[Linux4christians] Wednesday - Romans 14

[dcolburn at bibleseven.com]

    Wednesday


      Romans 14



Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have 
disputes over differing opinions.

14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats 
only vegetables. 14:3 The one who eats everything must not despise the 
one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who 
eats everything, for God has accepted him.

14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on another's servant? Before his own 
master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to 
make him stand.

14:5 One person regards one day holier than other days, and another 
regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind.

14:6 The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who 
eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who 
abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.

14:7 For none of us lives for himself and none dies for himself.

14:8 If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord. 
Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be 
the Lord of both the dead and the living.

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only -- why do you judge your brother 
or sister? And you who eat everything -- why do you despise your brother 
or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

14:11 For it is written, "/*As I live*//, //*says the Lord*//, //*every 
knee will bow to me*//, //*and every tongue will give praise to God*/."

14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Exhortation for the Strong not to Destroy the Weak

14:13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather 
determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.

14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing 
unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it 
unclean.

14:15 For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you 
eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food 
someone for whom Christ died. 14:16 Therefore do not let what you 
consider good be spoken of as evil. 14:17 For the kingdom of God does 
not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the 
Holy Spirit. 14:18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing 
to God and approved by people.

14:19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up 
one another. 14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. 
For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to 
stumble by what you eat. 14:21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine 
or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

14:22 The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the 
one who does not judge himself by what he approves.

14:23 But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does 
not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.



      Prayer


Lord, You give us freedoms in our faith but we are expected to be 
careful that we do not exercise them selfishly so as to cause our 
brother to stumble. May I be intentional in all that I do -- bring 
attention and honor and glory to You.


      Summary & Commentary


"Now receive the one who is weak in the faith ..." Among truly saved 
believers whether one treats one day as "holier" than another or all the 
same, eats or fasts, lives or dies, because he or she belongs to the 
Lord all they do -- and how they do it is also for the Lord and answers 
only to the Lord. The only things that are unclean are those which 
compromise ones relationship with God. "... whatever is not from faith 
is sin."

Paul used the still-confused, spiritually immature, behavior of those 
who were "... weak in the faith" to demonstrate living-out grace toward 
fellow believers. Some still harbored superstitious beliefs about meat 
sacrificed to idols by pagans or sacrificed to God by Law-bound 
incomplete Jews which prevented them from eating meat ".. the weak 
person eats only vegetables", He instructed the more mature who was free 
to eat anything to be patient with the weaker - allowing them to do as 
best honored God in their heart (the weak believer).


      Interaction

Consider

Condemnation of a "weak" believer, about things not essential to 
salvation or righteous living, may drive them out of fellowship, slow 
their spiritual growth, or even cause them to reject Christ (even though 
- if their confession-conversion was genuine - their salvation cannot be 
"lost" they may choose to live for a long time as if it were).

Discuss

List examples where a wrongful attitude toward a "weak" believer was 
confronted and corrected. What was the outcome?

Reflect

Paul used the still-confused, spiritually immature, behavior of those 
who were "... weak in the faith" to demonstrate living-out grace toward 
fellow believers.

Share

When have you experienced confusion because someone was making choices 
that you did not understand as a new believer but later came to understand?


      Faith in Action


        Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where I harbor any beliefs 
which limit my freedom where God has not limited it (not necessarily 
specific to ritualistically "clean" of "unclean" foods but perhaps 
denominations, human religious traditions, Bible translations, styles of 
music, styles of clothing, buildings, gender roles in leadership, race, 
etc.).

Action:

Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me as I 
partner with the Holy Spirit to purge that immature belief from my life.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________



    Thursday's text will be:


      Romans 15:1-13



-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Savannah-Statesboro needs a Bible College/Seminary!
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
I don't google I SEARCH! Yippy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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