A FACT OF LIFE: There are going to be disputable matters Christians disagree on.
- Romans 14:1b, 2, 5a.
- Verse 1b introduces the term “disputable matters.” Now Paul has a lot to say about this and we are going to unpack this chapter over the next five weeks and detail the major points he makes. We need to start with the simplest: there are disputable matters.
- What’s so important about this and what we are going to talk about this morning is that Paul puts this forward as an acceptable category.
- What might an alternate approach look like? Well, that’s easy, because we see it all the time!
- It looks like this: I’m right about every detail and every interpretation I have about the Bible!
- This can arise from a good place: we say the Bible is the Word of God and that it gives us clear instruction. Yes it is and yes it does. But that doesn’t mean that every issue is handled to the point where there isn’t any nuance. Life is complicated, situations are complex, cultures are diverse, maturity levels are varied, and so on. The Bible is the Word of God but that doesn’t mean that my interpretation of the Bible is inerrant! Far too often we get people (who think they’re mature!) who are dogmatic that every thought they have about the Bible is without question the right way to look at it.
- Paul gives us a different vision with these two words (and the rest of the chapter): disputable matters.
- There are going to be matters that honest Christians are going to disagree over. It’s going to happen. It’s not a glitch in the system. It’s part of the way things work in this imperfect, sin-stained world.
- Maybe we should start with a simple exercise: we can all say, “I’m not always right.”
- In fact, I do try to say this to myself on a regular basis. I think it’s important to know that I don’t know everything, that I could be wrong, and that there is more I don’t know than I do.
- One sign of maturity, I think, is that you begin to be increasingly aware of how much you don’t know. I am far more aware today, more than thirty years into a spiritual journey, of how little I know than I was at the beginning. I hope that’s a sign of growth.
- Verse 2 gives us an example of this from Paul’s day: eating meat versus eating only vegetables.
- That issue, of course, stirs up nothing within us. In fact, we probably read it and think, “Who cares?”
- Well, they did. We can’t be certain which specific issue he is referring to: it could be meat sacrificed to idols (some Christians felt they shouldn’t eat that meat; others said that the idol isn’t real so nothing actually happened to the meat), it could be that the meat wasn’t kosher (some Christians felt they should continue to be faithful to parts of the Mosaic Law; others didn’t), or it could have (less likely) been some believers pursuing vegetable-only diet like Daniel in the Old Testament. We don’t know for certain which issue it was but we do know for certain that it was an issue.
- That in itself is a lesson to us. Here was an issue of burning intensity in Paul’s day that has faded away to nonexistence in our day. It’s a reminder that the particulars of place and culture can raise issues that are very specific to that moment.
- A second example is in v. 5. This is also an issue that doesn’t generate much heat today: should we consider some days more sacred than others? Some considered certain days to be holier and more sacred; others thought it best to treat each day the same. Again, not an issue we care much for today, but one that created strong reactions back then.
- So, then, what would be some examples from today that do get our attention?
- A few modern examples:
a. What songs to sing in worship.
b. Public school, private school, or homeschooling.
c. Tattoos.
d. Drinking alcohol.
e. Who to vote for.
f. What shows/movies to watch.
g. How expensive a car to own.
- Before leaving this point, there is an essential point that needs to be made. I am not arguing here that there is no such thing as truth and that we can all just believe whatever we want.
- There are a few indisputable matters that make up the essential core of our faith. They are much fewer than most of normally presume. Things like the deity of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the inspiration of the Bible, the Trinity, and so on.
- On those few things, there is no compromise and no ability to negotiate. Those are the fundamentals of our faith. When you preach that Jesus was not bodily raised from the dead, you are no longer preaching Christianity, but something else entirely.
- As we mentioned earlier, our problem is often that we elevate how many issues deserve to be considered “essential” and in so doing we water things down and inspire much infighting in the church.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD OF ARGUING: Rather than focusing on changing others’ minds, be fully convinced in your own mind.
- Romans 14:5b, 22b-23.
- Verse 5b points us in a different direction that constant arguing and bickering.
