A
Study of the Book of Romans
Sermon
#30
“Living
With Your Convictions”
Romans
14:1-12
The title of this message
may be a little misleading, the problem that we are addressing is not can you live with
your convictions but can others live our convictions.
Some Christians still live
by the adage,
Believe as I believe
No more no less;
That
I am right,
And on one else, confess;
Feel
as I feel,
Think as I think;
Eat
what I eat,
And drink what I drink;
Look
as I look,
Do as I do;
Then
and only then,
Will I fellowship with you!”
[As quoted by R Kent Hughes. Romans:
Righteousness From Heaven. (Wheaton, ILL: Crossway Books, 1991) p. 260]
Remember that since chapter
twelve Paul has been telling us about love: in chapter twelve he told that the true nature
of love is to serve, next he told us that love must be genuine. In chapter thirteen we
learned that love must be submissive and now he is telling us that love is to be tolerant of others.
First,
We Are Told the Principle We Are To Follow – Allow For Differences of Opinion
(v.1)
“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but
not to disputes over doubtful things.”
Accept each Other.
We need to first of all seek
to understand the difference between principles
and convictions. Principles are the
application from Scripture that apply to everyone.
Perhaps the most important
word in this text is the first one translated in the NKJV as “receive.” The word (proslambanesthe) is also translated “accept or welcome” – and
means to open your heart and your home to others, who see things differently than you do.
Paul is telling us to accept people who have a difference of opinion without trying to
change their mind. Pastor Ray Stedman says, “The
favorite indoor sport of Christians is trying to change each other.” [Ray
Stedman. “On Trying to Change Others.” www.phc.org/dp/stedman/romans2/3534.html] Acceptance creates a climate where continued
spiritual growth is possible.
First it has to be
understood that there are some fundamental truths. These are simple, clear, basic truths
which are taught in the word of God. In spite of what our society says, there are some
moral absolutes. According to the
Bible there are some things that are always right and some things that are always wrong.
Such as, it is always wrong for everyone, to steal, to murder, to commit adultery.
Second,
We Are Told the Attitude We Are To Avoid With Regard to Differences of Opinion. (vv. 2-3)
“For one believes he may eat all
things, but he who is weak eats only
vegetables.(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.”
· Do Not Pass Judgment On Doubtful
Things.
But disputable (debatable)
things are those things that the Bible neither condemns nor commends. What we are talking
about are non-essentials. Paul says it is the “weak”
(v. 2) who tend to censure other believers and pigeon-hole them according to their
checklist. “They cannot be a good Christian because they _______.” Today we call
this legalism. Today we have almost
reversed the roles, we have come to point that we thing the strong Christians are those
who have the longest lists.
A legalist sees Christianity
primarily as a thing of rules and regulations. Whether they recognize it our not, they
believe they can gain God’s favor by doing certain things and abstaining from doing
other things. Some one defined a legalist as someone who lives in mortal terror that
someone, somewhere, is enjoying himself.
Some disputed areas today
are
1. Movies. Some Christians believe that
one should never patronize a commercial theatre.
2. Cosmetics. This is not the issue it
use to be but among some circles there still those who believe that women should not wear
cosmetics.
3. Tobacco.
Some believe that the use of tobacco is not only unhealthy but sinful.
I heard about a preacher who one time preached a whole sermon on the
sin of smoking cigarettes. There was a little lady on the third pew and every time he said
something about smoking being a sin, she said, “Amen brother! Amen!” And when
the service was over, she stood up, opened her purse, took out her tin of snuff and put a
little pinch of that snuff between her cheek and gum. Now snuff is just ground-up tobacco.
She goes to the back door where the preacher is, and she says, “Preacher, that was a
great sermon. Because I think it’s a sin to smoke.” And he said, “Madame,
you have the audacity to stand there and tell me smoking is a sin while you dip snuff? How
dare you?” She said, “That’s right, preacher, it’s a sin to burn
anything that tastes this good.”
4. Card playing. Because of its
association with gambling some Christians believe all use of cards is wrong.
5. Bible translation used. In some
circles what translation of the Bible you use is the quick ticket for acceptance or
rejection.
