Christian Liberty #12

Introduction to Christian Liberty and Romans 14-15

0:00 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, May 23, 2004, at Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now please turn with me in your own Bibles to Paul's letter to the Romans and chapter 14.

0:20 Romans at chapter 14.

0:25 And I make no apology for reading in your hearing the entire 14th chapter of Romans and the first seven verses of chapter 15. Many of you may not know this, but in many so-called evangelical churches today, one would be hard-pressed to find even five verses of the Bible read. You've had a call to worship that was Scripture. You've had the reading of a whole psalm, a whole chapter from the New Testament Gospels, and now a chapter and a third from an epistle.

0:59 And to the extent... To the extent, more than... less than a third, about a fourth.

1:05 And to the extent that we continue to be a people soaking up our Bibles, we will be safe from the mere opinions of men and the changing winds of religious fads. And I trust that you who are part of the rising generation, who are sitting here now in services, soaked with the Bible, if the time ever comes when there begins to be an erosion, from that, that you'll rear back on your hind legs and say, No way, Jose. We want our Bibles. We want that blessed book which alone teaches us the way of God and shows us the way of life.

1:49 Hear then the reading of Romans 14 through 15 and verse 7.

1:56 But him that is weak in faith, receive. And now I'm going to give what is a much better translation. It makes...

2:04 It makes sense to us. But not for the purpose of quarrels over disputed matters. Him that is weak in faith, receive. But not for the purpose of quarrels over disputed matters.

2:22 One man has faith to eat all things. But he that is weak eats herbs. Let not him that eats set it not, him that eats not. And let...

2:35 Let not him who does not eat judge him that eats, for God has received him. Who are you that judges the servant of another? To his own Lord he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be made to stand, for the Lord has power to make him stand.

2:56 One man esteems one day above another, and other esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his...

3:05 In his own mind. He that regards the day, regards it unto the Lord. And he that eats, eats unto the Lord, for he gives God thanks. And he that does not eat, unto the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

3:22 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord. Or whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die.

3:36 We are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you set it not, your brother?

3:54 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then, each one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling.

4:25 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself, save to him who accounts anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of meat your brother is grieved, you no longer walk in love, do not destroy with your meat him for whom Christ died. Do not let your good be evil spoken of, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

5:04 For he that in these things serves Christ is well-pleasing to God and approved of men. So then, let us follow after the things which make for peace, and things whereby we may build up one another. Do not overthrow for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed are clean, albeit it is evil for that man who eats with offense, it is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything whereby your brother stumbles.

5:44 The faith which you have, have to yourself before God. Happy is he who judges not himself in that which he approves. But he that doubts is condemned if he eat, because he does not eat of faith, and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Now we that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

6:14 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good unto edifying. For Christ also pleased not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach you fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6:59 Wherefore, receive one another, even as Christ also received, and received you to the glory of God. Let's again pray and ask God for the help of his spirit in understanding his word. Our Father, we would take the posture of the Psalmist and pray that all carnal haughtiness and pride in our own mental and intellectual abilities would be nailed to the cross, that coming to spiritual realities we would acknowledge afresh our need of spiritual illumination, help us, we pray,

7:43 as I seek to open up portions of this chapter, as your people seek to understand it. O God, be our help, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

8:09 These words of our Lord Jesus in John 8.36 are among the most wonderful words that could ever reach human ears. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. And it is the nature and reality and fruits of this very freedom that are presently the focus of our study of the word of God as we've been engaged in a series of messages entitled A Fresh Look at the Doctrine of Christian Liberty.

8:43 Thus far, we've examined, and from the scriptures, the reality and nature of our bondage and slavery in Adam, the reality and nature of our liberty and freedom in Christ. We have looked at the goal of our liberty in Christ, Luke 1, 74 and 75, and then we consider together the twofold danger or constant threats to our liberty in Christ. The threat of license or libertinism on the one hand and the threat of legalism on the other and addressing those threats we opened up several pivotal texts

9:26 in the word of God. Now this morning we begin to explore the subject most often associated with the doctrine of Christian liberty, that is, our liberty in relationship to non-moral issues. Those issues, those issues, those issues, those issues, concerning which the Bible gives no clear prohibition nor no clear command. And the moment we turn to that subject or that division of our subject, we should understand that there are two sections of Holy Scripture that are the divinely given watershed

10:07 of biblical principles and understanding. Romans 14, that I've read in your hearing into 15, and 1 Corinthians chapters 8, 9, and 10, and the first verse of chapter 11. We come then this morning to our first examination of Romans 14, 1 to 15, 7, one of those two watershed passages. And as we do, I want us first of all to consider briefly the contents of the previous part of the letter, especially as those contents relate to basic teaching concerning the Christian life.

