(NOTE: This is the last essay in our study of Romans. Next week we will begin a short series of studies in the book of James. By receiving this notice you are on the permanent mailing list. This means you don't have to do anything to receive the James series. You will continue to get essays each week as I write them, unless you do not wish to remain on the list. In that case, send me an e-mail to remove your name and I will do so. Thank you for being with us for the Romans series, and I look forward to the coming study in James. We will follow the same plan. I will not try to do a commentary, but will focus on certain key concepts found in James, and write about them.)
In the 14th chapter of Romans, Paul makes a very strong case for each of us to be responsible for other members of the Christian faith. This does not mean we are responsible for "setting them straight", or making sure they "toe the line" on rules which we interpret as mandatory. It means we are responsible for not discouraging them, or hindering them in their walk of faith. Two statements stand out. In verse 13 he says, "Stop passing
judgment on one another", and in verse 19 he says, "Make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification." How powerful would be our witness to the world if we heeded his admonitions.
I began preaching at a very early age. I was naive, and assumed that all of my colleagues would be good friends, mutually interested in exploring ideas, and developing a deeper understanding of the truth. I was shocked to realize that, instead of happily examining with me certain questions of Biblical truth, they regarded me as a heretic and, even worse, an enemy, if I suggested some idea which was foreign to their orthodoxy. There was no open discussion of various ideas, but a rigid and defensive barrier, protecting their cherished beliefs, and condemning all who did not agree. I was soon to discover that this was a typical and widespread attitude on the part of religious preachers and leaders. It is no wonder the world of Christendom is so fragmented, and divided into warring factions.
At the beginning of this chapter, Paul says we should not judge in "disputable matters". The problem arises when men insist that their position is not disputable. Several years ago, a prominent preacher said to me, "I have not changed my mind on any 'cardinal principle' in fifty years". The problem is that he was the one who defined what was a "cardinal principle". I am reminded of Paul's statement in chapter 12, where he says, "...not to think of yourself more highly that you ought to think." I believe Paul would say anything which upsets the unity of the body is a disputable matter, and violates the cardinal principle of love and oneness, for which the Lord prayed.
It is not my purpose to preach that "anything goes". But Paul makes a very strong case in these 14th and 15th chapters for placing unity, harmony and
mutual edification above the legal details of our religion. None of us is absolute in knowledge, nor in the interpretation of the truth. Even less is any of us able to perfectly live up to even what we know. Therefore, it ill-behooves us to use our fragile knowledge as a basis for judging how God views another's faith.
Because I am an imperfect, mistake-making human, I must trust in the grace of the Father to forgive my shortcomings. If I am to obey God's directive
to love His children, especially those who have faith in Christ, I must extend the same grace and tolerance to them that I need the Father to extend to me. The ultimate curse of Christendom is division. The authors of this division are the judges, who make their interpretation the standard of
judgment, and create enmity within the family of God. Even if they are right, they are wrong!
Paul makes two powerful arguments about faith as he concludes this great book on faith. He says no one should do anything he doesn't believe to be right, and that he should always do what he believes is right. This condemns hypocrisy and, at the same time, demands that the Christian actively obey the will of God as he sees it. Secondly, Paul says we should not judge others by our standards. Specifically, he orders us to keep our faith between us and God,
when it involves matters that threaten the unity of the Christian family.
Paul's message of faith in this book says that our faith should bind us together, not act as a wedge to drive us apart. I think it is significant that Paul
ends his discourse to the church at Rome with the same urgent message with which Christ ended His last prayer to the Father before the Cross. That they all might be one, and by their binding love, show the world that Jesus is God's Son, and Our Savior.
