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“Self-Denying Love”by Daren Overstreet
“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do no by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do no allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 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. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Romans 14:13-23
Romans 14:13-23 is a passage rich with meaning for the young, fledgling church in Rome, as well as for us today in God’s church. It is instruction and admonition concerning the inner attitudes that were surfacing between Jew and Gentile Christians, and how each group was approaching a sensitive issue in the setting of the first century fellowship: eating meat that had been been sacrificed to idols. At first glance, this issue doesn’t seem particularly important to us now, but it was obviously a sore point in the church at Rome. Although disputes over dietary laws and the subtleties of eating meat seem irrelevant today, the main lesson of Paul’s message couldn’t be more appropriate for us now, or for generations to come. The message is Christ-like love for each other, and unity in the fellowship of believers. Paul writes with clarity, firm conviction, and persuasively. There is a slightly more diplomatic tone to Romans than there is in his other, similar writing on Christian doctrine, the book of Galatians. He seems to be in the process of teaching and convincing in Romans, but correcting and admonishing in Galatians. Many people have attributed this to two facts. First, Paul was intimately connected to the Galatians. He had planted the churches in Galatia, labored there in the ministry, and most likely baptized many converts. He was speaking not to brothers and sisters in general, but to people who were close friends. There is always more latitude and freedom of expression when dealing with close relationships. When writing Romans, he had not yet visited there. They knew of Paul, but most probably didn’t know him personally, or been exposed to his ministry. Second, there was obviously a greater sense of urgency in Galatians, as the false teachers had already made their impact felt in the church (Gal. 1:7, 4:17). He was in the process of putting down false teaching as it related to the Gospel, while in Romans he was laying a foundation for present instruction and future conflict-resolution. Whatever the case, it is clear in this passage that Paul writes in an authoritative fashion, as an apostle appointed by God, as a brother to the Jews by race, and a brother to all through the gospel. In the middle of a sensitive conflict, it is tempting to compromise the message by using language that is too indirect, so as not to anger one group more than the other. It is evident that Paul doesn’t give into this temptation, especially since he calls his Jewish brothers the “weak” Christians (14:1, 14, 15:1). His writing style is obviously exactly what God demanded for the situation at hand. The situation was of the utmost importance. Like many of the churches Paul founded, the church in Rome was made up of both Jews and Gentiles. The combining of these two groups, while certainly tricky, was nonetheless crucial. Each group approached a relationship with God from different societal, religious, and economic backgrounds. However, Paul’s message was of a love for each other that was self-denying and cross-centered, and a unity in Christ that transcended all differences. The situation at hand was fertile ground for divisions. The Jewish Christians had a heritage that included meticulous dietary laws, and regulations regarding meat: “They would never eat certain animals and would not eat others unless they were sure that they had been killed in the correct way. Because they lived in areas where they could not be absolutely sure about the suitability of the meat they were eating, some had taken the position that they would
On the other hand, the Gentile believers felt there was nothing wrong with eating meat, regardless of whether or not it had been used as a sacrifice in a pagan temple. It created an atmosphere that was highly volatile, and both groups were passing judgment on the other. The spirit of critical judgment was not only unbiblical, but damaging to each others’ faith and the church. Paul clearly addresses the argument, and calls the abstaining group “weak,” which means immature in their relationship to Christ. He then expands on a very important doctrine pertaining to disputable matters. When the Bible clearly commands or prohibits something, the issue is non-disputable. However, where the Bible doesn’t explicitly command or prohibit, or is unclear, Christians are free to make up their own mind about what they can do, according to their faith. What Christians cannot do is pass judgment on someone due to a difference in opinion matters. When they do pass judgment, they not only are playing a role that only God can play (v. 22), but are not acting in love. Similarly, if while exercising his freedom, a strong Christian causes his weak brother to struggle, he is sinning. The point is mutual, self-denying love. Love that thinks not about what is best or even scripturally appropriate for me, but what lifts up and helps my brother. Paul knows that if they approach this and other disputable matters with this in mind, they will be exercising Christ-like love, and building a church that is unified in the midst of worldly differences; the point of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. This was the model of instruction for the early fellowship, and it remains as the guiding principal for all we do today in God’s church. D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering The New Testament (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1982), 244. |
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