The Organic Unity of Romans: Context for Christian Living

10:51 So if you're taking notes, Roman numeral 1 is the previous content of the Roman letter, especially as it touches upon the Christian life.

11:05 Those who divided up our Bible into chapters and verses, you know, this was a human endeavor back a few hundred years ago. But I want us to think of the Roman letter as Paul's 16th 16-page letter. It's been divided into 16 chapters. And in this 16-page letter, we are this morning going to open up the letter to page 14 and on into a bit of page 15.

11:33 Now surely you would acknowledge with me that the Apostle Paul had enough keenness of mind and enough sense of spiritual responsibility to avoid two things at this point, in his letter. Number one, we, I trust, are confident that when we come to page 14, we would find absolutely nothing that would contradict or negate what he had written in pages 1 to 13. And secondly, that we give him enough credit of mental acuity that he did not forget what he wrote on pages 1 to 13. So you all agree with me,

12:18 that if Paul is a reasonably intelligent person, let alone a man when he writes this under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that he would neither forget nor contradict anything that he had written in the first 13 pages. Therefore, whatever is found in this portion of the Word of God, page 14 and a bit of page 15 of Paul's letter, must be understood in a way that is consistent with everything that has gone before. We all agreed with that. Now a failure to come to grips with that very self-evident principle has caused people

13:02 to derive stuff out of Romans 14 through 15, 7 that ought never had entered their heads. But it has entered their heads and into their religious persuasion because they forget this is a letter with organic unity. And you do not just rip a section out of its larger context. So, as I said, I want to spend a few moments just sketching in what Paul has set before us in those first 13 chapters, particularly as it relates to the doctrine of the Christian life.

13:40 That is, how we are to live as children of God. The great theme of Romans, I trust immediately you say, Romans 1, 16, I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes for therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith. That's Paul's great theme. It is the theme of a righteousness provided by God revealed in the gospel and to be received by faith.

14:16 I hope every believer has an understanding of the simple fact that is Paul's great theme. And as he addresses that theme, he starts in verse 18 of chapter 1 all the way through to chapter 3 and verse 20 to demonstrate the universal need for righteousness. You sit here this morning and you say, whoa, I get excited about such a theme. A righteousness from God revealed in the gospel, received by faith.

14:48 What's that have to do with me? If you have no sense that it has a lot to do with you, I urge you when you leave this place today, spend some time this afternoon reading Romans 1.18 to 3.20 with the prayer, O God, show me where I fit in here.

15:03 And if God answers that prayer and you read it thoughtfully, you will see how you do fit. You are part of a world that is under the condemnation of God because it has no righteousness of its own that is acceptable to God. And then beginning in verse 21 of chapter 3 through to the end of that chapter, he shows the provision of this righteousness in the person and work of Jesus which is to be received by faith. But now, a righteousness from God has been revealed.

15:37 And then he demonstrates that that righteousness is procured in the death of Jesus Christ and is available to all men by faith. And then in chapter 4, he shows the witness of the Old Testament to this righteousness which is received by faith. And he illustrates in the life of Abraham and in the life of David, this has always been God's way of conferring righteousness upon sinners. No sinner has ever found acceptance before God in any other way than God's provision of righteousness received by faith.

16:17 And in chapter 5, verses 1 to 11, he sets forth some of the amazing fruits of God's righteousness received by faith. Having therefore been justified by faith, we have peace with God. We have access. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

16:34 The love of... Oh, it's marvelous.

16:36 I don't want to start quoting or I'm going to get preaching. But he shows us some of those marvelous privileges that belong to every single sinner who, conscious that he has no righteousness of his own, has cast himself upon Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospel and by faith has laid hold of the righteousness of God in Jesus. And then at the end of chapter 5, verses 12 to 21, he demonstrates the framework within which this righteousness comes to us. As surely as our sinfulness comes to us in terms of the representative headship of Adam, so it is in Jesus Christ and his representative headship

17:20 that this righteousness comes to us. Then, in chapter 6, he moves from the question of how this righteousness by faith is received and its initial blessings to the whole question of what relationship does it have to a changed life. Salvation is all of God and all of grace and all in Christ and where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. He asks the question in chapter 6 in verse 1.

