Grace, Judgment, and Freedom in Romans 14

SPEAKER 02 : 0:06

So we are seeing that Paul is telling us not to judge. This is the essence of Romans 14. Some people are weak in the faith, not weak in the sense that they can’t overcome everything, but weak in that they feel that God will not accept them if they don’t perform certain rituals of this and that. And Paul says, “…do not despise such people, and those who are weak in the faith, don’t judge those who you see seem to be stronger.” Rather, he says this, therefore let us not judge one another any more, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. Now, I don’t know whether you’ve grasped the full implication of this. It’s a massive idea. Let me give you examples. There are churches that will judge you if you are not a vegetarian. I know that sounds absurd, but there are churches who will judge you, members will judge you, if you are not a vegetarian, if you eat meat. There are churches that will judge you if you eat unclean meats, according to the Old Testament Levitical value. There are churches that will condemn you, that will judge you if you drink coffee or tea or alcohol of any kind. There are churches that will not accept you as a member if you do not keep a Saturday Sabbath. Now, as I have said, every man must, well, not as I have said, but rather as Paul has said here, every man must be fully persuaded in his own mind. It’s a wonderful thing if you choose to be a vegetarian. It’s a wonderful thing if you choose to be a teetotaler. It is a wonderful thing if you take care of your health as a responsible action before God, as a person mindful of his mission in the world. It’s a wonderful thing if you choose to keep a Sabbath, to rest and reflect on God, and to enjoy it with your family. But if you should lay down the law that this is what everyone must do, then you have fallen from grace. You have fallen from grace. Think of it this way. Think of the early church. If Paul had laid down rules like that, in regard to what to eat, in regard to what to drink, in regard to which rituals to keep, in regard to a Sabbath day, do you think the gospel would have spread throughout the world? No, it would not. It would have remained a minor, minuscule sect in the Middle East, and it would not have taken off. We have to see and ask ourselves, what are we doing to set up limitations towards our brother, to set boundaries, or rather to set standards for our brother? that will prevent him from seeing the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ for his sins. What has liberated this world, what liberated the West, what liberated people to believe and to be free in Jesus Christ, is the atoning sacrifice of Christ, the sacrifice that took the sins of the world, where Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself. and declared us reconciled in his death to the Father, that through faith in him we have access to the Father. Through faith in him there is no more judgment upon us, that we are dead to the law of judgment. We are dead to sin in that it can separate us or identify us and therefore exclude us from the Father. We are removed from God’s judgment and wrath because Jesus in himself, as God among men, took that judgment on behalf of the world. So what are we doing, for goodness sake, when we make judgments upon others? It doesn’t mean that we don’t evaluate what is right and wrong. Of course we do. but we look at every man and woman as God’s child who has been reconciled to the heart of the Father, even while an enemy. And therefore we introduce that one to God, assuring that person that you have been reconciled to the heart of the Father, that Jesus is your Savior, that he has taken away the judgment. Don’t put a big if there, if you accept. Rather, receive him because he has taken away the judgment. This is the glory of the gospel. So let’s read this again. But why do you judge your brother, or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, for it is written as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore do not judge one another any more, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause of fall in our brother’s way. You see, to put a standard there, I mean, I once belonged to a church that would not baptize me until I stopped smoking. Now, I was a young Christian. I smoked from the age of 14 to 16, and I wanted to be a member of this church. And so I did stop smoking. I was thoroughly addicted, but I stopped. And as a result, they were willing to baptize me. And I’m deeply thankful. In one way, I am so thankful that that church described a red line, as it were. And therefore, I’m a healthy man today because I stopped smoking as a teenager.

SPEAKER 01 : 6:38

But I must say this to you.

