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Romans 14:10 – Rewards For Works

Posted on by Will

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Truth to Learn

Christ will judge all the works of all Christians.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “judgment seat” is the Greek word bematos, which means “an elevated step often with a seat upon it where a judgment or tribunal is held.” In the 1st century A.D. a bematos was where the victor in a race or other contest was awarded a crown (wreath) by the judge who sat on the bema seat. A bematos was always used as a place to hand out awards.

 

Meaning Explained

If we compare this verse to verse three we will see that Paul is talking to both the Jewish converts and the Gentile converts in the church at Rome. Back in verse three Paul told the Jewish believers not to “judge” the Gentile believers, and he told the Gentile believers not to “despise” the Jewish believers. The words in this verse translated “judge” and “despise” are these same two words. The reason we should not judge or despise other believers is that Christians are all going to appear before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ. At this bema seat, Christ will judge the works of all believers, Jew or Gentile. Those who are judged will be given rewards, in the form of crowns, for the works they have done while on this earth.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2Corinthians 5:10)

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1Corinthians 3:12-15)

It is the works of believers that are judged at the bema seat. We shall receive rewards for the works which have been done for Him. The works which we have done for ourselves will be burned up. According to 1Corinthians 3:13, the fire will “try” our works. This word is the Greek word dokimadzo, which means “testing or proving a thing to find its worth or goodness.” Hence, the judgment of the bema seat is for the purpose of finding good so that rewards can be given, not for the purpose of finding bad to be punished. Also notice that as the fire “tries” our works, those which are worthless will be burned up. There is no penalty or punishment, simply a loss of what was done because it is worthless in God’s eyes.

 

Application

We should not be judging the things that our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing. Instead, we should be focusing on doing works of righteousness that will bring glory to God, which He will judge and for which He will reward us.

Are you performing works that are worthy of reward from your Lord? Or are you too busy being critical of your brother or sister in Christ? We are not the judge, He is!

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Truth to Learn

Christ will judge all the works of all Christians.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “judgment seat” is the Greek word bematos, which means “an elevated step often with a seat upon it where a judgment or tribunal is held.” In the 1st century A.D. a bematos was where the victor in a race or other contest was awarded a crown (wreath) by the judge who sat on the bema seat. A bematos was always used as a place to hand out awards.

 

Meaning Explained

If we compare this verse to verse three we will see that Paul is talking to both the Jewish converts and the Gentile converts in the church at Rome. Back in verse three Paul told the Jewish believers not to “judge” the Gentile believers, and he told the Gentile believers not to “despise” the Jewish believers. The words in this verse translated “judge” and “despise” are these same two words. The reason we should not judge or despise other believers is that Christians are all going to appear before the judgment (bema) seat of Christ. At this bema seat, Christ will judge the works of all believers, Jew or Gentile. Those who are judged will be given rewards, in the form of crowns, for the works they have done while on this earth.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2Corinthians 5:10)

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1Corinthians 3:12-15)

It is the works of believers that are judged at the bema seat. We shall receive rewards for the works which have been done for Him. The works which we have done for ourselves will be burned up. According to 1Corinthians 3:13, the fire will “try” our works. This word is the Greek word dokimadzo, which means “testing or proving a thing to find its worth or goodness.” Hence, the judgment of the bema seat is for the purpose of finding good so that rewards can be given, not for the purpose of finding bad to be punished. Also notice that as the fire “tries” our works, those which are worthless will be burned up. There is no penalty or punishment, simply a loss of what was done because it is worthless in God’s eyes.

 

Application

We should not be judging the things that our brothers and sisters in Christ are doing. Instead, we should be focusing on doing works of righteousness that will bring glory to God, which He will judge and for which He will reward us.

Are you performing works that are worthy of reward from your Lord? Or are you too busy being critical of your brother or sister in Christ? We are not the judge, He is!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:9 – Lord Of All

Posted on by Will

For to this end Christ died and rose and lived, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ is Lord of all!

 

Behind the Words

The Greek word translated “rose” is anhistēmi, which is made up of ana, meaning “again” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Hence, anhistēmi means “to stand-up again” or “to rise again.” This word, however, is missing in many manuscripts and is rejected by many Biblical scholars. Fortunately, this does not materially alter the meaning or intent of this verse because it is the fact that Christ both died and lives again that makes Him the Christ and our Savior.