17:51 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? And his answer is God forbid. And then he begins to demonstrate why every single person who has received this righteousness of God procured by Christ announced in the gospel and received by faith without exception produces a holy life. And in chapter 6 verses 1 to 14 he told us the result of faith in Christ unto the union with Christ in which we died with him we were raised with him till result sin no longer

18:36 exercises lordship over us for we are not under the law but under grace. 15 is the key text in that section and then in verses 15 to the end of the chapter he says the result of a saving response to the gospel is a change of masters from sin to righteousness. The first half of the chapter when we lay hold of Christ and are united to Christ the virtue of his death and resurrection is reproduced in us we die to sin's lordship we rise to newness of life sin no longer has dominion over us. Verses 15 to the end of the chapter the key verse being verse 17 but God be thanked that you who were the

19:20 slaves of sin you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine unto which you were delivered and having been made free from sin you became slaves of righteousness. He says that in union with Christ in the embrace of faith we not only have died to sin's dominion we've had a change of masters from sin to righteousness.

19:44 He goes on to demonstrate in chapter 7 verses 1 to 6 the result of our union with Christ is released from the enslavement to the law. We are now free to render bond service with joy and freedom to the God who has released us. Then when we come into chapter 8 he says the gift of the Spirit is given to all who embrace Christ in the Gospel. It produces a new sphere of moral conduct from flesh to spirit in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his as many as are led by the Spirit they are the sons

20:28 of God. He demonstrates that this gracious provision of salvation in Christ a righteousness from God by faith does not simply leave us pardoned forgiven accepted sinners it always makes us transform sinners. Until then when he comes to chapter 12 and the end of the dense concentrated doctrinal section what is his appeal? I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your spiritual service be not fashioned according to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind

21:13 that you may prove what is the good acceptable and perfect will of God the gracious provisions of such a salvation in Christ demands a response of total consecration which issues follow me now which issues in a life of non-selfishness non-conformity to the world and a passionate desire to be totally conformed to the will of God in everything Paul wrote chapter 12 1 and 2 before he wrote chapter 14 and he did not write anything in chapter 14 to negate to in any way

21:57 water down the tremendous appeal that if our souls stand back amazed at such a glorious salvation as is ours in Christ it's only reasonable that we say oh God I'm yours lock from the top of my head to the tip of my toes I'm all yours all the time in every on its way to hell in which I once was blind and dead and a rebel against you I want in every single area of life to know your wills

22:42 and to do it the power and in the grace 12 and 13 to get very we're not going to look at all of them among the things he says 12 9 love be without hypocrisy abhor that which is evil leave to that which is good when he says in chapter 14 to the pure to the clean all things are pure wait a minute don't you wrench that loose there are some things that are inherently intrinsically evil and he says

23:26 abhor them there are some things that are intrinsically essentially good Paul didn't forget what he wrote abhor the evil cling to the good chapter 13 verses 8 to 10 the obligation of love that is upon us in all of our relationships and then most interestingly the last thing his pen wrote or his mouth dictated in chapter 13 look at verse 14 look at verse 14 put on the Lord Jesus Christ make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof that's the last word before he takes up the subject of Christian liberty

24:11 with regard to non-moral issues and to me it's tragic that many people read chapter 14 through 15 7 in such a way as to give them allowance to fulfill the lust of the flesh under the guise of Christian so that's a brief fly over Paul picks up his pen or dictates chapters 14 through 15 7 fully conscious of what he wrote in the first 13 pages of his letter he is not forgetting what he wrote and he is not negating or cancelling what he wrote alright now we come

Identifying the Non-Moral Issues in Romans 14

24:55 Roman numeral 2 to the precise concerns in this section of the letter as Paul writes pages 14 and 15 what are his precise concerns and I'm going to answer that under three headings number one the identity of the issues addressed number two the origin of the issues addressed and the problems created by the issues addressed so the identity origin and problems alright the identity of the issues addressed what is Paul dealing with in these chapters that are we say address in a focused way the matter of Christian liberty as it touches

25:40 on non-moral issues well let's look at the text verse 1 him that is weak in faith receive yet not for the purpose of quarrels over disputed matters and what are the disputed matters read on one man has faith to eat all things but he that is weak eats herbs let not him that eats said it not him that eats not and let not him that eats not judge him that eats oh you got the message what are the precise issues the eating or the not eating

