I’m Right, You’re Wrong Romans 14:1-12
Christmas is almost here, one of the two greatest demonstrations of love ever shown to mankind. The other is the cross.
We’ve talked about human nature lately, and here Paul is writing to the early Christian church about that very nature, in particular our pretention to the attitude “I’m right and you’re wrong.” “We’re Christian, can’t drink alcohol; we’re Christian, we have to vote a certain way; that church is doing worship wrong.” I’ve heard all these statements. And while they may be said with conviction, each one is infused with a critical spirit.
Verse 1, “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”
Paul sees two groups of people in the church, strong in faith, and weak in faith. I don’t think it’s quite that black and white, I think there’s a lot of gray areas. But Paul is trying to explain that the strong understand that our faith is about Jesus. It’s about knowing our sin position and Christ’s redemption. Our faith is not about recreating the system of the Pharisees; this is right, that is wrong.
The law said to do no work on the Sabbath, and Jesus was confronted for healing on the Sabbath. Is this a “disputable matter”? I think it is because if empathy and compassion toward a fellow man, and love and honor toward God are both present, we are fulfilling the law in our hearts.
In Paul’s day, those weak in faith tried to hang on to a system of rules. Today, those new to faith may be hyper-sensitive to rules. They may say, “The Bible says this is right, this is wrong.” And the Bible certainly does, but those new to faith see following the rules to the letter as a way to avoid going back into their old life. Those weak in faith continue with this mindset, never grasping the Spirit of faith; love God above all else, love others above yourself.
Let me ask this. As a Christian, can I watch and enjoy the movie “Wicked” even as it’s about witches and magic? I say yes you can because you know God is on the throne and a movie is not going to make you change your faith. This is the same reason I like to go to Salem Massachusetts, or why I enjoy Halloween. But what does Paul say about things like this? Verses 2 & 3, “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another…eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.”
One who is a true child of God can enjoy the things provided by this life, and this theme also applies to our worship. Some churches have Communion just four times a year, we have it once a month, some have it every week; Is one right and the others wrong? Some churches are very formal, others have singing and dancing during service. Who’s right and who’s wrong? If worship and praise is at the heart of worship, why should we condemn “disputable matters.”
Verse 4, “To their own masters, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” We answer to God alone, he is our master. If what we do in life, in services, in faith, is done in honor, praise, and worship of God, we can stand before his throne in confidence.
And how can we be sure if we are honoring God? Simply look, and honestly examine if you are following the two greatest commandments Jesus gives his followers. Is it done with love for God? Is it done out of love for your neighbors? Paul put it this way in verse 7 & 8, “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.”
Paul condenses all of what we’ve discussed into verse 10, “You, then why do you judge your brother or sister?” Paul wants us to remember that as followers of Christ, not only do we accept Jesus into our lives, but we also give him our lives. We are no longer our own masters. Our fellow Christians are not our master, nor are we theirs. For that matter, we are not the judge and master of non-believers, nor can anyone’s opinion that we are misguided by believing affect our standing nor our future with God. The only master we have is in heaven. And we are given glory, redemption, and salvation because God wants to give it to us.
Now at this point after discussing what Paul is telling us, I believe it is prudent that we look at what Paul is not talking about.
Paul is talking about our actions and beliefs regarding our faith. God needs to be central. But Paul is not saying “Whatever you want to believe about anything is OK.” Paul is not talking about those clear instructions in scripture. For example, the Bible says you shall not lie; Paul isn’t saying “Well I believe lying is ok so I can do it.”
Paul is not saying we can alter the core issues in scripture. To that end, we are saved by faith, to put human requirements on salvation would be wrong.
And though Paul says we are not to pass judgement on other’s lives, he is not saying we can never have a healthy conversation with others about our beliefs. But conversations around our convictions should not be judgmental nor condemning.
And I believe all this because of what Paul writes in verse 12, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
Did you know statistics say that 90% of people who reach out to Christians and feel they were judged or condemned, never reach out again. They are lost forever. Look at verse 12 again. I do not want to stand before God and must account for why I kept another from Christ and salvation.
Paul’s message is clear today. Jesus came to that manger for all men, so stop judging each other. He tells us we should never condemn nor despise each other. We must not be harsh or critical. No rolling of our eyes. No mocking. No looking down on someone.
Instead of criticizing, God wants us to welcome each other. Be friendly toward each other. Receive each other like brothers and sisters.
Fourteenth century Christian, Augustine, summarized all this very well when he wrote, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all else, charity.”
Christmas. Let’s see that the baby we celebrate came for all mankind. We are all the same so let’s treat each other that way. During this season of goodwill, and all the year.
Be blessed,
Amen.