Romans 14,1-12
Last week we looked comprehensively at the whole of the twelve verses that lie at the beginning of Chapter 14 of Romans. This morning however we need to look in a more detailed fashion at some of the points raised by Paul.
The first point we must look at is a point of principle. Paul essentially is telling us here that provided our conscience is clear before God we are at liberty to behave as we think fit. For example some people regard certain days as more important than others. Paul says that we should accept that as a fact and if our conscience tells us that we don't need to behave in that way then that is alright. The situation Paul is referring to of course is that of observance of the Jewish festivals and special days. Paul's teaching is that under the liberating power of the Gospel we are freed from the need to observe special days. Now let's apply that teaching to today. We know that in the universal church today there are those who hold to special days and special dietary restrictions. For example our Catholic, Orthodox and Episcopalian brethren. We hold perhaps Christmas Day, Easter Day and Good Friday to have some extra significance but little else and within living memory we know there was a time when we held no such days special at all in Scotland. Today only folk like the Brethren, Free and Free presbyterians and other like minded folk who would steer clear of having special days. And Paul is saying that that is ok as a situation. But underlying it all is the teaching that no days or food matter to those who are spiritually strong and mature - at least that is the way this passage has been understood since the days after the Reformation by scholars of the Reformed tradition.
However there is a point of principle here. We can see this in verse 6 "Whoever thinks highly of a certain day does so in honour of the Lord, whoever will eat anything does so in honour of the Lord".
Now what Paul is telling us is this. ALL of our actions are to be governed by that over riding factor of honouring God. So that if and when they ate food that had been sacrificed to idols they did so in the liberating knowledge that God was supreme and that he had declared all things to be good. And when they abandoned the Jewish festivals and later the Sabbath in favour of the Sunday they did so praising God and acknowledging his guidance on the matter. If we apply such teaching today then we can see that provided what we do is in honour of the Lord and his liberating Gospel then that is good. It is not saying - nothing matters about days, food or behaviour therefore I can do what I like. It is not saying - days aren't important therefore I will just go shopping on Sunday and forget about Church. Paul is not saying that! This is a discussion about how we honour the Lord in the fullness of the liberating power of the Gospel.
There is also a deeper point to be understood. Paul only allows this liberty of behaviour when no point of principle is at stake.
Listen to Hodge on this matter in his comment on verse four, "It cannot fail to be remarked how differently the apostle speaks of the same things under different circumstances. He who circumcised Timothy, who conformed in many things to the Law of Moses and to the jews became a Jew and who here exhorts Christians to regard external observances as matters of indifference, resisted to the uttermost, as soon as things were urged as matters of importance or were insisted upon as necessary to acceptance with God."
So what Paul is saying is that we can accept for example and indeed go along with if required the whole idea of the Christian year giving importance to Christmas, Easter, Pentecost etc and indeed be involved in fasting and penance etc provided that no one is saying such things are essential to Salvation. Likewise we are to resist ideas such as those that came to the fore in the recent past when a Free Presbyterian Headmaster banned the celebration of Christmas in the his school. Those who say the observation of such things is essential are wrong and those who say the opposite are wrong and when such attitudes as we discussed last week become prevalent then we must resist them utterly.
This is Paul's teaching on the matter and sound and consistent it is. He circumcised Timothy when it seemed like a good thing to do to help the cause of the Gospel but he would not allow Titus to be circumcised and he even warned the Galations that if they were circumcised Christ would profit them nothing. Hodge puts it this way, "If they were circumcised, Christ would profit them nothing; that they renounced the whole method of gratuitous justification and forfeited its blessings, if they sought acceptance on any such terms." Listen then to what Hodge has to say as he explores the theme, "How liberal and how faithful was the apostle! He would concede everything and become all things to all men where principle was not at stake but when it was he would concede nothing for a moment. What might be safely granted if asked and given as a matter of indifference became a fatal apostasy when demanded as a matter of necessity or a condition of salvation."
So you see I hope the height, breadth and depth of the tolerance we must have as Christians towards one another. Such different habits and customs as we have and views that we hold are to tolerated and accepted and we are all to be Christians together. We need only speak out about certain matters when others begin to proclaim that there way is the only way to be Christian.
There is one ministry in a particular church where they have a morning, evening and midweek service. A pattern of ministry I totally approve of and endorse. However in this particular church the congregation is told clearly that if they are truly Christian they will attend all three and that failure to do so means they aren't really Christian. Such an idea must be utterly resisted for it is wrong and it is such ideas that Paul is talking about here.
I think everyone here would benefit from attending Bible Study. I think everyone should. But that is a very far cry from suggesting it is essential to salvation and that if you don't you can't possibly be a Christian.
Now let's turn to some of the other important things Paul is saying to us in this passage. At verse 7 & 8 we read, "None of us lives for himself only, none of us dies for himself only. If we live it is for the Lord that we live and if we die it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. " And at verse 9, "For Christ died and rose to life in order to be the Lord of the living and the dead."
The point of Paul's argument here and in its proper context is that the believer is under the control of the Lord. We cannot choose the manner, time or style of our death, Nor indeed does death alter our relationship with God. As Philips says in his commentary, "Differences of opinion fade into insignificance when death enters the picture. Beyond the grave the lordship of Christ is universally acknowledged. And when we get to glory, it will be our greatest joy to cast our crowns as His feet. let every believer the maintain in his own life the lordship of Christ and unity will not be impossible."
Paul then concludes this part of his letter with a simple command to stop judging one another. We read, "You then who eat only vegetables - why do you pass judgement on your brother? And you who eat anything - why do you despise your brother? All of us stand before God to be judged by him. For the scripture says, "As surely as I am the living God, says the Lord, everyone will kneel before me and everyone will confess that I am God. Everyone of us then will have to give an account of himself to God."
Perhaps that is sufficient warning to us all to pay close heed to the word of God! that we might be found in that day to have been walking truly in the light of the Gospel.