Opening Prayer Pg.1 Father God, we come here tonight to Study the words of Paul as given to us in his letter to the church in Rome. We pray that no word be spoken here tonight that is not in accordance with your will and that you will impart to us those matters You would have us learn from this study. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the teachings of Paul, The word of God.. In Jesus Name we pray Amen.
The limits of our liberty: We are continuing with the matter of Judgment which Paul seems to think is of some notable importance. There must have been a very serious problem between the Jewish Christians with all of the prohibitions and rules they had been taught and lived by for thousands of years. And they were finding it difficult to accept what the Gentile Christians were not doing concerning how they worshiped and what they were eating, and different religious practices. Do such matters still divide Christians in our world today?
Romans 14:13-18 The duty of an enlightened Christian 13, Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. / Discussion: These are very wise words Paul is writing, and they apply even today. There is no better way to “Get Along” than to put into practice those values and principles that Paul is promoting in this letter. It is a relatively simple matter to pass judgment on our Christian brother, (Luke 6:37-38) especially if they are practicing a different style or type of worship, from that which we do. When that happens, it is upsetting to those whom we measure against our own practices. This type of judgment is what Paul calls putting a stumbling block in the way of a brother or sister.
We must consider that there are differing methods and modes of worship even among Christians. And we should always be considerate of others in the ways of their worship. Our liberty as Christians, given to us as a gift of God's Grace through Jesus Christ, permits us to be free of earning our salvation by ritual and rule and it gives the true believer a sense of freedom that all do not carry with them. (1st Corinthians 8: 6-9)We are not to flaunt that freedom nor are we to push our faith upon a brother who might be struggling with his beliefs. But we are to encourage and give example by our righteous conduct, and right living, and our joy and peace in Christ. If He is our pattern, any sacrifice of tastes and liberties for our brother’s sake is our duty, and cannot be neglected without selfish sin.
Questions 1. Our world is much more sophisticated today than in those days, do we still have problems? 2. What are some of the difficulties we still have with such matters in today’s churches ? 3. Is there a correct way to make judgments about the faults of others? 4. Why do Christians join in such matters as gossip, touting, and critical judgment?
Pg.2
Helping a weaker brother Paul’s call for mutual peace and edification in his letter is addressed to the entire Roman Church, but it is more pointing to the strong believers of that fellowship to guide them in their discipling of their weaker, in the faith, brothers and sisters who also needed to understand what he means, he wanted them to hear it as well, so as to promote the matter to the whole fellowship and not just to a few of the members.
Romans 14: 19-23 The limitations on our liberty 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Discussion
Being able to humble ourselves and put the needs of other Christians before our own is what the true believers life reflects. (2 Corinthians 1:12). Such is necessary to help the fellowship to grow both in numbers and in maturity and tolerance. Paul was encouraging the mature believers in Rome not to flaunt, or glory in their freedom in a manner that would cause the less mature believers in the church to begin to doubt the sincerity of the faith. These mature believers were objectively correct that no food is inherently unclean and that all Christians can partake of meat without any guilt. Regrettably, the immature believers had trouble grasping this truth and were bothered by any superficial associations this meat had with paganism or any uncleanness. They were objectively wrong to see meat as unclean in itself, but that did not matter at the moment to Paul because he wanted to keep the weak from sinning by acting against their consciences, however misinformed they were.
Christian humility in the Roman context required the strong to put the weak first, to voluntarily refrain from enjoying their liberty to its full extent around weaker believers, not because it was wrong to eat meat but so that the weak would not fall away. Christians must treat one another with deference and respect. Let us be sensitive to the weaknesses of others, but let us never enshrine as law a practice or principle about which our Creator has not spoken.The principle of Christian liberty is difficult to apply. Many take advantage of Christian freedom and stick their liberty in the faces of weaker brothers. Others become legalists, elevating human traditions and scruples to the level of divine mandate. (Colossians 3:12-15). The solution to both these problems is an accurate knowledge of what Scripture does and does not say, which knowledge can only be acquired through the prayerful study of God’s Word.
