November 28, 2007

Romans 14-16
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Following Scripture Verses
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1. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
2. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
7. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
9. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
14. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16. Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
20. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
22. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
23. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

1. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
3. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.
4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
5. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
6. That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
9. And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
10. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
11. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
12. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
14. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
15. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,
16. That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
17. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.
18. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
19. Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
20. Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:
21. But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.
22. For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.
23. But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come unto you;
24. Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.
25. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
26. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
27. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.
28. When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain.
29. And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
30. Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
31. That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;
32. That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.
33. Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
    (Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe servant of the church at Cenchrea.)

1. I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
2. That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.
3. Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:
4. Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
5. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.
6. Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.
7. Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
8. Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord.
9. Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.
10. Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household.
11. Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.
12. Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord.
13. Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.
14. Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.
15. Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.
16. Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.
17. Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
19. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.
20. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
21. Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.
22. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.
23. Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.
24. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
25. Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
26. But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
27. To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
    (Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe servant of the church at Cenchrea.)

Thought for the day:
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Romans 14 deals with the subject of doubtful disputations. These are areas where men who love the Lord might disagree with each other on exactly what to do with certain issues that face them. While in some cases the problem exists because of immaturity, at the same time I believe that there are situations that crop up in life which the Bible does not directly address. Therefore, two people who are attempting to live by the principles of the Scriptures could view these activities differently. I believe that this concept can be abused, for there are many people who claim that the Lord has led them to do things that are clearly forbidden in the Scriptures. However, because we know that it does sometimes occur when people have a genuine desire to do right, we need to examine the principles that are given to us in this chapter which will aid us in making proper choices.

How can we determine right from wrong when the Bible is silent? First of all, verse 5 tells us that we need to be fully persuaded in our own minds. In other words, if I am not certain in my own thinking that this action is acceptable to God, then I shouldn't do it. When I was a boy, my mom used to say to me, "If it's doubtful, it's dirty", which was a re-stating of this principle. If the Holy Spirit has not given me peace about my decision, then I had better not make it. The second principle is found in verse 6. There we read that these two men, who differed on the treatment of "holy days", were both trying to make their decisions based upon what the Lord would want. This is critical. Their motivations were not selfishly based, but were based upon their hearts' desire to glorify God. Often we determine our course of action based upon what it is that we want to do, or what will make us happy. Both these men, though they came to different conclusions, were motivated by the thought of what it would be that would please their Savior.

The third principle is found in verses 7-12. There Paul instructs us that we will have to give an account for our actions at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The principle thus becomes: when I stand before the Lord, will He find my actions to have been appropriate? We as Christians tend to be very temporal in our thinking. We only consider how our actions will be received by those around us, or how they will impact us in the immediate future. Paul reminds the Romans that what really matters is what God thinks about their decisions, and that they had better start considering their future appointment with Him when they attempt to determine what they ought to do in a given situation.

The fourth principle is found in verse 13, which raises the question of whether or not my actions will cause another brother to stumble in his walk with the Lord. There may be things that are Biblically acceptable, but if they will hurt the spiritual development of a younger brother in Christ, then I should not do them. Paul tells us that if we make decisions without considering their impact on other Christians then we are not walking in love, which is a grave error. The possibility even exists that one believer could "destroy the work of God" in another believer (20) by making a decision that, while not being anti-Scriptural, will none the less hinder the weaker Christian's spiritual development. This idea carries over into chapter 15, where Paul instructs believers,

"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please [his] neighbour for [his] good to edification."

In the final analysis, the issue is not what I want to do. While I need to be convinced in my own mind that my decisions are right, there is much more to it than that. I need to determine whether I am making this choice based upon my love for God or my love for myself. I need to consider what He will say at the judgment, for ultimately it is only His opinion that counts. I also need to consider the impact of my actions on other Christians. I simply need to decide who it is that is most important: myself, or the Lord and my brothers in Christ. If I make that decision correctly, the other decisions will begin to fall in line as well.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery