Romans 14 - Christian Liberty
Turn with me this morning, to the book of Romans, chapter 14. We have been going through the book of Romans together, and today we come to the 14th chapter. In the book of Romans, Paul tells us that we have good news - even though we deserve condemnation for our sins -- all people, out and out sinners, good moral people, and even religious ones deserve the condemnation from God -- and even though we can’t earn our salvation, God, in His marvelous grace, offers us forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ dying in our place to pay the penalty of our sins. The righteousness of Christ has been credited to our bankrupt account. And that IS good news for all who will by faith choose to receive that salvation and follow God.
In light of what Paul tells us in chapters 1-11, the doctrine of what is true, in chapters 12 - 16, we see our duty, HOW we should live in light of what is true. We saw in chapter 12 that we are not to make a sacrifice, but to BE a sacrifice, to live our lives for God’s glory. Paul has reminded us that we need to STOP being conformed to the world - being camouflaged to fit right in; instead, there should be something different about us, we are to be internally changed, just like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. If we are going to seek to honor and obey God, we aren’t going to just make a few external changes to the things we do, but internally, in our hearts, we need to change and recommit to obey God.
Paul tells us we are to be serious about serving, using our gifts for the good of the church and the glory of God. And he tells us we are to be outgoing towards others, seeking to show our love in a thousand practical ways. In chapter 13 Paul tells us that when we choose to be a living sacrifice, it will change the way we relate to our government. And today, we go on to chapter 14, and see that when we are internally changed, it will affect the way we live out our lives in any number of practices where Christians differ. Let’s first read the chapter together, and then we’ll talk about what it means for each one of us.
Read 14:1 - 15:7 Pray
We come today to one of the key principles of the Christian life: Christian liberty. Christian liberty is the freedom we have in Christ to be led by the Holy Spirit, our consciences, and the principles of the word of God in deciding about issues where the scriptures do NOT clearly speak. Hundreds of practices are never clearly identified by the scriptures as to whether they are acceptable or unacceptable. These are the areas of Christian liberty. Some examples of these types of issues:
•Sunday activities: working, buying, selling, sports, amusement
•Dress & Styles: shorts, pants on women, necklaces/earrings on men, hair length, piercing body parts, tattoo
•Alcohol: social use, eating/buying where it is sold
•Cultural events: art, drama, literature, music, type of novels read
•Entertainment: dancing, rollerskating, cards, movies, TV, mixed swimming
(not mixed bathing - that’s definitely out! - but mixed swimming)
•Tobacco: smoking, chewing, growing it
You might say, I know exactly which of these are right and which are wrong. And if we’d make out a list, we should all be able to identify which are right and which are wrong; but the reality is that each of us might mark those lists differently. And we all might be correct! Because some things can be right for one person and wrong for another! That’s what Christian liberty is all about. On issues where the scriptures don’t give a definite answer, being able to come up with an answer as we are led by the Spirit of God.
Now, there are two extremes on issues of Christian liberty: One one extreme you have the . . .
• Legalist: one who imposes his non-biblical convictions on you with the necessity of doing them. On the other hand you have the . . .
• Antinomian: one who, stressing being saved by Christ and his freedom in Christ, feels free to do whatever he chooses. And the reality is that both of these extremes are wrong.
And as we discuss this, we need to set down two basic beliefs that are fundamental to everything be believe:
•What the scriptures forbid, we cannot allow. --and •What the scriptures allow, we cannot forbid.
So, very simply, these are matters where the bible is not clear. Now please don’t misunderstand this: on issues of murder, stealing, adultery, drunkenness, lust, and the like -- we have very clear guidance in the scriptures, and these are not debatable. We ALWAYS must obey God. But what about when God is silent. That is where the topic of Christian liberty comes in to play.
Today, as we look at Romans 14, we want to come away with 7 Principles that build unity through liberty.
And the first principle of liberty is this:
1. Live in Liberty - vs. 1-5 - Paul says here in verse 1: Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. That’s the NIV. The NLT words it this way: Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. Christian liberty is often used to tear others apart. But the true use of liberty is to “glue us together.” If you saw the movie “Fireproof” -- and if anyone wants one, I still have one last DVD copy for $8 -- in there the one firefighter superglues a salt and pepper shaker together to show that in a marriage the two are to be one. In the same way, in the church, we are to be united together. Jesus prays in John 17:11 - Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be ONE as we are one. God’s desire for His church is for there to be unity. Christian liberty is the principle that should bring us together, not tear us apart. We need to learn to accept one another.
Ask yourself this question: Do the practices and lifestyle of others cause you to condemn them? If they are disobeying scripture, then Galatians 6 tells us we should humbly seek to correct them. But if they are simply making different choices than we have made, then we need to learn to love and accept them, even though they are different than we are.
