The First Vegetarian Church of Rome

If you have your Bibles this morning, please take them and find Romans 14:1.  Today’s message will be the first in a 3-part series with our study in Romans on “gray areas” or doubtful issues.  Please try to be here these next three Sundays. 

 

These are issues that can be incredibly divisive and have even divided the Roman Church.  These are gray areas that some want to make black and white.  These are issues on which the Bible doesn’t clearly speak or even at all.  They are doubtful issues or literally scruples. 

 

As we begin to look at Romans 14, it ok if we disagree.  It is ok if we have a difference of opinion.  It is ok if have different preferences.  The Lord values and encourages our unity, but that does not mean uniformity.  God’s people are a diverse group.  Therefore, can there be unity in our diversity.

In order for you to understand today’s text and this situation that we will be dealing with for the next three Sundays, we need to understand some contextual background.  Apparently, the Roman Church was divided, and there were at least two sides.  There were those who were weak in faith and those who wear strong in faith.  However, I need to clarify these terms.  Weak in faith means that your faith will not let you participate in certain activities.  While strong in faith means that your faith will let you do almost anything within reason.

 

Even though it is not crystal clear, it appears that the weak in faith were Jewish Christians who were insistent on keeping portions of the Old Testament Law.  However, the strong in faith would have been Gentle Christians who felt zero responsibility to keep any of the Old Testament Law that wasn’t repeated by Jesus.

 

Furthermore, we will also see that not only were these two groups divided on eating meat, they were also divided on remembering and celebrating certain holy days.  The Jewish Christians felt the need to celebrate many holy days.  The Gentile Christians probably only celebrated Sundays, and then you had these two groups judging and condemning each other regarding their specific practices.  The Jewish Christians through the Gentiles were liberal pagans.  The Gentiles thought the Jews were self-righteous legalists.  However, we need to remember that both groups were genuine, born-again Christians because of their faith in Christ alone!

 

 

1. The Exhortation to Receive One Another, Romans 14:1

1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.

 

The one main point of this text is for Christians to receive or accept one another.  Paul began this discussion by addressing the stronger Gentile Christians.  They were to accept these weaker Jewish Christians, but they were not, and I repeat, not to accept them with the hope of changing them down the line.  They were to accept them purely because of who they were in Christ. 

 

Again, the particular issues in questions are what our translation calls “doubtful things.”  The NASB translates the phrase “opinions.”  I’m calling them “gray areas.”  The Bible doesn’t speak to them clearly one way or the other or in some instances, not at all.

 

Therefore, receive one another!

 

 

1. The Illustrations of Receiving One Another, Romans 14:2-3, 14:5-6

2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.

 

5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

 

In these verses, we now find out the two gray areas or doubtful issues or opinions or preferences that were dividing this church.  The first issue was diets.  In 14:2-3, we see that the strong Gentile Christians felt the freedom to eat anything including meat that the Old Testament had declared unclean including meat that had been sacrificed to idols. 

 

However, in keeping with the strict Old Testament dietary laws, the weak Jewish Christians only ate vegetables, and Paul warned the strong Gentile Christians about showing contempt to the weak and the weak judging the strong.  This was a matter of opinion…not absolute biblical principle.

 

The second issue is in 14:5-6 and was days.  The Jewish Christians were very particular about remembering and celebrating certain holy days including various festivals and the Sabbath.  However, the Gentile Christians did not celebrate those same festivals and didn’t feel compelled to worship and or rest on the Sabbath. 

 

Regardless, in verse 6, we see that each group was eating and observing unto the Lord and for the Lord and because of the Lord. 

 

Therefore, Paul’s exhortation was to receive one another!

 

 

• The Justification for Receiving One Another, Romans 14:3b-4; 14:7-9; 14:10-12

for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

 

7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 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. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

 

10 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. 11 For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”  12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

 

In today’s text, Paul gave at least three justifications or reasons why we are to accept one another even though we may have different opinions or personal preferences.

 

1. The first justification is found at the end of 14:3 and goes into 14:4. We need to accept one another because God has received us.  Furthermore, we do not serve one another.  We serve God.  He is our Master.  I am not your master, and you are not my master.
2. The second justification is found 14:7-9 and is an assumption. The assumption is that Christians are trying to please the Lord in whatever they do.  When it came to eating meat or eating only vegetables, both groups were trying to please the Lord.  One group was trying to celebrate freedom.  The other group was seeking to be holy.  Both were right.  When it came to celebrating certain days, the assumption was that both groups were trying to please the Lord.  Therefore, don’t condemn or judge another group who is different from you, but nonetheless, trying to please the Lord.
3. The third and final justification is found 14:10-12. We should not judge each other because God is the only rightful judge, and we will all be judged by Him.  Don’t miss that at the end of 14:10 and 14:12. Every Christian will give an account to God of his or her life.  Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 5:10. God is the only rightful judge.

 

2 Corinthians 5:10, 10 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.

 

Therefore, Paul’s exhortation was to receive one another!

 

 

 

1. The Application of Accepting One Another.

 

I rather suspect that most of us, if not all of us, here today are meat eaters.  Furthermore, I also suspect that we don’t have many different opinions regarding festivals or holy days.  Therefore, how are we to apply this message of accepting one another?

 

Let me first of all, be very clear where this text does not apply.  This text does not apply to issues that are crystal clear in the Bible.  Here are at least five (5).  This text does not apply to sexual immorality of any type.  It is clearly wrong every time whether you are talking about premarital sex or extramarital affairs.  This text does not apply to drunkenness, stealing, lying, causing division or anything else that is clearly prohibited in God’s Word!

 

However, let me give you at least ten (10) doubtful issues where I believe this text does apply.

 

1. Bible translations: KJV only?
2. Dancing
3. Music: secular or Christian and music in church: familiar or unfamiliar
4. Movies: R-rated or PG-rated
5. Dress: skirts and dresses for women
6. Tattoos
7. Piercings
8. Social drinking
9. Gambling
10. Smoking

 

 

Conclusion

As I draw this message to a close, let us not be guilty of the mindset of this pithy prose:

 

Believe as I believe, no more, no less; that I am right, and no one else, confess;

Feel as I feel, think only as I think; eat what I eat, and drink but what I drink;

Look as I look, do always as I do; then, and only then, will I fellowship with you.

 

Brothers and sisters, let us receive one another regardless of gray areas, doubtful things and personal preferences.