Romans (Written)

Sunday, 22 December 2013

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. Romans 14:13

Verse 13 begins with “therefore” to tie us back to the previous instruction. In the end, Paul says that we are accountable to Christ, not others, where “doubtful matters” are concerned. As this is so, “Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore.” One can almost hear the backbiting which precipitated Paul’s letter, backbiting which continues on to this day. People were certainly pointing fingers and accusing one another of not being true “Christians” because of their diet or their timing or mode of worship.

What is sad is that since the letter of Romans, along with all of the other epistles, has been written we now have these surer guidelines than before that time. And yet there continues to be the same argumentation almost 2000 years later. Churches divide over petty issues and strong heads argue over matters which should be laid to rest by merely opening the word, accepting what is written, and then exercising love along with adhering to the instruction.

But there are constants which never seem to go away – conscience, knowledge, and stubborn pride. Some are weak in the faith and lack knowledge and so they live moment by moment holding on to what their conscience dictates. Others are stronger in the faith and possess right knowledge and so they conduct their actions in accord with proper doctrine. In either case though, rather than pursuing harmony, stubborn pride often rules the heart.

Rather than this, the successful believer (whether possessing little or much knowledge) is he who lives in love concerning disputable matters. The weak without love may become an accusing fool; the strong without love may become haughty and self-righteous; but the Christian who exercises love in the treatment of others in these doubtful matters is the one who is on sound footing. This is the one who determines not to judge what they have no right to judge. In order to be one such as this, Paul says that we should “rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

A stumbling block is something that one can easily trip over. For example, if a person doesn’t want to eat meat for a particular reason (such as that given by Paul in 1 Corinthians 8) and another Christian coerces them to work against their conscience, they have now placed a stumbling block in front of their weaker brother. This is because anything which is not of faith is sin. A “cause to fall” would be a stumbling block which actually trips up the faith of a person so that they then sin, possibly violating their conscience to the point where they walk away from the faith… and that over food! Imagine how displeased the Lord will be when we face Him and receive our judgment concerning things we unrightfully judged.

Life application: Our freedoms in Christ do not include the freedom to coerce others to violate their conscience. Proper instruction is necessary. After that, let the believer decide how they will conduct their affairs on their own.

I am so grateful for You word, O God. It gives me guidance in how to conduct my life in a way which is pleasing to You, but it also gives me the freedom to choose many avenues which You have left open for me to decide upon. You don’t forcefully control my every action, but You still guide me enough to remain healthy, happy, and safe. I love the Bible… my instruction manual for right living. Thank You for the Bible. Amen.

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.

Thursday, 19 December 2013

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. Romans 14:10

“But why do you judge your brother?” is asked according to what Paul has submitted so far throughout this chapter. If someone wants to refrain from eating certain foods, then don’t laugh at them in their weakness. If someone eats anything and everything, then don’t judge them as if they were somehow unacceptable to Christ. God has already accepted them. The same is true with the observance of certain days. If someone wants to go to church on Thursday morning, isn’t that his business? Those things which are not specified in the Bible for New Testament believers are left up to personal choice. So who are we to judge another for what they have been given liberty by Christ to do?

Likewise, “why do you show contempt for your brother?” Showing contempt is, in fact, a type of judgment on them. If you refrain from eating pork, you still have no right to look down on people who do as if they were somehow beneath you. Diet, in particular, has become a standard of class in modern society. People who refrain from certain foods, especially meat, tend to look down on those who eat meat as if they were more contemptible than they. Add Christian faith into that mix, and it becomes a standard of accepting them as fellow Christians. But Paul has already shown that those who don’t eat are the weak in the faith. So were does the contempt come from? It comes from pride in self.

The very fact that Paul asks these two questions demonstrates that they are unacceptable attitudes towards those around us. Let those who eat enjoy their food without being held in contempt, and let those who abstain enjoy their food without judgment. Likewise, have the same attitude toward others’ observance or non-observance of certain days.