Questions 1. What is the difficulty with humbling oneself and putting others needs before our own needs? 2. What is the liberty of which Paul is speaking that mature Christians can flaunt before others?
3. What was the immature Christians belief about eating certain meats? Is that true today?
4. Fish on friday, what was that about for the Catholic Christian?
5. No pork or shellfish is to be eaten by the Jewish believer. What was that about?
6. What was the reason the dietary laws no longer applied to this new belief of Christianity.
Pg.3
Scripture References
Luke 6:36 -38 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
1Corinthians 8:6-9 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
2Corinthians 1:12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God's grace.
Colossians 3:12-15 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Closing Prayer, Father God, be with us now as we leave this place, see us to our destination safely. We praise you for your word given to us by your servant Paul, and we pray you will bring us to this worship again next week. We pray now for our loved ones and those who are sick or disabled_____________ that you would give them peace, strength and healing, and a blessing to those who care for them. In Jesus name we pray.......... AMEN
Pg.4
Meditation.
Some points in Christianity are not necessary to Christian fellowship; so that though one may be in error believing them, he is not on that account to be excluded either from the communion of the Church or from the full confidence of those who have more light. This distinction between essential and non-essential truths is denied by some who affect more than ordinary zeal for the honor and truth of God. But they must settle the question with their own conscience. Christians do not all worship God in the same way.
Jesus Christ has brought us a new covenant, and with it God's laws are written on our hearts. Christ is the answer to all our questions.Acceptance with God is the only proper criterion of right to Christian fellowship. Whom God receives, men cannot lawfully reject.
As there is much self-pleasing in setting up narrow standards of Christian fellowship, so one of the best preservatives against the temptation to do this will be found in the continual remembrance that Christ is the one object for whom all Christians live, and to whom all Christians look in dying to sin. This will be such a living and exalted bond of union between the strong and the weak as will overshadow all their lesser differences and gradually absorb them. We are not to judge our Christian brother, but through Jesus Christ, bond with them.
The consideration of the common judgment-seat at which the strong and the weak shall stand together will be found another preservative against the unlovely disposition to sit in judgment one on another.
With what holy jealousy ought the purity of the conscience to be guarded, since every deliberate violation of it is incipient perdition. Some, who seem to be more jealous for the honor of certain doctrines than for the souls of men, accentuate this truth by asking how it bears upon the “perseverance of the saints”, Zeal for comparatively small points of truth is a poor substitute for the substantial and catholic and abiding realities of the Christian life.
Peace among the followers of Christ is a blessing precious to themselves, and, as a testimony to them that are without, too important, to be cast away for trifles, even though some lesser truths be involved. Nor are those truths themselves disparaged or endangered thereby, but the reverse is true, they are made more relevant.
Many things which are lawful are not expedient. In the use of any liberty, therefore, our question should be, not simply, Is this lawful, but even if so, Can it be used without the fear of harming a weaker brother’s conscience? - How will it affect my brother’s soul? It is permitted to no Christian to say with Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, lest he endanger his own faith, and lose his soul. Whenever we are in doubt as to a point of duty - where abstinence is manifestly sinless, but compliance not clearly lawful - the safe course is ever to be preferred, for to do otherwise is itself sinful. Should there be the possibility of misinterpretation by another weaker Christian our choice of action should be the golden rule, and that may indeed be to remain silent on the matter in question.
The idea of keeping our faith to ourselves does not mean we may never share with weaker believers our convictions regarding matters where God has left us free. We may, and indeed must do so, for that is one of the ways the immature will begin to grasp the true meaning of Christian freedom. But we are not to do so in a pushy or obnoxious way. We are to persuade with gentleness and kindness, considerate of a weaker brothers fragile faith.
How exalted and beautiful is the Ethics of Christianity - by a few great principles teaching us how to steer our course amidst practical difficulties, with equal regard to Christian liberty, love, and confidence.
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