May 27, 2007: Encouraging Faith of Others: Romans 14

ROMANS M 14 MESSAGE

TEXT: ROMANS 14: 1-23 07 05 23
Big Idea: Adjust your life so you can encourage the faith of others.
Introduction

If you were raised in the West and traveled to certain parts of India or south Asia, you might think it’s strange and uncultured for people to eat their meals hands.

You might think that it’s not sanitary for people to eat with their hands. You might not say it out loud, but you might quietly assume that because you use a knife and a fork, you are more civilized and more rational in the way you eat. But as cultural anthropologists have pointed out, every culture acts logically from their perspective.

If you ask someone from a culture that eats with their hands, “Why do you eat with your hands?” they may respond by asking, “Why do you go to restaurants and eat with a fork that has been in the mouths of thousands of other people?”

Every culture acts logically from their own perspective. So when people of different cultures come together, sometimes they clash because they think they are right and other person is wrong.

This was the case at the church in Rome. Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians were clashing over their cultural differences. The Jewish Christians tended to be quite strict when it came to their eating regulations whereas the Gentile Christians were much more liberal when it came to their choices of what to eat, many Jewish people strictly adhered to certain Jewish festival days, whereas Gentiles did not.

And so Paul in Romans, Chapter 14, addresses how Jew and Gentile and people of different cultures are called by God to relate to each other when their culture and values clash.

Please turn to Romans 14.

