Romans 14

Last night our Wednesday night Bible study group was confronted by God's instructions concerning how to change other people. For the last few chapters we've been learning how God wants us to relate to people - to those who don't believe, to the authorities, and now to people who are Christians, but don't practice their faith the way we do.

This area is one in which Christ followers play judge pretty often, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised that Paul had to address it with the new church at Rome. The failure to exercise the restraint out of love that Paul talks about here has had grave consequences time and time again.

So he began by saying this:

1 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
Romans 14:1 (MSG)

"Welcome with open arms" or "accept" carries the idea that you aren't just going along to get along. You love and respect your fellow believer for who they are. They may very well be off base, but they aren't sinning, and you don't have the authority or the right to dictate their decisions on matters that aren't restricted by Scripture.

Sure there are actions that are forbidden outright. Adultery is always wrong. Theft is likewise. Check Exodus 20. But there are also things that one person may see no harm in, even enjoy, that aren't prohibited.

Alcohol would be at the top of the list. Movies for some. Carrying it further back, I can remember when women had to wear a dress to worship. Except for Sunday nights, when apparently there was a special dispensation. :)

But drinking wine or beer is not prohibited. Drunkenness is, absolutely, always - just as gluttony is as an abuse of food. Some people should absolutely not touch alcohol just as my diabetic friends here should not eat processed sugar treats. But it's not our job to draw the lines.

And it's really above our pay grade to try and change them. First thing is, we don't know enough about them to understand their motive, their intent - like God does. Then too, any lasting transformation is going to be Holy Spirit driven, not people pushed.

4 Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help. Romans 14:4 (MSG)

Trust God, friends. Trust God. I know you have the urge to fix people. Believe me, I totally understand. But He's at work all the time. If your brother or sister is outside the lines God has drawn, He's going to be working through the limitless power of the Holy Spirit to bring them back.

Oh, and remember, the person that's not it sync with God might just be you. If your brother drinks a can of beer after a hot afternoon of yard work, your desire to straighten him out may be the only sin in the equation, if it's driven by a desire to get him to see things as you see them.

We should be looking for God's way, not our own.

7 None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. 8 It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. 9 That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. Romans 14:7-9 (MSG)

It's those "petty tyrannies" that have caused people who aren't believers to see Christianity as a religion of "don't do that!" instead of the life of freedom from guilt and shame that Jesus intended it to be.

12 So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. Romans 14:12 (MSG)

Uh, yeah.... buddy.

Before I leave this, let me address the question - but aren't you supposed to be careful you don't offend or cause someone else to fall?

Absolutely. Remember, this whole block of instruction in Romans is about LOVING your fellow believer.

15 If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Romans 14:15 (MSG)

It's about the two greatest commandments - Loving God with everything you've got, and loving your neighbor like yourself.

22 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. 23 But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong. Romans 14:22-23 (MSG)

So your actions need to square with Scripture, and your attitude about how others interpret the freedom they have in Christ do too. Don't forbid what God has permitted. It might not be for you, but that's okay.

Grace,

David