’s servant. The master decides if the servant is doing
well or not. And the Lord’s servant will do well because the Lord helps
him do well.
Notes
We may have learned something new with this reading: vegetarianism isn't a
new notion but has been around for at least 2,000 years. We are also reminded
that human beings in the first century were similar in many respects to us
today. In making such observations perhaps we are revealing two common prejudices:
surely it is perfectly reasonable for people to choose what they eat; and
the degree of sophistication in the lives of those around the time of Jesus
was more considerable than we may care to think.
We hold so many preconceived opinions and pass judgment so easily in our conversation about the habits or lifestyles of our fellow Christians. Such views are almost certainly the product of our upbringing, education or church traditions, and as such are part of our very being. We need to be aware of this and remember - whether we are high church or low, liberally minded or fundamentalist - that God has accepted all who have turned to him seeking the real truth for themselves.
As today's reading states, it is the master who decides if his servant is doing well or not and that is all that really matters. Thankfully, that same master has his way of helping his servants and he can open our eyes and ears and hearts today to understand and respect Christians who see things differently to ourselves.
May we also give particular support and our acceptance to those who Paul describes as "weak", who may misunderstand a more confident freedom "in faith". Although a good discussion can be very stimulating, let us take the sound advice in verse 1 to refrain from unhelpful arguments.
To think about
Am I quick to judge and slow to support?
Do I prefer to hold prejudice than to love?
Prayer
Lord, help me to see people as you see them
And to love them as you would love them. Amen
Romans 14 v 5-8
Some think that one day is more important than another, and others think that
every day is the same. Let all be sure in their own mind. Those who think
one day is more important than other days are doing that for the Lord. And
those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the Lord, and they give
thanks to God. Others who refuse to eat some foods do that for the Lord,
and they give thanks to God. We do not live or die for ourselves. If we live,
we are living for the Lord, and if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So
living or dying, we belong to the Lord.
Notes
The church fellowship in Rome was probably not large in number, consisting
chiefly of Gentiles with, at the very most, a small minority of Jewish believers.
It was understandably an in-between time for all concerned, when the traditions
of the past were being challenged by the newfound liberty of the children
of God.
For those who had faithfully lived by the old laws, with the emphasis on special days and the eating only of accepted foods, it was a hard lesson, especially when such sacred issues were being disregarded or treated lightly by the new converts.
Paul understood that such differences were sincerely held and he judged that the underlying motives of those concerned were acceptable. He was eager therefore to remind his readers that their real priority was to live and die for the Lord. He was the one to whom they belonged and Paul wanted them to be quite sure in their own minds that this was so.
2,000 years of Christianity separate us from the issues that overwhelmed the early church in Rome, but we are aware that such tensions can and still do exist in our own church fellowships today. Take, for example, the business of traditional or contemporary styles of worship, or the challenge of wanting to please all age groups. Are our own reactions and approaches to these matters as Christ-like as they should be?
May we follow Paul's sound advice as we worship and serve today.
To think about
Am I motivated by a desire to bring glory to God or to boost my own standing
among my friends?
Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to be honest with myself in your presence, sincere
in my motives and bold in my service for you. Amen
Romans 14 v 9-12
The reason Christ died and rose from the dead to live again was so he would
be Lord over both the dead and the living. So why do you judge your brothers
or sisters in Christ? And why do you think you are better than they are?
We will all stand before God to be judged, because it is written in the Scriptures:
"' As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
' Everyone will bow before me; everyone will say that I am God.'"
So each of us will have to answer to God.
Notes
Most of our conversation, when we analyse it, is to do with our fellow Christians
and other friends. Naturally we are all interested in each other's hopes
and joys and, particularly, in each other's difficulties and mistakes.
All too readily we advance our own opinions and make judgments about the wisdom or otherwise of other people's actions. Such behaviour is normal. The vast majority of us work and worship in the company of other people; we are social creatures and all struggle on the same journey. We need to remember, however, that all such talking must be tempered by the sobering thought that one day we ourselves will stand before God to be judged.
