The Apostle Paul turns to a serious issue that can impede or even destroy faith. It involves passing judgment upon other believers. God’s people understand the godly approach to life, but this knowledge can be misused when applied to other believers. Judgmental attitudes are one of the “cancers” that encroach Christian life and jeopardize healthy congregational fellowship. Paul recognized this danger. Romans 14 addresses the problem of believers judging one another. Paul’s insights and instructions are as vital today as when he penned them.
Doesn’t God Respect Them? (Romans 14:1-4)
Verse 1 refers to those who are “weak in the faith.” The word “weak” refers to feebleness and a lack of strength. This condition could be expected somewhat of new believers learning about the faith as they exit their former sinful lifestyles. Such persons are similar to children who are weak in the sense that they have not yet arrived at their years of strength.
Paul does not seem to have new believers in mind here. In this passage, Paul describes weakness in terms of abstentions (diet, holy days, fasting). This type of weakness in faith indicates a failure to grasp or struggle with the fundamental principle that people are reconciled to God, not on the basis of abstaining from certain worldly behaviors, but on the basis of God’s grace to which the only appropriate response is faith. How must a believer live out their faith? “For the Lord,” answers Paul (v. 8).
The problem with eating meat (vv. 2, 6) was that many butcher shops in Paul’s day sold meat that had been dedicated to an idol in one of the pagan temples. Pagans purchased and ate such meat to participate in and support the worship of that deity. Paul deals with the same topic in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 and 10:23-30 and points out that there is but one God, the Lord, and He owns everything. The idols are not gods and meat dedicated to them is merely meat created by the Lord. Eating dedicated meat should therefore not be a problem. Yet careless application of this freedom could lead a weak believer astray.
Weak believers still attached religious significance to eating meat. The only way they could handle the issue was to abstain from eating meat. Think of the reasons why a believer would want to stay away from the idol meat markets! One example is that they could have been so enslaved by pagan worship practices that they needed a complete break from them. The merest hint of contact with pagan religious practices was unthinkable. Insensitivity to such a believer’s practice of faith before Christ could lead to a disaster not worth the victory in principle.
Paul wants his readers to handle carefully the tender faith of weak brothers. A parallel is found in parents who limit themselves to the circumstances of their child, so the child can be affirmed as they develop and grow. When the child has matured, the disciplinary structures of childhood are removed. Perhaps the day will come, after persistent practice of faith, when the weak will become strong in the area they carefully manage.
Undoubtedly, Paul’s reference to eating meat is representative of many points where believers can have “weak” faith. The mature Christian should endeavor to be sensitive to areas of weakness that challenge other believers. Verse 4 rebukes those who judge believers with the powerful argument that believers are servants of the Lord. No one has the right to criticize someone else’s servant because that servant strives to please his or her master, not the critic.
Didn’t Christ Die for Them? (Romans 14:5-9)
Verses 5-9 extend Paul’s observation of the piety that generates individual practices of faith. Those who observe special days or abstain from dedicated meat do so with the same thankfulness as those who ignore special days and eat meat. The point is that each believer belongs to the Lord (v. 8).
Christ died for such thankful and dedicated people of faith (v. 9). Hebrews 11:6 stresses it is impossible to please God without faith. One’s external pattern of conduct does not convince God of the identity of His followers. God examines the dedication of believers’ hearts to determine the truth of the variety of thankful observances presented to Him.
Aren’t They Family? (Romans 14:10a)
Both questions in verse 10 emphasize the close familial relationship between believers. Followers of Christ must regard one another as brothers and sisters whose God is their Father in heaven. Worldly family members can perpetrate a variety of wrongs upon one another. Such must not be the case in God’s family. Love, not judgment, must characterize God’s family (John 13:34; Romans 12:10).
Aren’t We Accountable to God? (Romans 14:10b-12)
Paul reminds all that the place of judgment is God’s throne. Paul spoke to religious judgmentalism in Romans 2:1-17. A critical and judgmental spirit has no place in God’s Kingdom. God establishes perfection as the standard for religious performance (Matthew 5:48). The only hope for those who cannot meet such a lofty standard is God’s mercy. Those who have received mercy must not stand in judgment of others needing mercy.
Paul quoted Isaiah 45:23 to underscore the certainty of standing before God’s throne of judgment. Thus believers who are critical of others should carefully note they will be required to give an account of their influence on the faith of God’s beloved servants.
© Mark R. Dunn