The verb translated “might be Lord” is from the Greek word, kurieuō, which is based on the noun kurios, meaning “lord.” Kurieuō means “to have or exercise rule or authority over.” This word carries the idea of His being “proprietor” or “owner” as well as “ruler.” It means that He exercises entire dominion over us, as our sovereign Lord and Master.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we talked about the fact that we don’t have control of the time of our death. That is strictly up to our Lord. He is our owner and our master if we have truly submitted to Him and accepted Christ’s death on the cross as payment for our sins. That’s Paul’s point in this verse. It is that Lordship of Christ over us for which He died and lives again. He shed His blood and came back from the dead so that He might be our Lord whether we are alive or dead.

Since both “life” and “death” are used throughout the New Testament in reference to both the physical and spiritual realms, it is unclear whether Paul’s statement is regarding all living creatures, all of mankind, or only those whom God has declared righteous. The context up to this point in Paul’s letter would seem to indicate that he is referring to the righteous ones. In verse eleven, however, it becomes clear that Paul is including every intelligent creature (both physical and spirit).

Jesus Christ, the second person of the godhead, has always been Lord over all created beings; however, it is a result of belief in His resurrection from the dead, the fact that He is alive, that descendants of Adam are declared righteous. Thus, it appears that Paul’s reference here is to both saved and unsaved (spiritually alive and spiritually dead), whether they are physically alive or dead. It is not unlike Paul at all to use such a “play on words” to drive home the truths of his teaching. Jesus Christ is Lord of all—those who are alive physically as well as those who are dead physically, and He is Lord of those who are alive spiritually as well as those who are dead spiritually. He is Lord of all!

 

Application

After death, those who have rejected Christ will learn, to their horror, that they have rejected God Himself. Their eternal fate will have been sealed with no chance to change their mind. For those of us who have believed in His death and resurrection, we know Him as Savior right now. We also have a choice to believe and live like Jesus Christ is our Lord. After death we will completely know His lordship over us. Are you living now as if He is your Lord, or is He just your Savior?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:8 – Still On The Altar?

Posted on by Will

For if we should live, we live to the Lord; and if we should die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we might live or die, we are the Lord's.

Truth to Learn

Living to the Lord is submission to His will.

 

Behind the Words

The subtlety of this verse is in the mood of the verbs in the translated phrases, “if we should live” and “if we should die.” Greek verbs can be expressed in four different moods. In the indicative mood the action is conceived of as fact. The subjunctive mood expresses action that is possible or probable (one step away from actually happening). The optative mood expresses action that is wished for or questioned (two steps away from actually happening). Finally, the imperative mood expresses a command, indicating action that is not a fact but that needs to be.

The word translated “if” is the Greek word ean, which is a conditional particle, and the words translated “we should live” and “we should die” are in the subjunctive mood. As explained above, the subjunctive mood in Greek expresses the notion of possibility. Therefore, in this verse Paul is stating that it is possible that we will continue to live, but it is also possible that we will die; however, we don’t know which will happen to us.

 

Meaning Explained

What Paul is saying is, “If we should continue to live, it is our Lord’s doing; therefore, we live in relation to Him, at His discretion. If we should die, it is our Lord’s doing; therefore, we will die at His discretion. Either way it is the Lord who controls when we will die. We are not in control, He is!

Now, tie this in with what Paul has been talking about: whether or not to eat certain foods and whether or not to hold a particular day of the week more sacred than the rest. It doesn’t really matter whether we believe some foods are forbidden or not, and it doesn’t matter whether we hold one day more sacred than the others, as long as we hold these beliefs because God has convicted us about them. Notice I said, because God has convicted us about them. We do not have the freedom to behave however we please. Our convictions have to be based on what God’s Word teaches us. These convictions must be based on a continual study of the Bible and a close daily walk with Almighty God. An immature Christian who doesn’t yet have a firm understanding of God or a close intimate relationship with God will not necessarily have the same convictions that a mature Christian might have.

Therefore, since this is a matter of conviction and not of doctrine, we should not judge our brother or sister in Christ for acting differently than we do. If we live to the Lord, we will follow what He wants for us and not be concerned about what a brother or sister is eating or how they treat a certain day of the week. Only when we are completely submitted to Him can we be completely living, or dying, for Him.