Jesus said that God will judge us in the same way as we judge others; he will apply to us the same rules that we ourselves have applied. And with a touch of humour which only served to reinforce this most important of lessons to the original hearers, he basically added, "How dare you say to your brother, 'Please let me take that speck out of your eye', when you have a log in your own eye" (see Matthew 7 v 3-4).
Surely that perspective ought to stop us in our tracks, but alas how slowly we learn. Hopefully, we have prayed with real sincerity: "Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us" (Matthew 6 v 12).
Thankfully, we can be sure that when the time comes that we ourselves will bow before the Lord, he will deal with us in his supreme wisdom and with tender mercy.
To think about
Unhelpful behaviour may spring from painful experiences in the past and a judgmental
attitude will add to that pain.
Prayer
Lord, help me to see my own condition and to seek your healing love. Give me
tolerance and wisdom before I jump to conclusions and make judgments about
the behaviour of others. Amen
Romans 14 v 13-18
For that reason we should stop judging each other. We must make up our minds
not to do anything that will make another Christian sin. I am in the Lord
Jesus, and I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. But if a person
believes something is wrong, that thing is wrong for him. If you hurt your
brother's or sister's faith because of something you eat, you are not really
following the way of love. Do not destroy someone's faith by eating food
he thinks is wrong, because Christ died for him. Do not allow what you think
is good to become what others say is evil. In the kingdom of God, eating
and drinking are not important. The important things are living right with
God, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Anyone who serves Christ by living
this way is pleasing God and will be accepted by other people.
Notes
Paul continues to remind those who are able to live a balanced Christian life
that they must be aware of those who are still maturing. We must make up
our minds, he says, not to do anything that would cause another Christian
to sin because the example we set can so easily hurt or, at worst, destroy
another person's faith.
Christians will always have different points of view, but we need to follow the way of love. Someone has put it as "disagreeing without malice". After all, as he says - perhaps with a smile - there are more important matters to consider than eating and drinking. Paul now wants to elevate issues to a higher level. There is another way, pleasing to God and acceptable to others; namely, day by day endeavouring to live right with God and as a result to experience peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
We remember two sisters in this context: Martha and Mary. With Jesus in their home, Mary wasn't going to waste a minute on lesser things; she simply sat at his feet, completely absorbed, and listened to his teachings. Martha, however, was more concerned about less important matters, which drew a gentle rebuke from Jesus: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. Only one thing is important" (Luke 10 v 41-42). Is today going to be one rich in blessing simply because we will be determined to put "first things first"?
To think about
Have I got my priorities right? What is important to me?
Prayer
Lord, reveal to me any way in which I could be a stumbling block to others.
Help me to encourage, support and build up rather than put down. Amen
Romans 14 v 19-23
So let us try to do what makes peace and helps one another. Do not let the
eating of food destroy the work of God. All foods are all right to eat, but
it is wrong to eat food that causes someone else to sin. It is better not
to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that will cause your brother or
sister to sin.
Your beliefs about these things should be kept secret between you and God.
People are happy if they can do what they think is right without feeling guilty.
But those who eat something without being sure it is right are wrong because
they did not believe it was right. Anything that is done without believing
it is right is a sin.
Notes
Let us imagine two young men sitting in a pleasant pub garden on a summer's
evening, enjoying a drink together and discussing future plans for the church
youth fellowship. The slightly older, more mature Christian, has invited
the other, a younger man who is new to the faith. They often meet in this
way; it is convenient and enjoyable.
Several years later that same friend stands on the doorstep of a hostel for homeless people. His once growing faith is now a thing of the past and addiction to alcohol is his all-consuming nightmare. Even after therapy and detox he reveals his worst fear: "You never know if you've beaten it."
Perhaps this is an extreme example, but could Paul envisage similar circumstances developing within the context of the first century church? We presume so, as he is at pains to press his point home again and again in these and earlier verses.
"Is it my job to take care of my brother?" Abel's cry resonates down the centuries and so does the Lord's anguished response, "What have you done?" (see Genesis 4 v 9-10).
