Articulating Our Faith
Romans 14-15
Acceptance of One Another
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.”
- Romans 14:17
I. Principle: We are Unified in Christ on the Basis of Our Faith:
a. What do all people have in common?
i. Sin: No one is righteous (Romans 3:10)
ii. All have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
b. How are we “made right” with God. In other words, how is the righteousness from God made available to all who believe? What is the basis of our righteousness
i. By faith (Romans 1:16-17, 3:22-24) in Christ Jesus
ii. Righteousness is credited to us who believe that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 4:23-25)
c. Who belong to Christ?
i. Those who have the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9)
d. Therefore what is the basis of our unity in Christ?
i. Faith in Christ Jesus by the Spirit of Christ
II. Issues in the Roman church that gave rise to the discussion of a “spirit of unity in Christ”? (Romans 14-15)
a. The issues:
i. What to eat: those who eat everything (including meat) versus those who only eat vegetables (Romans 14:2-3)
ii. What day is sacred: those who hold one day is more sacred than another, while others view all days alike (Romans 14:5)
iii. So which is right?
1. There is a truth for each instance above: all food is clean (Romans 14:14, 20), BUT….
2. Rightness before God is established by the person’s faith on the subject, not on the absolute value of its inherent rightness or wrongness. (Romans 14:5-8, 14, 18, 23)
3. Wrongness is seen as:
a. Doubts, or doing something “not from faith” (perhaps coercion, or for self indulgence, see Romans 14:23)
b. Doing something to cause another brother to stumble. (See Romans 14:20-21, 23).
c. Not acting out of love (See Romans 14:15)
b. The unifying principle of faith:
i. God has accepted both individuals (Romans 14:3)
ii. God is able to make both beliefs stand (Romans 14:4)
iii. We belong to the Lord (Romans 14:9-12)—everyone will give an account of himself to the Lord. We are not ultimately judged by one another.
a. There will always be those weaker than ourselves, and stronger than ourselves within the church family on various issues (Romans 14:1-4).
b. Be convinced of what we believe and why before the LORD. (Romans 14:5)
c. Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13)
d. Make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification (Romans 14:19)
e. If we find ourselves to be “strong” in an area, “bear with those who are weak”. (Romans 15:1)
f. Do what builds up your neighbor (Romans 15:2)
g. Accept each other as Christ has accepted us. (Romans 15:7)
What are the “disputable matters” for us?
Where do we have a hard time accepting one another?
What is the root of our judgment, one to another?
What do we do from faith? And what, for us, is sin?
How will applying “faith is credited to us as righteousness” help us accept our brothers and sisters a little better?