ROMANS UNWRAPPED 212

"Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations ..............now the God of hope fill you with all  joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."                                                                                                    Romans 14v1-15v13

We now consider the overview of the verses which discuss the aspects of Christian liberty; mainly how we are to live with each other, whilst holding different views on non essential matters.   A summary of the verses quoted above may be seen as follows:

• Chapter 14v1 -12    -   We are not to judge one another because we have one who judges us.
• Chapter 14v13-23   -   We are not to offend one another such that we affect their faith.
• Chapter 15v1 - 6     -   We are to seek to please one another as the example of Christ.
• Chapter 15v7-13     -   We have to receive one another as God has received us.

Now for sure most of us in the Christian life come far short of the above standard and we need to take account of the huge implications for our failure to do so.   The language of Paul in this section is far reaching and as always, the standard is God.   Paul outlines in these verses the spiritual "glue" which ought to bind us together.   The amazing example of Divine beings is cited for our consideration.  

• Chapter 14v3    -    "God has received him."   When it says God has received him it does not mean that God likes all about him or agrees with all that he does, it means God has received has received him "warts and all."  
• Chapter 14v15   -    "For whom Christ died"    The brother or sister who is weak in the faith is loved every bit as much as you, to the extent of the death of the cross; therefore they are as precious to Christ as you are, they are His purchased possession and we must view them as such.  
• Chapter 14v20   -    "For meat destroy not the work of God"    The person who is weak in the faith is the work of God, as we all are.   What part did we play in the salvation of one soul?   Answer is none at all!   Anyone who has faith, however weak is the work of God, and we should not be doing anything that would hinder that work.   God's work is ongoing in every believer's life.  
• Chapter 15v7    -    "Christ also received us to the glory of God"    The issue is not my personal satisfaction, the issue is the glory of God.   We are to receive one another because Christ received us with all our limitations.   The ultimate result will be glory to God.   There is no glory to God when saints are not dwelling together in love.  

As always the apostle brings mighty divine truths to bear on the smallest issues arising between believers.   The hardest place to be a Christian is amongst our fellow believers.   The greatest downfall of the body of Christ on earth is our inability to live in peace with one another.   This sounds incredible, but the biggest problem we have is in personal relationships with our brethren, and this is what Paul is focusing on here.  

The section chapter 14v1-12 could be seen as follows: 

• Verses 1-3      -    Do not argue over minor matters.
• Verses 4 -9     -    Who are you to judge another man's servant?
• Verses 10-12  -    We are not the judges of others, we will be judged as to our conduct.

Within this framework we are now ready to discuss the details of Paul's argument in his quest for unity amongst the believers at Rome, which was obviously a problem.   Paul's message here simply is. in the language of football, "keep your eye on the ball".   We must never lose sight of who we are and whose we are, and for what purpose we have been gloriously saved.