Romans 14

1
Romans 14

• The Scope of Fellowship

2
Understanding Romans 14

• Must be true to the text its context
• Must be true to all the Bible
• Must not contradict truth
• Must not violate Gods character
• Must not promote fellowship with sin error

3
Romans 141-157Outline

• Defining the Problem Doubtful Disputations
  141-12
• The Remedy that Makes for Peace - 1413-23
• An Appeal for Unity Rather than Disputes in
  Matters of Liberty 151-7

4
Romans 141-157Text Context
Matters which are

• Clean 1414
• Good 1416
• Acceptable to God 1418
• Pure 1420
• No condemnation - 1422

5
Romans 141-157Text Context
Immediate Context

• 1311-14 No moral sins
• 1617-19 No doctrinal sins

6
Romans 141-157Text Context
Distant Context

• Col. 35-11 (Put sin to death)
• Gal. 519-21 (Works of flesh)
• Eph. 511-14 (Reprove sin)
• 2 Cor. 614 (No unequal yoking)
• 2 Jno. 9-11 (No fellowship w/ sin)

7
Romans 14Matters Indifferent to God

• Herb eater weak, not sinful
• Equally right to eat or abstain
• Sinful to condemn meat eater
• Sinful to despise herb eater

8
Romans 14Matters Indifferent to God

• Eat or not eat to the Lord
• Eating meat clean good
• All things are pure
• God made each to stand
• God received both parties

9
Romans 141-157Text Context
To have Romans 14 address issues which constitute
sin violates the text and its context
Should Be No Dipute!
10
Christianity Magazine April 1989, page 6
The teaching in Romans 14, then, speaks to the
practical circumstance in which we find
ourselves. Good men disagree. We dont like it
and our consciences are tested by our
disagreements, but they remain a fact of
life Does that mean, then, that we should wink
at sin? No. It means that we acknowledge that
we are not always certain about sin
11
Christianity Magazine April 1989, page 6
Of course, in my own mind, when a brother
violates scriptural teaching, he sins. If I say
you are wrong, I say you sin (or you consent to
it). There are no big and little sins, no
relevant and irrelevant instructions
12
Christianity Magazine April 1989, page 6
All of Gods instruction are equally important
(though, as we shall see in subsequent articles,
all may not be equally clear) whether dealing
with the identity of the church, the Christian
and war, the behavior of women in the assembly,
or marriage and divorce.
Jno. 1717 832 Eph. 517
13
Christianity Magazine April, 1989, page 6
Disobedience is disobedience, and sin is sin.
So, the statement that I make when I work
together with a brother with whom I disagree is
that, despite our disagreement, to his own
master he standeth or falleth (verse 4).
2 Corinthians 614-16
14
Christianity Magazine May, 1989, page 6
It is obvious that Christians sometimes disagree
about scriptural instruction, even in matters of
considerable moral and doctrinal import. In spite
of these disagreements, we work and worship
together, leaving many matters of individual
judgment in the hands of God. That behavior is,
I believe, the issue addressed in Romans 14 (see
article number 3).
Romans 141 2 John 9-11
15
Putting Sinful Doctrines Practices into Romans
14

• Violates context (no moral or doctrinal sins)
• Puts God into fellowship with sin (143, 4, 6,
  18, 22 157)
• Brings sin into the church (1417 155)
• Provides basis for open-ended fellowship with
  sin (156-7)

16
The Problem

• Disputes over scruples of conscience causing
  division

17
Problem Disputes Over Scruples Causing Division

• Strong (meat-eater) despising (looking down on)
  weak (herb-eater) 143, 10
• Weak (herb-eater) judging (condemning) strong
  (meat-eater) 143, 10

18
Problem Disputes Over Scruples Causing Division

• Both, as they are, pleased God 144, 6, 10-12
• Therefore, both are to receive the other 141
  157

19
Defining Terms

• WEAK
• Eats herbs - 142
• Does not observe days - 45-6
• Do not judge the strong 143

• STRONG
• Eats meat - 142
• Does observe days - 45-6
• Do not despise the weak 143

20
Defining Terms

• WEAK
• Conscience 142, 14, 23
• Doubts, abstains 146, 14
• Knowledge re. liberty, 414, 20
• Good standing w/ God 144, 6, 18

• STRONG
• Conscience -142
• No doubt eats, 146
• Knowledge re. liberty, 414,20,22
• Good standing w/ God 144, 6, 18, 22

