Romans 14

Saturday, 21 December 2013

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:12

The word “so” is given as a confirming note concerning the previous thought. Paul has been extremely clear in our responsibilities to those who are weaker in the faith. If they, because of their weakness in the faith, abstain from meats then we are to accept that. If someone who is deeply grounded in Christ esteems every day the same (meaning he doesn’t have a particular day of worship set aside), then we are not to judge him for his freedom. We are not the judge of biblically non-stated matters. We have no authority to point accusing fingers at the freedom exercised by others which has been granted by Christ.

This has been the context of the entire chapter so far, including verse 11. Though verse 11 made a true statement about all humanities’ acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord, that is not the intent of that verse as regards the surrounding context. Rather, the intent is the responsibility of all believers to Jesus, not to the external pressures or whims of other believers. In such non-defined matters then “each of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Those things that we do with freedom of conscience will be accepted. But there are those things which we did apart from a good conscience. Paul will sum those things up in the last verse of this chapter with the words “for whatever is not from faith is sin.” Sin can come from acting in a manner contrary to our own lack of faith. And that can easily come from external pressure as he tells us in 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 –

“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?  And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

As you can see from these verses, sin isn’t just working against our own conscience, but it is also sin to make another work against their conscience. God wants us to live in faith and to teach others to live in faith. When we violate this, we sin.

Life application: Let us consider that Paul’s words in Romans 14 do not cover the judging of actual violations of Scripture. We are obligated to judge such matters. But judging doubtful matters not defined in the Bible is wrong. If we don’t know our Bibles, then how can we make or withhold judgment? Know your Bible!

Once again Lord God, I come before You to acknowledge Your presence in my life. Help me to grow in my knowledge of You, to stand on the principles You have given in Your word, and to demonstrate Your character towards those around me. Help me to be loving to those who need love, cry with those who mourn, stand against wickedness in the world, and above all – to proclaim that there is pardon and redemption in Christ. Help me in these things, O God. Amen.

Friday, 20 December 2013

For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me, Romans 14:11

Again we begin with the conjunction “for” to show us that this verse is tied to the previous discussion. Because it is, it has to be evaluated from that context. Therefore, the quote which Paul now gives from Isaiah 45:23 is given not so much for the truth that all people will pay obeisance to Jesus (which is still true nonetheless) as it is to acknowledge that every person is accountable to Jesus rather than to the arbitrary judgment of others.

In other words, Romans 14:1-10 has been talking about other believer’s accountability to Christ, not to us. We are to refrain from judging others based on matters which Christ has not specifically defined (using foods and the observance of certain days as examples). Understanding this quote from this context will help us to keep it in that intended train of thought.

And so he now states, “For it is written:” Paul is reaching once again back to Scripture to justify his previous thoughts. Returning to his often-cited prophet, Isaiah, he gives a general idea of 45:23, not a direct quote. Here is the exact verse for comparison –

“I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”

It must be noted for the sake of doctrine that this quote is preceded by these words in Isaiah 45:22, “I am God, and there is no other.” And then, immediately following the quote, this is read in Isaiah 45:24, “He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength.'” In other words, Paul is showing us several very clear things –

1) There is one God.
2) Jehovah is that God. 3) Jesus is Jehovah incarnate; the one God.

To come to any other conclusion would be to state that the God presented in the Bible is confused. With such a conclusion the only logical subsequent conclusion is that the Bible is not true and that the God of the Bible is not truly God. But He is. Paul is clearly identifying Jesus as the one God, the true God, and the only God. And this conclusion then must support the concept of the Trinity – not a triplicity or a triad, but one God in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the Bible elsewhere confirms.

This God, now cited by Paul says, “As I live, says the Lord…” The equivalent of this statement is “I have sworn by myself.” The two expressions are conceptually a one-to-one comparison as is noted elsewhere in the Old Testament. As there is no one greater than God, to swear by Himself means that the statement is certain. This is explained in Hebrews 6:13-18. And the oath He swears is that –

“Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”

There is no person who has ever lived who will fail to recognize this truth. Jesus is the Lord God who will be so acknowledged by every son of Adam. Every knee will bow in homage and in submission to Him and “every tongue shall confess to God.” In other words, God will be exalted through their confession that Jesus Christ is, in fact, Lord. This is the intent of the words as Paul states them, but let us now return to the context of those words. We have been given ten verses of instruction concerning accountability to the Lord. Our allegiance is to Him, not to the whims of others. Our responsibilities are those defined for us in His word, not in legalistic additions by those around us.

If God has a prescription for us in His word, then we are subject to that directive and those around us may hold us accountable to what is stated. But if there is freedom within a precept (such as eating meat or eating only vegetables) then we are accountable to the Lord only for what we do; others have no say in our decisions. Remember this before you point out a supposed fault in another or when you are supposedly faulted by another. God’s word is the authority. Stand firmly on this and remember that you will bow to Jesus, not to anyone else.

Life application: By keeping Romans 14:11 in its proper context, we can see how fervently God feels about His word. We are completely accountable to it and not to the external pressures of others who feel differently about disputable matters. And the only way we can know what God expects of us or what liberties God has granted to us is to know our Bible and properly apply it. Know your Bible!

Lord, You have given Your word to us in the pages of the Bible. If I don’t know what that word says, then how can I be obedient to You? And if I don’t know what Your word says, then how can I avoid being pressured by someone who claims that I should be doing this or that to be pleasing to You? In the end, I will either stand or fall based on what Your word says. I think I’d better get my nose into the pages of the Bible. Be with me as I do! Amen.

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

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. Romans 14:8

Paul is speaking to believers here as he has throughout the epistle. The earth and all it’s fullness belongs to the Lord, it is true, but Paul’s words are not speaking in this general sense. Rather, his words are directed to those who are “His” in the sense of relationship. Although this should be obvious from the surrounding context, and even within the verse itself, it is not uncommon for verses like this to be ripped out of their context and universally applied. But they are directed to His people, not the world at large.

And so Paul begins with, “For if we live, we live to the Lord.” As an all-encompassing thought concerning our lives, he says “for if we live.” This is stated to tie back to the previous thoughts concerning eating food and observing days. He used these two concepts as emblematic of all matters which are doubtful. Food is a daily necessity which keeps us alive and sustains us. When we observe a day or days during the week we form the schedule around which we conduct our other affairs. In other words, these two things have been used by Paul as representative of our on-going life and activities. If we eat, we do so to the Lord. If we observe a day or days, we do so to the Lord. As these represent our general life, then he sums up that “if we live, we live to the Lord.”

In the same manner, when these activities cease because of our death, we are no less the Lord’s. Because of our position in Christ and our spiritual rebirth, our bodies may die, but we are eternally alive in Him. To confirm this he says, “if we die, we die to the Lord.” This is a wonderful verse which demonstrates the eternal security possessed by the believer. There is nothing, including death, which can separate us from Jesus Christ; we are always His.

“Therefore” – because of these things, “whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” This sum’s up what has been stated in verses 1-7. Having used that which sustains life (food) and that upon which we determine our weekly cycle of life (the basic 7-day rotating period established at creation), Paul has shown that we belong to the Lord.

But let us remember what this means from the perspective of those previous verses. The use of “we” isn’t speaking about the individual. Rather, he is speaking about all those who are in Christ. Whoever is in Christ, whether he lives or he dies, belongs to the Lord. As this is so, we are not to despise other believers over matters of food or days. Instead, we are asked to accept them and their mode of life and worship as having already been accepted by Him.

Life application: Make an effort when you encounter the word “therefore” to go back and review the context of that word. Verses, especially verses with conjunctions, are not isolated thoughts which can be pulled out of their greater context. Instead, they build upon what has been previously stated.

Lord God, the morning dew on a spider’s web, the changing of the breeze as summer turns to fall, the smile on each child’s face… these things show me how wise You are and how much You care for us. There is a continuous stream of delight and wonder in Your creation if I will but stop and ponder it. Thank You for allowing me a moment in time to enjoy life in Your presence. And thank You that because of Jesus, that moment will now last for eternity. Amen.