26:25 of certain foods now listen carefully as a matter of religious conscience before God the issue is the eating or non-eating of certain foods as a matter of religious convictions of religious conscience before God that's why Paul can go on to say if someone eats that concerning which his conscience gives him no peace that he ought to eat it he stands condemned he has chosen what in his mind is sin and therefore to him it is sin though it is not sin in itself in isolation when he eats it

27:09 with his religious conviction being I ought not to eat it he is sinning so it is a matter of the eating or non-eating of certain foods as a matter of religious conviction not an issue of preference of health issues but conscience before God keep that clearly in mind it's there in the text we just looked at the first couple of verses you find it again in 6b he that regards the day regards to the Lord he that eats eats to the Lord for he gives God thanks he that eats not verse 15 again if because of your meat your brother is grieved you no longer walk in love verse 20 overthrow not

27:54 for meat's sake the work of God the first issue that is in Paul's crosshairs is the eating or not eating of certain foods as a matter of religious conscience before God secondly we're trying to identify the issues addressed the keeping of certain special holidays as a matter of religious conviction the keeping of certain religious holidays or special days as a matter of religious conviction verses 5 and 6 one man esteems one day above another another esteems every day alike flat line let each man be fully assured in his own mind

28:39 he that regards the day now notice regards it unto the Lord you see the issue it is a matter of keeping these special religious holidays out of conscience toward God believing that God requires me to do so God is pleased when I do so or being persuaded God does not require me God is pleased if these holidays are coming though and I act like I didn't even know they were on the calendar the identity of the issues addressed number one the eating or not eating of certain foods as a matter of religious conviction secondly the keeping of certain special holidays as a matter of religious

29:23 convictions and thirdly possibly a separate category the use or non-use of wine as a matter of religious convictions because we read further on in the chapter verse twenty one it is good not to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor do anything whereby thy brother stumbles so into the picture comes the issue of wine and it's alluded to in verse seventeen the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking so the issue here is whether someone out of religious conviction totally abstains from wine by inference any

30:07 alcoholic beverages or whether one indulges as a matter of conviction that he can do so with a good conscience before God now have I persuaded you that that's what's Paul talking about alright you persuaded alright say pastor we're not kindergarten friends please I'm not insulting your intelligence but if you're not clear on this you're going to be off on everything else that follows that's why I say Lord if ever I take the role of a teacher help me to take that role this morning make it as plain as I can even be a fool if I have to alright so if you feel I've come down a little bit I'm not doing it to insult you I love you too much to have anyone go out and say well I'm not quite sure the issue identified

30:52 clearly foods special days and wine now what's the importance of all this we see then that the issues addressed are not things that Paul would have called evil chapter 12 in verse 9 abhor that which is evil some things are evil and they can never be made other than evil and cause evil into that which is good for example the end of chapter 13 he says

31:36 let us walk becomingly as in the day not in reveling and drunkenness partying about and getting smashed not in sexual orgies and betting around would be a contemporary rendering of the next two words in the Greek not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and jealousy these things can never be made acceptable to God and there are a host of other things that can never be made acceptable to God some things are essentially worldly be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed

32:20 there are some things that to give our eyes to them and our ears to them and our feet to them and our money to them is to violate Romans 6.13 neither present your members instruments of unrighteousness unto sin Paul wrote that earlier in the letter so when he takes up these issues as non-moral issues he hasn't forgotten what he's already written and you and I must not forget let me get specific had its theaters and had its plays plot lines

33:05 dripping pagan sensuality and immorality you think Paul is putting into the category of Christian liberty going to such plays drinking in with one's eyes acted out homosexual fornicating relationships and doing that to the glory of God as a matter of Christian liberty no way they were to abhor what was evil evil plays voluntarily impinging upon their eyeballs any contemporary application

33:47 you don't go to the theater in New York to see it you bring the theater to you by way of blockbuster with plots with immorality and unclean ness and ribaldry abhor what is evil don't call it Christian liberty what about Roman Christians who used to delight to go to the Colosseum they loved to see the gladiators come out and fight to the death and to see the blood spurting and it fed something base

