Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: "As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God." So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:1-12)
People struggle with different things. What is taboo and what is not? Since becoming a Christian, I have heard of people who thought it sin for men to have hair past their ears, long sideburns or beards. Some think that women who wear slacks are wrong for doing so. Similarly, some think that women who wear makeup are modern-day Jezebels identifying with the world. I heard a pastor tell of a lady who came up to him after a service and asked him whether it was a sin to wear makeup. She looked kind of white and chalky, like a reject from a Geritol commercial. He said that he took one long look at her and said, "Go get some." In her case, she had been taught that there was something sinful about wearing makeup.
Our text today addresses the problem of differences among believers. It also addresses the principles by which we are to live together in harmony and love. And finally, it reveals to us the perspective out of which Christians are to live in fellowship with one another and in surrender to Christ.
How do you act toward other believers when their behavior doesn’t meet your standard? What do you do when you see a believer engaging in what you call questionable activity? How do you react when someone tries to make you over into their image? God has a word for us concerning these questions. Let’s consider His message to us from His Word.
The first thing we need to notice in our text is the fact that we are all at different levels of maturity in Christ. Verse one speaks of the one whose faith is weak. In other words, there are some of us who are stronger in faith than others of us. If some are stronger, then others are weaker. But by referring to some as weak, he is not putting them down. Some are weak simply because they have not yet had the time and experience to mature. To be weak is only embarrassing when you should be strong. We don’t expect little babies in the crib to be strong, but we do expect full-grown men to be strong, at least by comparison to the little babe. Consequently, it is important for us to understand that we are not all at the same level of maturity. Unfortunately, because we are not all the same, this creates problems in our life together.
This is illustrated in our text by two examples. The first example concerns eating meat. Verse 2 says, One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
When the book of Romans was written, the situation among Gentile believers was an interesting one. Most of them had been saved out of a pagan background. Many of them participated in pagan temple worship which included animal sacrifices to pagan gods. In fact, what was going on was the practice of idolatry. The animals that were sacrificed were usually sold as meat on the open market. So for those who had been saved out of this lifestyle the question became whether they should eat the meat which was sacrificed to these idols. Were they, by eating that meat, participating in the idolatry of the pagan temples? This was a hard question for many. And as a result of a desire not to participate in idolatrous practices, many of these Gentile Christians became vegetarians. Only in that way could they assure themselves that they were not eating meat which had been sacrificed to idols.
Paul says that it is the weak brother who eats only vegetables whereas it is the strong brother whose faith allows him to eat everything. The stronger believer understood that the idols to which the meat had been offered were not gods at all. They were only pieces of wood, stone or metal. If, therefore, they ate the meat with that understanding, they were not participating in idolatry.
The second illustration has to do with observing special days as holy days. Verse 5 says, One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Some had been saved out of a Jewish background. Because of the traditions of Sabbath days and festivals, some were apt to make a great deal out of those observances. Others, however, perhaps not coming from that background, felt that every day was the Lord’s day, and that none were any more special than others. This created problems in the life of this early church. How were they to live together with other believers who did not agree with them in every detail? How are we today to deal with other believers who have different opinions?
The issue, in their case and ours, is one of liberty vs. legalism. There seems to be something within each of us that wants to set up rules of conduct — laws for living. We would like to have a simple answer for every situation we face. But some situations are not that simple. And believers seeking to serve Christ often come to different conclusions.
When we come to Christ, we are set free from the Law as a means of righteousness. We no longer live by a multitude of rules and regulations. We now live by applying the principles of God’s Word to our lives. How we understand those principles to apply is based on the level of maturity and faith we have. Those who are less mature feel a need to have everything spelled out for them. It is easier and safer to have a set of rules which always apply in every situation than it is to have to live by analyzing the situation in light of the principles of God’s Word.
The issue is liberty vs. legalism. Notice I did not say legalism vs. license. You see, license and liberty are not the same thing. Some fear that unless we have a law for every situation, we are opening the door to all manner of license on the part of believers. But liberty is not license. Liberty is living in the freedom that Christ provides under his Lordship. Christian freedom is not freedom to do your own thing, but it is, rather, freedom to follow Jesus. It is freedom from superstition. It is freedom from fear. It is freedom from the traditions of men. Yes, it is even freedom from religious tradition. It is freedom to enter into a living relationship with the living God. It is freedom to allow Him to lead you each step of the way. It is freedom to come to the place where you can hear His voice and discern it from all others.
But we’re back to the problem of how we live together in spite of our differences. Do we have to agree on every issue to walk together? Just how much diversity can we have and still maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace?
In our text we find several important principles which apply to our relationships with other believers. The first principle we see is that we are to receive one another. Verse 1 says, Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. The call to the Christian is to receive every other believer without having to pass judgment on every opinion he holds. In other words, we are to allow for differing opinions, because differing opinions do not necessarily mean a differing faith.
