Bible Study - Relationships (6) - Accept - Romans 14:1-4, 13-19 - May 31, 2020

Bible Study – Relationships (6) – Accept – May 31, 2020

This is our sixth and final lesson in our series entitled, “Dealing with Messy Relationships.”

Our focus scripture is Romans 14:1-4, 13-19.

Don’t let differences of opinion damage your relationships.

The Apostle Paul was writing to the Christians in Rome. At that time Rome was the economic and political center of the world. It was a city of about one million people, half of whom were slaves. Paul wrote this in Corinth in the spring of 57 AD.

This lesson is where the rubber hits the road, so-to-speak. It deals with the uncertain areas in our journey as Christians through life. We know the Ten Commandments but how does a Christian respond to the issues they face along life’s journey – illicit sex, pornography, alcohol, healthy eating, exercise, recreational drugs, drugs, gambling, over eating and the list goes on. The issue our lesson focuses on is meat which had been offered to idols in pagan worship and sold in the pagan food market at a cheap price.

It was good meat but it had been used in pagan worship. Some Christians thought it was fine to purchase the meat and prepared it for consumption, after all it was cheap but other Christians believed it was wrong. Paul addressed this issue.

What issues do we face today, as Christians? Let’s explore!

Let’s read Romans 14:1-4:

14 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters. ² One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. ³ One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able^[a] to make him stand.

The Apostle Paul was instructing fellow Christians not to argue about issues that might be considered disputed matters. Paul used the word “weak,” which carries the idea of “sick,” “diseased,” or “feeble,” which carry the idea that with the right treatment their weakness can be made strong. The Greek word for “argue” comes a word involving “judicial estimation,” “discernment,” or “disputation.” Disputed matters were the ethical considerations or principles that inhibited action e.g. “doubtful disputations,” “opinions.”  

Many scruples/principles came from Jewish backgrounds. Those coming from Jewish backgrounds continued to follow the Mosaic Law regarding their eating habits. Paul did not want fellow believers getting into arguments on matters that would likely resolve themselves as Christians matured in the faith. It was of greater importance to achieve unity and fellowship.

Food was a big issue for those coming from Jewish backgrounds.

What did JESUS teach about food? Let’s check Matthew 15:16-20:

¹⁶ “Do you still lack understanding?” he^[j] asked. ¹⁷ “Don’t you realize^[k] that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated?^[l] 18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”

Christians are all in the household of GOD through faith in JESUS. 

Christians get their commands from GOD through the indwelling Holy Spirit. They depend upon GOD to deal with HIS Children in matters that need to be corrected. Unity and fellowship were of greater importance until they grow Spiritually.

What does GOD reveal to us in the Bible?

GOD gave us an example in the life of one of the disciples of JESUS, Peter, as we read in Acts 10:9-16:

(Background - The Apostle Peter was a Christian but also a devout Jew and still followed Jewish eating guidelines. GOD knew HIS plans for Peter’s ministry and Peter had to change his lifestyle to effectively minister to the Gentiles. This was a major change in the life of Peter.)

Peter’s Vision

⁹ The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon.^[b] 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. ¹² In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. ¹³ A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴ “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”

¹⁵ Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

Some things GOD releases a Christian to do but there are other lifestyle changes Christians need to make in order for GOD to use him or her in the ministry GOD has for them. GOD had a plan for Peter to minister to the Gentiles but he needed an adjustment in how he looked upon food. What adjustment is GOD leading you to make in your life?

All Christians are called to ministry because GOD has plans for every Christian. Ask HIM to reveal what you need to bring under HIS authority and control for you to be used according to HIS plan and purpose.

Alcohol is an issue for some Christians and in some churches. I have seen many lives wrecked by an addiction to alcohol. Once a person has been addicted, he or she MUST stay away from it. The same is for drug addiction, overeating and diabetics must guard against carbs, especially sugar. Ouch!

I thought I needed to step on my own toes.

The Apostle Paul instructed Christians not to focus on the does and don’ts in a person’s life but to welcome the person into your fellowship with the goal of teaching truth and letting GOD make the needed changes in that person.

Now, here is where it can get dicey. We can deal with addicts – alcohol, food, drugs, etc. but how about pedophiles? A friend of mine and I discussed this matter. I thought he had a good answer. He said, “I can pray with a pedophile but I will keep one eye open.” GOD wants us to be observant and diligent to keep a watch over the flock. The goal is to teach all to have a personal growing relationship with JESUS and help those who profess a relationship with JESUS to grow Spiritually. There is accountability as a Christian. The Spiritually stronger teach and mentor the weaker.

·      The Apostle Paul was addressing matters which in the long run were matters that could be worked out. Do not allow “disputed matters” to grow bigger than they need to grow. Those to whom Paul was writing came from varied backgrounds – Strict Jewish, Gentile, Pagan, No religious background. The congregations in Rome were melting pots of all sorts of beliefs and Paul was telling the congregation to welcome those seeking and teach them the truth of living the Christian life in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit because “And he will stand, because the Lord is able^[a] to make him stand.” The strength in the life of Christians is through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Teaching, strength, understanding, enlightenment and application come through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of every born-again Christian.  

Let’s read Romans 14:13-15:

The Law of Love

¹³ Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died. 

Paul stressed that when Christians point to differences in others, it is a form of judgment. There is only one judge and that is GOD. Christians are to obey HIS instructions. Christians are not to judge fellow Christians. It is CHRIST in a person that makes him or her a Christian. All Christians have rough edges that need to be crafted into the person GOD desires for him or her to become.

Paul states that Christians are not to judge one another. Judge carries the idea of ‘to condemn,” “to punish,” “to decide judicially.” When a person criticizes, he or she is acting as judge and jury. Instead of criticizing, “Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister.” What is a stumbling block? It is something that causes a person to stumble from a Spiritual perspective. What could a Christian do to create a stumbling block e.g. serve the person who does not eat meat offered to idols, meat that had been offered to idols without telling him or her? Then tell them. Paul is very clear, nothing is unclean for him but if you do something that hurts a brother or sister in CHRIST, then for his or her sake don’t do it.

In our day, if we have a fellow Christian who is an alcoholic; then do not drink alcohol or serve alcohol in his or her presence.

Paul used the word “hurt.” Hurt carries the idea of “causing grief or distress,” “to bring to sorrow” to another person. The Jews in particular followed strict rules about food. A Jewish friend had two dishwashers, one for dishes that been used for meat and the second dishwasher for dishes used for milk. We would say, give me a break. But to him, he was obeying the law not to boil meat in its mothers’ milk.

We, as Christians, are a “work in progress” as captured in Ephesians 4:22-32:

²² to take off^[g] your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, ²³ to be renewed^[h] in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on^[i] the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor,^[j] because we are members of one another. ²⁶ Be angry and do not sin.^[k] Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷ and don’t give the devil an opportunity. ²⁸ Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹ No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need,^[l] so that it gives grace to those who hear. ³⁰ And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him^[m] for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. ³² And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you^[n] in Christ.

Who is the subject? It is the Christian who has accepted JESUS as his or her Savior in whom the Holy Spirit is working. The new Christian is to take the initiative to take off his or her old clothes and to put on his or her new clothes in JESUS, which is righteousness. Maturing in CHRIST is a process that can only be achieved as each of us allows the Holy Spirit the freedom to work in our lives and reveal truth.

How can you be angry and sin not? Get angry about the things that make GOD angry. In Good News Club our definition of sin is anything we think, say or do that makes GOD unhappy is sin.

Criticism not only leads to bad feelings but could lead to the downfall of a fellow Christian who is still maturing Spiritually. Just like a new born baby. We don’t bring the baby home and say, “ok the milk is in the frig and the diapers are in the closet so help yourself. No! We need to care for and nurture that baby for many years. Once a person is Spiritually born into the family of GOD, he or she needs to be nurtured Spiritually. That is the true calling of the church. The church is not a showcase for the saints but a hospital for those in Spiritual need. All Christians are sinners saved by GOD’S Grace, Praise to our LORD!

Christians must be sensitive to the needs of others as we exercise our freedom in CHRIST.

Let’s read Romans 14:16-19:

¹⁶ Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, ¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval.

¹⁹ So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another. ²⁰ Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats. ²¹ It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.^[e] 22 Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith,^[f] and everything that is not from faith is sin.

The Apostle Paul shifts gears, so-to-speak. Paul wrote the statement “Therefore, do not let your good be slandered.”

Good may refer to salvation since a born-again Christian’s goodness comes from GOD as manifested by the indwelling Holy Spirit as written in Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Slandered carries the meaning of “be evil spoken of” can also be translated “blasphemed,” meaning to “vilify,” or “to speak impiously.”

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23: ²³ “Everything is permissible,”^[a] but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,”^[b] but not everything builds up.

The domain of GOD in HIS Kingdom is the heart of every Christian. Christians are GOD’S representatives upon earth, ambassadors as written in 2 Corinthians 5:20: ²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 

What is important to GOD? What does HE equip every Christian with? Look back to the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Notice, it is not fruits, but fruit. What does fruit have inside? It has seeds and seeds are for multiplication. But seeds need to be planted and nurtured to yield more fruit that lasts.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21: ²¹ He (GOD) made the one who did not know sin to be sin (JESUS)^[e] for us, so that in him we (born-again Christians) might become the righteousness of God.

Christians are righteous through faith in JESUS. JESUS opened the door to GOD through HIS passion. GOD ‘S desire is for all to accept JESUS as their Savior and we, who know the truth, need to welcome all who desire to know the truth. Christians are to be sensitive to others and not judge them because we all come from different walks in life. 

So, what does this mean? Paul captures it in these final verses:

¹⁷ for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval.

Does becoming a Christian mean working for our salvation? NO! You and I are imperfect and GOD demands perfection. Whereas you and I do not measure up to HIS requirements, JESUS did and that is why the only way to Heaven is through the miracle of Spiritual rebirth through faith in JESUS and what HE did for us. JESUS paid for all of our sin when HE gave HIS sinless life upon the cross. When HE died all who place their faith in HIM died. When GOD raised JESUS from the physically dead, all who place their faith in HIM were raised from the physically dead. In essence, all Christians are already in Heaven, we are waiting until we have completed the work GOD has for us to do upon earth. Awesome!!!

As Christians, who is leading and guiding our lives? Are we allowing the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead and guide us?

What issues do we face today? Is it the color of choir robes, choir robes or no choir robes, screens, the old hymns or current gospel music and the list goes on? What is important to GOD? Unity and fellowship are of greater importance until we grow Spiritually. Are we growing as the Holy Spirit leads us?

Blessings!!!