34:32 and evil in their hearts you think Paul is putting going to the Colosseum and watching a bloodbath of gladiators as a matter of Christian liberty where men deface the image of God in one another and murder one another an act which God hates and finding entertainment in it I ask you do you think so you see the modern application Dirty Harry Terminator 1 Terminator 2 Terminator 3 write down to all of the present shoot him up blow him to pieces blood in door movies you watch those under the name of Christian liberty

35:16 shame on you they are evil you're to abhor it you're to abstain

35:25 not to put a tag over it you've got to clearly identify what Paul is dealing with a certain beverage going in the mouth in moderation or not oh this is such and such a special holiday Christian holiday with overtones as we'll see from the Old Testament we're going to celebrate this as unto the Lord I don't really believe it I feel I can eat that meat and we'll see for what reasons my friend don't you take meat and wine and keeping certain days and use them as a platform

36:09 to justify drinking in evil voluntarily as a matter of entertainment and avocation it's wicky what you want to call me but until you can show me that Romans 14 touches those issues and puts me in a position and puts me in a position and puts them in the category of liberty I will not retract what I've said this morning we see that the issues addressed are not matters

36:54 which compromise the purity of the gospel you heard about this in the previous hour these issues did not compromise the purity of the gospel some of you perhaps may have thought wait a minute wait a minute didn't Paul when writing to the Galatians say you're keeping days and much I fear my soul labor upon you in vain he writes to the Colossians and talks to them about their asceticism and their touch not taste not oh but there was a difference here at Rome nobody was intruding these issues into the purity and the integrity of the gospel no one was saying if I don't eat that meat I will be adding to the work of Christ

37:38 if I keep that particular religious day I will be adding to the work of Christ if I do not take that wine I will be adding something to the righteousness of God in Christ no here at Rome unlike the situation that Galatia and Colossae these issues were not threatening the purity and the integrity of the gospel that's why Paul dealt with them in the most tender gracious loving pastoral way you see the difference here was the matter of people's consciences all who were trusting only in that gospel which Paul expounds

38:22 earlier in the letter trusting only in Christ crucified and risen from the dead as the ground of their acceptance with God but they had some baggage as we'll see from their past religious associations so that their consciences were differently conditioned about shall I or shall I not eat this meat or that particular form of meat shall I or shall I not keep that holiday shall I or shall I not shall I or shall I not drink wine but in this case no threat was being brought forward to the integrity and the purity of the gospel therefore Paul deals with it gently pastorally and lovingly now then

Distinguishing Non-Moral Issues from Evil and Worldliness

39:05 in the light of this we are not warranted to put into this category of Christian liberty any other matters but those that can be truly called scripturally non-moral matters and here I've got to give you a little historical lesson you've heard me use the term things indifferent the Greek term abiaphora well I did a little research a little study I try to do some before I preach don't preach off the cuff and I came across a book that we have in our bookstore an excellent book by J. Duma's book Responsible Conduct published by Presbyterian and Reformed

39:49 and he has a whole chapter dealing with this question are there abiaphora are there things indifferent and he traces out how this term was first of all used by the Stoics the Greek philosophers and how it then got revived during the Reformation and he comes to the conclusion no I don't think we should use it because in a very real sense at the end of the day no action that we take is a thing indifferent it may be a thing indifferent in itself but it is not indifferent when we do or do not indulge in it at the end of the day every action has reference to the Lord again look at the text one man has faith

40:32 to eat all things in other words it is a matter of his persuasion that I have a liberty in Christ to eat all forms of meat and all forms of vegetables and in so long as I eat in due proportion and I don't become a glutton I can eat in faith eat and fulfill 1 Corinthians 10 31 whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God my eating is not a thing indifferent when I do it to the glory of God or to some other end so in a sense there are really no things indifferent again in chapter 14 verses 6 to 8 he that regards the day

41:15 regards it to the Lord he that eats eats to the Lord for he gives God thanks he that does not eat unto the Lord he eats not and gives God thanks none of us lives to himself none of us dies to himself see what Paul is doing he is saying even in these matters that are not in the category of the evil that we are to abhor or the good to which we are to plead even in these things concerning which there is no clear explicit command or prohibition at the end of the day everything has significance in our relationship to God that's Paul's point we don't live to ourselves so when I'm making a decision shall I or shall I not

