Or, On Things That Are Not Disputable
Scripture: Romans 14:1-4
Date: October 8, 2023
Speaker: Sean Higgins
This paragraph has something for everyone. All the paragraphs in Scripture do, and this one has some special perspective adjustments.
Romans 12 took us from the glories of inseparable union with Christ revealed in the first 11 chapters to practical altar living. Through the last two chapters we’ve been urged to avoid worldliness, to live as one body, to not take personal vengeance, to submit to earthly authorities, to love our neighbors, and to live as light in a culture of darkness.
Chapter 14 continues with gospel application for believers, but makes one big point from 14:1 to 15:13. What could be so important that we need to give it so much attention? The “all the commandments are summed up as love your neighbor as yourself” wasn’t enough? Yeah, apparently not. Sheep still have conflict with each other. And alright. Our convictions are built like our muscles, in more than one sitting.
Christians do have convictions, Christians don’t always have the same convictions, and Christians living in the same community without the same convictions often have conflict. The conflict gets hot because we think TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS are at stake. We think CHRIST’S NAME and HIS HONOR are at stake. And all of that could be; it depends. But as those in the culture war, as those who put on the armor of light, we can act like the man whose only tool is a sword, and tries to knit with it. There will be problems.
Have you noticed that heretics usually don’t identify themselves that; they present as orthodox. And Christians usually don’t call themselves judgmental; they present as the virtuous. That can make us hard to deal with. Truth is SERIOUS and sin is RUINOUS and every hill is MOMENTOUS. We must take EVERY hill! But actually, while truth is serious and sin is ruinous, the truth is that not everything is sin. Not everything our conscience tells us is wrong is actually sin. Even more, while truth is serious and sin is ruinous, Christ dealt with sin on the hill of calvary for every Christian. He cares, He paid the cost, He calls the shots. Jesus is Lord.
If we applied Romans 12:3-5 without fail, plus 12:9-11, plus 12:16, plus 13:8-10, plus 13:14, we might not need 14:1-15:13. But, we don’t, so we do.
There’s a question that I regularly hear coming out of my mouth, and that I realize more and more is probably not going to lead to a satisfying conclusion. “What is the problem?” We don’t actually know the heart of the initial problem in Rome. There’s differences about diet and days, what is eaten or isn’t, what days are special or aren’t. But who are the vegetarians and sabbatarians? Paul refers to categories of weak and strong, who are which? The congregation in Rome had Jews and Gentiles, both groups had different upbringings, and either could have convictions about what was RIGHT for different reasons. The ways to be weak are quite a cornucopia.
But there is a clear problem about our perspective toward and handling of what may not really be a problem. What is not disputable is acting like we’re Jesus, but not for the sake of winning fellowship like Jesus. That’s not all, because the ones who are being confronted start being critical of the church ladies and looking down on them for being so sensitive. One judgy-pants is like watching a bad individual ballet recital, two judgy-pants are like an ugly ballet mosh pit.
It’ll be good to sit together in this larger section of Scripture for a few Sundays and see if we can’t have our minds renewed to see the good and acceptable and perfect.
Here we tune in to the series of unfortunate arguments over personal preferences and dubious opinions.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. (Romans 14:1 ESV)
There exist disputable things. Paul assumes their existence, he does not deny or resolve them. These things are opinions, thoughts and conclusions and choices that are not sin. But this is where it gets tricky, because some treat as sin what others don’t. Paul isn’t stepping in because people have good-natured disagreements over preferences, but because some turn preference issues into judging others. These are issues of conscience, things that don’t have a verse but get turned into a virtue.
Verse 2 is the first example, those who only eat veggies. But verse 5 talks about observing certain days, and verse 21 references eating meat and drinking wine (which Jews, except for Nazarites, didn’t have an issue with).
We’ll see in verses 5-9 that personal conviction is good, and that thankfulness is the key piece no matter one’s position. But the church 2000ish years later still has people arguing for moral betters. We still have “moral” confrontations over diet (gluten, sugar, fast food, GMOs) and alcohol, we could add in music and movies and screen time, sabbath/Sunday allowed activities, breastfeeding, recycling, and it’s sheep-to-sheep grief.
The weak in faith is not a person who is having trouble believing in Jesus for salvation. There’s nothing in these chapters that suggests that such a person is a goat, let alone that they are in danger of losing their salvation. This kind of weak in faith as seen in context is one who is struggling to see his/her faith applied to some basic choices. They’ve got more baggage—wherever they picked it up—than verses.
