HoHum:
I had trouble appreciating rap music. Until I met some rappers who are using their gift for the Lord.
WBTU:
Differences between people give opportunities for judging and legalism. We are tempted to judge others because they are looser on some issues and stricter on others. We become prideful and divided against one another because of extra biblical standards and rules. Whole groups of Christians become suspicious and cynical of other groups, basically because we are different from one another. One of the reasons to get involved in missions. Open our eyes.
Many divisions should never happen, because the Lord has given us much information in the Scriptures about how to relate to others who have different perspectives and practices.
Two entire chapters of the NT are devoted to this issue- Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. Romans 14 itself is a wonderful chapter that should help us with conflicts on non biblical issues that will help us to avoid division.
The apostle Paul was writing to people who had struggles similar to the ones we face (different details but much the same problems), and his words help in this present time.
Main issue at this time was the eating of meat from animals that had been offered to idols in pagan temples. Not a big issue in areas where there was a large Jewish population. Just go to local kosher butcher and it wasn’t an issue. This is a big issue in Corinth and in Rome among the Christians. Evidently a lack of kosher butchers in these areas. The church at Rome was mostly Gentile because of this: “There (Corinth) he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.” Acts 18:2, NIV. This order was no longer in effect and some Jews were going back to Rome but must have still been a lack of kosher butchers. What a Gentile butcher would do was to slaughter the animal and then put a portion of the meat in front of his idol to please the gods, then after a short amount of time, he would put this meat back into the meat market. Never knew if the meat buying was set before an idol or not.
Two basic groups on eating meat. Paul and many others were among a group who believed that it was alright to eat anything that they thanked God for. “Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,” “If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:25, 30, 31, NIV.
The other group whom Paul calls the weak believe that it is bad to eat meat that might have been sacrificed to an idol. They believe this for many reasons. One is that these Christians just coming out of paganism would associate meat from the meat market as coming from an idol. This would tempt them to go back to paganism. “Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.” 1 Corinthians 8:7, NIV. Because of this some Gentile Christians would not even eat meat, they became vegetarians. Another reason (some speculation but Paul’s comments in Romans and Corinthians indicate this) is that some new Christians believed that if they ate meat that had been sacrificed to an idol, a demon would enter into them or they would be defiled in some way. Paul clears this up in “As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself.” Romans 14:14. This goes back to Mark 7. ““Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him ‘unclean’? For it doesn’t go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean”.)” Mark 7:18, 19. A demon does not enter a person through food. However, Paul does warn the Corinthian Christians not to worship at a pagan temple in 1 Corinthians 10. Worshipping at a pagan temple is different than eating meat that might have come from a pagan temple.
Paul clearly takes sides and eats anything that is set before him without having a spiritual problem. God had never said it was wrong to eat meat offered to idols, so as far as Paul was concerned, it was an acceptable thing to do.
But having this knowledge (mentions this in 1 Corinthians), does not solve the problem here. We still have the problem that some Christians believe it is wrong to eat the meat, and so they would be going against their conscience to do so. Should they eat the meat anyway, even though they think it is wrong? And what responsibility do the other Christians have to help them with this? Most importantly, how can both groups resist the temptation to judge and divide from one another? Those are the kinds of questions Paul answers in Romans 14. We can plug any modern day disputable issue here and it will apply.
In Vs. 1-4 Paul begins by telling us that we need to accept one another, even though we may have different perspectives, and be careful not to judge one another.
Vs. 1- “faith is weak” a person is not able to do what I do with a clear conscience
Vs. 2- Christians are “weak” in a particular area when God allows freedom in that area, but they are restricted by their conscience and therefore cannot enjoy that freedom.
Vs. 3- When differences like this occur, we are tempted to look down on each other “with contempt.” The person who can enjoy the meat with a clear conscience is likely to view the weaker brother as immature, overly traditional, not living in grace, stick in the mud, etc. On the other hand, the one who cannot eat the meat with a good conscience will tend to judge the one who does as immature, worldly, loose, unconcerned with holiness, and so on.
One of the reasons that it is so important to understand “weak” is that we must remember that we are all weak in one way or another, and this will help us to treat others with grace. We all have areas in our lives in which our conscience restricts us, areas in which we will be tempted to judge others.
Thesis: Let’s talk about some application in judging others from vs. 1-4
For instances:
Recognize that believers agree on far more than we disagree on.
We see eye-to-eye on those doctrines, philosophies, and practices that are most essential to the Christian faith (Christians of like minded faith). Thus, we must focus on those things that unite us, not on things that divide us.
Need to start on where we agree and then work on where we do not agree. Must agree on the essentials. “No creed but Christ”- “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.” 2 John 1:9, 10, NIV.
2. Distinguish between essential and non essential issues.
How do we do that? “Do not go beyond what is written.” 1 Corinthians 4:6.
There is no point in warring over non essential issues. Remember: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” We must not spend precious time constantly debating non-essential issues. If Christ returns today, let’s make sure we’re not spinning our spiritual wheels fighting over things that really don’t matter. I want to be talking about Jesus Christ and his salvation more than secondary issues.
3. Acknowledge that disagreement over non-essentials can be healthy.
If the body of Christ never disagreed, we could never express true agape love. In any relationship (e.g., marriage, family, friendship), you can only enjoy true unconditional love when conflict has occurred. At that point forgiveness and grace can be extended.
Furthermore, cookie-cutter Christians would be terribly boring. Variety is the spice of the church. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:6, NIV. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7
4. Allow people to come to their own conclusions.
the “weak” (i.e., abstainers) had concluded that what was wrong for them was wrong for everyone! We must realize what is best for us may not be best for everyone. We need to warmly and respectfully give one another freedom in non-essential areas. Doing so would revolutionize our life within the church as well as our testimony outside. For the sake of Christian love and community, we must leave room for people to grow and be different.
This is fine for disputable matters (opinions), but what about important Bible doctrines?
When I served as an intern at a campus ministry, the campus minister there had some students who wanted to debate baptism constantly. Finally the campus minister said that there would be no debates about baptism anymore. Told these students in disagreement over baptism to look up Scriptures on baptism and to mediate upon them. Just have these Scriptures and nothing else, no commentaries or people's thoughts on these Scriptures. Just the Scriptures themselves. Meditate and pray over these Scriptures for a few months and then they would talk about this issue in a more private setting. The ones who took this seriously came to talk to the campus minister a few months later and many of them wanted to be baptized in the Biblical way. We need to let the Scriptures speak for themselves.
Conclusion and invitation:
The decisions that we make regarding non-essentials should be made with the Lord in mind. In 14:4 Paul writes: “Who are you [weak believer] to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able [or “is powerful”] to make him stand.” Imagine that I am visiting the president of a major corporation and during our conversation I began to criticize his executive secretary. He might listen for a few minutes, but eventually he would probably say something like, “Who do you think you are?!” Paul is saying: “Back off. Cut others some slack. They are serving Christ; and He can take care of them.” We must always recognize that the Lord can take care of changing others where they need changing. He cares about the maturity of His kids more than we do. God’s grace provides both the possibility and the power for standing favorably at the judgment seat of Christ.
