Lesson 32 – Romans Chapter 14:12-23
In verses 1 thru 11 we covered “The Law of Liberty,” or we could say, the freedom we have as believers. What we should be doing as believers is not parade our freedoms in front of others, but instead show Christ’s love to one another by understanding that there are different levels of maturity within the body of Christ. Each person lives their life in Christ according to their own understanding.
We also discussed how each one of us will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to have our performance review of a lifetime… answering to Jesus as to just what did we do with the time, talent, and treasures God gave us. Verse 12 continues this discussion…
Rom. 14:12
“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Account: (log’-os) an answer or explanation in reference to judgment.
When we stand before Jesus we will be on our own, your spouse will not be with you, your parents will not be there nor any of your friends or relatives, just you. On that note, you will not have to give an account about what anyone else has said or done, you will just answer for yourself.
The good news is that you’re in heaven at this point, you do not have to account for your sins, Jesus took care of that for you at the cross. Jesus may ask you about what you did with the material possessions or money He gave you, and perhaps you will be asked about what you did with the gifts, opportunities, or the open doors that were presented to you.
Heb. 9:27
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”
We are given one life to live on this earth, your entire life is one big enormous test. This is why everything we do on this side of eternity will be accounted for. Jesus will not be grading you on a curve, He will not compare you to anyone else, Jesus will just be focused on you.
I Tim. 6:17-19
“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (LSB)
By making the most of everything God has given you, by being kingdom minded, you will indeed be “storing up for yourself the treasure of a good foundation for the future.”
Everything thing that we have done, good or bad, will pass through the fire of judgment, and whatever comes through on the other side and not burned up will be all that matters.
Rom. 14:13
“Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”
“So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.” (NLT)
Let’s examine ourselves carefully to make sure our actions aren’t causing someone else to stumble or fall.
Jon Courson; “Paul says, “Let us not judge any man, but rather judge ourselves.” Is your legalism causing others to stumble by making them feel condemned, weighed down, and beaten up? Is your liberty causing others to stumble as they follow you to their own destruction? If we don’t judge ourselves, the Lord will judge us… not to condemn us, but to correct us. Yes, He gives us liberty for a while. But He loves us as well as those around us too much to let us travel a dangerous road indefinitely.”
I Cor. 8:9
“But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.” (NLT)
If we are to be loving and caring believers, we need to have a heart for the weaker believer by avoiding doing anything that might trip them up. For instance, if you’re comfortable drinking alcohol and you know that the brother or sister near you is uncomfortable with it, don’t display it or drink it around them. And better yet, don’t even discuss it around them. But, let us be mindful that what is a sin for somebody isn’t necessarily a sin for someone else.
Rom. 14:14
“I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”
Paul is convinced by the Lord Jesus… Jesus instructed Paul while he was in the desert (in Arabia), we see an account of this in Galatians.
Gal. 1:15-17
“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace. Then it pleased Him to reveal His Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.” (NLT)
Paul emerged from the desert knowing and understanding his freedoms and liberties in Christ. This was a big change for Paul, because having the history of being a Pharisee, he was a legalist to the highest degree.
Now Paul says, that there is nothing unclean of itself…
This was as far as non-sinful things were concerned. This wasn’t his personal opinion, but what he learned from the Lord.
Nothing is unclean… Peter learned this as well.
Acts 10:9-16
“The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean. But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.” (NLT)
But to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean…
Unclean… (koy-nos’) as seen by the Jews, it is unholy, profane, it is Levitically unclean.
It is likely that every Christian has a weak spot of some kind when it comes to personal sin.
I Cor. 8:4-7
“So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.” (NLT)
For various reasons, there are certain things that we know are not sinful, but we just don’t feel uncomfortable doing it, or just being around it. The tricky part is, when another believer does something that is lawful, but you’re just not comfortable with it, this can put you at odds with each other.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon could not understand how Joseph Parker could go to the theatre and watch plays. Parker, on the other hand, came down on Spurgeon, saying he couldn’t understand how Spurgeon could smoke cigars. Both of these men were powerful preachers who were greatly used by the Lord, and yet they had a public fight.
Spurgeon finally gave up smoking cigars in his later years, when one day he opened up the London Times and saw a full-page cigar ad, under the headline it read, “The Cigar that Charles Spurgeon Smokes.”
Even heavy-hitters like Spurgeon and Parker fell into legalism to some degree. What is the solution? To always treat your brothers and sisters with love and respect, of course, unless they are tangled up in some sin and need your help, whether they realize it or not. And then, when you help them, you do it in love.
Rom. 14:15
“Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”
“And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it.” (NLT)
During Paul’s day this was a thing, but for today I don’t really see this happening over the issue of food. So, if we change it up a little, say one friend enjoys smoking, and the other friend has a real problem with it, then the friend who smokes should take some “love” action and not smoke in front of their friend.
In the early days of World War II, German U-boats would attack Allied ships traveling from the east coast over to Europe. To remedy this, the Allied ships would travel in large convoys. But the convoys could only go as fast as the slowest boat. So, the faster boats would only go as fast as the slowest boat in order that they all might be protected from any attacks.
