Romans 14
This chapter speaks to the area of Christian freedom and my thoughts will be a little longer today. What I mean by freedom is that there are some areas of life that God has not commanded specifics for our behavior so we must make our decision on what is right or wrong for us and those we are in relationship with. The problem comes when Christians disagree and offend each other. In this passage two areas are highlighted, what you eatand on which day you attend church.
Remember the early church was a mixture of Jews and gentiles. Jews had strict dietary laws from the OT and keeping the Sabbath (i.e., Saturday) was essential. The gentiles did not have these customs drilled into them and God did not carry them over into the New Covenant. So Christians (both Jews and gentiles) are free from those laws, they have been fulfilled in Christ. Paul is very concerned that we do not step on each other in the church of God and bring unnecessary offense to one another.
To fully understand this passage I want to bring in information from 1 Corinthians 8-9. There Paul is talking about the same thing but describes people as either “weak believers” or “strong believers.” The weak believer’s conscience tells him/her that they shouldn’t eat meat, but when they see their fellow believer eating meat, they too will be influenced to eat that meat and violate their own conscience and thus sin (1 Cor. 8:7-13). If we are the stronger believer that leads them down that road, we too have sinned according to that passage.
So the end result is this: when you know you are with someone who is weaker in their conscience and you know what they struggle with, then limit your freedom so that you do not cause them to participate in your behavior which causes them to stumble. My brother or sister’s well-being should be more important than my freedom or “right” to do as I please. My rights are not more important than my brother or sister’s well-being. I think the passage below is a great reminder of whose we are.
Rom. 14:7-9For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
One more thought. Besides the stronger and weaker believer, there is a third type not mentioned in these chapters; it is the Pharisaical believer. This is the Christians that knows for certainwhat is right for him/her and also for everyone else. They not only put up rules in their lives that God didn’t make, they want you to submit to them too. This person is self-righteous and legalistic. We are not obligated to curb our freedom for this type of person, they need to be ignored or even rebuked. I pray that we have the wisdom to know the difference between the weaker believer and the Pharisee.
What are your thoughts, what are some areas of freedom that other Christians have tried to get you to submit to that you don’t believe were from the Lord?
