Jump Start # 3856
Romans 14:23 ‘But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.’
The book of Romans deals with the difficult topic of eating meats that were sacrificed to idols. There are very few things in our culture, if any, that really compares to this topic that had all the ingredients for a good old fashioned church split. Jews and Gentiles didn’t see the same about idols. For the Jews, the struggle against idolatry had been a continual problem for the nation. Prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah detailed the foolishness of idols. They weren’t real. They could not speak. They could not hear. They had to be carried everywhere they went. They were useless and worthless. For the Gentiles, their culture had included idols. Temples dotted the landscape honoring the pagan gods that were a part of their spiritual makeup.
But now, these two groups were brethren in Christ. Simple, everyday practices, such as “what’s for dinner,” became a theological and conscience factor. To the Jew, no big deal. To the Gentile, this was a big deal. Throughout the first few sentences of this chapter, the concept of “weak” and “strong” are sprinkled. When we typically think of a weak Christian, the image of someone who barely comes to services is what we have in mind. One who has kept one foot in the world and one who doesn’t get the picture that God wants of him. That’s how we see a weak Christian. In this chapter, the word surrounds the use of eating meats. One could and one could not. That determined if they were weak or strong.
It is very likely that in many areas one might be strong on some points and weak on others. Our verse today, about faith, is not describing the faith in God that leads to salvation. It is not the “one faith,” as Ephesians describes or the “the faith,” of Jude. This is more than what I am to believe to be a child of God. Faith, from our passage is about conscience. Just like the meats, some could and some could not. If your conscience tells you “no,” then don’t do it.
Nowhere does Paul suggest establishing a meat eating church and a veggie church. Nor does he push some to change the views of the others. They were to accept each other. The eating of meats did not impact how they would worship on Sunday. It did not taint their fellowship with one another. All of which leads to an understanding that some have a hard time understanding.
I have views that you may not. There are things that I feel are important that you may not. You have items that are important to you that are not to me. And, that leads to the conclusion that we can be unified but not see eye to eye on everything. That is troublesome to some. That is enough for some to leave a congregation and begin looking for another place to worship. And, in time what they find is that even at the new place there are those who do things that they do not like. What then? For some, it is a lifelong quest to find a congregation that sees things the way they do and unfortunately, they never find such a place.
Here are a few thoughts:
First, what I need to do to keep me moving forward with the Lord and keep me in the proper lane, may not be what you need. What I consider important may not be what a you think is important. I need to do what I need to do.
Second, I must be careful how I view others and hold my tongue on things that do not involve others. What I have to do is what I have to do. The eating of meats in Romans 14 was not taking place during worship. My judgmental attitude can get me in a lot of trouble because some are doing things differently than I do them. Might we put in this what we eat for the Lord’s Supper? No. Might we put in here how we worship? No. And, the reason is, God has prescribed what we are to do in worship. Abel got that. Cain didn’t.
Third, our difference does not mean we are not united. It does not mean that we do not have one mind or speak with one voice. The working out of our salvation more times involves daily, individual practices than it does the gathering of the church as a whole.
So, I may not do all that you do, and you may not do all that I do, but together we can still be walking the same direction towards Heaven. The central key in all of this is our faith in the Lord, our love for one another and a strong desire to do what the Bible teaches. With those three elements, one simply cannot go wrong.
Roger