Two qualifications. First, when God’s Word identifies a sin, it is not “strong” to sin. Second, it is not better to be weak. It is not sin to be weak, but it is better to be strong though the strong ought not act superior. The “strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak” (15:1).
The last part of verse 1 provides some indication of what it may be like dealing with the weak. It can lead to quarrel(ing) over opinions. This has been understood various ways, tricky to translate. But the weak person here has convictions about “disputable matters” (NIV), controversial preferences, scrupulous pinching. While we ought not ostracize the weak, the church isn’t the place where everyone needs to listen to their lectures. Likewise, we don’t need to keep pushing the weak until they say “Uncle.”
Welccome him. Welcome is what God has done (verse 3), welcome is what Christ has done (Romans 15:7). Let them in the door, into the circle. Since this is how the section starts, it seems that the weak were probably the minority. As we know, though, it only takes a spark to get a fire going over disputable things.
There are disputable things, and it’s okay for now.
Here’s the first example of an “opinion/conviction” that might not always make for a healthy exchange of ideas.
One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. (Romans 14:2 ESV)
Sometimes I think we must read 1 Corinthians 10:31 differently, as if it said: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to give grief to the person doing it differently than you.
Speaking of 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote Romans from Corinth. And he had previously written to the Corinthians about some who were eating food offered to idols (1 Corinthians 8:1-13), whether they could get that meat cheaper or not. But while there are similarities, there’s no mention of tainted-with-idol meat. This isn’t just no-idol-meat, this is NO meat. The weak person eats only vegetables.
Why vegetarian? Were these Jews following the Daniel Diet? Were these Gentiles feeling guilty about their pre-Christian days of Bacchus banqueting? It kind of doesn’t matter why, what does matter is that they turned it into a “better than thou” religious reason.
It is one thing to talk about wisdom and good health and Creator-honoring stewardship. But wow do we have a hard time not turning it into righteous/unrighteous, “YOU ARE SINNING by eating THAT!.”
There are stronger and weaker brothers, and it’s okay for now.
Paul provides equal opportunity imperatives.
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. (Romans 14:3 ESV)
The two prohibitions are similar: don’t despise and don’t judge. The strong are tempted to feel like the weak are annoying, petty, fussy; welcoming them seems like a guarantee of no fun. The weak are tempted to feel like the strong have sailed too far from shore in their liberty canoe; they might go right over the falls, and take us all with them. Usually the strong are more dismissive, the weak are more tyrannical. The final explanation applies to both, but is probably especially to the weak: God has welcomed him, so settle down.
Sometimes you don’t want to be in the middle, and yet sometimes you just are. Depending on which side I’m talking to, I’ll probably tell them both: it’s going to be alright.
Both the strong and the weak need to behave themselves, and it’s never okay to despise/look down on a brother.
There is a God and He knows what’s happening with each of His servants.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4 ESV)
Again, this perspective adjustment is primarily given to the weaker brother, the brother who has more rules, the brother who is more sensitive about things, the brother who has concerns about what the other brother isn’t avoiding. All of it applies to both, but the one eating more than veggies is going to make it, if the Lord’s the Lord of them. Since Jesus is Lord, we are not permitted to be presumptuous.
I thought about subtitling this sermon as: On the Nature of Taking a Kuyperian Chill Pill, or something like that. When we confess that Jesus is Lord, that’s an exclusive claim (Lord alone), that’s an exhaustive claim (Lord of all). It fires us up to be bold and drives us to be broader in our interests. But it is also an encouraging claim, a great reason to relax. Mrs. Bossy-pants on the new Brussels sprouts diet is not my Lord, and I also don’t have to be Lord over all the people not doing it like I would.
Jesus is Lord of our brothers, and it’s never okay for us to condemn or try to control them.
The anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God, and the scruples of man don’t produce the sanctification of God. You don’t fight folly with fussiness, and you don’t convince a weak person to be strong by beating them up with your freedom, not Christianly at least. If love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), and it does, then certainly we can ease up things another person is thankful for.
We have “weak” among us, including weak brothers who think they are the virtuous ones, and we have those who are irritated by the weak among us acting all virtuous. What is indisputable is that we all have one Lord over us. “We are the Lord’s” (Romans 12:8). Make sure to welcome the welcomed.
The charge is to live as we sing, with hearts abounding more and more in love and in multi-part harmony. The blessing of God is to give us just that, making us one as the Father, Son, and Spirit are one.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:5–7, ESV)