We must take to heart and make a personal maxim the words of Paul: "It is better not to... do anything that will cause your brother or sister to sin." May we take a moment just now to seek a new awareness of the example we are setting and the influence we are bringing to bear, particularly amongst our friends and those we seek to influence. Perhaps a specific resolve is called for just now, and remember, God will always give us strength to live right.
To think about
a) Who do I influence?
b) Who am I influenced by?
c) Are there changes to be made?
Prayer
Lord, I want to be an influence for good in your kingdom. As I pause to think
of those I spend time with, may I be open to your Spirit’s leading
and wise in my speech and action. Amen
Romans 15 v 1-4
We who are strong in faith should help the weak with their weaknesses, and
not please only ourselves. Let each of us please our neighbours for their
good, to help them be stronger in faith. Even Christ did not live to please
himself. It was as the Scriptures said: "When people insult you, it
hurts me." Everything that was written in the past was written to teach
us. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have
hope.
Notes
"When people insult you, it hurts me" is actually a quote from Psalm
69 (part of verse 9). This is known as one of the Messianic psalms - words which
were attributed to King David but which could easily have been spoken by Jesus.
Paul uses these words to illustrate the extraordinary fact that even Christ did
not live to please himself but loyally served his father. He denied every personal
interest for the honour of his father's name and willingly exposed himself to
suffering and death in accordance with the Father's plan for him. Paul makes
an aside here about the value of the scriptures (those that we now call the Old
Testament). He describes them as a source of patience, encouragement and hope.
Paul issues a strong challenge about which there can be little argument - if Christ did not live to please himself, how can we, his humble disciples, differ in our attitude? Note that he makes the point in relation to the strong in faith (the first time he uses the word "strong") helping the weak with their weaknesses. Such help, as we know, has to come in many different ways, not least the giving of quality time to those whose need calls for it. It means getting involved; it means using our energies; on occasions it might mean suffering. It certainly means more than a "Good morning, how are you?" to those around us.
To think about
If we fail to help those in need within our own church fellowships then what
chance has the ragged man got who stands in the church porch listening to
our singing?
Prayer
Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other's cross to bear;
Let each his friendly aid afford,
And feel his brother's care.
(written by Charles Wesley)
Romans 15 v 5-8
Patience and encouragement come from God. And I pray that God will help you
all agree with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. Then you will all be
joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will
bring glory to God. I tell you that Christ became a servant of the Jews to
show that God's promises to the Jewish ancestors are true.
Notes
If we want to be reminded how patience and encouragement can be displayed,
we need to read again the story of Job in the Old Testament (see Job, chapters
1-3) and Barnabas in the New Testament (see Acts 4 v 36-37; Acts 9 v 27;
Acts 11 v 22-24).
Some people are quite naturally blessed with one or both of these marvellous qualities, but we should be encouraged to read that all Christians can possess a measure of each because they are gifts from God. How wonderful it is to witness Godly patience in action in the context of an area of disagreement; how energising to receive words of encouragement when we are battling with a situation that can "try the patience of a saint".
Paul says there will come a stage when we will all be joined together and as a result will give glory to God the Father. There must of course be a "joining agent" and this is simply Christian love, both in our hearts and in our churches. The observation made by Tertullian (160-220 AD) - "See how these Christians love one another" - was God-glorifying indeed. Such a wonderful outcome is brought about by individual Christians exercising the simple building blocks of patience, encouragement and acceptance. And why should this be so? We are reminded once again that we have been totally accepted by Christ, "warts and all", the one who was willing to become a servant to bring about the rich blessings we have received.
There is no greater privilege or happiness than to be part of a church fellowship that truly reflects Paul's earnest desires. Are we playing our part?
Prayer
Patience and kindness, goodness and faithfulness,
Self-control and gentleness, joy and peace.
Fruit of the Spirit, take root and grow in us,
Lord, your love bestow on us, your life in us increase.
(adapted from Galatians 5 v 22-23 by Chick Yuill)
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes