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10/06/02                INI                                Rom. 14:4-15

In Jesus’ Name, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

Many things might be said about the state of South Carolina.  We can say that we have a beautiful state. We can tell folks that many varieties of plant-life thrive here, and that Lou Holtz is a good football coach.  With such comments nearly all of us would agree.   There are issues in our state which bring out differing opinions, however.  Bring up the Confederate Flag, property taxes, the lottery, or what should be done about the public education system, and you may find yourself locked in a heated debate with a fellow citizen of our state.

Many things might be said about the state of South Carolina and its citizens, but first and above all else, we are an independent bunch. Whether we live or die, we are going to be independent! Wouldn’t you agree? This same principle has united South Carolinians since the very beginning.  

The Roman congregation in the days of the apostle Paul was also known for its strong feelings about things and the independent spirit of its people.  One of Paul’s purposes in writing his letter to these Christians in Rome was to preserve unity and peace within a congregation that had such strong, and sometimes different feelings about things.  Of course Paul’s over-all guiding principle is not “whether we live or die, we are going to be independent;” but rather:

 “WHETHER WE LIVE OR DIE WE ARE THE LORDS!”
 I.

Brethren, do you give serious and thankful thought to the blessed unity we share in this congregation?  What a precious gift!   We who “are the Lord’s because He bought us with the blood of His own Son, and adopted us by the working of faith in Christ, are ONE in the LORD.  In the next chapter of Romans, Paul adds this prayer, that the Christians in Rome “may be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that they may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”    
 
How can it be otherwise?   How many gods are there?  20, 1,000, 300,000?   Our children can tell us from Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the LORD is One.”  The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one unchangeable God.  So also the Word in which He reveals Himself to us is ONE and unchangeable!  The ONEness of our conviction and confession has its firm basis on the ONEness of God as revealed in His ONE Word.  In order to glorify the One God a Christian congregation or church body must have unity in the essential things.

Wherever God’s Word speaks there is no room for personal opinions to the contrary.  If the ONE God is to be glorified, there can be no “agreeing to disagree,” among the members.  “Where oneness of mind and mouth is lost, somebody is wrong, somebody is not glorifying God, but himself . . . forsaking the ONE Word of God, darkening the glory of God, and injuring himself and others!  In essential things — wherever God clearly speaks in His Word — there must be unity, since we are ONE in the ONE Lord.

 II.

But what about indifferent things — things which the Lord has neither commanded nor forbidden?   Here we have liberty, since we are free in the LORD.  The Jewish Christians in the Roman congregation had been trained in the Mosaic Law from their youth.  They had been taught that the Saturday Sabbath was a special day to the Lord, THE day of worship on which there were certain things that one should do and certain things that one should not do.  It was very difficult for them to realize that the observance of the 7th day of the week came to an END when Christ came as the “Sabbath Rest” of His people.  So also Jewish children would be trained from their youth that there were certain meat they should never eat, such as pork.  Neither would they eat meat that had been sacrifices to idols.

On the other hand, there were Christians in the Roman church who knew that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness of it.”  — Ps. 24:1   They knew as Paul says in v. 14, that “there is nothing unclean of itself.”  So, these Christians would eat and drink whatever they desired, and they observed no special days.   You can see how strong feelings about such things might cause division in the Christian congregation.  
 
Some of us, for example, may have grown up with definite feelings about what should or should not be done on Sundays.  Any Christian is free to make a mental list for himself of Sunday “do’s and don’ts.’   But no Christian has the right to impose his feelings on his fellow Christian, who are also free!   Likewise, there are many sincere Christians who have strong feelings about alcoholic beverages and tobacco — They won’t touch the stuff!  Some Christians feel very strongly about what they should wear to church.  There are many other things that are indifferent — neither commanded nor forbidden by God: The order of our worship service, whether the pastor wears a robe or not, hair-length, and so on.  

But no Christian should call the bare use of alcohol or tobacco a “sin.”  No one should impose his or her feelings about length of hair, dress, food, drink, and the like upon other Christians who are also FREE in the Lord.  For such things are neither commanded or forbidden by the Lord. Rather, Paul says at the end of v. 5: “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” in such matters.

Each believer should be convinced in his own mind that what he has chosen to do or not do in Unessential or indifferent things is best for him in serving his Lord.  At the same time, he should not judge or despise his brother or sister who thinks differently in the Lord.  Why? Because not one of us Christians lives to himself or dies to himself, but to the Lord.  “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”  “We are not our own; we have been bought with a price.”  (I Cor. 6:19). 

 III. 

But now, even this freedom in unessential and indifferent things is to be directed “to the Lord,” lest we insist that our freedom or independence is more important than the welfare of our brother or sister in Christ.  In all things we are to exercise charity or love, since we walk in love in the Lord.

Sure it’s true that “There is nothing unclean of itself,” as Paul says in v. 14.  But then he quickly adds: “to him who considers anything unclean, to him it is unclean.  And if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love.  Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”   How shocking!  It’s possible, Paul says, to place a stumbling block or a deathtrap in the path of our brother;  It’s possible even to destroy our brother or sister in Christ by our exercise of our Christian liberty.  How so?  

In everything a Christian must act from faith’s conviction that what he does is “to the Lord” — in keeping with the Lord’s will and Word.  If my brother has strong feelings about NOT doing something that others are doing, it may be a matter of conscience for him.  Although the thing is “clean” and there is nothing wrong with it, for my brother it may be unclean. If he cannot do it with faith’s conviction that he is free in the Lord to do it, then to do it anyway is a sin!  As Paul says at the end of this chapter: “Whatever is not from faith is sin.”  As Luther said at Worms in 1521: “It is neither right nor safe to go against one’s conscience.” 

Was it walking in the Lord’s love for the Gentile Christians in Rome to invite a Jewish Christian for supper, shove a plate of pork in front of him and pressure him to eat it?  Is it love to make a fellow Christian feel badly over food or anything that he denies himself for conscience reasons?   Is it love which calls a Christian who abstains from alcohol a “tea-totler”?  If my mother-in-law is a Christian, but was taught by her parents that playing cards is wrong, is it love if I try to put pressure on her to play cards with me?  Is it love for a Christian who rejoices in his liberty to badger a fellow Christian to go along when his brother does not feel the same liberty to do so?  Who knows what a stumbling block or deathtrap to a brother’s faith may be set by such thoughtless and loveless actions.  How can we destroy him for whom Christ died, because of such trivial things as food, or dink, or any such things?  

Whether we live or die we are the Lords!  This principle applies to each and to all of us as a congregation of believers who have strong feelings about things.  Living TO the Lord, and dying TO the Lord — This is what shall count when each of us stands before Him on that great day!  We won’t be asked about style of clothing, or what we ate or drank, or when we worshiped, or any such thing.  All that shall count is whether we bow our knees in repentance of sin and faith in the Lord Jesus.   So let our concern be to help each other remain in this saving faith, while we grant one another the privilege to differ in things that are neither commanded nor forbidden by our Lord. In essential things let there by unity; in the indifferent things let there be liberty; and in all things let there be charity!  Amen.