The Law of Liberty
Romans 14:1-13
Walk fully convinced in the fear of the Lord. Don't despise or judge a fellow-saint but seek his best.
#judge
#fear
Published March 10th, 2018
Main point summary
Arc
Notes
notes
Main point summary
Cause not your brother to fall into sin because the strong and the weak belong not to themselves but to the Lord who upholds and judges both alike.
Arc
editing
NT
Romans 14:1-13
nkjv
Receive one who is weak in the faith,
but not to disputes over doubtful things.
concessive
For one believes he may eat all things,
but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
alternative
ground
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat ,
and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats ;
for God has received him.
Who are you to judge another’s servant?
To his own master he stands or falls.
Indeed, he will be made to stand,
for God is able to make him stand.
progression
One person esteems one day above another;
another esteems every day alike.
Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
inference
bilateral
He who observes the day ,
observes it to the Lord;
conditional
and he who does not observe the day ,
to the Lord he does not observe it.
series
He who eats ,
eats to the Lord,
for he gives God thanks;
and he who does not eat ,
to the Lord he does not eat ,
and gives God thanks.
For none of us lives to himself,
and no one dies to himself.
For if we live ,
we live to the Lord;
and if we die ,
we die to the Lord.
Therefore, whether we live or die , we are the Lord’s.
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again,
that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living .
actionpurpose
But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ .
For it is written: “ As I live, says the Lord , Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
ideaexplanation
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore,
but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
negativepositive
Reason for why not to judge one another over food. God is judge - not we. How easy it is to play God.
discourse
Notes
(1a) The church in Rome was to receive saints that are weak in the faith. (1b) They were to receive them not to argue over doubtful things. Paul infers therefore in verses 3-13 how the weak and strong in the faith were to love one another. (2a) A weak saint is one who battles with doubts about things that are acceptable in the sight of God when they are enjoyed with thanksgiving. (3-5) Saints with a strong conscious tend to despise those with a weak conscious and the saints with a weak conscious tend to judge those with a strong conscious. Both are wrong because it is not theirs to make that judgement since it belongs to God alone who one day will judge righteously. It is God who upholds the strong and the weak. The weak and the strong in the faith should be fully convinced in their own mind in the things they do or don't do. And the saints ought to do this in the fear of the Lord, not fearing men because the fear of men brings a snare but whoever trusts the Lord is safe (Pro 29:25). (6-12) The ground for why the saints ought to practice or don't practice certain things with thanksgiving and don't judge a fellow-saint is that they belong to the Lord. They live and die not to themselves, but to the Lord. (13) The final inference is that the saints, both weak and strong, should look out for one another and ensure to see each other well, not giving cause to stumble and fall into sin.
Comments
Disclaimer: The opinions and conclusions expressed on this page are those of the author and may or may not accord with the positions of Biblearc or Bethlehem College & Seminary.