Romans 14 Reminders

I've written hundreds of articles on this blog and I've made it a point to notice which of my articles get the most attention. There are two factors that determine which articles are popular and which ones are overlooked: the timing and title of the article. If an article is linked to Facebook at a time when not many are online, it'll quickly get lost in the feed; it's about exposure. Also, if the title is boring, folks are more likely to ignore it. So the timing and title of the article are key!

 

I say all of that to say this: I wonder how many of you jumped quickly to this article because "Romans 14" is in the title. Hee hee! Anyways...

 

There are a number of texts that are commonly abused by church-goers, many of whom, I believe, are well-intentioned even if they are misguided. Romans 14 may be the most abused text of the New Testament. Folks use this chapter to argue that we ought not judge fellow believers; that it really doesn't matter what we believe or how we worship, and that we ought to just "agree to disagree."

 

If one carelessly reads the chapter, not taking into account the context or the progression of the text, or if they dishonestly twist certain verses in Romans 14 so as to validate their beliefs, it's easy to see how so many religious people reach this conclusion. After all, Paul says in Romans 14:13, "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this - not to put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother's way."

 

In response to these erroneous conclusions, I'd like to remind you of three simple facts concerning the ever-so-controversial Romans 14...

1. We must first of all not read Romans 14 in isolation and we must respect the "law of harmony" in our interpretation of this chapter. In other words, we must make doubly sure that our conclusions here are consistent with the rest of Scripture. For example, Paul cannot be saying that it doesn't matter what we believe or how we worship for we learn elsewhere that these things absolutely matter! We must believe and obey only what we can find in the New Testament (Galatians 1:6-10; 2 John 9) and Jesus commands us to worship according to the truth, or word of God (John 4:24 --> John 17:17). We must reject diversity in both of these areas (Rom. 16:17; 1 Tim. 1:3; Mark 7:7-9). We're not being commanded in one place to tolerate differences in doctrine and worship and then commanded in other places to stand against these same differences.
2. It's also vital that we understand the issues being emphasized in Romans 14. As I've already proven, Paul is not encouraging a tolerance of diversity in matters of faith (what has been revealed). Rather, Paul is dealing with matters of liberty, where there is neither right nor wrong. These are areas where varying opinions are permissible (Rom. 14:1) and that do not affect the salvation of those in question (Rom. 14:3, 14). Paul uses two examples here: the eating of meat (vs. 2-3) and the observance of days (vs. 5-6). As 1 Corinthians 8 bears out, it is neither right nor wrong to eat meat; it's a personal decision that has absolutely NO impact on the condition of one's soul. And in Christ, there is much liberty! It's in these areas that we're to be tolerant. It's in these areas that we're to abstain from passing judgment.
3. Finally, it's worth pointing out that even in these areas of liberty, there are those Christians who are mature and knowledgeable, and then there are those who are "weak in the faith" (vs. 1). Either way, these divergent brethren are in the faith; they're both walking in the light of God's word. But more to the point, the weak brother (who is acting, not based on desire, but on conscience, vs. 23) should not remain weak. It's implied that even though we're not to pass judgment on the weak brother, the weak brother should be growing and should one day overcome this conscience-problem. Moreover, we cannot run to Romans 14 to justify what we want to do; only to seek out patience from stronger brethren as we struggle with a weak and immature conscience.

Obviously, so much more could be said about Romans 14. My only point here is that there are a few quick and easy observations that negate the conventional interpretation of this chapter.

 

In short, let's have patience and forbearance with one another when it comes to matters of opinion and personal judgment, but at the same time, let's be unwavering in our stand for the truth of God's word.