SPEAKER 02 : 6:42

Is it right to put that stricture before a person and say you cannot be a believer or a saved person in Jesus Christ until you stop this habit? I’m sorry, it is wrong. And I know there are risks involved in that, in having no conditions except to believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. Of course there are risks. Grace is a risky thing. Love is a risky thing. Mercy is a risky thing. Everybody takes advantage of it. You could take advantage of it, and you do. We all have done it. But that does not mean that we withhold the gospel because people might take advantage of it. We rather give the good news, and we believe that as the good news is given, the Holy Spirit enables that person to begin to grow. That’s how it is. Now Paul comes up with yet another incredible statement. I told you several days ago that Romans chapter 14 is a surprising chapter. We kind of think that he’s said everything that needs to be said. But then comes Romans 14, and he says this in verse 14, I know, and I’m convinced by the Lord Jesus. Now notice what he’s convinced by, not his own mind, but by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself. But to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Now this is just astonishing, because he is re-evaluating what the Old Testament says about clean and unclean meats. That, to some people, is a very, very serious issue. Paul sees there is ritual cleanness and uncleanness in these animals. He’s not talking about vegetarianism here. There may be some animals that are healthier than others to eat. That’s not what he’s talking about. He’s saying he’s convinced that there is nothing unclean in itself. In other words, just as it says in the book of Acts, God declared all things clean. Jesus declared all things clean. And the book of Acts confirms it. But do you realize what this means? Have you come up with an understanding of what it means? How did he get convinced by this? By the Lord Jesus. How did Jesus convince him? By the sacrifice that Jesus made that took all sin and evil upon the cross for all humanity. And thus Jesus cleansed the world. That’s why Isaiah talks about the Messiah, the servant, sprinkling many nations, cleansing the world. We have been cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus himself for the world. That is the only way we get to go to the kingdom of heaven. We believe it and we trust in God for it. That statement alone, that I am convinced that there is nothing unclean in itself, it was declared ritually clean or unclean, I suppose for the purpose of separating Israel from the world so that Israel would be a distinct nation declaring the name of Yahweh, declaring the name of Jehovah, the Lord, the Creator, the Redeemer. And so those sacrifices separated us, separated them from the world. Those rituals, I should say, separated them from the world. But now what separates us from the world is Jesus Christ. So if your brother is grieved, he says, because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. And so I think Paul is saying here, speaking from both sides, you do not destroy the brother or grieve him with your food in the sense of you tell him that he must not eat this or that food, or On the other side, you express your own liberty right in his face in such a way that you offend him. So, you see, you look at two things. Am I judging my brother by setting rules and regulations upon him so that he has lost his joy and sense of assurance in Jesus Christ? Or am I also offending my brother by Carelessly expressing my own liberty without a thought to his weakness of faith. Maybe I can express my liberty when I’m with other people or alone. But why harm somebody else’s weakness of faith all the more by making him uncertain? So therefore, Paul says, therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

SPEAKER 01 : 12:35

Think of that. Do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

SPEAKER 02 : 12:41

Christians have found great joy in Jesus. Christians have found liberty and freedom. And, just to give an example, many, many Muslims would condemn Christian liberty. I mean, for instance, a woman can walk open-faced in the West, in the West that has the culture that has spread from Christianity, that there is neither male nor female in Jesus Christ. But if you were in Afghanistan, such liberty of open-faced femininity would be condemned and possibly you would be stoned to death. You see the difference. You see where we have a liberty which deeply offends the Muslim. What shall we do? I’m not sure. Quite honestly, I’m not sure. But think about it. The very question makes you think, how do I use my liberty? Thank you for joining me today. Colin Cook here and How It Happens. You can hear the broadcast any time of the day or night on your smartphone. Simply download a free app, soundcloud.com or podbean.com and key in How It Happens with Colin Cook when you get there. And if you would kindly consider a donation, please do so. This is listener-supported radio. You can send your donation to FaithQuest, P.O. Box 366, Littleton, Colorado, 80160, or make your donation online at faithquestradio.com. Thank you so much. I appreciate all your help, and I’ll see you next time. Cheerio and God bless.