The comradery we see in this situation should also hold true for believers spiritually. For instance, you might be further along in your walk with Christ, comfortable in your freedoms, but we should always be mindful of those around us who aren’t moving as fast as us in the “spiritual waters of life.” Satan can attack you at any moment, so it’s okay to be your brother’s keeper, watching so that they don’t become a casualty in spiritual warfare. Love your brother and sister and your neighbor.
Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died…
God’s word says, don’t destroy your brother with food… no, this isn’t an “Animal House” food fight. This is Paul expressing the concept of “consideration” to a brother or sister who is weak. As they say, there’s no “I” in team.
If we think of the body of Christ as a team, we need to give a team effort, after all, you are going to spend eternity with every believer you know!
for whom Christ died… Jesus died for every one of us! He sees every one of His children as important, we should too.
Rom. 14:16-17a
“Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking.”
Do not let your good… your good is what you, as a believer consider to be good.
John MacArthur; “This good thing of liberty is to be used carefully, with loving concern for our weaker brethren and with concern for its witness to the unbelieving world. It should not cause those brothers to stumble, be grieved, or harmed in any way; and it should never give the watching world an excuse for it to be spoken of as evil.”
At the time Paul wrote this, many Gentile believers could not bring themselves to eat meat that had been used in pagan rituals. Paul carefully dealt with this problem in his first letter to Corinth, which, as one could imagine, included many Gentile converts who continued to have social contact with unbelieving Gentiles as well as fellow believers.
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking…
The kingdom of God doesn’t consist of external things like cheeseburgers and fries, but in spiritual genuineness like righteousness and love in action, and of course our thinking process. The kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking…
Rom. 14:17b
“But righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
This is about a peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, and not about what a person eats or drinks. You will find righteousness, peace, and joy within the kingdom of God.
Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom of God will not choose the brief joy of satisfying our “selfish desires” over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others. The spiritual realties in this context is thinking of others rather than yourself.
Mark 1:14-15
“Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages in Scripture show us that God is the undeniable Sovereign over all creation.
Psalm 103:19
“The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”
Even King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom.”
And as we covered in chapter 13, every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is.
A little side note, the phrase “the kingdom of God” can only be found in the New Testament.
Rom. 14:18
“For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.”
“If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.” (NLT)
More important than pleasing men is for us to be pleasing to God.
I Thess. 2:4
“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”
I Peter 2:5
“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
II Cor. 8:21
“We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.” (NLT)
It should be our life’s goal to be doing the things that are pleasing and acceptable to God, and if we do this, many people will find our actions to be pleasing as well.
Rom. 14:19
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.”
“So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” (NLT)
Pursue peace with those around you, this is a good action in God’s economy and also in the world’s economy. Unsaved people enjoy peace just as much as believers do.
John MacArthur; “Peace in the church… the loving, tranquil relationship of believers who are more interested in serving others than in pleasing themselves… is also more important than individual liberties and is a powerful witness to the unbelieving world.”
This brings us back to chapter 12…
Rom. 12:10-13
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.” (NLT)
Also…
James 3:17
“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.” (NLT)
These verses can really test our salt, are we Christians only in just what we say, or will our faith in Christ be obvious in our Christ-like behavior? Let’s be sure that we’re building up and not tearing down.
Rom. 14:20
“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.”
Do not destroy… means to dissolve, disunite, do away with, or throw down.
Paul has already exhorted mature believers to have consideration for the weak believers, we saw this in verse 15. Here, Paul encourages the mature believer to identify ways in which to build up those weaker in the faith. For the “mature” Christian to demand their own way when it comes to what they’re going to eat would be immature.
All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense…
Everything is pure, but anything that becomes a personal problem for you, then becomes unclean for you. Therefore, determine where you stand, but don’t impose your convictions on others.
I Cor. 8:12-13
“But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ… therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
Paul saw how important this issue was and he was willing to make a personal sacrifice. Do we have the same convictions as Paul? After all, we’re supposed to be a holy and living sacrifice for the Lord (Rom. 12:2)
For the selfish inconsiderate so-called mature believer, it is evil for the man who eats with offense… this is a picture of the people who plow through life, just thinking of themselves.
Rom. 14:21
“It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”
“It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.” (NLT)
There isn’t much difference between stumbles, offended, and made weak. Paul uses all three words to reiterate that a mature believer should not cause the downfall of another believer, we saw this in verses 12, 13, and 20. So what do we do when we see a message or word repeated in scripture… we’re to pay close attention. Here, we’re seeing the scriptures point out that the mature believer has a great responsibility when it comes to those weaker in the faith.
Rom. 14:22
“Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.”
“You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.” (NLT)
You’re pretty much a happy person if you’re not condemning yourself, which means your conscience is clear and you’re not all tied up with rules and regulations. The things that you’re okay with is between you and the Lord. Stay true to yourself and God.
Rom. 14:23
“But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.”
“But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.” (NLT)
We’ll close with this…
In your heart of hearts, you know if something is getting the best of you. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of something, the best thing to do is listen to what He’s saying to you. If not, it could lead to depression and destruction for you.
This doesn’t mean you lose your salvation, but you could miss out on many of life’s blessings from God.
Psalm 133:1
“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”
St. Augustine; “In essentials, there must be unity. In non-essentials there needs to be liberty. But in all things, love and charity.”
It always seems to come back to “love,” funny how that happens.