Romans 14:1-9 Accepting the weaker in faith as perfected in Christ
Romans 14:1-9
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Background
The early church is comprised of believers from different backgrounds and beliefs. It is natural that they exhibit differing practices and habits even after embracing the Christian faith. Practices and traditions regarding food and observance of days become a dividing point among them. Paul teaches believers not to judge and despise one who is “weak in faith” even though the Christian faith has brought freedom from the legalistic demands of paganism and Judaism. Believers must learn to accept one another as perfected in Christ despite differing practices and convictions.
Observation
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Paul describes one who is weak in faith as not necessarily one who is immature in his faith. But rather one who is not fully freed from the influence of a life spent in Judaism or paganism – that the Christian faith allows him to eat meat, drink wine and ignore Jewish and pagan holy days. Nevertheless, such matters are not of sufficient importance to divide the community. Hence, one should act sensibly towards another believer’s convictions on habits and practices and not to make shallow opinions and quarrel over it. If one chooses to remain a vegetarian after making a decision for Christ, he is no less part of the Christian community. The issue of faith in consideration here is: what the believer thinks his faith in Christ allows him to do or not to do. A person of “strong” faith trust in Christ fully and will exercise his freedom to the “full” knowing that Christ has freed him from all legalistic do’s and don’ts.
3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Some believers because of their religious/cultural heritage abstain from certain foods even after being included into the Christian community. Where the bible has been explicitly silent on such matters of food and days, each person has to make his own stand. For if God has accepted him based on his faith, who can judge his practices before God? Issues that concerns food and cultural habits as long as they do not intrude into the core belief system of faith are not matters that should divide the community.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Concerning the observance of days, certain believers are inclined to treat some days as holy. Yet to other believers, all days are alike. However, each believer must first be fully convinced in his own mind that his practices are significant without imposing them on others. Some believers are of the view that 25th December is not the day that Christ is born and hence it should not be celebrated as Christmas day. Some even believe that the worship of God should rest strictly on Saturday rather than Sunday. Nevertheless, no one has the right to impose his convictions of such matters on others as each is accountable to God and not to men: He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, … and he who eats, does so for the Lord. Therefore, all believers are free to eat and to observe according to their personal convictions.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Whatever convictions a person forms for himself, he is accountable not just to himself: For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. However, whatever he believes and does in his life time, he is accountable to God: For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. We are all not under obligation to follow another’s convictions, nor are we held accountable for another’s actions, but all are directly accountable to God. As each person makes his stand, Christ is the judge of human kind whether they are dead or living: For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Truth
1. A person’s convictions are informed not only by the teachings of faith, but also by his cultural heritage and his family traditions. If his culture and tradition does not oppose the teachings of faith, it can be allowed to intertwine with faith. After a person becomes a Christian, he continues to be a son to uphold his family traditions and practices.
For example, the chinese beliefs and traditions requires the eldest son to preside over the rituals of remembrance of their ancestors. This tradition while morally commendable, is also amalgamated with pagan religious rites. While the believer’s faith in Christ frees him to perform the rites of remembrance as the eldest son without condemnation, he is also perceived by some as having compromised his Christian belief. Hence, every believer has to stand by his own convictions and not be swayed by another who is not in his situation.
2. Believers must never judge another’s faith by their approach to solving problems. Some believers insist that all who are in Christ must never consult a doctor as Christ Himself is the Healer. Hence, they tend to judge others as being weak in faith, even to the extent of sinning against God. In fact, many believers believe that medical science works in tandem with God’s grace in providing healing. Hence, they pray that God may empower the doctors to do their work. One may say that these indeed did not have sufficient faith. However, if God do not reject them, but meet them at their point of faith, who are we to judge them? God accepts believers and meets them at their level of faith.
Some believers when faced with financial problems continued to offer their tithes to God believing that God will provide. While some believers withhold their offerings insisting that God would understand. Nevertheless, God has accepted all believers regardless of their faith level, and will reward them accordingly.
Applications
1. Learn to appreciate and understand the moral principles behind the traditions and practices of other religions. Ask God to show you how you could retain the moral principles and values system of family traditions while worshiping God alone as our Master and Lord.
2. Learn to understand the struggles of other believers without judging them. At the same time, ask God to show you how you could help them grow and experience more of God’s power and grace.
Dear Lord, help me to understand the struggles of others without judging them. Use me to encourage them and to lift up their faith. Help me to understand and appreciate the traditions and practices of other religions without judging. Use me as a bridge for others to encounter Your love and power. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.