March 1, 2022
As Believers, We Should Look to Serve Others Before Serving Ourselves
Romans 14
Ryan Moret
Central Truth
When we see our brothers and sisters walking with Christ on a different path from our own, we do not need to judge them, and we can trust that Christ has given them the gift of the Spirit and His blood has covered them. Let us seek to understand them.
Key Verse | Romans 14:4
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
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 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. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master 1 14:4 Or lord that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 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. 6 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. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 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; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess
2
14:11
Or shall give praise
to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13 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. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 3 14:21 Some manuscripts add or be hindered or be weakened 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. 4 14:23 Some manuscripts insert here 16:2527
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Romans 14
I imagine each of us can name some hot button opinions that circulate in our circles. I will throw a few out there just to help get us thinking: our health, the foods we eat, the churches we attend, the schools we send our kids to, the way we vote, the shows we watch . . . just to name a few.
The topic of discounted pagan meats (#FinancialStewardship) may seem benign compared to some of the more modern examples I listed above, but the end result is the same: Some Christ followers are judging other Christ followers, saying, "I can't believe you would eat THAT."
It was not sin for the Christians to choose vegetarianism, as that was strengthening their relationship with Christ, nor was it a sin for them to eat the meat, because they knew that Christ died for them.
What was wrong was for each of those Christians to judge their brothers and sisters because of their personal conviction. As believers we are called to correct our brothers and sisters on matters of sin (Galatians 6:1) but not on matters of opinion (Romans 14:4). Something interesting to note is that Paul refers to the "weaker person" as the one who abstains from the pagan meats (Romans 14:2).
Here are some prayers you can join in with me concerning this warning against passing judgment:
I pray that we would be a church where we first seek to understand others (Proverbs 18:2) instead of judging them for not following our similar convictions. Let us meet each other where we are on our individual walks and celebrate what God is doing in our lives. Let us remember that Christ's blood is enough for our salvation.
I pray that the Spirit, in partnership with our own desire to seek understanding, would give us clarity and conviction to help call others out of sinful behavior in a loving way (Galatians 6:1).
I pray that we will not justify our own sins under the disguise of opinion. Let us not continue in sin where God would have us take steps of faithfulness (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Discussion Questions
1. What is something that you have done out of a personal conviction in your walk with the Lord that you are surprised more Christians do not partake in? Have you ever tried to push this conviction onto a brother or sister in Christ? How does that fall in line with Romans 14:10?
2. What is a practice or conviction that you have seen others partake in that you do not personally follow? Do you think that it would be faithful for you to follow a similar conviction, or do you feel freedom from that?
3. Are there people in your life whose behavior you have been trying to modify because of how you see them following Christ?
4. Discuss in the comments below or with your community group examples of what it looks like to call our brothers and sisters from sin (Galatians 6:1) while not using our personal convictions to define the standard of what is and is not sin.
5. Discuss with your community and those around you about how you may be sharing your convictions with them and with others. Does it come across as challenging, encouraging, loving, or judgmental?