 

Application

The important matter is whether or not we are submitted to God’s lordship over us and committed to doing His will, not what kind of food we eat or how we treat days of the week. If we have our gaze fixed on our fellow Christians and are judging what they do or don’t do, then we don’t have our gaze where it should be: fixed on our Lord and Master. If we are a living sacrifice, we are living for Him and we are submitted to His will.

Are you still on the altar or have you climbed off?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:7 – Life Focus

Posted on by Will

For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.

Truth to Learn

Christians are not to live for themselves, but for God.

 

Behind the Words

“Lives” is translated from the verb dzaō, which always refers to “life.” It is used to express both physical life and spiritual life. In the ancient Greek Attic dialect (initially spoken primarily around Athens) this verb was only used in the present and perfect tenses. In all other tenses they used the verb bioō, meaning “to spend one’s existence.”

The word translated “dies” is from the Greek word apothnēskō, which is composed of apo, meaning “away from, in time or location” and thnēskō, meaning “to die, either physically of spiritually.” Thus, apothnēskō means “to die away” or “to die off.” It is used in a stronger sense than thnēskō, often implying separation; either separation of the soul from the body (physical death) or separation of the soul of man from God (spiritual death).

 

Meaning Explained

In order to understand the meaning of this verse we first have to ask ourselves, “Who does “us” refer to?” If “us” refers to everyone, then this verse could be taken to mean one thing, but if “us” refers to Christians, then it means something entirely different. So, let’s look at the context. Reading from the first verse of this chapter through verse 10, it is abundantly clear that Paul is talking to members of the church. Hence, the “us” is referring to those who have put their trust in the saving blood of Jesus Christ and have submitted to His Lordship over their lives. In other words, he is referring to Christians, both those who were previously Jews and those who were previously Gentiles.

Now, what does he say about us Christians? He says that not one of us lives to himself. Some interpreters would have us believe that Paul is teaching that Christians are to live primarily to serve others, thus supporting a social gospel that emphasizes the need for us to take care of each other. This type of interpretation almost always accompanies a works-oriented Christianity. However, if we look at how the Apostle Paul finishes this thought (in the next verse), we see that the focus is not on serving others (though this is part of Paul’s teaching elsewhere), but on submitting ourselves to our Lord and Master. What Paul is specifically teaching in this verse is that no Christian is to live to gratify his own desires or appetites; instead, we should make it our goal to do the will of God, to subordinate our will to His.

Paul also says that none of us dies to himself. What he means is that even in dying we are committed to doing God’s will. We should do all we can to keep our body healthy since it is the temple of God, the Holy Spirit. You will remember that Paul told us that we are to offer ourselves to God as  living sacrifices (Romans 12:1),  placing not only the use of our lives but also the manner and time of our death in the hands of the Almighty.

 

Application

Do you see your salvation as simply a free ticket into heaven? If so, you are missing one of the primary reasons for Christ’s death on the cross. It was not done simply as a type of Christmas present, but as a purchase transaction to obtain those who would lovingly serve the desires of the Owner. Think about that!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:6 – God-ward Focus

Posted on by Will

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 is eating, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who is not eating, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

Truth to Learn

Convictions are good if properly focused.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “observes” is from the Greek verb phroneō. This word literally means “to use the mind.” It has a number of nuance interpretations in English, such as “to have a mindset about,” “to be mentally inclined toward,” “to interest oneself in,” or “to be of an opinion about.” This is the same word that Paul used back in Romans 8:5, translated as “set their minds on,”

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

This word indicates more than simply an occasional thought about something. It implies more of a state of mind or what we would call a conviction.

“Gives thanks” is from eucharisteō, which is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of charidzomai, meaning “to grant as an undeserved favor or as an act of grace.” Thus, eucharisteō means “to show good favor,” that is, “to express gratitude.” From this comes the English expression “to say grace” before eating a meal. Whatever we do, whether it is eating or some other action, we should give God thanks for it.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul now makes his summary statement regarding what he has said in the previous four verses. Whether it is regarding one day as special or abstaining from certain kinds of foods, there is no right or wrong belief. What is important is that the belief, or conviction, is focused on God, not on self. Unfortunately, our earthly flesh tends to make us believe that everyone should behave the way that we do with regard to the things that we have a strong conviction about. However, God does not give all Christians the same convictions.

