February 15, 2004
Chapter 14 – Study Questions
1. What is the general attitude that Christians
should have towards one another (in the context of this chapter)?
First, we have to
establish what the context of the chapter is.
Paul is writing to the church in Rome, which, as we have mentioned many
times, was made up of both Jews and Gentiles.
In this chapter he addresses differences that might have arisen between
the two groups (or even within each group) given the traditions in the midst of
which the Jews had been brought up. Let
us not forget that most of these people were not born in Christian homes, per
se, but rather were made Christians during adulthood. Many of these people could not drop their “baggage” right
away. Many of them kept the dietary
laws of the Old Testament and some of them kept observing the Jewish feasts.
A crucial point
to keep in mind as part of the general context of the chapter is that Paul here
is not talking about people who believed that the observance of the dietary
laws and of the Jewish festivals (or of the Law for that matter) was necessary
for one’s salvation. He is talking
about people who chose to still observe these things because they thought they
were good or preferred practices. In
Romans, Paul has already addressed the foolishness of the position that says
that one can earn God’s favor by obeying the Law. Paul treats these issues as adiaphora (morally indifferent
or morally neutrally).
In the first few
verses of the chapter, we have the answer to our first study question. The attitude that Christians should have
towards one another is one of acceptance and of welcome, based on God’s
attitude towards us in Christ. In
disagreements regarding “doubtful things” they should be accepting of one’s
weakness (or newness) in faith.
2. “What is the chief end of man?”
We glean the
answer to this question (in the context of the chapter) from verses 6-9, 6He
who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the
day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he
gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and
gives God thanks. 7For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies
to himself. 8For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we
die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9For
to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both
the dead and the living. The chief
end of man is to glorify God, regardless of what his opinion is on these adiaphora
issues. Both parties of a debate on one of these
issues have to realize that, as verse 10 suggests, they are accountable to the
Lord Himself for their views. The
underlying principle is that the resolution of such issues, though possible, is
superseded in importance by the unity of the Church and by the integrity of
Christian fellowship. A united and
strong Church is all the more able to glorify God and work out His will into
this world.
3. In v. 14-23, Paul encourages us to avoid
being “stumbling blocks” for new believers (or weak believers). Is this
exhortation absolute? Are we always to defer to our brother’s weakness?
During
our discussion of the chapter we have established a few principles based on the
text, regarding approaching these morally neutral issues. As a general rule, in potential
disagreements or disputes, “[we should resolve] not to put a stumbling block or
a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” (v. 13) Paul does not qualify this
statement and we should not do so either.
What would be, practically, the way to approach such a situation? As Christian brothers, we should in all love
and patience try to show them the error of their conviction; however, if no
headway is made, we should decide to be accommodating of our brother’s
beliefs. We should, at the same time,
ensure we are not compromising our Bible-supported position. In even more practical terms, if you know
that your brother is “offended or made weak” by something that you do, then
avoid doing that particular thing when that brother is around. Some might argue that this is an
encouragement to hypocrisy. It is not
really; your convictions have not changed and your brother is aware of the
fact. You are merely seeing what the
priorities are. The fellowship with
your brother for whom the Lord of glory died is immensely more important than
his accepting of your views.
This
is an appropriate place to also mention that a strong Christian who is very
much convinced of the extent and meaning of Christian freedom should not try to
cajole his weak brother into doing things that he would otherwise consider
questionable. Forcing someone to act
against their conscience in this manner is dangerous and can lead to sin,
according to v. 23.
Chapter
14 was once again a very practical chapter.
It offered valuable teaching that is very much applicable to situations
in our lives as Christian believers.
Let’s pray that when we are faced with a debate on one of these adiaphora
issues, we will have the wisdom to apply what we have learned. Thanks be to God!
Sorin
Voicu-Comendant
Dallas,
TX.