6. Worship style. On any given Sunday we
have people worship with us from a variety of different religious back-grounds. You may
have someone sitting near you who rise their hands in praise to the Lord. You may not be
comfortable with that. Does that make it wrong?
One of the current debates
in the church is over what type or style of music is used in the worship service. You will
hear both contemporary and traditional hymns in our services.
7. Hair length on men and pants on women.
Some Christians believe that it is wrong for
a man to wear hair that touch the ear and some think that women who wear slack are wrong
to do so.
Something to think about.
Disagreement on non-essential issues often reflects cultural
differences more than biblical principles. Your particular set of personal
standards may tell more about your upbringing
than what God’s word says on the subject.
The point is that there are
things about which good Christians can disagree and still be both in the will of God. We
are to allow for differing opinions because differing opinions on non-essentials does not
necessarily mean a differing faith.
Yet we also must understand
that, If the Lord convicts you that something is wrong in your life, you had better not
do it, even if other Christians are doing it. For you it would be a sin!
Third,
We Are Told the Application We Are to Make – With Regard To Differences in
Convictions. (vv. 4-12)
· Don’t Judge Someone Else’s Servant.
(v. 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.”
This verse reminds us that
each believer gains his salvation from
the Lord, gives his service to the
Lord and finds his security in the
Lord.
· Do Come To Your Own Conclusions. (v. 5)
“One person esteems one day
above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own
mind.”
There is a desperate need
among Christians for solid convictions. Verse five says, “Each should be fully convinced in his own mind.”
To be “fully convinced” means that after looking at all the evidence and
considering the various views on the subject, you have come to a settled conclusion in
your own mind. One way to know whether you have come to a settled conclusion is that if it
makes you angry that someone else has a
difference opinion, if it does then you are not very sure of your own conviction.
So
how can we make our minds regarding doubtful things? I want to give you a few questions that you can
ask yourself that may prove helpful.
When you are trying to determine whether some
thing is wrong or right ask these three questions.
1). Is
this prohibited by the Bible? If it is then your question is answered.
2). Is
this something I can ask God to Bless?
If the answer that question is no then you have
you have your answer.
3). Is
this something that I would like to be found doing when Jesus comes back? Along
the same line if is something you think you must hide or are ashamed of then, it is
suspect.
· Do Recognize the Lordship of Christ (vv. 6-9)
Paul goes in verse six to say, “He who
Two examples are given:
eating meats and observing certain days.
Eating meats
This is a problem primarily
faced by the Gentile Christians in the
church. When the letter to the Romans was written, the situation among Gentile believers
was an interesting one. Most of them had been saved out of a pagan background. Many of
them participated in pagan temple worship which included animal sacrifices to pagan gods.
The animals that were sacrificed were usually sold as meat on the open market. So for
those who had been saved out of this lifestyle the question became whether they should eat
the meat which was sacrificed to these idols. Were they, by eating that meat, still
participating in the idolatry of the pagan temples? This was a hard question for many. And
as a result of a desire not to participate in idolatrous practices, and because of the
difficult of determining which meat had come from the temples, some of these Gentile
Christians became refused to eat meat at all and became vegetarians. Only in that way
could they really be sure that they were not eating meat which had been sacrificed to
idols. However, some Jewish believers also abstained from eating meat because it could not
be determined if the animal had been killed in a kosher
manner. The problem was not that either of these types of believers did not eat meat, but
the problem arose when they thought that in not doing so they were somehow superior to
other believers who did eat meat.
Observing certain days.
This is an issue faced
primarily by the Jewish Christians.
Those who came from a Jewish back-ground had difficulty escaping the temptation of
thinking that observing the law was
pleasing to Christ.
Verses seven through nine
conclude this thought with, “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.”
· Don’t
Criticize Those Who Do Not Hold The
“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.”
Verse ten implies that you have come to a negative conclusion about your brother.
This leads to “looking down” on other believers – or believing yourself
better or superior to others simply because of things they do or don’t do
Paul reminds the Romans that
each of them will stand individually before God to give an account of their lives. Verse
eleven says, “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.”
Conclusion
Christians must learn the art of disagreeing without being disagreeable. Of course there can be no compromise on doctrine, no concession concerning the truth, but there must be some room for give and take in the area of debatable things.