Sept. 14, 2014
***
Welcome those who are weak in
faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in
eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not
despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on
those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on
servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And
they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all
days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who
observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in
honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain,
abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to
ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and
if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we
are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might
be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why do you pass judgment on your
brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we
will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, ‘As I live,
says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise
to God.’ So then, each of us will be
accountable to God.
***
Last Sunday, on
Rally Day, I felt the joy of a family reunion in our congregation. People who
had been away over the summer had come back with their children for the first
day of Sunday school. As we celebrated Communion and were strengthened by the
Spirit, we rejoiced that we are still the Body of Christ—when we are apart and when we are together! There is
nowhere a believer can go where we will be separated from the Body—or from the
Lord.
Our faith is what makes us the Body of Christ—our faith and the power of
the Spirit! In spite of the diversity of beliefs and practices of Christians
around the world, because of our faith, we have unity in the Body of Christ—the
Church with a capital C. And in spite of occasional disagreements in our
denomination, community, or congregation—we are still united in Him.
If you recall our congregation’s history, our actual beginnings were
stirred by conflict! What was one congregation became two because of a
disagreement over language about 100 years ago. As I understand it, some wanted
to worship in German. Others wanted to worship in Dutch. And then there was
some kind of argument having to do with someone’s horses being in someone
else’s stall in the barn at the church. You will have to talk to our church
historians about that story!
But
my point is, despite occasional conflicts in the congregation, community or
denomination, we will continue to have unity in the Body—as long as we have
faith and rely upon the power of the Spirit. And remember that all of us need
God’s mercy and grace.
One day, we will all stand before the judgment seat. Every knee shall
bow; every tongue shall praise the Lord. Each of us will be accountable to Him.
Let us never forget to whom we belong—and that we do not live for ourselves,
but for the one who lived and died and lives again—so that he might be Lord of
both the living and the dead!
***
These are Paul’s words to the Roman church in conflict. Today’s passage
begins with the apostle urging the church to “welcome those who are weak in
faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.” What is going on
in this congregation? Believers are arguing over what foods are permissible to
eat as Christians. Some eat only vegetables; others eat everything they want
and “lord” it over those who abstain. And Paul scolds everyone! Their arguing shows
pride and a failure to love. Paul asks in 14:10, “Why do you pass judgment on
your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For
we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”
The proper diet for believers has been argued in early Christian
communities since the first Gentiles were baptized. This is not just a little
quarrel, like those of us in the 21st Century might think. Food for
us does not have the same strong connection to the practice of our faith. But the
Early Christians were in a different situation.
Bear in mind that the first Christians were Jewish believers who needed
to work out which beliefs and practices from Judaism they should keep and which
ones they should let go for this New Covenant in Jesus Christ. This working out
of beliefs and practice of the faith took many years and much struggle. Some
would-be Jewish believers may have resisted joining the Church, even if they
accepted Christ as the Messiah, because it meant sharing table fellowship with
Gentiles who ate meat sacrificed to idols, pork, shellfish and combinations of
foods—such as dairy products with meat—that were forbidden by OT laws.
Paul is concerned that this conflict in the Roman church has turned ugly.
Lines are being drawn in the sand; believers are taking sides, arguing who’s
right, who’s wrong; who’s saved, who’s not. Paul says, “Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and
those who abstain must not pass judgment
on those who eat. For God has welcomed them (all).” What Paul is so passionate
about is a radical kind of grace—shown to human beings through God’s sacrifice
of His Son. This grace must lead us to radical acts of grace—to love and
forgive, despite our differences!
Paul could have taken sides in this argument—as he does with the
argument over circumcision in his letter to the Galatians. And he does take a
side, in a way, when he calls the group who eats only vegetables “weak in
faith.” Paul makes no secret of his belief that trying to follow the OT laws
means one lacks faith in Jesus Christ,
whose work on the cross was sufficient for the forgiveness of all sin!
But
Paul, trying to mediate between the groups, does not wish to hurt the vegetarians
or boost the egos of those who eat whatever they want! He encourages all to
trust in their convictions and live by faith. He writes in 14:14, “I know and
am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it IS unclean for anyone who thinks it
unclean.” Most importantly, Paul teaches us to live not only for ourselves, as he says in 14:7, but to remember to whom
we belong—the Lord—and give God honor and thanks, whether we eat or abstain
from eating. Belonging to the Lord, we are called to love our brothers and
sisters in the faith. And if a brother or sister is “being injured” by what we
do, then we are “no longer walking in love.”
“Do not let what you eat,” Paul says in 14:15, “cause the ruin of one
for whom Christ died…. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves
Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what
makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
Friends,
from time to time, we may have disagreements in our congregation or
denomination. Let us hold onto our faith in our unity in the Body of Christ,
rather than give in to temptation, like the Roman congregation, who drew lines
in the sand and argued who was right and who was wrong. What’s more important than being correct in
doctrine is being perfect in love! Let us be sensitive to the needs of others. If
what we do or say causes a brother or sister to stumble, then we are no longer
walking in love.
One day, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. Every knee
shall bow; every tongue shall praise the Lord. Each of us will be accountable
to Him. So let us never forget to whom we belong—and that we do not live for
ourselves, but for the one who lived and died and lives again—so that he might
be Lord of both the living and the dead!
Let us pray. Almighty God, Loving Father, we praise your
Holy Name! We thank you for our New Covenant in Jesus Christ, a covenant of
salvation by grace! We ask for forgiveness for our sins, for when we have
lacked faith in the unity of the Body of Christ and the power of the Spirit and
when we have not pursued peace and mutual upbuilding. Merciful Lord, keep us
from passing judgment on others—for finding fault with people who may live or
believe differently than we do. Give us a vision for your righteous kingdom.
Keep us focused on serving you—the one to whom we belong. Thank you that we
will never be separated from you—not in life or death. Lead us to be sensitive
to the needs of others, careful of what we do and say so as not to cause a
believer to stumble. Empower us to walk in Christ’s loving ways. In Him we
pray. Amen.
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