42:00 have wine with my meal I don't cordon off that area and say well Lord Jesus you have nothing to do with this I block you out that's a thing indifferent oh no no if I cannot with a conscience persuaded that my moderate use of the wine is a means by which I can glorify God I ought not to touch it for whatsoever is not of faith is sin and so I'm not going to call them things indifferent because I can't use the term anymore with a good conscience that's what happens when you read and study and you get light on your own conscience so that's subhead number one

The Origin of the Issues in the Roman Church

42:42 the identity of the issues addressed alright now then the origin of these issues how in the world did these issues get into the Roman church so when Paul's dictating his letter and he comes and sees that his amanuensis is written page 13 and he says oh boy we're on page 14 I've got to address this issue why did he have to address the issue with the church at Rome well devout students of the word of God differ in their answer to that question Douglas Moole in his massive commentary on Romans I mean massive it's a thousand pages it's no little ditty commentary when he addresses that question he lists six different answers

43:26 given to that question why did Paul have to address this question at Rome what was there in the church at Rome that necessitated his addressing this and then he says it is his persuasion that his number six is the right answer and then marshals a list of responsible godly proven exegetes and theologians who take the same position and so I hide under their skirt and stand with them and here is basically the answer Rome was a cosmopolitan city you had all kinds of people from various nations of the world gathering there and we know that a number of Jews were there because under one ruler the Jews were told to flee the city and he didn't want them there

44:11 so here is a cosmopolitan city we're not even sure how the gospel came it could be that some of the people who were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost who came from Rome went back and were the instruments to see the church established but the church was comprised obviously of Jews and Gentiles you read the book of Romans and you see Paul is interacting with the Jews with the Gentiles all the time through the entire book so the church made up of a cosmopolitan complexion Jews and Gentiles and some of those Jews while not like the Judaizers trusting in their circumcision trusting in eating kosher food trusting in keeping some of their Jewish feast days

44:56 would add to their salvation no these things were just so much a part of their cultural slash religious background that they just felt un-Jewish not continuing them you see the difference now between continuing them because if I don't I'll be lost I won't be saved and saying well I just feel more comfortable continuing in these things just like many Jewish converts today say they don't have to reject their Jewishness to become Christians they call themselves fulfilled Jews Messianic Jews and they will continue to keep a number of the things that are part and parcel of their quote Jewishness now I have a question when they start keeping Passover but I'm just telling you

45:40 what they do alright I'm not saying I approve I'm not telling you I disapprove of some but this is what they do so you had these Jews they had an abhorrence for idols and it could be that the whole issue of meat was such that realizing as we read in 1 Corinthians in the parallel passages that much of the meat that you could buy in a bargain meat shop had been offered unto idols that they were so concerned that they would in any way be tainted with pagan idolatry they said look the best thing to do is just be a vegetarian forget it I don't want to have to bow over my meat and wonder oh does this no no no Lord I can get by on my veggies

46:24 I can have my veggie burgers maybe they had found a way to make veggie burgers back then and they tasted a little bit like hamburgers who knows but there were some of those and when those special days came now that they saw their fulfillment in Christ they could keep those days not looking forward to but looking back and rejoicing that Christ indeed had come and he was the fulfillment of all the types and the shadows they weren't going back to the synagogue unlike the heathens the Hebrew Christians who were tempted to reject Christ and reject his church and go back to the synagogue back to the temple no here were people who were not in any way relinquishing their faith in Christ and in the gospel but they had these

47:09 scruples of conscience and they could not with a good conscience before God eat the meats they could not with a good conscience give up those particular days on the other hand you had people coming out of a totally pagan background they may have had absolutely no relationship to special dietary laws and to special feast days and so they looked at these others and said this is ridiculous why have a conscience about not having a good steak I mean God gives us this steak and we thank God for it and they were the strong ones whose consciences were thinking right no meats are inherently unclean none whatsoever all things are clean as Paul says later on in the chapter and so these people

47:54 with a good conscience could partake of all kinds of meats they could just ignore special fast days and feast days and they had no scruples about having wine in moderation so the origin of these issues and God's purpose to have a church made up of Jew and Gentile and Paul is passionately concerned for their unity and therefore he takes this much time to address the issue in these chapters a way of application while we are not likely to have people come among us with Jewish scruples food special days yet we do come from diverse

48:39 cultural and religious backgrounds which have conditioned our consciences on such matters as special days in the religious calendar some among you who feel because you know the origins of the church calendar days Christmas Easter all of those things that they were imported from pagan things that you just feel before God I want nothing to do with the whole shebang you regard every day alike except the Lord's day conscience before God others of you your background is such that you've been conditioned that Christmas and Easter and Good Friday and some of these things they have such

