Handling Differences to the Glory of God
Notes
Transcript
Differences of opinion… like armpits, everyone has them...
Though we are Chrisitians, there are things that are not addressed by scripture, about which we have differing opinions.
Playing cards
Peanut butter
Alcohol
Meat/vegan
Two of the most famous Christians in the Victorian Era in England were Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker, both mighty preachers of the gospel. Early in their ministries they fellowshipped and even exchanged pulpits. Then they had a disagreement, and the reports got into the newspapers. Spurgeon accused Parker of being unspiritual because he attended the theater. Interestingly enough, Spurgeon smoked cigars, a practice many believers would condemn. In fact, on one occasion someone asked Spurgeon about his cigars, and he said he did not smoke to excess. When asked what he meant by excess, he waggishly answered, “No more than two at a time.”
R. Kent Hughes, Romans: Righteousness from Heaven, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1991), 263.
Context:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
God has given us clear direction about how to live sacrificially and handle ourselves among believers: do not think too highly of yourselves, but with sober judgment, and honor one another above yourselves.
God has given us clear direction about how to live sacrificially, and handle ourselves with those who persecute us: bless and do not curse, do not repay evil for evil, be at peace as far as it depends on you, do not take revenge, do not be overcome by evil.
God has given us clear direction about how to live sacrificially worshiping him as we relate to governing authorities: subjecting ourselves, giving honor to whom honor is due, paying taxes.
God has given us clear direction about how to live sacrificially with all others: have a debt of love that you continue to pay as you love your neighbor as yourself.
There are things that God clearly tells us… but what about those things that are not explicitly laid out for us in scripture?
That is what the Spirit, through Paul, addresses next in this letter to the believers in Rome.
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.
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.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
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.
It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
How to handle differences to the glory of God
How to handle differences to the glory of God
The church in Rome was a mixture of Jewish and Gentile believers. It is not stated in the passage that there were differences between these two groups, but we know that there were cultural differences when it came to diet and the observance of special days. This may have been the source of conflict, and it may have been between the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers. Or, it could have been between certain of the Jewish believers, and other Jewish believers, or between Gentile believers. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that apparently there were disputes, and things were not being handled properly. The context gives the hint that some were looking down on others because of how they were handling matters where they had differences of opinion.
How should we handle differences?
First, go back to the context
1. Offer yourselves as living sacrifices
1. Offer yourselves as living sacrifices
Romans 12:1–2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
who are we living for? ourselves? Or are we living for the Lord?
Am I more concerned about myself, my rights, my opinion?
2. Do not judge others
2. Do not judge others
Romans 14:1 “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”
quarrel - pronounce judgment
disputable - what you reasoned / as opposed to what God commanded
Those who are able should not judge those who cannot
Those who are able should not judge those who cannot
Vegans
One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
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.
Those who cannot should not judge those who can
Those who cannot should not judge those who can
Peanut butter
God accepted them, who are you?
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.
3. Remember who is Lord
3. Remember who is Lord
He is the one working in people to do his will. It is not up to you and me to make people conform to a standard, other than the ones God explicitly set.
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.
4. Be convinced in your own mind
4. Be convinced in your own mind
Not convinced of your rights, or that you are right vs. they are wrong.
Be convinced that you can do this to the glory of God!
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.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.
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.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
5. Remember: you will be judged
5. Remember: you will be judged
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.
It is written: “ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Did you love? Did you honor your brother or sister? Did you think too highly of yourself? Did you
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Knowing that we will be judged...
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.
stumbling block - something carelessly left over which someone stumbles
obstacle - purposely left to block or hinder someone else
6. Live in consideration of others
6. Live in consideration of others
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.
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.
Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable.
“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?
For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
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.
Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.
flaunting your freedom
Charles Spurgeon, at the height of his fame, was one day walking down the street and saw a sign which read, “We sell the cigar that Charles Spurgeon smokes,” whereupon Spurgeon gave up the habit. He came to see that what was for him a freedom might cause others to stumble. “Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.”
Martin Luther had it right when he began his treatise “On the Freedom of a Christian Man” by saying, “A Christian man is a most free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian man is a most dutiful servant of all, subject to all.”
NOTE: this does not mean that we give in to legalism, or modern day pharisaism
If someone is trying to force their views on others, then they are in violation of this passage.
This passage is about voluntary, not compelled, self-restriction
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 receives human approval.
Not external behavior, but inward attitudes in Christ that lead to outward behavior.
Live to please God
Live to please God
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 person 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 or sister to fall.
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.
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.
Do what you can to live in harmony
Do what you can to live in harmony
Do what you can to build others up
Do what you can to build others up
Do not be a cause of stumbling
Do not be a cause of stumbling
Instead of arguing - Keep it between you and God
Instead of arguing - Keep it between you and God
Be sure you are not condemning yourself - If in doubt, don’t do it
Be sure you are not condemning yourself - If in doubt, don’t do it
Follow the example of Christ
Follow the example of Christ
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.
For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,
so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
To be continued...