You see, the question here is whether we are dealing with essentials or non-essentials. I believe that there are some things that are essential in the Christian faith. Some things are not optional. They are non-negotiable. I believe that the virgin birth is non-negotiable. I believe that the deity of Christ is non-negotiable. The substitutionary atoning death of Christ is non-negotiable. The physical bodily resurrection of Christ is non-negotiable. A literal return of Christ is non-negotiable. And I also believe the authority and inspiration of the Word of God is non-negotiable. These are all fundamental foundational truths. They are essentials upon which we all ought to agree. They are clear, basic, simple truths which are taught in the Word of God. But apart from these, there are many other things that are not as clear, not as apparent, and not as easily understood in the Word of God. In these matters, we must allow for differing opinions. It may be that we think that if a brother were only stronger in faith, he would come to our way of thinking. That may be true, but it is really not that important.
We find a principle that we are to allow for weak faith without criticism. Verse 3 says, The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. In other words, we are to allow for differing conclusions of honest believers seeking the mind of Christ. And further, we are to allow for them without criticism, without contempt, without judgment.
Finally, we see the principle that we are to recognize that God is the Master and we are all His servants. Therefore, we have no business judging another’s servant. We are not the master, we are a servant. Verse 4 says, Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. We must allow God to guide our fellow believers. We can share our opinion, we can encourage and teach and exhort, but we must allow each other the space to grow. And at the same time, we must recognize that we may not be right. Have you ever considered that? We have the responsibility to come to our own conclusions before God and to be convinced of those conclusions. But we must never assume that we have the corner on truth.
The last part of verse 5 says Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. There is a principle that we must live by the convictions to which we have come in our seeking the mind of Christ. The Bible says, in verse 23 of this same chapter, that "everything that does not come from faith is sin." As we seek the mind of Christ on an issue, if we come to the conclusion that a certain thing is wrong, for us to engage in that behavior would be sinful. We would be acting against our own convictions. Whether or not in fact it is wrong is beside the point. If we think a thing to be wrong, when we engage in it, we are violating what we think is God’s standard, and therefore, insofar as we are concerned, disobeying God. So, unless we can act in faith, we should not act at all.
All of this boils down to the real issue of this passage of Scripture. The issue is the perspective from which the Christian operates. It is the issue of the Lordship of Christ.
Here, we are presented with a choice between surrender to the Lordship of Christ and selfish determination of our own behavior. It is surrender vs. self-will. Notice verse 9, For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Here we find the Lordship of Christ revealed. Notice the redemptiveness of the Lordship of Christ. Jesus Christ died to purchase you. His death on the Cross paid the penalty for your sin. The punishment you deserved, He took. He purchased your salvation and in doing so, purchased you. The Bible says, "You were bought with a price." The Bible teaches that we were purchased by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He died to purchase you. He also rose to pardon you. The resurrection of Christ is the evidence that He is who He said He was. He is God the Son. His death on the Cross was sufficient to purchase our pardon. He rose to pardon you. But He also lives to possess you. God’s desire is not simply that our sins be forgiven, but that we become living temples in which He can dwell and through which He can manifest His presence. He lives that He might live in and through us. Our text says, He died and rose so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Because of the redemption of Christ, He, by right, is Lord.
But also notice the relatedness of the Lordship of Christ. Look at verses 7-8, For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. And again, look at the last part of verse 10 and verses 11-12, For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: "As surely as I live," says the Lord, "every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God." So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
The message is clear — in life, we are responsible to God. We are called to live for Christ, to surrender our lives to Him, and to be His man or His woman. If we live, we live for the Lord. Let me ask you, "Are you living for the Lord? Are submitting to Christ in this life? Are you surrendered to Him? Is He, in fact, Lord of your life?" In life, we are responsible before Him, to live for Him. But in death, we become accountable to Him. We shall, one day, all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account to God. The reason why we are responsible in life is because we will be accountable in death. The issue is the Lordship of Christ. And the issue requires an answer. You see, if Jesus Christ is truly Lord, then what must our response be? Can we, in light of our accountability to Him, simply go our own way without regard for His will for us? The only option which makes sense is to surrender to Him at once.
That surrender will make all the difference in the world in our relationships. You see, if we are living for Christ, recognizing our responsibility and accountability to Him, then we will not be so quick to judge our brother. We will see that our responsibility lies in our own walk before God.
We must recognize that we are all at different levels of maturity. We must also recognize that while we come to different conclusions based on our level of maturity, we must allow for liberty in the non-essentials of our faith. The real question we must all grapple with is whether we are allowing Jesus Christ to be Lord over our lives. It is the question of whether we are surrendered to Him. It is a question Jesus Christ Himself is asking to you today. What is your answer?
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