Now, what Paul says is that the spiritually mature Christian who believes that Sunday is a day sacred to the Lord does so to honor God. And the spiritually mature Christian who believes that all seven days of the week are equally sacred does so to honor God. Likewise, the spiritually mature Christian who believes that certain foods should not be eaten does so because it honors God and the spiritually mature Christian who believes that all foods are given by the Lord as acceptable gives honor to God as he or she eats them. In each case what is done or not done is because of a conviction that it honors the Lord.

The crux of what Paul is saying is that the focus of all mature Christians should be on glorifying God. When we honor God in anything we necessarily lift Him up, which by the very definition means that we lower, or humble, ourselves before Him. It’s a matter of where our focus is.

 

Application

If you have been critical of another Christian for not having the same conviction that you do, then you need to refocus that conviction God-ward instead of man-ward.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:5 – Always In His Presence

Posted on by Will

One person judges one day above another; another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.

Truth to Learn

Everything we do is in God’s presence and should be done as if He were the only one we are doing it for.

 

Behind the Words

“Fully convinced” is translated from plērophoreō, which is made up of plerēs, meaning “full” and phoreō, meaning “to fill.” So, literally, the word means “to fill full,” but it also means “to fully accomplish” or “to persuade completely.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous three verses Paul talked about the arguing that existed within the church at Rome regarding what food is permissible to eat. This arguing was based on the assumption by some that Christians have to keep the Law just as Jews have to. The current verse now takes on another of the arguments that the legalizers and the freedomizers had. This argument was over the Mosaic ordinances of the Sabbath.

According to Paul, some in the Christian church in Rome believed that a certain day was to be set aside “as unto the Lord”, that is, it was to be considered as sacred above the other six. Others in the church believed that all days were to be honored the same. Clearly, in the Jewish faith it was a requirement to “keep the Sabbath day” by not performing any work at all, rather observing it as a day of rest. However, since the resurrection of our Lord was on Sunday, others in the church argued that Sunday was to be treated like a Sabbath day and no work was to be performed on Sunday. Still others argued that all days were holy to the Lord, and since we are no longer under the demands of the Law, it was permissible to work on any day of the week.

In a church that we previously attended (not the one that argued over carpeting), I had a member severely chasten me for mowing my lawn on Sunday. He specifically pointed out that we were to refrain from work on Sunday. Whereas I’m sure that his admonition was intended to assist me in being more Christ-like in my behavior, it nonetheless bothered me that this same person would always take his family to a restaurant on Sunday, thus requiring someone else to work on Sunday in order to serve him and his family. This contradiction of word and action made his comments to me seem more hypocritical than helpful. After all, if it is wrong to work on Sunday, how can it be right to cause someone else to work for you on Sunday?

As Paul will point out in the following verses, whatever we do should be done “as unto the Lord.” We should be focused on Him and His grace no matter what we observe or don’t observe, and we should do everything as if it was done for God and God alone. Remember, we are no longer under the Law as Paul said earlier in this letter to the Christians in Rome:

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. (Romans 3:28)

 

Application

If we do everything “as unto the Lord,” we will neither be burdened with the requirements of the Law, nor will we have the freedom to sin as we please. Instead, we will behave as if He were right there with us at all times. Do you live each day as if Christ were beside you at all times? If you don’t, you should, because He is!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:4 – Household Rule

Posted on by Will

Who are you judging 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.

Truth to Learn

Chastening other Christians is God’s responsibility, not ours.

 

Behind the Words

“Servant” is translated from the Greek word oiketēs, which is derived from oikeō, meaning “to reside or to dwell.” Oiketēs refers to someone who resides, that is, a fellow resident. It is the word that was used to describe a household servant, typically one who was paid for their labors.

The word “master” is from the Greek word kurios, which means “one who is supreme in authority” or “one’s owner.”

“Able” is from the noun dunatos (the word from which we get our English word dynamite). It refers to “power, authority, or ability.”

 

Meaning Explained

This is one of those verses that none of us wants to have explained to us because we are all guilty of what Paul is correcting here. For centuries the Jews had been the keepers of God’s revelation to man (see Romans 3:1, 2); therefore they felt like it was their duty to enlighten others regarding how they were violating God’s laws. According to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, however, within the body of Christ the Law has been abolished and Jews and Gentiles are one and the same.

