Service that Pleases God
[Romans 14:13-23]
Christians who are striving for maturity in faith accept one another (Rom. 14:1-12). Strong believers should accept weak believers, and weak believers should also accept strong believers. What is the reason for this? The reason is that God has accepted all of us (v. 3). Since we have varying levels of maturity in faith, how can we accept one another? How can we overcome our differences and move forward together? We must receive 3 teachings: (1) We must all have a thankful heart, (2) We must do everything for the Lord, (3) We must all recognize that we will stand before the judgment seat of God and give an account of ourselves, including the things done in our conscience. We must overcome our differences with this attitude and accept one another. If we love one another with the love of the Lord, we must accept each other. Therefore, we must faithfully uphold and maintain the unity of the body of Christ, which is the church.
In today's passage, Romans 14:13-23, the Apostle Paul advises serving one another in order to uphold the unity of the body of Christ, which is the church. In particular, in verse 18, he says: “because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” I reflected on how we, as "anyone who serve Christ" should indeed serve one another. I want to receive 3 lessons on what serving in a way that pleases God truly entails.
First, serving in a way that pleases God involves being careful not to put stumbling blocks or obstacles in front of our brothers.
Look at Romans 14:13 - “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.” When the apostle Paul says, "Let us not judge one another anymore," he is advising to judge or resolve not to put anything that will cause our brother to stumble or be offended before them. What is required of us is sound judgment. And we must act on what we know and are convinced of within sound judgment. The apostle Paul did so. Look at today's passage, verse 14: "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." What Paul knew and was convinced of in the Lord Jesus was that no food is unclean. In other words, there is nothing inherently impure about food itself. However, it is considered unclean for anyone who regards it as such. This statement particularly applies to the weak believers in the Roman church who adhered to the dietary laws of the Old Testament and only ate vegetables. The reason is that, for them, meat that had been offered to idols and then sold in the market was considered unclean.
Apostle Peter also had a similar experience. If we look at Acts chapter 10, Peter went up on the roof to pray (v. 9). While he was hungry and waiting for food, he fell into a trance (v. 10). Then he saw heaven opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners (v. 11). In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air (v. 12). And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean" (vv. 13-14). What was the second voice that Peter heard at that time? It was, "What God has made clean, do not call common" (v. 15). Here, what God has made clean, which Peter considered common, referred to the Gentiles. So God led Peter to the house of the Gentile Cornelius and ultimately brought him to confess: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (vv. 34-35). We must also have this realization. God, through the blood of Jesus on the cross, has cleansed all our brothers and sisters, receiving them into the body of the Lord's church. How can we, then, look down upon and judge our brothers and sisters, claiming they are unclean or impure?
How should we proceed? We must become stepping stones to one another as members of the body of the Lord's church. We should never become stumbling blocks to each other. We must be careful and cautious in every way to avoid becoming obstacles to one another. To achieve that, we all need to make a resolution and put it into action. That is nothing other than deciding not to judge our brothers and sisters anymore (v. 13). Those with strong faith regarding eating meat should resolve not to criticize or look down upon those with weaker faith who only eat vegetables. Likewise, those with weaker faith regarding eating only vegetables should resolve not to condemn or judge those with stronger faith who eat meat thoughtlessly and without condemnation. Whether we eat meat or only vegetables, each of us should do so to give thanks to the Lord and honor God. However, the problem arises if a strong believer, who eats meat with gratitude to the Lord, eats meat in front of a weak believer who only eats vegetables. How will the conscience of the weak believer be affected? From the perspective of the strong believer, they may assert their freedom in faith, feeling no guilt in eating meat. However, wouldn't this potentially cause the weak believer to stumble? Therefore, Apostle Paul in today's passage, verse 15, says, "If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love." Eating meat in front of a weaker brother who is convinced that it is wrong to do so without any qualms of conscience may indeed cause confusion in the conscience of the weaker brother. It has the potential to cause stumbling for the weaker brother who already struggles with weak faith.
I believe there is wisdom in the words of a professor at a certain theological school: ‘The starting point of Christian freedom is limiting my freedom for the sake of my neighbor's benefit’ (Internet). Isn't this the true freedom of us Christians? Limiting my freedom for the benefit of each other... Isn't the freedom proposed here, offering our freedom to ourselves for the sake of each other without causing stumbling, the true freedom that we should enjoy in the Lord? With this freedom, we must strive to show compassion to one another. Therefore, we must be careful not to become stumbling blocks to each other. The Bible says that refraining from doing things that cause our brothers and sisters to stumble is "good" or "beautiful" (v. 21).
Second, serving to please God entails serving the church from the perspective of God's kingdom.
Look at Romans 14:17 - “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Once during a week of prayer and fasting, we meditated on the Word of God centered around Isaiah 53:6, titled "We have all gone astray." In our meditation on this passage, we contemplated 3 causes of our going astray, with the first being "misguided perspectives" (followed by misguided values and misguided thoughts). This misguided perspective refers to the inability to see the beauty of Jesus (v. 2). In other words, our misguided perspective is the inability to see the beauty of Jesus, who obediently went to the cross to fulfill the will of God the Father, even unto death. We do not find attractiveness in Jesus' obedience. Therefore, we disobey the Lord. And when we view obedience from the perspective of our disobedience, we cannot see the beauty of obedience.
