Receive one who is
weak faith,
but not to dispute
over doubtful things.
Let not him who eats
despise him who does not eat,
and let not him who
does not eat judge him who he eats;
for God has received
him.
Who are you to judge
another's servant?
To his own master he
stands or falls.
Indeed, he will be
made to stand,
for God is able to
make him stand.
Romans 14: 1 -- 4
It is very
interesting that Paul writes about one who is weak in faith and ties this
weakness about eating. What does it
mean when it is said to: "Receive
one who is in the faith" ? The
Greek word used here by Paul is: "άσθνοϋντα"
that has the meaning of strengthless and can mean physical weakness and also
spiritual weakness that is that a person had the inability to accomplish his
salvation. Paul then adds that although
this person is weak in his faith and may also have certain things that would
lead to disputes Christians were not to disputes with them over these "doubtful things." Paul then speaks of eating and then joins
eating about judging what a person may eat.
Apparently these "doubtful
things," were simply matters of indifference and people were making
them matters of difference. This often
happens in our churches today and with one denomination against another that is
often done nothing more than harm the Christian religion. Let us look at the ancient role to who Paul
was writing and see if we can understand at least in some way by Paul would use
this allegory to reprove the Roman Christians.
Looking at
the first century A.D. the Roman Empire had grown to possibly a population of
some 50 -- 60 million people. When
Jesus was alive on the earth, it was a time that known as the Pax Romana, or
the "Peace of Rome." By the
time that Paul was writing to the Romans many of the Roman emperors were
horribly cruel although some were in some sense moral, yet the four dynasties
that followed Jesus into an often with the violent overthrow of an emperor who
was considered unfit. After the death
of August and by the time a Nero in 68 A.D. the King Emperor and the original
Roman Republic had now been put to an end.
Of course, Nero is well remembered by the fire of Rome and that this
fire was charged against the Christians.
A typical life for a young person in Rome was that of Mary just been
arranged, festivals designed to celebrate a child coming -- of -- age, and of
course the well-known communal baths.
Also, during this time the very wealthy initiated these spectacles of
gladiatorial combat at all the ceremonies that were held to honor a persons
deceased relative. These gladiatorial
gains became the property of the emperor and he used these things as a primary
purpose to entertain the multitude of people.
Do we not see something similar to this today, a great desire to be
entertaining to and many jam into the football stadium, or hockey Stadium, or
basketball stadiums and even baseball stadiums and including many of the movie
theaters. People want to be entertained
and often this entertainment takes greater priority over the Christian faith. In the years, 66 -- 607A.D the Jews revolted
in Judea, with full -- still read Eliot against the Roman rule. This brought the Romans against Jerusalem
and they surrounded it and eventually scaled the walls and destroyed the city
and possibly some 40,000 Jews were killed.
This is the world that Paul lived and preached to both the Greeks and
now to the Romans. There was a strong
influence of the Greco -- and Roman environment so that the Christian and
Jewish families looked quite similar to the Greco -- Roman families. It must be remembered that at this time
Christians were the minority in the population.
The Roman
government set forth dietary guidelines as to what should be in, e.g., fruits
were to be added to the meals in the Roman Republic didn't really have much
concern about overweight, or expanding waistlines and even health issues. Yet, there were laws, Sumtuariae Leges
('sumptuary laws') that were just dying to limit extravagance, i.e., time spent
at the meal table. Regardless of
sumptuary laws, the poor Romans ate mostly cereal grains, and for each or
bread. So it was, food, like the
weather, was generally the universal topic of conversation that at times even
cause disputes as to what to eat, or what not to eat as though they were doing
something immoral. Paul then uses this
conversations that led to just use, or judging to point to something greater
than just eating, or judging telling us not to be a judge of another's servant. We must be careful today as to what we speak
for, or against, then maybe matters that do not fall into matters of judging as
though we are judging someone's salvation.
"For God is able to make him
stand" (Romans 14b).
Celebrations, festivals, were a major part of the Roman life, and it is
not far fetch to think that Christians also participated in celebrations, and
festivals. But Paul adds this: "One person is deemed one day above
another; another esteemed every day alike.
Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes that day, a bizarre visit to the Lord; and he who
does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. See you east, east to the Lord, for he gives
God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives
thanks" (Romans 14: 5 -- 6). How often how often disputes arise within
the Christian Church over matters of when, how, and whether it not be
liturgical, or non--- liturgical, should quote creeds, or not quote creeds,
whether or not one should be baptized by immersion, sprinkling, pouring, infant
baptism, only adult baptism, so long, so long, so on. I am not speaking against certain things or those differences
between denominations, only when the disputes do not recognize, or observe the
fact that a person is doing what they are doing to the Lord. The principle that should be guiding us in
Scripture is what is known as the Regulative Principle, that is when Scripture
is silent, unless there are other scriptures that give a solid inference about
a subject, we are to be silent. How
often do we make them matters of indifference, e,g., to play with musical
instruments or not, the only sing the Psalms, or not, to use PowerPoint, or
not; and the disputes go on and on. If
your preference is Scriptural and isn't done to the Lord, whether you are
eating as a vegan, and, or as an omnivorous person, it should not matter for
each ought to be doing what they are convinced of their own mind to be good, if
they are doing this to the Lord, and they are only matters of indifference.
How often we want our desires, those
matters that are important to us, to be the standard for Christianity, and the
Christian life. We must remember
something so very important; we are only passing through this world, for our
home is with Jesus Christ in heaven. We
live for the Lord Jesus Christ: "For anonymous lives to himself, and no
one dies to himself. For 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. For to this end Christ died and rose and
live began, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living" (Romans
14:7 -- 9). The day is coming, a
day that we will give an account for our lives before the judgment seat of God,
therefore we must take great care in judging others and ensure that our
judgment has to do with morality, and immorality, to ensure that the Christian
congregation remains pure: "but why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your
brother? For we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. For it is
written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every
tongue shall confess to God.""
(Romans 14:10 -- 11; cf. Isaiah 45:23).
The
question for us all is: are we living for our Lord Jesus Christ, or only for
ourselves, and our opinions? The answer
to this question tells much about us and our faith. My prayer is that our lives while here on earth are lived for the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul
who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
for the
salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations
3: 25 -- 26
Our foundation: the Gospel
Richard L. Crumb
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