Are Non-Essentials important?Pt 1
Devotion In Motion
Weekend Meditation
Romans 14:1-12
“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 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”
In Chapter 14 Paul speaks to two types of Christians. The weaker brother and the stronger brother. The weaker brother is self-righteous and straight laced. He works hard at measuring up. He believes in Jesus, but takes pride in his discipline and abstinence. So, he minds his religious manners. He is never too far from tradition. He’s into keeping rules. Whereas the stronger brother is free from law and tradition. He knows he’s right with God by faith alone, In Christ alone. In Christ compliance to custom is no longer required. All the requirements of the law were nailed to the cross. His strong faith in Jesus, frees him up to be led by God’s Spirit. To trust in Christ, not in his own efforts. It’s ironic, look at these two brothers and you might get confused. One brother is more lax compared to the discipline of the other brother. But from Paul’s perspective the brother trusting in God’s grace is stronger in his faith than the guy who’s trying to build a religious resume that he thinks secure’s God’s favor.
You see Real strength is based on faith, not our own fortitude. It’s a reliance on Christ, not a compliance to rules. For the weaker brother it’s easier on his pride to point out reasons God should love him, than it is to admit he’s a sinner and in need of God’s grace. And here’s what’s sure to happen… The weaker one sees his stronger brother and wonders why he’s so lax? While the stronger accuses his weaker brother of legalism…
This is what was happening in the church at Rome… Paul puts out the fire in Chapter 14. Verse 1, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.” In other words, don’t entertain trivial disputes over minutia. “For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.” The city of Rome had a wholesale grocery known as “The Shambles.” There you could buy quality meat pretty cheap. And church members were shopping at the shambles. The shambles, though, got its meat from pagan temples. Idolaters made their sacrifices, then sold the extra cuts to turn a profit for their false prophets. Stronger believers weren’t bothered by tainted meat. Meat was just meat.
Their standing with God was based on the faith they put in Christ not the food they put on their plate. The libertarians felt free to have a BBQ. But the weaker believers – those who trusted in the dos and don’ts – were appalled at the thought of eating desecrated meat. This was guilt-by-association. To them eating meat was equal to worshipping idols. To the vegetarians – the ground round was out of bounds. Obviously, most of us have never agonized over the spiritual implications of what we purchase from the grocery store. To us This seems like an irrelevant issue. But how we handle nonessentials in church life is terribly important.
Usually Christians divide and fellowships fracture not over the major issues. Rather they split over minor concerns. We tend to agree on the essentials, but it’s the nonessentials that cause us to polarize. We get petty and picky with each other. Our judgmental spirit spoils the sweetness of our unity and fellowship. As Paul puts it in verse 1, we tend to get distracted in “disputes over doubtful things.” Verse 3, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.” I’m not your Lord, and you’re not mine. When it comes to nonessentials we answer to Jesus, not each other. We’re all at different stages of maturity.
There may be healthy reasons why a weaker brother may hold on to convictions you’ve felt free to lay aside. Maybe you feel free to drink a glass of wine with your meal. But the weaker brother could be an alcoholic. He may never be free to drink. The guy who can, shouldn’t look down his nose at the guy who can’t. And the guy who can’t shouldn’t feel superior to the guy who can. I love the tail end of verse 4, “Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” This is one of the most awesome vs in the book of Romans. Never judge a guy based on nonessentials. If the Almighty God is in his corner – no matter how different he might be from you – God can make him stand!
Verse 5, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.” It wasn’t just diet, but it was also the days that troubled the believers in the Roman church. Do we worship on Saturday or on Sunday? Do we keep the OT feasts or have they become obsolete? Paul is saying when it comes to nonessentials there is no right or wrong – no black or white – it’s a gray matter. It boils down to personal preference. As Paul pens, “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.”
Here’s a list of gray matters… Can you drink a glass of wine at dinner, or a beer after mowing the lawn… Can a Christian chew tobacco, or smoke a cigar?… Can a godly woman wear a two piece swimsuit?… Can a man grow long hair – or sport an ear-ring – and still be pleasing to God?… And what about tattoos?… Gray matters also appear in family life… Is it more spiritual to breastfeed or bottle feed?… How should a Christian educate his kids – home school? Christian school? or public school?… Is it right or wrong to put your elderly parents in a nursing home, or does God want you to bring them home with you to live out their days?… And what about Santa Claus?… These are all gray matters!
Worship styles and church etiquette are also subject to personal preference – more gray matters. Is it pleasing to God to play rock-and-roll music on a Sunday AM or should we be singing hymns?… Can a person wear shorts to church?… Should communion be taken weekly or quarterly?… Can we play cards at the church retreat?…
And gray matters even appear in doctrine. Baptism by immersion or baptism by sprinkling… Will the rapture occur before or after the Tribulation? Good Christians line up on both sides… And of course, the granddaddy of all church splitters: (is a believer really once saved, always saved?)… These are all gray matters, yet to some people, gray matters really matter! Paul says that peace is found in the Lordship of Jesus. Rather than me telling you what to do, or you telling me what to do. It’s up to each of us to report directly to Jesus. The Holy Spirit leads each believer at his or her own pace and own direction.
Of course if an issue is squarely addressed in Scripture our position is clear – stick to the Script. Black-and-white is easy. But with gray matter’s, we need to leave some latitude. Don’t be dogmatic. Let’s leave each other room to grow – even to disagree. He continues verse 6, “He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” One man worships on Sunday – another man worships on Saturday.
If their worship is sincere God is pleased. What matters to God is not the day, but the worship. “He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” One man is grateful to God for the burger he eats. Another man thinks that by abstaining from meat he’s bringing glory to God. What matters in both cases is that God gets glorified. “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
We’ll all answer to the Lord, not to each other. He gets the final say. The Lord is our judge. “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” Jesus paid the ultimate price to be Lord of His Church – He “died and rose and lives again…” Beware, for you usurp His place when you judge a brother. Do you really want to take over as Lord? A lot of babies that are late walkers are not late because they are underdeveloped, it’s just that they keep getting knocked down because they don’t have enough room. And this is what keeps a lot of babies in Christ from learning to walk. We need to give them room to grow! They don’t feel the freedom to make a mistake. They’re afraid if they mess up they’ll get knocked down so they just crawl.
Real spiritual growth involves some risk. It’s easier to sit back and be told what to do – than it is to step out and learn to follow Jesus for yourself. Verse 10, “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.” Everyone of us is accountable to God. Believers will be judged differently than unbelievers, but Jesus will be the Judge of us all. That’s why it’s foolish for us to judge each other.
Remember the motto,
“In essentials, unity. In nonessentials, liberty. In all things, charity.”
Amen
Victor Tafoya
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