If we obey the word of God as given by the Apostle Paul in Romans 14, by not despising or condemning our brothers and sisters, but rather accepting one another, it is beautiful in the sight of God as it preserves the unity of the body of Christ. The beauty of us Christians lies in loving one another and striving for the unity of the church. To achieve this, we must not cause each other to stumble. Look at Romans 14:21 - “It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.” What does this mean? From the perspective of strong believers, they can eat meat and drink wine without any conscience issues, but Apostle Paul suggests that it is better not to eat meat or drink wine for the sake of weak brothers and sisters. Why does he say it is better not to eat meat or drink wine? The reason is to prevent our brothers and sisters from stumbling. Consider this: If I eat meat and drink wine, causing weak believers to be tempted and stumble, would that be considered beautiful in the sight of God? Paul is saying that preventing our brothers from stumbling is beautiful. Why is it beautiful? Because it is obedience to the Lord's commandments and love for our brothers. And it is beautiful in the sight of God because it preserves the unity of the church.
Serving the body of Christ with a perspective of the kingdom of God is what is beautiful in the sight of God. In other words, beautiful service to God is prioritizing "the work of God" over pursuing individual matters of eating and drinking according to one's personal conscience (v. 20). Prioritizing the work of God and serving the body of Christ, we must especially exert effort in two things to preserve the unity of the church. Those 2 tasks are the work of peace and the work of building up one another in virtue. Look at verse 19: “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Even if I have no conscience issue with eating meat or only eating vegetables, if my actions cause stumbling blocks in the faith life of my weaker brothers by eating meat in front of them, or only eating vegetables in front of my stronger brothers, it cannot be beautiful in the sight of God. The reason is that such actions not only fail to build up the beloved brothers whom God loves but also may disrupt the peace of the church. Of course, the freedom of individual conscience is important. It is important that each of us esteems the freedom of conscience that allows us to eat what we believe we can eat with gratitude for everything (Rom. 14:16) (Park). However, even this freedom of conscience, as Apostle Paul admonishes in the latter part of today's passage, "Do not let what you know to be good be spoken of as evil" (v. 16b). In other words, Paul warns us to be cautious not to receive criticism because of the misuse of the Christian freedom granted to each of us, which could lead to judging one another, disrupting the unity and order of the church, and consequently, inviting criticism from people of the world (non-believers). We should exercise our freedom of conscience within the boundaries of benefiting each other and maintaining the unity of the church. Therefore, Paul emphasizes that while our individual freedom of conscience is important, what is even more significant is the kingdom of God and the body of Christ. How foolish would it be if the order of the church and its peace were disrupted over matters of what we eat and drink? Therefore, Apostle Paul says in today's passage, in verse 17, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking..."
So what is Apostle Paul referring to as “the kingdom of God” in today's passage, verse 17? In verse 17b, Paul says that the kingdom of God is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." In other words, the kingdom of God is the realm of salvation, where God governs the hearts of those He saves (McArthur). First and foremost, in that place, eating and drinking are not essential, but firstly it is "righteousness" in the Holy Spirit. In other words, the kingdom of God entails a life of holiness and obedience. Second, the kingdom of God is "peace" in the Holy Spirit. That is to say, in the kingdom of God, there is peace in the relationship with God given by the Holy Spirit, and there is also peace among brothers and sisters in their relationships. Third, the kingdom of God is "joy" in the Holy Spirit. In other words, in the kingdom of God, there is the fruit of joy given by the Holy Spirit. It is about praising, worshiping, and serving God with joy in any situation and circumstance, which is precisely what the kingdom of God entails. We should serve the Victory Presbyterian Church community, which is the body of the Lord, from this perspective of the kingdom of God. In other words, we need to consider whether all that we eat and drink within the freedom of our conscience contributes to the sanctity, peace, and joy not only for each of us individually but also for the entire community of our church. With this perspective of the kingdom of God, those who serve Christ, considering the holiness, peace, and joy in the church, receive approval from God and commendation from people, as Paul states (v. 18).
Third and last, serving to please God is carried out through faith.
Look at Romans 14:23 - “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.” This word illustrates how individuals who have weak faith, but observe those with strong faith eating certain foods (for example, meat), may vacillate between two judgments: 'Should I eat the meat or not? It seems permissible to eat, but at the same time, it seems impermissible.' This is what the Apostle Paul is referring to in verse 23 when he mentions "eating with doubts." Thus, Paul is indicating that when someone with weak faith, who doubts whether it is permissible to eat meat, is drawn to eat it by observing someone with strong faith who believes it is permissible, but at the same time continues to doubt whether it is indeed permissible, then their eating becomes sinful (Park). In other words, if one believes they are permitted to eat meat, whether fully or partially, but eats it while harboring doubts and half-believing, following the example of someone with strong faith, then it is condemned. The reason it is condemned is that it is not done with pure and genuine faith.
I believe that this statement can also apply to those with strong faith. In other words, one should act according to their own belief or conviction before God. That is to say, if one believes in Jesus and is convinced that they can gratefully eat meat, then they should eat it according to that belief (verse 22). If one believes that it is right to the extent that it does not cause unease in their own conscience, then they should act accordingly. Of course, this applies only to matters concerning adiaphora [adiaphora refers to any conscientious practices not explicitly prohibited or commanded in Scripture, left to the personal conscience of believers] (Park). If a strong believer eats meat without being certain whether it is right or wrong, and then condemns themselves afterward due to confusion, it is not eating by faith. Furthermore, if a strong believer, who initially believes it is permissible to eat meat, later comes to believe it is not, but then refrains from eating meat not out of conviction but out of consideration for the weaker believer's view, thereby acting contrary to their own conscience, it is also sinning against God. Therefore, in today's passage, Apostle Paul is saying in verse 23b, "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."
We must act according to faith. Whether we eat or drink, or abstain from eating and drinking, we should do so in faith. We must never waver in doubt, wondering whether we should eat or not, drink or not. We should not be tossed back and forth in confusion. Whether we eat meat or vegetables, we should eat in faith, giving thanks to the Lord. Service that pleases God is done in accordance with faith. Therefore, in matters of conscience, we must never act according to doubt but rather according to faith.