49:24 positive connotations for you and now that you're a Christian and you see the richness of the truth in Christ you couldn't think of letting December 25 pass without celebrating Christmas you'd feel you were doing something wrong to your family to your own soul so there are those differing conditioning factors of our background of our associations likewise with regard to certain foods the use of wine moderately some of you people come out of a background where you grew up in homes where wine was a staple commodity on the table you never saw your mom or dad drunk

50:07 never saw them slur a word and you were taught at a given age the moderate responsible use of wine it's unthinkable to you that God would be displeased with your moderate use of wine others of you like myself I came out of a background where devil sin hell and booze were synonyms yeah that's right my father was an executive for Shakespeare galactic shaver and every year they'd give him this big box of real fancy expensive booze you know what he would do in front of all of us he'd take the tops off and pour them down the toilet except for a little bit at the bottom of one kind of hard liquor that he would keep

50:52 in case somebody needed that for medicinal purposes as far as I know it sat there for years and never went down at all that's the kind of background I came out of so my conscience was conditioned that no Christian certainly no serious Christian would ever touch a drop of alcoholic beverage some of you come out of a similar background so we have those differing backgrounds that's where we're from therefore therefore 14 through 15 7 does have something to say to us so we've looked briefly at the identity of the issues the origin of the issues now thirdly and finally the problems created

Problems Created by Differences in Christian Liberty

51:36 by these issues so what are the problems created by these issues well number one they have the potential to prevent or to disrupt the unity of a local congregation they have the potential to prevent or disrupt the unity of a local congregation look at the bookend imperatives in this section the section is bounded by 14.1 and 15.7 and verses 8 through 13 of chapter 7 are sort of an appendix demonstrating the larger truth that God intended to incorporate Gentiles into his church but what are the bookend imperatives look at verse 1 but him

52:20 that is weak in the faith here's the imperative receive receive receive the implication is the majority of the people in the Roman church had a strong conscience and we're going to identify that next week who is the weak who is the strong with the weak with respect to these issues of foods and days and wine their consciences were properly instructed that God nowhere commanded or forbade the eating of certain meats God nowhere commanded or forbade the keeping of religious holidays so long as they are not kept with a view to adding to the work of Christ

53:05 God nowhere forbids or commands the moderate responsible use of wine if he did Jesus blew it and we read about it this morning so much so that they said hey you kept the good stuff till last usually you give the good stuff first and then when people are beginning to be glad and loosened up a bit that's what the passage says folks there's no way to understand it otherwise I've seen people stand on their head and try to do it's easier to stand on your feet when you're talking rather than stand on your head now here's the situation these things have the potential for disruption so Paul has to say you strong ones you must receive

53:49 that weak brother you must not hold him off at a distance and then verse 7 of chapter 15 wherefore receive one another even as Christ also received these are the bookend imperatives and in between look at verse 19 let us follow after the things which make for peace and the things whereby we may build up one another Paul recognized that this issue of meats and days and wine had the potential either to prevent or disrupt the kind of unity in the church at Rome that was essential to the church being itself

54:34 here was Paul's vision in 15 verses 5 and 6 the God of patience and comfort grant you to be now notice Paul's vision of peace of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus while he recognizes they will be of different minds with respect to meats and days and wine they can be of the same standard of Christ and no division over meats and days and wine isn't that beautiful he says let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind but now he says may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be

55:19 of the same mind and what is that mind the recognition that there will be diversity of persuasion on these things and that those who are persuaded in one direction do not judge those persuaded in another and those on this side do not look down their nose at those here they are persuaded Christ has bought the one Christ has brought them under his gracious rule they are seeking to please Christ this one bows over its vegetable meal and thanks God for his vegetables not like a Pharisee oh God I thank you I ain't eating meat like my brother Henry that would be Pharisaical

56:03 he just says Lord thank you for my veggies thank you Lord I'm content to eat my veggies and next to him at the church supper here's Henry bowed over his 12 ounce sirloin steak and he's drooled and he can't wait to dive into that well marbled piece of cholesterol making flesh and he said Lord thank you thank you Christ fracture in their unity they recognize and respect each other's conscience before almighty God Paul would not conceive of four or five churches at Rome one church is to keep the Jewish holy days evangelical