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, in His flesh having done away with the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:14-16)

Regardless of our backgrounds, all Christians are of the household of our Master and we are all his servants. We have no right to judge how obedient another servant is to our Master. That is a matter which is strictly up to our Master. When we confess that Jesus is our Lord, we are saying that we accept the fact that He is our owner and the supreme authority over us, and as our supreme authority we are committed to obeying Him in whatever He asks of us.

Now, there certainly are some things that we are supposed to judge about others. We are to judge whether or not a person is genuinely saved before admitting him or her into our fellowship and we are to judge them, and lovingly confront them, if they are blatantly living in sin. As to less weighty matters of obedience to our Lord and Master, it is up to God to judge, admonish, and chasten His servant-children, not us.

 

Application

As a result of what we have learned in this verse, I have a two-part question for you. Are you judgmental regarding your brothers and sisters in Christ, and are you submitted to your Lord and committed to obeying Him completely regardless of how other members of the household are behaving? If the answer to the first part is “Yes,” then the answer to the second part is most definitely “No.” If we are totally submitted to our Master, then we will be loving toward our brothers and sisters, not judgmental. That’s what our Master wants from us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:3 – Food or Service?

Posted on by Will

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat condemn him who eats; for God has received him.

Truth to Learn

Don’t despise or judge fellow Christians, serve God!

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “despise” is the Greek word exoutheneō, a variation of exoudenoō. This is made up of ex, meaning “out” or “out of,” and oudeis, which means “not even one” or “nothing.” Thus, exoutheneō literally means “to throw out as nothing, to treat as insignificant, or to despise.”

“Condemn” is from the Greek verb krinō, which literally means “to separate” or “to distinguish between good and evil,” that is, “to make a judgment.” As it is used in this verse, it means “to make a condemning judgment about someone else.”

“Received” is from proslambanō, which we looked at a couple of verses ago. In its purest form it means, “to take to oneself.” It is expressed here in the middle voice, indicating action done by the subject (God) to Himself. That is, He was not given the one in question, but has taken him to Himself.

 

Meaning Explained

In Paul’s admonition to the Roman Christians, he has pointed out that some of them believe that there are restrictions on eating certain foods based on the Law of Moses. These are primarily Christians who have been converted from Judaism. Others, Paul says, believe that all foods are permissible to be eaten. He has advised the church that it is good to admit to the fellowship those Christians who are weak in the faith but it is not good to get into arguments about minor issues like which kinds of foods are permissible.

He now goes on to admonish those who are on opposite sides of this issue to be very careful about their attitudes towards each other. He tells the ones who feel no prohibitions about what foods they eat not to “despise” those who think that only certain foods are acceptable. Paul also tells those who follow the Mosaic dietary restrictions not to “judge” those who feel free to eat all kinds of food. These two words are aptly chosen by Paul as Gentiles have a tendency to treat Jews as insignificant or unimportant (to despise them), and Jews have a tendency to judge others because they themselves have for so many years been judged by the Law.

So what we see here is Paul’s discernment, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we all have tendencies which we have learned and which are not born out of love but out of prejudice. We Christians are not to pre-judge anyone out of our selfish prejudices, rather we are to treat all people with love. (Remember the end of the previous chapter?) Instead of condemning other Christians because they practice their Christianity in ways different from our own, we should join together to learn what the Spirit of God teaches us all through His Word of Truth.

 

Application

Regarding what kinds of foods Christians can eat, it doesn’t matter who’s “right.” That’s missing the whole point. Remember that the night is almost over and He is coming soon. Forget about what food is proper or what color the sanctuary carpet should be. Proclaim the gospel and build up the body of Christ. Serve God and serve your fellow Christians!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:2 – Food or Faith?

Posted on by Will

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Truth to Learn

Arguing about unimportant things is destructive, not edifying.

 

Behind the Words

The word “believes” is translated from the verb pisteuō, meaning “to trust, to have faith in, or to believe.”

“Eat” in the first part of this verse is from the Greek verb phagō. Later in the verse the word “eats” appears, which is from the Greek verb esthiō. These two form an interesting word pair. Though they are different words, they both mean “to eat,” literally or figuratively. The selection of which one to use depends strictly on the tense of the verb used. Esthiō is used in the aorist or future tenses, and phagō is used in all other tenses.

“Weak” is from astheneō, which we looked at in the previous verse. The use of the word in this verse identifies specifically who Paul was talking about in the previous verse. Here he uses the word to refer to those who are weak in faith, those who are spiritually immature, not those who are physically weak.