Paul has already said that those who have called on Christ have been received by Christ (verse 3). He is the final judge of all such things. And we know this is true because, as he continues, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”

For believers, the question of salvation is not addressed here because salvation is eternal. It is a grant which will not be revoked. Therefore, the judgment we will receive from Christ is a judgment for rewards and loss of rewards. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul explains this judgment –

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.” 2 Corinthians 5:9-11

The “things done in the body” are our actions from the time of our salvation. They will be judged in a completely fair and unbiased manner and rewards will be based on whether they survive the judgment. This is explain in 1 Corinthians 3 –

“Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

Understanding this then, it should be clear that we have no right or authority to judge one another in these undefined matters. We do not set the standard. Rather, Jesus set it in the pages of Scripture and we are to adhere to that. When we violate Scripture, He will judge us for loss. When we uphold His words, He will judge us for reward. And those things which are not delineated in Scripture are matters of conscience for the individual, not for others to judge and condemn.

Life application: Scripture is our standard. When those around us violate set matters of doctrine, we are to correct them accordingly. But when their actions have not been defined by Scripture, we need to step back and allow them the freedom which Christ has granted.

Lord, I love to learn Your word – more and more each day. But with my learning, let me not forget that I am still completely dependent on You. Please help me to keep my knowledge from actually being a stumbling block to me by turning me into a judgmental finger-pointer. Instead, I pray that I will use the knowledge You have blessed me with to guide others, not show contempt for them. Amen.

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:9

A review of some of the closest conjunctions of the preceding verses will help understand what Paul is relaying in this verse:

“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 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. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.”

As always, he uses these connectors to build his thoughts and help us to be sound in our doctrine. The first “for” came as a result of the idea that the things we as believers do are centered on the faith we possess. Because this is so,

1) We neither live nor die to ourselves, but rather we exist for the Lord who has redeemed us.
2) As He is the Lord of both the living and the dead, then in both life and death our conduct should be directed to Him.
3) Because of these things, no matter what happens to us, either in life or in death, we still belong to Him.

And then verse 9 –

4) It was for this all-encompassing state in which we live that Christ died and rose again to life.

What would be the point of the cross if Christ were only the Lord of the dead? And what a sad state it would be if He were only the Lord of the living – because we all die. In either of those scenarios, there would be a lack in His Lordship; it would not be an all-encompassing Lordship, and therefore He wouldn’t truly be Lord at all. Presidents aren’t presidents of the dead. And anyone could die at any time during a presidential term. Therefore, their presidency is a temporary and tenuous type of rule. The same is true with kings or any other type of leader.

But Christ died for His people at the cross of Calvary. Because He did, He is the Lord of all His people who have died. And even more, Christ was triumphant over death; He rose again. Because He did, He is Lord of all the living. There is no aspect of the believer’s existence that is not covered by Christ. He is the complete Lord of His people.

Paul is asking us to remember this because we have believing friends who have died; Christ is their Lord. We also are here for an indeterminate amount of time. And our time is filled with setbacks, trials, and troubles. But He is our Lord through those times. We are being invited to view the world and all that it brings our way from the perspective of Jesus’ cross-death and resurrection. The most formidable foes that we could face have been vanquished. Christ is Lord!

“I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Revelation 1:18

Life application: Our relationship with Jesus isn’t just a get-together on Sunday morning. Our relationship with Jesus is an every-moment existence. He is our Baptizer into the Holy Spirit. We now have the fullness of His presence at all times. But He can get more of us. Submit to Christ and live each moment for Him.

Lord God, I know that because of Christ, You are with me every moment, but how easily I forget that! Help me to act in a manner which reflects this. Help my speech to be wholesome; my internet posts to be without impurity, keep sin from infecting my thoughts, actions, and relationships; and help me be a light to others to act in the same manner. Your glory is what I desire. Be with me in this endeavor. Amen.