Romans Made Easy Chapter 14

Romans

By Joyce Webb  2011

Chapter 14

Verses 1

Accept or receive a person who may be weak in his faith. Do not argue with him about what he thinks is right or wrong.

When people are new Christians, or weak Christians, we need to show them Bible verses to help them know what God says about things. We should try to explain and teach them what is right. It does not help to get into arguments about things.

If they see in God’s word what God says, and they still argue about it----let it go---let the Holy Spirit teach them what is right.

They may need more time in God before they can move on into deeper understanding. We are not to try to be the Holy Spirit for people. That is the Holy Spirit’s job to teach them and bring them into truth.

Our job is to teach them, show them what the Bible says, explain---then let the Holy Spirit work on them.

Arguments too often become angry. Anger is not a way to help someone do God’s will.

One person believes he can eat all things---meat, and vegetables. Another person may think he should eat only vegetables.

A person who eats only vegetables should not look down on someone who eats meat, and a person who eats meat should not look down on someone who eats only vegetables.

Everyone should feel right in his own mind before God as to what is right for him to do.

The Bible does not say that people are not to eat meat. In the Passover celebration, the people were told by God to eat the roasted lamb. Peter, in a vision, was told to eat the meat of animals that the Jewish people in the Old Testament had been told not to eat. Acts 10

Paul was telling them to not argue about what day to worship God. The day you choose to worship God is not so important. It is important that you take a day to be holy unto the Lord and worship him.

It is the same for eating. One person eats some things because they feel they are honoring the Lord, and another person feels he should eat another thing to honor the Lord.

No one lives alone without influencing others. People see what we do or do not do. They watch and make decisions about us. We must be careful how we live and what we do, so that we honor God and other people watching see that we honor God.

We do not want people watching us to have a reason to think badly about Christians. We want to be the kind of believers and followers of Jesus that makes others think good about us and about Christ.

We live our lives to please the Lord. If we die----we die unto the Lord. So it does not matter whether we live or die----in both---we do it as to the Lord---and we belong to the Lord.

This is the reason Christ died and rose again----so he could be the Lord of both those living and those who have died.

Why should you judge your brother? Why should you argue and be upset with your brother? We will all stand before Christ to be judged.

It is written, As I live says the Lord:

Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God. Isaiah 45:23

So---every one of us will give an answer to God for what we have done.

So, do not judge your Christian brother any more about these things. Do not make your brother fall in his faith by what he sees you do. (If your Christian brother thinks it is wrong to eat meat----when you are with him do not eat meat. Save eating of meat when you are alone.)

Paul tells them that he feels sure before God that there is nothing that is "unclean" or "wrong" about any food----in the food itself----it is just food.

But is someone feels it is wrong to eat it, then he should not eat it. If someone thinks it is wrong to eat meat, and he would be upset with you as a Christian, if you eat it,----then for your Christian brother’s sake---do not eat meat.

You do not want to destroy your Christian brother’s faith. Even if you feel free to eat meat, you do not want your eating of meat to be talked about as a bad thing.

The kingdom of God ----walking with God---is not about eating or drinking----it is about being righteous and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The Christian who stays away from sin, walks in peace and joy serves Christ and is accepted by Christ and men will think that man is doing the right thing.

These are the things that keep the peace with people and we can build up each other in the faith.

You do not want to destroy the work of God because of arguments about meat.

All things are pure. But it is wrong to hurt another believer’s faith by something you do.

If it does not hurt your faith to eat meat-----eat it by yourself before God.

Be happy eating it and do not feel guilty.

If a person feels it is wrong and sinful, he should not eat it because he is not eating in faith. If you do anything you feel is not right--- it is not done with faith--it is sin for you.

Today we may not argue so much about eating meat------but we may argue about other things as to if a Christian should do them or not.

A Christian should not do anything that the Bible says is sin.

There are other things that people feel are wrong that the Bible does not say anything about. This is where arguments start.

As a Christian, we are responsible for how things look to others. The Bible says that we are to stay away from doing things that give the look or appearance of evil.

I Thessalonians 5: 22

If people will get the wrong idea about seeing you do something, seeing you be in a place, seeing you be with certain kinds of people, ----- if it looks like you are doing wrong-----they will wonder if you are a Christian who is obeying God.

It would be best to not do that thing, or go there than to have people have doubts about your being a Christian who obeys God.

You may feel that those things are not wrong, but you do not want to make other people’s faith in your being a Christian to go down.

Example: You may have a drink sometimes and you have self control. You may never have a problem, but if someone who is a weak Christian sees you drink----they may think it is okay for a Christian to drink, so then they being to drink. They can not control it like you and they get caught up in it. It becomes a problem for them.

It would be better for you to not drink in front of that person. Wait, have a drink at another time. This would be showing love and concern for a weaker Christian brother. This would please God.

Example: Pastors often go to people’s homes to visit them or pray for them.

A man pastor should not go by himself to see a woman who lives alone. That pastor should take his wife, or another older woman from the church, or another man with him.

That way ---the pastor has a "witness" as to what happened in the home---and no one can make up stories about the pastor not behaving in a right way.

This is how we stay away from the "look or appearance of evil".

Do things in a way that does not give opportunity for other people to talk badly about us.

God wants us to be more concerned about others, and be concerned about the testimony we have for Christ, than what we do for ourselves.