56:48 reformed church of Rome then you look down in the yellow pages and you see the no drink wine and the no drink in evangelical and reformed church of Rome and then you find another one the kosher food vegetarian evangelical reformed church of Rome it would be scandalous scandalous and so Paul takes the time to lay out the principles that will help the people of God to be of one mind in Christ Jesus look at the second strand of his vision verse 6 that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ his vision is that they will be of one mind

57:33 according to Christ that with one mouth they may glorify Christ and this will only be true as in verse 7 they receive one another as Christ has received them to the glory of God he recognizes problem number one these things have the potential to prevent or disrupt the unity of God of a local congregation secondly they have the potential to cripple and devastate the spiritual health of some within the congregation they have the potential to cripple and devastate the spiritual health of some within the congregation you read

Application: Unity and Sensitivity in Diverse Conscience Matters

58:17 through all the negative words Paul uses in these chapters he uses such words as these do not despise the people of God despise the people do not judge quarrels over disputed matters stumbling block grieve destroy overturn the work of God that's strong language folks and that's destructive language and Paul says if this thing is not sorted out as it ought to be it has the potential to cripple and devastate the spiritual health of some within the congregation and it has that potential here we have had cycles of disruption in this area God lays

59:02 the task of the training of your children upon you as parents therefore homeschooling is the only honorable way to train your children others say God has laid the task of training upon the parents it is a rare parent who is competent to give the training that will most glorify God therefore a Christian school is your we've had to sort out my friends in this congregation in sippy and divisiveness over the method of parental responsibility administered in the training of children this will never be while some of us have bred a home schooling

59:47 church a Christian school that each be fully persuaded in his own mind that's the issue and be supportive and embracing one another from the heart not holding off the homeschoolers and say yeah they're a little bit kooky homeschoolers holding off the others saying they're a little bit unspiritual and that's in some of your hearts if you're honest if you're honest it's in some of your hearts that's why we need these chapters because where that is allowed to fester it'll shrivel up your own soul it'll cause damage to the souls of others

60:31 likewise there are some of you that have such a cavalier attitude to the indulging of your liberties that you have no sensitivity whatsoever of what Paul says we that are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves you're so determined to let everybody know that you know what your liberties are what we're going to see next week a vital vital principle God helping us that there's a difference a world of difference between understanding and appreciating my liberties in Christ and my visible external exercise of those liberties before others a world of difference

61:16 some of you don't understand that because you don't you're not exercising your liberties in a way that builds up but has the potential to grieve to destroy to overthrow the work of God surely none of us can be indifferent then or willfully careless with respect to these matters our unity under Christ is at stake the issue of our worshiping with one heart and one mouth is at stake the glory of God is at stake it should baffle people to come among us and begin to get to know us and see all the differing matters of conscience we have on matters concerning which God has

62:00 not spoken and dear people if God is going to use us to break into this community and reach real live contemporary sinners we're going to have people come in who have no sense whatsoever of a church dress code I mean we're going to have guys coming in here in shorts and t-shirts with garish stuff printed on well you're going to meet them at the door and say oh you can't come in here like that bless God if the place were full of them I hope after a while they get a little sense of propriety but I'm not going to go up to them and say you can't come here with your shorts you people don't have a clue about a lot of things that are part of your evangelical

62:45 and reform cultural heritage but they aren't issues expressly addressed in the word of God we've got to recognize that the conscience has to be educated and in some areas it may not come up educated the way ours is are you comfortable with that or are you only comfortable if everybody's God grant that by his grace we might grab these principles internalize them and then in the days to come it would be a wonderful thing to see God by the spirit work them out to his praise among us let's pray together

Concluding Prayer for Discernment and Grace

63:30 our father we're so thankful that we have the scriptures as a lamp to our feet and a light to our pathway we pray that in these matters you will give to us as your people discernment and a heart to follow the scriptures Lord forgive us where we have stood at least in our hearts in judgment upon others where we have despised others we pray that you will help us to come to new levels of adjusting all of our relationships by the standard of Christ and not by our own we pray that you would deal with those who have been wickedly wickedly Lord sinfully

64:14 calling matters of liberty that you call evil we pray that you would deal with their hearts that they might repent of their evil that they might do whatever they must do to clean up their act that they would not defile themselves by willfully deliberately imbibing those things that can only poison their souls Lord help us all forgive us for our sins give us grace to please you we ask in Jesus name Amen