Romans 14:13-23
Three rules to live by does not mean that we are adding laws.
Rather, in Romans 14:13-23, Paul is trying to help us understand how we should
live as brothers and sisters in the family of God. In Romans 12:1-2, he told us
to present our bodies as living sacrifices, and from that point, he has been
explaining how to live as living sacrifices. He discusses the Christian’s
relationship to government, our unbelieving neighbors and our fellow believers.
Romans 14:13-23 is a continuation of his discourse on how we are to relate to
our fellow believers.
Verses 1-12 explain that we each answer to God. They conclude
this thought and transitions by saying:
Therefore let us not pass judgment on
one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or
hindrance in the way of a brother. (Romans
14:13 ESV)
Paul is concluding his discourse or thoughts on judging by saying
“therefore.” He has made his point that we should not judge one another. Each
person will give an account of himself or herself to God. Now he is
transitioning to a new thought. We should decide never to put a stumbling block
or hindrance in the way of a brother (or sister).
Never is a strong word, and it is used to emphasize the strength
of our determination. Our determination to not hurt our brother or sister
should be greater than the temptation to judge.
Saying “stop judging” is not enough. We are given something to do
in place of judging. We are to replace judging with loving. Not putting a
stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a fellow believer requires that we
1) are observant and 2) understand our brother or sister. If we are not mindful
of our brother or sister, we will not notice what might cause them to stumble,
and if we do not seek to understand our brother or sister, we will not know
what is a hindrance to them.
In his discussion of this subject in Romans 14:13-23, Paul gives
us three rules that if we live by them, will keep us from causing our brother
or sister to stumble.
1. Walk
in love.
2. Pursue
peace and building up.
3. Walk
by faith.
Romans 14:13-16 show us that we must walk in love.
We know that if we walk in love, we will fulfill the law.
However, love is about more than fulfilling the law. Love compels us to seek
the good of our brother or sister.
If we seek good for our brothers and sisters, we must first
understand that we are not all in the same place in our faith or walk with the
Lord. In verse 14, Paul says:
I know and am persuaded in the Lord
Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who
thinks it unclean. (Romans
14:14 ESV)
In this verse, we have Paul’s statement that he knows and is
persuaded that nothing is unclean in itself. He is our teacher, an apostle of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he says it is not unclean in itself, he
makes it clear that it is unclean for the person who thinks it unclean. He had
the authority to say, “Grow up and eat it anyway.” But, he didn’t. He
recognizes that we are all at different places in our walk.
He lays out a principle, a rule, for us to live by. He says:
For if your brother is grieved by what
you eat, you are no longer walking in love. (Romans 14:15 ESV)
This runs contrary to our way of thinking. Why should I worry
about what grieves my neighbor? That is his problem! Such self-centered eating
and doing what we please is not of love. To say, “that is his problem” is to
despise or discount the concerns of the other. A lack of concern about what
grieves my neighbor likely reflects an attitude of either judging or despising
our fellow believer. We either judge or despise our brother or sister, or we
walk in love.
How did Jesus view others? The second half of Romans 14:15
answers this question. It says:
By what you eat, do not destroy the
one for whom Christ died. (Romans
14:15 ESV)
Jesus loved others enough to die for them. Should we not then
love them enough to be concerned about what might cause them spiritual harm?
This is much deeper than “what would Jesus do?” This calls us to love like
Jesus loved and selflessly give of ourselves for others. It calls on us to be
observant when we are around our brothers and sisters, not for the purpose of
judging, but rather for the purpose of understanding and accommodating them.
This addresses a danger in our fellowship. The danger is that what we know is
good can become the thing that destroys a brother or sister. This is why verse
15 says, “By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.” If we
put our freedom before our brother or sister’s conscience, we should remember
the warning of Romans 14:16.
So do not let what you regard as good
be spoken of as evil. (Romans
14:16 ESV)
Paul continues from the principle of love to the idea of peace
and building others up.
This is the second rule to live by, and it is found in Romans
14:17-19.
Verse 17 says:
For the kingdom of God is not a matter
of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit. (Romans 14:17 ESV)
What is this kingdom of God that Paul speaks of? Jesus preached a
message of repentance saying, “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.”
(Matthew 4:17) Jesus is the King of Kings. He brings the kingdom with Him.
