November 14, 2018
Is It Truth Building or Wishful Thinking?
Romans 14
Meagan Smith
Central Truth
Being grounded in biblical truth and having a correct understanding of God's Word is key in effective discipleship and growth.
Romans 14
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master 1 14:4 Or lord that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess
2
14:11
Or shall give praise
to God.”
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 3 14:21 Some manuscripts add or be hindered or be weakened 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. 4 14:23 Some manuscripts insert here 16:2527
Dive Deeper | Romans 14
One of my biggest flaws, if not the biggest, is that I like to be in control. Being a selfish, fleshy (a word I use in the Smith household when I act a fool) person, I often naturally gravitate toward whatever game plan gives me the most comfort or satisfaction. I have to be careful, or this problem-solving mentality will lead me to giving my own opinion rather than going to God's Word first when someone is seeking counsel from me. In fact, I did a challenge just today and found myself stating my opinion three times instead of giving biblical counsel first (insert major face palm here). Praise the Lord that my "opinions" are not far from biblical truth, but my emotions definitely took the lead.
In Romans 14, Paul warns us against giving counsel based on our own opinion rather than giving biblical truth, specifically in areas where we don't agree with our Christian brothers/sisters. We live in a world today where it is so easy as believers to allow our moral judgments to be based on opinion, personal dislikes, or what's culturally acceptable, rather than the Word of God. So what are you doing to make sure you know truth for when these times of disagreement arise? What are you doing to not be swayed by the world or your feelings? Are you devoting daily to learn more about who God is and what He says in His Word? For those gray areas that Scripture doesn't clearly address, do you give your opinion (Proverbs 18:2), or do you show love, inform your heart from God's truth, and pray that the Spirit gives you wisdom and clarity?
In this passage, Paul also says to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others' needs. Because we all have different strengths and weaknesses, we need to constantly monitor whether our behavior is helping or hurting others. Ask your community members what's the one thing that would take them away from remembering the truth and love of Christ. Know it, pray for your friends, and live in a way that helps them walk in truth.
This month's memory verse
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
– Romans 13:14
Discussion Questions
1. How are you doing at grounding yourself in biblical truth? (If you are struggling in studying your Bible or having a quiet time, check out an Equipped Disciple class here at Watermark where you can learn tools on how to memorize, study, and live out God's Word effectively.)
2. Do you know the biggest struggles of your community group members? If not, ask them. Set an alarm on your phone to pray for strength, discipline, obedience, and freedom from these struggles for them each day. Ask God to use you as building block and not as a stumbling block in their lives.
3. Challenge: When you don't know what to say when someone wants to talk about a hard topic or issue, learn the value and freedom of saying, "I don't know for sure, but I'd love to pray and dig into God's Word a bit more to see what it says. Can I get back to you in 24 hours?" God's advice, wisdom, and guidance is the best advice.