- It points us to being “fully convinced in our own mind.” What’s that mean?
- First of all, it means that the proper response to the facts we just talked about is not to throw up our hands and say, “Well, we can never know anything so who cares?!?!” No, we are still called to pursue truth.
- Second of all, that looks like being increasingly “fully convinced in our own mind.”
- I need to study these matters. Certainly they are not as important as the non-negotiable issues we just noted, but they are of some importance. They are a part of a well-rounded and mature Christianity.
- The Bible gives us instruction that informs us on how to walk through this life. We want to soak in as much of that as possible. We want to know as much of the Bible as possible. It helps us to walk close to Christ.
- That leads us to v. 23, which represents the goal of being “fully convinced in our own mind.”
- We want to think through the issue, do our best to figure it out, and then have a humble confidence in what we’ve figured out. This is not an arrogance that presumes everything I think is right. It’s a humble acknowledgement that I’ve put some thought into this.
- This is an important caution to avoid going too far the other way. Instead of being arrogant that I know everything, someone could take this too far in the other direction and say, “Well, we can’t know anything and any answer is as good as another, so who cares?” In that case, they wouldn’t study anything and would say that there is no way to know anything. That’s not what Paul has in mind here.
- We want to study, we want to be discerning, we want to be humble about what we figure out.
- Notice that the focus remains inward in reflection rather than outward in conflict.
- That leads us right into v. 22b. In all we’re talking about, we are to do the best we can to discern what’s right and what’s wrong. Within those limitations, we want to do the right thing. So v. 22b reminds us that we don’t want to approve that which is wrong.
IF I'M NOT ARGUING, WHO SHOULD I TALK TO? Talk to God about it.
- Romans 14:22a.
- Our primary conversation, according to v. 22, should be with God.
- This envisions a life with God where we are seeking Him and desiring to know as much from Him as we can. This is an important question: do we desire that much from Him?
- Do we want to model our lives after Jesus? Do we want to seek His will and direction?
- Now, this doesn’t preclude talking to somebody at all. But if we talk to someone, we are to do it from a posture of curiosity and learning, rather than trying to provoke a fight or win an argument. In fact, it might be in those conversations with fellow travelers that we learn key parts of what we need to know.
- What he has in mind here is going out and beating everyone over the head with our thoughts. In those situations, keep your thoughts to yourself.
- This, of course, is easy to discern. There are obvious differences between the situation where people are looking to argue and where people are looking to grow.
BUT WHO'S RIGHT? On some issues, there is not one right answer.
- Romans 14:14.
- Now, we need to be careful with this, but this is an important point to close on.
- Look with me at v. 14.
- What’s that mean? Let me give a couple examples.
a. Drinking.
- I believe that the Bible makes allowances for someone to drink in moderation. But culture and situation matters greatly.
- Someone might be a Christian, for instance, in Germany, where drinking is no big deal. No one would think twice if he drank a beer there.
- On the other hand, using myself as an example, I have justifiable concern that if a non-Christian from Madison saw me at a Charleston restaurant drinking that seeing that could cause him problems. So I choose not to drink because I don’t want to trip up other people.
- So is it ok or not? Depends on the context.
b. What kind of school?
- Some look at their situation and choose public schools. Others pick private Christian schools. And there are people who choose to homeschool.
- There are a ton of variables. Quality of education. Quality of the school system. Socialization. Sports. Religious instruction. How dangerous you think the culture is. Parents’ work commitments. Household income.
- It’s not a one-size-fits-all decision. Within this room, we have people who are committed Christians who chosen each option. I, of course, choose to send my kids to public school and that was a conscious decision.
- Different Christian parents in different situations might come to different conclusions on what the best option is.
- Your level of maturity may impact it.
- A less mature believer genuinely feels he is doing the right thing, even though it’s really not the ideal option. A more mature believer sees the larger picture and isn’t bound by the lesser ideas. Nonetheless, each one genuinely feels they are doing what is right in the situation. They are doing their best to honor God, given where they are spiritually at that moment.
- There are also the factors of being guided by the Holy Spirit and enjoying Christian liberty.
