Romans 14:1-12 Ours to Do: Live Consciously
The Text
Romans 14:1–12 (CSB)
1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.2 One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables.
3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him.
4 Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself.
8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.
10 But you, why do you judge 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.
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.
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Our God
1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.
Live According to Conscience: No need to argue in matters of conscience
If Christians took this as seriously as they do with the rest of the Bible, social media would be more boring than it already is.
Here's the thing: how many of us want to argue and debate about disputed matters but never give a second thought to whom might be looking or hearing the debate. I am not talking about unbelievers. I am talking about those who were new in the faith.
Are we mindful with our words? What if someone fresh in the faith read our words? Would they be encouraged or discouraged? Would they be drawn to Christ or pushed away?
Listen, don't let me judge from my made-up throne. I used to argue online a lot. Yet, by the grace of God, something just snapped in me. It was all in vain. It wasn't helping anybody. And just like that, I laid down my arms and my rights to argue online. Hindsight always being 20/20, I was able to look back and consider what I have done for those with little faith.
Since then, I have done my best to be more encouraging and pointing people to Christ. If someone wanted to debated, we talk privately. I have never regretted going private with my debates but I regret every single debate I have had out in the open.
I know there is room for apologetics--but the goal of a debate is not to win the debate but to point others to Christ in the most winsome way.
2-3One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him.
Live According to Conscience: Your maturity and sanctification was not of your own doing
Paul is using the topic of conscience in consider what we eat and not eat. But the topic is not about food and nutrition but rather what a Christian have the conscience to bear to do something that might not be sinful but not helpful to them.
Because I can choose to do something or not something according to conscience, that doesn't make me better nor worse than my fellow brother or sister in Christ--or anybody else for that matter.
Remember that God has accepted you and them altogether. There is no hierarchy. There are no second-class citizens in the kingdom. There is no varsity nor junior varsity.
1 Corinthians 12:12–13 (CSB) For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
And
Galatians 3:28 (CSB) There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you come to conscience to do something or not something unto God, then that is God at work in you and you are not your own.
Your justification is of God alone. Your glorification is of God alone.
Hebrews 6:1–3 (CSB) Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this if God permits.
Why would we think that our sanctification and maturity is of our doing? My friend, we don't get to take credit for the work of God. Even our maturity, sanctification, growth, and maturity is on God alone.
4-5 Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand. One person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind.
Live According to Conscience: We are weak but he is strong
2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (CSB) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is me right now. In my pea-sized brain, I have been debating my precious wife and my in-laws (whom live with us) on observing the Sabbath.
6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God.
On the outside, "Why don't y'all observe the Sabbath?" as if to imply that they don't love the Lord their God. But truth be told: they choose to mow the lawn in order to relax and chill and I hate mowing with a passion. They might do it on the Lord's Day but I refused to be peer-pressured in mowing the lawn on a workday.
That was my hatred for lawn-mowing being masked by using the Sabbath--the day that God has given to us for our rest.
But if I had observed this passage and took it to heart, I would not have contrived some made-up debate between me and my family members--well, at least I would have less of a leg to stand on when making a case.
And I think that is what Paul is stating here: none of us have it figured out. God has given us the Spirit and His Son--along with our wills, minds, hearts, and consciences. Apart from what the Bible forbids, we are only free to do as our conscience dictates.
Give grace to others because God has given you grace upon grace.
7-8 For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Live According to Conscience: We belong to the Lord
Listen, he is our God and we are his people. We now live and die for him.
I think Jonathan Edwards said it best:
I claim no right to myself—no right to this understanding, this will, these >affections that are in me;
Neither do I have any right to this body or its members—no right to this >tongue, to these hands, feet, ears, or eyes.
I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own.
I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him.
In other words:
Galatians 2:20 (CSB) I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
9 Christ died and returned to life for this: that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.
Live According to Conscience: Christ judges the living and the dead
Apostles' Creed states:
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
Paul charges preachers in the sight of Christ who judges the living and the dead to preach the word:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 (CSB) I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
This energy we expend to judge one another is futile and wasted. Christ is our great Judge and Lord. In matters of conscience, he judges supreme. None of the children of God face condemnation because they made the wrong decision. We are in Christ. Christ has us covered. We don't need to fret or be anxious because God has us forever.
Our Response
10-12 But you, why do you judge 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 will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Live According to Conscience: We will all stand before the judgment seat of God
That we will give an account of our lives before God. Either that frightens you or humbles you.
If this frightens you, then I have a way out:
2 Corinthians 6:2 (CSB) For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!
Christ is the way out.
Trust in Christ.
Believe in Christ.
If you do, then know it is because His Holy Spirit dwells in you.
Then it won't be just you trying to justify yourself before God.
At the end of days, you will stand in line before the Judge of judges. You see countless people in front of you giving their own testimony before God on what they have done for God. You notice that there are no other witnesses that can give an account of who they are before God. One right after the other, Jesus calmly gives the sentence, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’1
There is fear. Yet, you starting to see more and more of His beautiful glory and you can't wait to see just a little more. That love! That love that was there the moment God saved you. There is that feeling / will / thought / idea / belief / emotion / knowledge / security / peace. The more you see of him, the more you long to see the face of the one who saved you from death to life.
Now, you stand before the throne. You peer into the loveliest eyes you have ever seen. You glance at the face that is a beauty like no other.
Your breath is taken. Your heart races. Your only rightful response is to fall to your knees and worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the back of your mind, you think a dreadful thought, "Who will bear witness for me?"
At that precise moment, you hear a gentle, soothing, comforting, loving, merciful, and gracious familiar voice speak tenderly about you to you and yet boldly to the Throne, "This your son, O Father, by the Son as ransomed for Himself!"
Romans 8:14–17 (CSB) For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
The Son stands, with crowns upon his head and robes that are dipped in blood, and turns to look upon the Father with a beaming smile, "What do you say, Father?"
In an awe-struck and fear-trembling moment that shakes the heavens, His voice sonics booms to eternity and vehemently declares, "This is my son in whom I am well-pleased!"
The Son of Man runs down from His throne, takes off his robe and covers you with it. He lifts you up, places his nail-pierced hands around your face and you get to peer into his face.
Your soul is complete, finally, perfectly, and definitely satisfied.
He brings you close and holds you. With one final act in this heavenly courtroom, with the Holy Spirit, the angels, the elders, the saints, and the Father looking upon you, Christ Jesus, the Gracious Almighty God justly declares:
NO CONDEMNATION!
Now enter into your sweet reward.
Brothers and sisters, I tell you all these things that you joy may be full!
To the whole world, I tell you all these things because that is love!
Matthew 7:23