The word translated “vegetables” is lachanon, which is derived from the verb lachainō, meaning “to dig.” Thus, we see that lachanon literally refers to that which has been dug up. Since it is in reference to something eaten, it logically refers to vegetables as opposed to meat.

 

Meaning Explained

As we said in the previous verse, Paul is addressing the issue of many of the converted Jews in the Christian church in Rome who are still following the eating restrictions as laid down in the Mosaic Law. Some of them believed that Christians were required to follow all of the commandments based on the origin of the Christian faith coming out of the Jewish belief in the Messiah. Others, like Paul, recognized the fact that Christians have been set free from the Law and that we are at liberty to eat all kinds of food without any legal restrictions.

As we combine these two verses, we see that Paul is exhorting the members of the Christian Church at Rome to admit anyone to membership who makes a confession of faith, but not to get into arguments with them about what food is permissible and what isn’t. The point he makes in the current verse is that the more mature Christian recognizes that all foods are permissible, but those who are weak in the faith still think they have to refrain from certain foods.

Let’s not get hung-up, however, on the specific subject matter (what kinds of food can be eaten). Paul is using food as a metonym for any secondary belief within the church that is not foundational doctrine. As we said in the previous verse, understanding and adhering to doctrinal fundamentals of the Christian faith are of critical importance and need to be fully studied and taught. Arguing about other aspects of the Christian faith is a waste of time and effort. Belief in who Jesus is (completely God and completely man at the same time), the offering of His sinless life to pay the penalty for our sins, His resurrection from the dead, our own need to admit our sinful, lost state, and our confession of Christ as our Savior and Lord, these are truths that we must all believe to become Christians.

 

Application

Arguing about issues of lesser importance in the church doesn’t please God. We need to focus more effort on loving one another and less effort on arguing about unimportant things.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 14:1- Needless Arguing

Posted on by Will

Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over opinions.

Truth to Learn

Infighting should not be a characteristic of a Christian church.

 

Behind the Words

The word “Receive” is from the Greek word proslambanō, which is made up of pros, meaning “to or toward” and lambanō, meaning “to take.” This we see that this word means “to take to oneself” or “to receive.”

“Weak” is from astheneō, made up of the negative particle a and sthenos, meaning “strength.” The root meaning of astheneō, therefore, is “to be without strength.”

The word “disputes” is from diakrisis. This is made up of dia, meaning “through” or indicating separation and krinō, meaning “to distinguish” or “to judge.” Hence, diakrisis refers to distinguishing or judging through something. By application it means to scrutinize thoughts or beliefs by thorough discussion.

“Opinions” is translated from dialogismos, from the verb dialogidzomai, which is made up of dia, meaning “through” and logidzomai, meaning “to reckon or reason.” Thus we see that dialogismos refers to a “thorough reasoning” or a belief that has been established by such reasoning.

 

Meaning Explained

You will recall that the Christian church at Rome was made up largely of converted Jews. Under the Jewish laws, they were forbidden from eating certain foods, and they were forbidden to work on Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath). As a Christian, however, these legal restrictions had been lifted. But just as Peter had a difficult time accepting Gentiles into the faith before receiving direct revelation from God indicating that it was OK (see Acts chapter 10), so these former Jews found it difficult to accept that Christians did not have to observe the same restrictions that they formerly were bound by.

The issue of what can and can’t be eaten is the issue that Paul is about to address. He starts off by telling the fellowship in Rome that it is good to receive Christians who are weak in the faith. These are people who are genuine converts but who are either new converts or they have not had the privilege of sitting under the teaching of a mature Christian like the apostle Paul. We need to welcome people like this so that they can grow in faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, Paul tells the church to accept these people into the congregation but not to do so just to have a theological discussion about what is proper to eat and what is not. Let me point out that Paul is NOT saying that it is improper to have theological discussions, for this is right and even necessary. What he is saying is that it is not right to have arguments about items of minor importance or opinions. Disputing has become a significant issue within the body of Christ. So much so, that church splits are more the rule than the exception. Some disputes may be necessary, but most are frivolous and detrimental.

 

Application

I remember being in a church that spent considerable time in a business meeting arguing about whether or not there should be carpeting in the sanctuary. It became a heated discussion and caused hard feelings among everyone in attendance; it was not edifying and did not serve to build-up the body of Christ. Instead of such trivial arguing, let’s all keep our focus on Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

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