Scripture: Romans 14: 1-23
The Weak and the Strong
1 Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person's faith allows them to eat everything, but another person, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master they stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 Some consider one day more sacred than another; others consider every day alike. Everyone should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Those who regard one day as special do so to the Lord. Those who eat meat do so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and those who abstain do so to the Lord and give thanks to God. 7 For we do not live to ourselves alone and we do not die to ourselves alone.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother or sister for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
In Romans 14:1, Paul says:
“Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person's faith allows them to eat everything, but another person, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person.”
Gentiles, especially in Rome, had long ridiculed Jewish people for what they saw as strict observance to certain eating practices.
Many people in a place like Vancouver choose to be vegetarians for health reasons or because they feel that it is cruel to slaughter animals for food. But people in Paul’s world were not vegetarians or quasi-vegetarians because they were concerned about killing a cow or a pig or for health reasons. They abstained from eating certain kinds of meat for religious reasons. Many Jews in Paul’s day wondered whether they were eating the right kind of meat. Was it pure? Had it been slaughtered in the proper manner? Had it been cooked in the right way? Some people also wondered (as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 8) “Had this meat been sacrificed to an idol?”
Not eating certain meats was a cultural practice that helped the Hebrew people to remember they were set apart as the people of God, but now the presence of Christ in people’s showed them that they were the people of God. So the people of God could eat all meat.
Gentiles not only ridiculed Jews because of their scruples around eating, but also because they strictly observed certain festivals and holy days.
In verse 5, Paul says: “Some consider one day more sacred than another; others consider every day alike. Everyone should be fully convinced in their own mind . 6 Those who regard one day as special do so to the Lord.”
When Paul is speaking about people at the church in Rome regarding certain days as special, he is likely referring to major Jewish festivals that some Christians would keep and others would not. Paul did not regard keeping these festivals as essential to Christian faith now that what pointed to had been fulfilled in Christ: E.g. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur was the day where the Jews took time to reflect on the need to have their sins forgiven—but since Christ died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins to enable us to receive the forgiveness, the observation of this day was optional (And, by the way, when Paul speaks of these special days as commentators point out that he is likely referring to Jewish festivals, and not to the Sabbath, and the call to take one day in seven as a day of rest and worship, which is part of the Ten Commandments, and Thomas Cahill points out the sanest commandment ever.)
In Romans 14, verse 1, Paul we are to welcome or receive the “weak in faith.” What does he mean by this?
By weak in faith, Paul is not referring to people whose devotion to Christ is weak, or to people who are wavering in their faith in God. “Weak” in this context refers to believers in Christ have not yet come to understand that since the coming of Christ all foods have now been declared clean by God and that though it may be helpful for Christians to keep certain Jewish festival days, the Christian was free to observe, or not observe, these days since what they were pointing to had been fulfilled in Christ.
As a result of not being aware of the fact that all foods were clean and that the observance of certain festival days was optional, these believers would have experienced pangs in their conscience if they ate meat which they regarded as being unclean, or failed to observe certain holy festivals which they would have regarded as being essential. And as Paul points out in vs. 23 whenever a person acts in a way that violate their conscience—even if the thing they are doing is not wrong in of and itself—they sin by violating their conscience.
What is Paul’s exhortation? Paul says in verse 3, “The one who eats everything (that is, those who are strong) must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything ( the “weak”) must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person”
When Paul says here that the strong are not to judge the weak and the weak are not to judge the strong, he is not saying that all judgment is wrong and that everything is a “go” when a person is in Christ. Throughout Paul’s letters he makes various judgments as to appropriate and inappropriate ways to act. There are certain things that the Bible would clearly prohibit. These would include murder, adultery, stealing, the Ten Commandments, etc.
Paul is not saying that it is never right to make a judgment. Paul says in Romans 14:1 that we are not to judge one another over “disputable matters.” Paul is saying that we should not judge others on secondary matters which are often the result of our cultural biases, personal likes and dislikes, etc. Someone has said that in things essentials Christians are to have unity, in things non-essential liberty, in all things charity.
For the church in Rome the “non-essentials” that people were judging each other over included diet and special days on the Jewish calendar. For us today, the issues may be what kind of movies are appropriate, what kind of music is appropriate to listen to, is it appropriate to drink alcohol, use tobacco, participate in excessive partying, etc.
Paul says that when it comes to these secondary, non-essential matters, we are not to judge each other. Those who are more sensitive are not to judge people who exercise liberties in these areas, but those who exercise liberties are not to judge those who choose to restrict themselves.
Paul’s call to not judge, to be tolerant of the people who exercise liberty is very consistent, of course, with the ethos of a laid-back, west coast city like Vancouver.
But Paul is only calling people us to resist from judging people who take liberties, AND he is also calling on people who exercise their liberties to not judge people who choose to restrict themselves from certain things that the relatively liberal people see as being legitimate. We may pride ourselves in being liberal and tolerant, but may be judgmental toward people who we view as being intolerant and judgmental. If we are intolerant toward people who are intolerant. If we judge people who are judgmental we’re judgmental.
Paul, in verses 4 and 10, gives us a compelling reason as to why we can refrain from judging our brothers and sisters on non-essential matters.
Paul says, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master that is God they will stand or fall.” In verse 10, Paul says that we ought not to treat each other with contempt for we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. And in verse 12, we will all give an account for ourselves to God, therefore (verse 13), let us stop passing judgment on one another.
We don’t need to be neurotically concerned about judging each other because God will judge each of us!
Now this attitude of not judging each other, as I said, is very consistent with the culture of our laid-back city of Vancouver. But what Paul says in verse 13, and following, is not so consistent with the ethos of our city.
In verse 13 Paul says, “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”
I n verses 14 and 15, “14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating, destroy your sister or your brother for whom Christ died.”
In verses 20 and 21, “20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”
Paul here is calling us to do something that is really counter-cultural. Paul states here and in other places that the follower of Christ is free, but the follower of Christ is also called to limit his or her liberty out of love for others. Martin Luther said a Christian is the most free lord of all, subject to none, but a Christian is also the most dutiful servant of all, subject to all.
Paul is affirming in Romans 14 that a follower of Christ has great freedom, but there are times when a follower of Christ is called to limit their freedom and adapt their actions so that they do not hurt the faith of a brother or sister who may have a more sensitive conscience.
I have a friend who is a Christian, and feels that it is inappropriate for him to drink alcohol. He doesn’t necessarily believe that it is wrong for other people to drink, but this friend has had a tendency to use alcohol as a way to de-stress. He feels that when he is under a lot of pressure that, instead of relying on God, he turns to alcohol to take the “edge off.” He knows he ought to do more healthy things like exercise or read or spend time with people. And so, for my friend, drinking alcohol, as much as he likes it, is a violation of his conscience, and therefore a sin for him.
The Bible teaches that if we consider something to be sin in our minds and then violate our conscience, even if that thing is not wrong, in and of itself, it’s a sin for that person. And so, if you were with had a friend like him, the loving thing for you do would be to not drink when you are with him—even if drinking in moderation is ok for you.
This is what Paul is calling us to do. He is calling us to act in ways that do not hinder another person’s faith and journey with God.
Adjust your life so you can encourage the faith of others.
One of my great heroes is Eric Liddle, who is featured in the movie Chariots of Fire, (which is based on a true story). Eric Liddle was known both as a great athlete and as a committed Christian. As a young man he was a world class sprinter. He planned to become a missionary to China, but before departing for China as a missionary he decided we would serve God by using his athletic ability to represent the British Empire in the 1924 Olympics.
When Eric Liddle discovered that the qualifying heat for the 100 meters (which was specialty and the race in which he was favored to win the gold medal) was scheduled for Sunday, he withdrew because of his personal convictions about not running competitively on the Sabbath. He was also forced to weigh the effect that ignoring his convictions would have on many believers who also believed it would not be appropriate to run competitively on the Sabbath were watching him, against the effect of disappointing many of his fellow secular Britishers who were hoping that he bring would home a gold medal. Liddle held to his convictions and was replaced by another runner. Liddle eventually ran in the 400 meters which did not involve the same requirement to run on a Sunday. Eric won the gold medal in that race!
My point in using Liddle as an example is not to argue about whether it is permissible, or not permissible, to run competitively on Sundays. Some of us have the Sun Run or marathons—I am certainly speaking against that. I think that is a matter of freedom and conscience, but my point is that Eric Liddle was willing to sacrifice personal glory and advancement because he was concerned that if he ran on the Sabbath day in a culture where many Christians felt that it was inappropriate to do so, he would cause damage to the faith of many impressionable young people who were looking up to him. He was acting in love.
The spirit of Paul’s text is that we act in love in a way that doesn’t trip others up, but instead helps to strengthen their faith. Verse 19 says, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (or building up).”
Adjust your life so you can encourage the faith of others.
Mike Mason in his book, The Mystery of Marriage, points out that every person affects us in some way, even the person who is serving us at the cash register of a grocery store. Every person affects us in some way, we affect every person in some way.
People can a negative influence, but people can also have a very positive influence, as well.
While working as a journalist for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel was assigned to report on the struggles of an impoverished, inner-city family during the weeks leading up to Christmas. A staunch atheist at the time, Strobel was mildly surprised by the family's attitude in spite of their circumstances:
The Delgados—60-year-old Perfecta and her granddaughters, Lydia and Jenny—had been burned out of their roach-infested home and were now living in a tiny, two-room apartment. As I walked in, I couldn't believe how empty it was. There was no furniture, no rugs, nothing on the walls—only a small kitchen table and one handful of rice. That's it. They were virtually had no possessions.

