Romans 14 - Use Your Freedom to Serve Others!

Click Here to Read or Listen to Romans 14

The Weak and the Strong

When Paul is talking about weak and strong here, he is referring to the quality of their faith. Presumably the person whose faith is weak is more concerned about what foods someone should or should not eat. This was a holdover from the Jewish dietary laws. It might weak in the sense that this person is still trusting in works or righteousness, instead of faith. The person with a strong faith realizes it is not about meat at all, but about serving God and loving others with one's whole heart. Whether you eat meat or not does not change the position you have in Christ, nor make one more or less spiritual. 

The problem was that the ones who were not eating meat were judging those who did and visa versa. They were squabbling about matters not integral to the Christian faith or what it meant to be on mission together for Christ. Later, Paul will teach that though the one stronger in faith can with a clean conscience eat meat, they might abstain in consideration for their weaker brother or sister who considers it wrong to eat meat. 

This is the essentially the same rationale for observing special days of the week. Again, this is a holdover from the Jewish Sabbath laws, which strictly enforced the Sabbath as the time from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. Today most Christians worship on Sunday to remember the day of Jesus' resurrection.  But the reality is you can celebrate Jesus' resurrection on any day. You can worship God on any day. You can receive Holy Communion on any day. 

As Jesus said, "Man is made for the Sabbath, not the Sabbath made for man!" Mark 2:27

These verses are perhaps the most important point Paul is making, 

"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."

Essentially he is saying that although we have the freedom to eat anything, we may intentionally refrain from eating something if it causes someone else to stumble. The best example of this is alcohol. If someone either feels alcohol is morally wrong, or maybe they are an alcoholic who is just beginning their recovery, you may abstain for the sake of that brother or sister. 

More importantly than the food, the drink, or the day of the week is acting in love toward your fellow brother or sister in Christ. Paul says, 

"Use your freedom to serve one another." - Galatians 5:13

These verses are also a good summary of Paul's teaching in chapter 14

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

 

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