Therefore, when we accept Christ, we become citizens of His kingdom. This world
is divided into two kingdoms. The kingdom of man is under the control of the
prince and power of the air. We have Jesus as our King. Philippians 3:19-20
says this about these two kingdoms:
Their end is destruction, their god is
their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ, (Philippians 3:19-20 ESV)
Setting our minds on earthly things is a practice of the other
kingdom. True religion is not found in rules and restrictions and traditions
that have only to do with earthly things. In another place Paul says:
If with Christ you died to the elemental
spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you
submit to regulations— "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"
(referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human
precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting
self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no
value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20-23 ESV)
Judging or despising our brothers and sisters for what they
handle, taste or touch should be a warning, a red flag, for us, alerting us to
a problem in our religion. Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of God is a
matter of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If we are still more
concerned about our food and drink than about righteousness, peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit, then our religion is worse than useless, it is harmful.
Romans 14:18 says:
Whoever thus serves Christ is
acceptable to God and approved by men. (Romans 14:18 ESV)
“Whoever thus serves Christ” refers back to righteousness, peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit are
how we serve Christ. This leads to the “so then” of verse 19. Because we serve
Christ through “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” we are told
to pursue peace and mutual upbuilding.
So then let us pursue what makes for
peace and for mutual upbuilding. (Romans
14:19 ESV)
Pursuing peace and what makes for building one another up is also
consistent with the law of love. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, but instead
seeks the neighbor’s good and benefit. Thus, the first two principles work
together: 1) walk in love, and 2) pursue peace and mutual upbuilding. The third
principle, while consistent with these two, focuses on our relationship with
God rather than with our neighbor. Romans 14:20-21 reviews and summarizes the
first two principles. Speaking of our relationship with other believers, these
verses say:
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy
the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make
another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do
anything that causes your brother to stumble. (Romans 14:20-21 ESV)
The next two verses move from our relationship with other
believers to our relationship with God, and in so doing introduce our third
rule to live by: walk by faith. Romans 14:22 says:
The faith that you have, keep between
yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on
himself for what he approves. (Romans
14:22 ESV)
Here, it plainly says to keep the faith you have between yourself
and God.
Building each other up does not require correcting everyone’s
opinion or that we all agree on the non-essentials. Some things are better kept
between one’s self and God. Eating, drinking, your schedule for devotions and
prayer, and such things are among those things best kept to one’s self. This
does not mean that we cannot share our practices to help or encourage someone.
Sharing ideas and practices can be a part of building each other up. However,
when our sharing comes from boasting, it is a problem.
Each person’s faith is first and profoundly a personal thing as
we each individually grow in a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Each
person needs to be convinced in his or her own heart as to their daily lives in
relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 14:22 says, “Blessed is the one who
has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” If our heart
condemns us for what we eat, we hurt ourselves if we eat anyway.
When instructing his young disciple, Timothy, Paul stressed the
importance of keeping a good conscience. 1 Timothy 1:5 tells us that a good
conscience is one of the goals of our instruction. Then, 1 Timothy 1:19 tells
us:
holding faith and a good conscience.
By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, (1 Timothy 1:19 ESV)
Rejecting or showing no regard for keeping a good conscience can
lead to what is described as a shipwreck. Romans 14:22 gives us an essential
element of our happiness when it says, “Blessed is the one...” Blessed is
another word for happy. Do you want to be happy? Then, keep a good conscience.
Romans 14:23 warns us that if we doubt when we eat, we are
condemned. This is true of any practice. Do you doubt that you are doing right
when working on Sunday? Then don’t. Romans 14:23 says:
But whoever has doubts is condemned if
he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed
from faith is sin. (Romans
14:23 ESV)
The key here is faith. The way to become convinced in your own
heart is through the word of God. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing
and hearing through the word of God. If you were raised with taboos that leave
you with a guilty conscience, the way to overcome those is not by ignoring your
conscience but by being renewed in your heart and mind by the word of God. This
is a matter of personal growth. No one can do this for you. Romans 1:17
introduced us to the idea that the righteous live by faith. Living by faith
shows in daily life in the choices we make. It seems to me that many throw away
their conscience to gain a worldly life that they will only regret in the world
to come.
We await a Savior from heaven, and when He comes will we be
ready? Living by our three rules will help us be prepared.
1. Walk
in love.
2. Pursue
peace and mutual upbuilding.
3. Walk
by faith.
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