Here in these verses, Paul gives us a couple examples of areas where liberty would come into play. First,
FOOD- Paul talks about vegetarians in verse 2. He doesn’t say whether a vegetarian is right or wrong: he simply reminds us that each person will give an answer to God for the choices he makes. We often see a Physician’s assistant here in town who is a vegetarian. Jacqueline has a friend at school whose family is vegetarian. They are all around us, but often we don’t know it. But whether you are a meat-eater or a leaf-eater, you are wrong when you look down on a person who holds the opposite view. Another questionable practice might be this: what about eating meat during lent? Do I need to eat fish on Fridays? Can I go to a fishfry at the Catholic church - I’m not Catholic, and I don’t follow the pope, but is it okay to go there to eat fish? There are lots of questions that can be raised about food.
In verse 5, Paul gives a second example:
Holidays - What holidays to you celebrate? For the Jewish Christians, they had to decide, would they still celebrate Passover? Yom Kippur - the day of Atonement. Rosh Hoshana - the head of the year- the Jewish New Year celebration?
We don’t wrestle with those questions. But what about Christmas? Can you decorate with a Santa? Can you have a Christmas tree? Can you exchange gifts? What about Halloween? Is it wrong to let your kids go out trick-or-treating? These are the type of Christian Liberty - Holiday questions we wrestle with today. And once again Paul tells us NOT to look down on other Christians who make different choices than you do.
In verse 5 Paul gives us the key: Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. What Paul is saying is whether or not you eat a certain food- or whether or not you celebrate a certain holiday - or any of the many other issues of Christian liberty, the key is to keep a Clear Conscience before God. Make sure you have searched the word of God, prayed about it, and feel no conviction about doing this activity. That leads us to our second point:
2. Live to Honor the Lord - 6-12 - Look at verse 6 - 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. All of life is to be lived to bring glory to God. And whether we do or don’t engage in a certain practice, we need to make sure we are doing it to bring glory to God.
We need to understand that as a Christian, all of life is to be lived in an awareness that we are in the presence of God and we are to live for the purposes of God. Christian liberty is not a way to excuse sin so we may indulge, but rather it is the clarification and understanding of what is sinful so it may be avoided. We want no part of a sinful lifestyle. Determining your stand on Christian liberty is not a way to excuse sinful practices, but the determination of what is NOT sinful so we may participate with a clear conscience.
One good test as you think about a questionable area or practice: Can you pray and ask God’s blessing on it? 1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. If you feel the liberty to drink alcohol: can you in a clear conscience pray for God to bless it? If you are watching a show on TV that others might question: can you honestly ask God’s blessing as you watch it. Everything we do, we are to do to honor the Lord. If you can’t ask God’s blessing, you shouldn’t be doing it. Paul reminds us in verse 12 - So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. For everything we do, big and small, we will give an account to God. You might say, you don’t think God cares about the little things, do you? Yes, I believe He does. Even in little things, if we are disobedient to what we know God wants, it is sin, and it will lead us down the path to bigger sins.
We need to choose to live to honor God. The third principle of building unity through liberty:
3. Bear with your Brother - 13-16- Paul says here: Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling-block or obstacle in your brother’s way. I think Paul is saying that erring on either side of balance can hurt your brother. First, I think he is saying that we need to stop passing judgment, to stop condemning our Christian brother or sister when he or she holds to a different practice than we do, because that condemnation is WRONG! It is hurtful and harmful to your brother. Far too many people are “proud” of the fact that they know what they know is right; and then they cross over the line by thinking that anyone who doesn’t view things the same way as they do is wrong. Paul reminds us that it is our love for one another that truly builds up the body, not adhering to a man-made list of rules and regulations about whether or not you can go see a certain movie or eat at a certain restaurant.
But in the same way, the opposite extreme, flaunting your liberty is also wrong and harmful. Even good things, things that you might feel complete liberty to engage in, can be harmful to your brother. Paul’s warning is this: Do not destroy your brother's conscience by the exercise of your liberty. Don’t let your freedom of doing something you know is good and right cause another brother to fall into sin.
So let’s put this in a modern day setting. Let me first explain what “causing offense” does NOT mean, and then explain what it does mean. It does NOT mean that some other Christian gets UPSET and MAD because you are doing a certain activity. That is the other Christian’s sin, it is his heart problem, and he needs to deal with it before God. There are a LOT of legalistic Christians who are going to get upset when you do something that goes against what they feel is the proper and appropriate and godly way of doing things -- because it’s the way THEY have always done it. Don’t let yourself be pressured into going along with the “squeaky wheel” just because they complain and criticize others! That is not causing them to be offended. They’re just sinning! Paul says in verse 16- Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
I also do not believe that this principle of a stumbling block applies to an “imaginary brother” - the idea that someTIME someWHERE someHOW someONE might see you doing someTHING that could possibly make that person sin. I believe when Paul refers to a weaker brother he means just that. This is a circumstance involving a real, legitimate brother or sister who is involved in the situation and would be affected. So what DOES it mean.
