PRACTICAL JUSTICE

TOWARD THE WEAK IN THE FAITH

Chap. 14:1–15:13 – Another Jewish particularity that converted Jews tended to bring with them into the fellowship of Christians was that of maintaining certain principles regarding the Jewish rules concerning foods and the observance of holy days that were kept in Judaism. Two examples are given:

1. Jewish dietary rules – kosher foods (vs. 2-4).

2. The observance of Jewish holy days – the Sabbath, etc. (vs. 5-6).

Romans 14 refers to our responsibility toward a weak newly converted Jew from Judaism; while 1 Corinthians 8 refers to our responsibility toward a weak newly converted Gentile from paganism. These passages show that we have a responsibility toward both.

1. 1 – Most of the converted Jews in those early days

were not totally free from Judaism (Heb 13:13) and were attached to certain Jewish customs and practices as a matter of conscience (Acts 21:20). What should the brothers and sisters do when such people were saved and entered into Christian fellowship? Should they despise their concerns and condemn them? That certainly would not be love in action! On the contrary, Paul says: “Receive the one who is weak in the faith” (AIBB) “not, however, to dispute opinions” (ARA).

“Weak in the faith” is someone deficient in his understanding regarding the Christian position and liberty (Gal 5:1) and, consequently, has unfounded customs about matters of secondary importance in the Christian life. (as a rule, when the article “the” is used in the Scriptures in connection with “faith”, it is referring to the Christian revelation of truth. See Jude 3, etc. When the article is not mentioned, it is referring to the inner energy of the soul's confidence in God. See Acts 20:21; Romans 14:22, etc.)

Paul's answer to this difficulty is that we should “receive” all such people cordially. This does not refer to the reception of a person into fellowship at the Lord's table (reception by the assembly), but to his reception among the saints in practical social fellowship. (We mention this because this verse has often been applied outside its context and misused to support the false idea that because someone has been received by God, being a believer in the Lord Jesus (v. 3), we are obliged to receive him at the Lord's Table, without taking into consideration his associations and his spiritual state of soul). Thus, the overly scrupulous brother should not be avoided among the saints. By adding: “not, however, to dispute opinions” (ARA), Paul is warning us to avoid involving such people in arguments about their customs. It could needlessly break the harmony that should exist in normal Christian fellowship. This does not mean that they should adopt these Jewish practices so as not to offend them. That would make the weak brother's misconceptions rule and dictate how others should live. Instead, they should be careful not to deliberately do in the weak brother's presence the things that could cause him offense Vs. 2-3 – He says: “For one believes that he may eat all things, and another, who is weak, eats vegetables” In pointing this out, Paul wants us to realize that not all believers are at the same level of spirituality, maturity and understanding; some are “weak” and some are “strong” (chap. 15:1). Thus, we should make concessions and not force people against their consciences in these matters. He says: “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat; and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him” (TB). This shows that we should respect one another's consciences and personal exercises and not ride roughshod over them. That could offend them. If certain principles regarding these questions are not clear to someone, we should not judge him in what he allows or does not allow himself to do. Each one is responsible for walking before the Lord in the way he believes the Lord would have him walk (Gen 17:1). Paul says: “To his own master he stands or falls”. That is, in the final analysis, he is responsible to the Lord for what he does. If he is mistaken about some matter, and if he is doing it in faith, believing it is the will of God, God will honor his faith and keep him from going out of the way – for “God is able to make him stand”. Thus there should be mutual tolerance in these matters.

“One person evaluates one day as more important than another; another evaluates all days alike” (TB). Some have taken this statement as being their liberty to do whatever they want on the Lord's Day, but that is not what Paul is referring to here. Since the passage is dealing primarily with weak converted Jews, this would be in relation to Sabbath days, etc. W. Kelly observed: “For a Christian not to regard the Lord's Day would be a direct dishonor attributed to His own special meeting with His disciples on that day, an open contempt for that testimony of grace”. Paul adds: “Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind”. The problem in many cases is that when a person is not really convinced of some exercise he has regarding the Christian life, he will try to convince others about it – even imposing such exercise on others. They seem to think that if more people see them the way they do, then it would be a sign that they are right. Sometimes people use their personal exercises to try to distinguish themselves among their brothers and sisters as extremely holy and pious, but in reality it is the flesh in action. This kind of thing tends toward legalism and means disaster among the saints. It often puts the brothers and sisters at opposite poles, separating those who “see” such an exercise from those who do not “see” it. And it is all because people have not done what Paul recommends at the end of the chapter – “keep it to yourself before God” (v. 22).