In fact, 11-year-old Lydia and 13-year-old Jenny owned only one short-sleeved dress each, plus one thin, gray sweater between them. When they walked the half-mile to school through the biting cold, Lydia would wear the sweater for part of the distance and then hand it to her shivering sister, who would wear it the rest of the way.
But despite their poverty and the painful arthritis that kept Perfecta from working, she still talked confidently about her faith in Jesus. She was convinced Jesus had not abandoned them. I never sensed despair or self-pity in her home; instead, there was a gentle feeling of hope and peace.
Strobel completed his article, then moved on to more high-profile assignments. But when Christmas Eve arrived, he found his thoughts drifting back to the Delgados and their unflinching belief in God's providence. In his words: "I continued to wrestle with the irony of the situation. Here was a family that had nothing but faith, and yet seemed happy, while I had everything I needed materially, but lacked faith—and inside I felt as empty and barren as their apartment."
In the middle of a slow news day, Strobel decided to pay a visit to the Delgados. When he arrived, he was amazed at what he saw. Readers of his article had responded to the family's need in overwhelming fashion, filling the small apartment with donations. Once inside, Strobel encountered new furniture, appliances, and rugs; a large Christmas tree and stacks of wrapped presents; bags of food; and a large selection of warm winter clothing. Readers had even donated a generous amount of cash.
But it wasn't the gifts that shocked Lee Strobel, an atheist in the middle of Christmas generosity. It was the family's response to those gifts. In his words:
As surprised as I was by this outpouring, I was even more astonished by what my visit was interrupting: Perfecta and her granddaughters were getting ready to give away much of their newfound wealth. When I asked Perfecta why, she replied in halting English: "Our neighbors are still in need. We cannot have plenty while they have nothing. This is what Jesus would want us to do!" That blew me away! If I had been in their position at that time in my life, I would have been hoarding everything. I asked Perfecta what she thought about the generosity of the people who had sent all of these goodies, and again her response amazed me. "This is wonderful; this is very good," she said, gesturing toward the largess. "We did nothing to deserve this—it's a gift from God. But," she added, "It is not his greatest gift. No, we celebrate that tomorrow. That is Jesus."

Something inside of me wanted desperately to know this Jesus—because, in a sense, I saw Jesus in Perfecta and her granddaughters.

This atheist Lee Strobel ended up giving his life to Christ, and wrote the highly influential book The Case for Christ.
Consciously or unconsciously the Delgados were living in ways that drew people to Christ.
On Monday, my wife and I were at a Christian conference center called the Firs. The Firs is set on Lake Whatcom on the outskirts of Bellingham. It’s a very special place to me. As 15 year old I spent a week there and camp counselor from California, whose camp name was Bam Bam (from the Flintstones). He spent all week with our small group of teens, driving the boat as we water-skied, played basketball with us, he took us to place where we rappel down a face of cliff. He was tanned and fun and cool and caring and totally centered on God… and the energy of life, led me to commit my life to God.
At the end week, he very naturally from his own life, how he thought that if person committed their life to God, they would miss out, but he had the a life wholly given over to God was greatest, fullest life possible.
Consciously or unconsciously, he lived his life in way that fosters faith in me.
I want to live that way to.
What about you?
Paul says in verse 17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…” I don’t want my life to be centered on secondary things, but on first things. Like the Delgados, like Bam Bam, I want my life to be used to draw people to God, and not away from God.
And that is God’s call to each of us. But how do we become like that? How do we become that Paul upholds in Romans 14? People of healthy conviction, humble enough to not judge others on secondary matters, and loving enough to limit our freedom in ways that draw people to God who may be different from us culturally?
By centering our lives on the one who obeyed God perfectly, but also lived with perfect freedom.
By receiving the Spirit the one who according to Romans and the book Philippians being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, but poured himself out so that we could come to know God… by embracing Christ.
Pray.

(The sermon can be heard on line at: www.tenth.ca/audio.htm)