21
1 Corinthians 8

• Strong Knowledge idol is nothing, 84-6
• Weak Conscious of idol, eat, defiled, 87
• Liberty Eat meat sacrificed, 88-9

22
1 Corinthians 8

• Sin to use ones liberty if it causes the weak
  to stumble (defile himself by violation of
  his conscience), 89-12
• Forego liberty if by using it weak in conscience
  is emboldened to violate his conscience, 813

23
Defining Terms

• THE FAITH
• (141, 5, 22-23)
• -Personal
• Conscience, 142 22
• Faith (trust), 14 5, 14, 22-23

• THE FAITH
• (Jude 3)
• -Delivered
• Truth, Gal. 111-12
• Gospel, Gal. 123

24

• Personal Faith
• (Rom. 14)
• Allowed
• God-Approved
• Liberties for Man
• Eat Accepted
• Not Eat Accepted

• Revealed Faith
• (Jude 3)
• Commanded
• Forbidden
• Will of God
• Sin Rejected
• Obey Accepted

25
Doubtful Disputations (141)

• Decisions of scruples (ASV)
• Disputes over doubtful things dispute about
  opinions (decisions of doubts)
• The thinking of a man deliberating with
  himself (Online Bible NT Lexicon)
• Arguments over doubtful things

26
Offend, Cause to Stumble (1413, 20-21)

• Influence the weak to violate his conscience,
  1413 (1 Cor. 89-12)
• Grief caused when conscience violated (1414-15)
• Destroys the weak when conscience violated
  (1415, 20, 23)

27
Offend, Cause to Stumble (1413, 20-21)

• Do not please yourself if it destroys your
  brother, 152 (1 Cor. 813)
• NOT Merely difference of opinion over some
  matter of judgment
• Your decision offends me!

28
The Remedy

• Receive each other with different scruples of
  conscience

29
RemedyReceive Each Other

• Stop contempt condemnation because each are
• 143 Accepted by God
• 145 Fully persuaded in mind
• 147-9 Living unto the Lord

30
RemedyReceive Each Other

• Stop contempt condemnation because each are
• 1410-11 Judged by the Lord
• 1412 Accountable to God (not man) in such
  matters

31
RemedyReceive Each Other

• Stop laying stumbling blocks because (1413)
• 1414-15 Scruples of conscience allow for
  differences
• 1415 Christ died for the weak as well as the
  strong

32
RemedyReceive Each Other

• Stop laying stumbling blocks because
• 1416 Are to do good toward each other
• 1417 Nature of the kingdom

33
RemedyReceive Each Other

• Stop laying stumbling blocks because
• 1418 Each serve Christ are accepted by God
  are approved before men
• 1420 Value of each saint

34
An Appeal

• For unity in matters of personal conscience with
  its liberties

35
An AppealBe Like-minded (151-7)

• Follow example of Christ, 151-3
• Unselfishness, love, sacrifice
• Patience and comfort of the Scriptures, 154-7
• This Glorifies God!

36
Application

• Romans 14 is much needed today, yet often
  misapplied

37
Applying Romans 14Getting it Right

• Respect each conscience
• Distinguish between revealed faith of Christ
  personal faith of man (Phil. 19-11 2 Tim.
  215)

38
Applying Romans 14Getting it Right

• Cannot use Romans 14 to approve have ongoing
  fellowship with doctrinal error or immoral
  conduct

39
Does Romans 14 Include Adulterous Remarriages?

• Is man who commits adultery weak in faith or
  sinful?
• Is it equally right to commit or to not commit
  adultery?
• Is it sinful to condemn the man who commits
  adultery?

40
Does Romans 14 Include Adulterous Remarriages?

• Can one commit adultery to the Lord?
• Is adultery clean?
• Is committing adultery good?
• Is adultery pure?

41
Does Romans 14 Include Adulterous Remarriages?

• Does God receive the adulterer?
• Does the adulterer stand or fall before God?
• Can one commit adultery as long as he does not
  cause the weak to commit adultery?

42

• ROMANS 14
• Receive, v. 1
• Differences may continue, v. 5
• Things allowed but not commanded, v. 2, 5, 14

• 2 JOHN 9-11
• Do not receive, v. 10
• Differences must stop, v. 9
• Abide in these things, v. 9

43
Romans 141 157Receive One Another

• Because Christ has received us!
• Receive each other the same way!

• Romans 14 does not allow unity in (moral and
  doctrinal) diversity (2 Jno. 9-11)