Four Guiding Principles

Chaps. 14:6–15:7 – Paul mentions four principles that will guide us in connection with the differences that brothers and sisters may have in their personal exercises. These principles can be applied to all Christians, not only to converted Jews.

Living Under the Lordship of Christ

Chap. 14:6-9 – The first principle that should regulate our conduct in these matters is that we should live our lives under the direction of the lordship of Christ. This is seen in the fact that in four short verses, Paul mentions “the Lord” seven or eight times – depending on which translation is used. It is clear, therefore, that Paul is emphasizing the lordship of Christ here.

Paul's point in this passage is that in matters where there is no direct disobedience to the Word of God, each one should be left free to act before the Lord as the Lord directs, without the interference of others. The question that each of us needs to ask is: “With regard to this that I allow (or refuse to allow) in my life, what does the Lord want me to do?” If we regard a certain day, or eat (or abstain from eating) a certain food, we should do it as “to the Lord”.

That is, we should do it believing that He has directed us in the matter (Col 3:17, 21).

Paul adds: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's”. This means that the believer's whole life is not only open before the Lord, but also that his life belongs to the Lord. Indeed, one of the reasons why Christ died and rose again is that He might have the title and the right to be Lord over all (Acts 2:36). Thus, we are, ultimately, accountable before the Lord for everything we do in life and in death.

Living in View of the Judgment Seat of Christ

Chap. 14:10-12 – This leads Paul to speak of a second thing that should govern the way we conduct ourselves in matters relating to our conscience. He says: “But why do you judge your brother? Or you also, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ”. Thus, we should refrain from judging or looking down on those who do not see things as we do, because a day is approaching when our lives will be reviewed at the judgment seat of Christ and all these personal exercises will be examined by the Lord. At that moment He will make manifest whether they were in accordance with His will or whether they were merely of the flesh.

The first of these two questions – “why do you judge your brother?”

• is addressed to the weak Christian whose tendency is to judge those who allow

certain things that his conscience does not permit him to do. He will probably see the liberties his brother takes as permissiveness and will condemn him for it. The second question – “why do you despise your brother?” – is addressed to the strong Christian whose tendency is to belittle those who do not have the light and the liberty that he has. Paul reminds both of the fact that all of us will “stand before the judgment seat of Christ” someday and will see these things made manifest. Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 to show (in principle) that then “each of us will give an account of himself to God” for the things we allow or do not allow in our lives.

It is significant that every time the judgment seat of Christ is mentioned in the New Testament, it is seen from a different point of view. When we gather these references together, we learn that the Lord will examine every aspect of our lives. What will be reviewed are:

• Our ways in general (2 Cor 5:9-10).

• Our words (Matt 12:36).

• Our works of service (1 Cor 3:12-15).

• Our thoughts and motives (1 Cor 4:3-5).

• Our personal exercises on matters of conscience (Rom 14:10-12).

Thus, a day of evaluation is coming when the Lord will weigh the “whys” and the “wherefores” of our lives. That examination will bring to light the reality of the things we assume as personal exercises. Some of these things may be manifest as being carnal, and others may prove to be exercises that were truly of the Lord. Paul's argument here is that we should leave these things until that day, because we do not have the complete picture now and are incapable of making an accurate evaluation of these things among ourselves. Even if we did, we cannot weigh the motives of the heart as the Lord will (1 Sam 2:3). Therefore, we should now stop and give up making evaluations of our brothers' and sisters' personal exercises – we may be wrong. Moreover, by making unnecessary judgments of our brothers and sisters now, we run the risk of causing a rupture in the fellowship of the saints.

Living in View of Not Causing Stumbling to Our Brothers and Sisters