A word to the wise
Opening Prayer 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
Which is right? As fallen people, we are tempted to pass judgment all too quickly on others without first seeking to understand why they do what they do. This was a large part of the the dissension in the Roman church at this time, The Jewish Christians wanted to continue with many of the Jewish rituals and certain sacred days, and The Gentile christians were not necessarily in agreement with certain of the issues, and it became a contention, and Paul addressed these matters specifically.
Romans 14: The Principals of Conscience vs. 1-6 Rom 14:1 -12 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Romans 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Discussion The eating habits and the sanctity of certain days for the Christian should not be a matter of contention in the church. Some are vegans, some are not. And with the exception of the sabbath day, or the Lords day, Some Christians still regard certain days to be considered more sacred. Then there are those Christians who consider all days equally. In either case, no one is rightfully to judge another persons beliefs. Paul is leading the discussion towards tolerance of each others beliefs in so far as they are Christian beliefs. In the midst of it all Paul lays down some good advice. 1. Those who are weak in their faith must be received, but not to doubtful disputations. offer them kindness and support. 2. Those who are strong in their faith must by no means despise the weak. There is no need to boast of one's faith as to bring another down. 3. In these matters of ones belief and faith, every one must, walk according to the light that God has given them. 4. Those who are clear in these matters, and know their Christian liberty, do not use it so as to give offence to a weak brother.
Questions 1. Are eating and drinking habits still a point of contention in some churches today? Why? 2. What is paul telling us about these matters in these scriptures? 3. Are there days of the year that are considered sacred to some , and not so to others? 4. Why do we as Christians have so many denominations in our religion? 5. What are some examples you see as disputable in today's Christian practices?
What is it all about then? The business of our lives is not to please ourselves, but to please God. It is true Christianity, which makes Christ all in all. Though Christians are of different strengths in their faith , and have differing interpretations, denominations, and practices in lesser things, they still, all of them, belong to the Lord. All are seeking, serving, and approving themselves to Christ. It is through Christ that the true believer is made whole, There is no salvation in denomination, salvation comes to all who in their heart truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of woman, crucified, died for their sins, and was buried, arose from the dead, and will be present at the final Judgment Day, to pass judgment on the living and the dead.
Romans 14: The Principals of Conscience vs. 1-12 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.'" 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Discussion Paul condemns people for passing judgment on people on the other side when it is the Lord alone who has the right to evaluate the heart and determine the believer as honest and sincere, or as a false believer. When we presume to view those who differ with us regarding minor issues we are exalting ourselves to the position that only the Lord occupies. Each of us will give an account of himself to God. We should be more concerned with how our thoughts and attitudes will be evaluated on that final day than what it is about our brother we judge to be wrong, after all, everyone has faults, it's just so difficult to dwell on our own. Such matters are God's alone to judge. If we are in Christ Jesus by faith alone, the sin of self righteousness, judging ourselves to be above criticism, and better than others will be abated by our humility in Christ. We will find ourselves repenting for this selfish transgression, and the blood of our Savior will cover us where we fall short. Still, we must remember that God’s weighing of our hearts will determine the outcome of our faith. We are granted heaven by grace alone through faith alone. A judgmental spirit cannot reside in the heart of a true believer. God will see to it.
Questions 1. Is it presumptive to think that a Christian will know when making wrong life choices? 2. Why is it that we are not self correcting when we see ourselves making wrong life choices? 3. Does one always know a wrong life choice when seeing it in the life of another? 4. Who is it who will step forward in judging others when their sin is equally as vile or worse? 5. What is there about judging others that is so satisfying? 6. What is there about judging others that is so wrong? After all they are wrong aren't they? 7. Who is it that we take such pleasure in judging? 8. Why is it that a Christian (should not) have a judgmental spirit? “ (cannot)
Meditation
Opportunities for judging others are readily available. A summons for jury duty expects us to impartially judge the culpability of an individual. During an election we judge, by comparison, each candidate’s integrity. Pronouncing judgment upon others seems human nature! Our fondness of judging others extends far beyond legal or civic matters.
Jesus knew humans would struggle with judging and He contained a stern warning in His Word: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5). This verse does not mean that we should never make judgments. Obviously, we make judgments every day. We judge between right and wrong, dangerous choices from safe ones, etc. Jesus is cautioning us to not judge others in a hypocritical way. He is telling us we shouldn’t be habitually critical of someone when our own sins needs correction as well.
By judging others in an unbiblical and hypocritical way, we pay an enormous price. In every case, our choice to criticize another person causes severe damage in our lives. Ridiculing others exposes us to the righteous judgment of God, and we bring more suffering on ourselves by our complaints against one another than we are aware of (James 5:9). Judging people and accusing them is what Satan does (Revelation 12:10).
In addition to ruining other people’s lives, judging others in an unbiblical way attempts to question God's authority, placing us in opposition to God, and it keeps us in a state of unrest, gives us a false sense of self worth compared to our fellow man and makes us vulnerable to the contempt of others Just as believers are not to condemn others, we are not to ignore sin. In a sense, this requires the act of judging others in a biblical way. It is important to know the difference between the judging mentioned in Matthew 7:2-5 and the righteous kind of judgment that comes with discernment. John 7:24 says, “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
If a believer sees another believer sinning, he is instructed to confront the person in a respectful and loving way. Matthew 18:15-17 says, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
The ultimate goal of confronting the person is to bring repentance. In this sense, we are called to judge sin—always with the goal of repentance and reconciliation. “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). God commands believers to point out the truth in hope—and with Christ-like compassion—bringing repentance and restoration to the sinner (James 5:20). As Christians, with all our imperfections and failures, God chose to see us as holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4). God also gives us a choice, (Philippians 2:3-5) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: AMEN
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