Sacrificing My Rights

Reading:  Romans 14:13-23
    
    Having acknowledged the differing opinions on matters of meats and feast days, Paul instructs the Roman Christians how to make peace going forward.  “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”(Rom 14:13).  The idea of a “stumbling block” here is more than the modern idea of “offending” someone.  It means leading them to sin (rather than just making them upset).  He equates it with my brother being grieved (Rom 14:15), destroyed (Rom 14:15), speaking of my good as evil (Rom 14:16), and making him stumble (Rom 14:21).  Paul teaches us not to insist on our opinions to the point where we encourage our brother to violate his own conscience.

    But he goes a step farther.  If exercising my rights causes my brother to sin, I should sacrifice my rights.  “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble”(Rom 14:21).  Yes, even if I have the right to do something, it would be better not to do it than to lead my brother to sin by doing it.  This teaching is particularly challenging because Americans believe so strongly in the idea of personal liberties and rights.  We fight for our rights and feel justified exercising them, regardless of the impact on others.  Christians think differently:  “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God”(Rom 14:20).  My rights are not worth my brother’s soul.

    Our actions involve more than just ourselves and God.  Even when I feel a behavior is morally acceptable, have I considered its effect on others?  Would I be willing to give it up for my brother’s sake?  Would I be resentful of my brother for his strong opinions when I believe a practice is OK?  These are probing questions.  It is easy to say we love one another, but “if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love”(Rom 14:15).  Love is tested when we sacrifice our rights to bless those around us—like Jesus.

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One Thing to Think About:  Would I give up my way, my fun, or my opinion for my brother’s sake?

One Thing to Pray For:   A heart to love my brother above myself
 

I Am Not the Lord

Reading:  Romans 14:5-12
    
    Paul is addressing issues in which either way is acceptable to God—such as diet and holidays—and how we treat those who disagree with us in such matters.  “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.  The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God”(Rom 14:4-6).  Paul is focused on how we appear before “the Lord,” Jesus.  If we are not “fully convinced” that he is pleased with our actions, then we should abandon them.  Whatever our convictions, we should arrive at them and uphold them out of respect for Jesus, our Lord and Master.

    But his role as Lord also means that he is the Lord of my brothers too.  “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?  It is before his own master that he stands or falls”(Rom 14:4).  “Why do you pass judgment on your brother?  Or you, why do you despise your brother?  For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God”(Rom 14:10).  We will all answer for our own choices, but we will answer to Jesus, not to one another.  So if my brother’s service looks different from mine in matters of opinion and freedom, what difference does that make to me?  He will answer to his Master.

    I am not the Lord.  Jesus has not appointed me the boss of the faith of others.  My duty is not to pass judgment on those who do things I would not.  My duty is not to despise those who refuse to do things I see as fine.  Instead, Jesus instructs me to be focused on whether my choices please him.  I must let Jesus be the Lord and do my best to serve him.

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One Thing to Think About:  Do I have a hard time respecting the opinions of others?

One Thing to Pray For:   Humility before my Lord
 

When Opinions Differ

Reading:  Romans 14:1-4
    
    Paul turns his attention in this section to the difficulty of Jews and Gentiles living together in the Christian community in Rome.  There seem to have been strong differences based on the diets and religious calendars the people observed before becoming Christians.  “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions”(Rom 14:1).  “Welcome him” means that our general posture is one of acceptance of our brothers despite the fact that we do not agree on every opinion.  “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables”(Rom 14:2).  I believe Paul is referring particularly to Jewish Christians who still hold the kosher laws, struggling with the idea that Jesus frees them to eat all foods.

    Paul’s instruction is twofold.  “Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him”(Rom 14:3).  When opinions differ, the one who feels free to eat should not “despise” the one who abstains.  This would mean looking down on him simply because he believes eating is wrong.  Meanwhile, the one who abstains is not to “pass judgment” on the one who eats.  This would mean condemning him as if he has done evil simply because he does not hold my view.  When opinions differ, despising and judging are inappropriate and destructive.

    The entire Roman letter has been building to this point.  Paul has stressed throughout that both Jew and Gentile are under sin, saved by grace (not their own works), and grafted together as God’s people.  Where we were different, we are now one in Christ.  Yet even now, we will not always agree.  God wants us to welcome one another and show kindness and respect despite our differences of opinion.  We must learn to distinguish between matters of faith and matters of opinion—and learn to accept others who think differently than we do.

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One Thing to Think About:  Why do I struggle accepting others whose opinions differ from mine?

One Thing to Pray For:   Willingness to accept others—and a place where I am accepted—despite differences over opinions
 

Time to Wake Up

Reading:  Romans 13:8-14
    
    Having urged the Romans to pay the governor all that he is owed, Paul teaches them more broadly to “owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law”(Rom 13:8).  Love is an obligation that is never fully paid off.  We never check a box, dust off our hands, and decide that we have loved enough.  “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law”(Rom 13:10).  Rather than enumerating all the things we should not do to our neighbor, love teaches us how to fulfill God’s intent by always doing good.

    But it is time that gives Paul’s words urgency.  “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.  For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  The night is far gone; the day is at hand.  So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light”(Rom 13:11-12).  It is time to wake up!  We are closer to the end than we have ever been.  Night is the time for sleep, but the day is dawning.  Paul argues both that God’s purposes for the end of the world are unfolding and that we should put away actions that are characteristic of evil and darkness.  “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy”(Rom 13:13).  The time has come for us to address spiritual problems, put sin behind us, and prepare for what God has in store for us next.

    Sometimes Christians become lax in their service.  We allow sin to have a foothold in our lives.  We put off making major changes that we know are needed, assuming that we’ll always have tomorrow.  We lose our zeal.  We get tired.  We need a wake-up call.  It’s time to wake up!  “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

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One Thing to Think About:  In what areas of my spiritual life do I need to wake up?  What changes do I need?

One Thing to Pray For:   A renewed passion for God’s things
 

Christians and Government

Reading:  Romans 13:1-7
    
    Paul has been teaching the Romans about the need to be peaceable rather than vengeful amid persecution (Rom 12:18-21).  Here he discusses Christians and government more generally, addressing believers who live in the shadow of the most powerful empire in the ancient world.  “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities…one must be in subjection”(Rom 13:1, 5).  The general posture is obedience and submission, acknowledging the power of government and the blessing it is to mankind.  We do what our government tells us.  We also give respect (Rom 13:7) and honor (Rom 13:7), independent of whether the specific figures in government are honorable people.

    We respect and obey government because we respect and obey God.  “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God”(Rom 13:1).  This does not mean that God has specifically chosen each figure in government, but that he has established government as part of ordering human society.  Paul goes so far as to call the leader “God’s servant for your good…for he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer”(Rom 13:4).  We can certainly complain that governments don’t always do this well (Roman Christians could too) or that many are hopelessly corrupt (Roman Christians could too), but Paul insists that government checks the spread of evil by enforcing justice.  In this, government is God’s servant and therefore worthy of our submission.  There might be situations in which we resist rather than obey government (for example, when we must decide between man and God, Acts 5:29), but the rule is that we submit.  

    All of this does not sit well with modern Americans, including many Christians.  Our nation was founded in revolution and allows freedom to dissent when we do not like a certain governmental action.  This would be unheard of in ancient times.  Christians must remember that government deserves respect because we honor God, no matter who is in office.  We obey laws, we pay taxes, and we speak with honor about our elected officials.  We do this because we appreciate the blessing that government is to check the evil in the world.  

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One Thing to Think About:  Is it a struggle for me to be subject to people I don’t respect?

One Thing to Pray For:   A deeper allegiance to God’s kingdom than to my nation