Let’s say I think it’s okay to go mixed swimming. Roger Squiers is throwing a pool party, I decide to go, and I invite Shawn Dean. But Shawn might feel that it is inappropriate for men to be around women in swimsuits with their arms and legs and bodies showing. He might think that was immodest and not right for him to do. It would be wrong for me to try to get him to go against his conscience, to violate his conscience. Because if he did, he would be sinning. Even though there might be nothing wrong with mixed swimming, if he feels it is wrong, and he does it anyways, it IS sin for him. Here in Romans 14:23, Paul states, everything that does not come from faith is sin. - or as the NLT states, “If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”
So let’s move on to point number 4.
4. Identify What’s Important - 17-18 - Paul reminds us that when we think about exercising our Christian liberty, we need to always focus on our priorities. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. What is truly our priority? Not what we DO, but who we ARE! When we are seeking to live to honor the Lord, we will not demand our “rights.” The kingdom of God is not about our “rights” but about our “serving” - denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Christ faithfully.
If you have liberty that a certain practice is okay, you may choose to limit that practice because you know that in the bigger picture of your life, indulging in that freedom may not really be as important as the benefits of limiting your liberty for a greater good.
You know I am not by nature the neatest person. I like to drape my clothes all over the chair or the bed or the floor. But if you walk into my home, you will find them hung up. Why? Not because I have to, but because I love my wife. My love is stronger than my sense of freedom. We need to ask, what’s more important, my liberty or my love? Next, principle 5 of building unity through liberty:
5. Build up the Body - 19-21 - As Americans we are impacted with a twisted way of thinking that everything is about ME! We live in a consumer driven culture. We come to church and we want the songs to be the songs we like, we want the sermon to be one that helps us and that we find entertaining, we don’t want to be bored, we just want to be fed so WE grow spiritually. But that is FAR from God’s plan or ideal. Rather that is based in sinful pride and selfishness.
God’s plan rather is for us to focus on the good of the whole body of Christ. God wants you to think about how you can help your brothers and sisters in Christ grow spiritually and in their walk with God. In verse 19 Paul tells us, Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. The NLT states it this way: So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. The idea that we come away with is this: When we have UNITY in the church it will lead to MUTUAL growth. When we learn to get along, to consider one another, to not expect everything to go our own way, we will grow and we will help our brother or sister to grow as well.
Paul says to aim for peace - for harmony - so that we can grow. It’s hard to grow when you’re fighting in the church; it’s hard to grow when you’re putting out fires. God’s desire is to see peace and unity and harmony in the church so we can all grow together.
In verse 21, ( It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.) Paul reminds us that we can win the battle and lose the war. Even though we may have liberty, we don’t want to harm a brother or sister by the exercising of our liberty. Principle 6 -
6. Keep a Clear Conscience - 22-23- Paul says here, So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. I don’t think Paul is saying “Keep your liberty a secret.” Rather I think Paul is saying, If you have liberty, use it for God’s approval. Don’t exercise your liberty to gain the approval of man. The Phillips version translates the verse this way: Your personal convictions are a matter of faith between yourself and God. The key to liberty is that we answer to God for the choices we make. At the end of the day, we want Him to be pleased with how we lived our lives. And principle # 7 -
7. Consider Christ - 15:1-7- As we move on to chapter 15, Paul starts out reminding us that we are to follow the example of Christ. We see that Christ chose to endure things He did not endure for the glory of His Father. Verse 4-5 tells us our goal: through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus. . . Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Our goal is to endure - don’t seek to get out of difficult situations, but seek to be used by God in them, to continue to faithfully follow God, even though others might criticize you,
and our goal is to encourage others in their walk with God, not to condemn them, and that will bring
UNITY, which glorifies God.
When we understand our Christian liberty and use it rightly it WILL bring unity in the church and we will all grow together.
In closing, let me quickly flash on the screen and answer the question, How do I know if something is okay or not? Dealing with issues of Christian liberty can be difficult, but here are a few guidelines:
How to exercise Christian liberty:
A. Pray - seek wisdom from God - James 1:5, John 16:13
B. Search the Scriptures - Acts 17:11 - see what principles apply
C. Seek wise counsel - Proverbs 11:14, 15:22
Pastors, teachers, older Christians can often give insight from Scripture.
D. Apply the Biblical principles you discover (e.g. the body is the temple of God - 1 Cor. 6:19)
1. Is it in direct contradiction of scripture? I Cor 6:9-11
2. Is it beneficial/expedient? I Cor. 6:12; 10:23
*many times a right act can be wrong because it is done with a wrong motive. It can be wrong to go to church--if you are supposed to go witness to your neighbor.
3. Does/will it control me? I Cor. 6:12
4. Does it edify/build up? Rom. 15: 1-2; 14:19
5. Can I do it as unto the Lord? I Cor. 10:30-31
6. Will it hinder your ministry/testimony? I Cor. 9:19-23
*This does not mean simply doing something that another would not expect of you. Jesus was a radical! Often the pharisees were outraged by his actions.
May God help us use His wisdom as we exercise our liberty in Christ this week. Let’s pray.
