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“The Law of Liberty And Love”
(Part I)
(Romans 14:1-4 )
I. Introduction.
A. Paul’s letter to the Christians at Rome is, in many ways,
similar to his writings to other brethren throughout the
eastern Mediterranean world, but in some ways unique,
different from other letters ascribed to the apostle to the
Gentile world.
1. First, it went to people who had obeyed the gospel
and were assembling together in the very capital of
the known world. Rome was, by far, both the
largest and most important city in that world of the
first century, A.D. It had a population of millions
(some sources cite it as low as 2, others as high as
4, million). There were more slaves than freemen
in the city, along with a sizeable Jewish population,
until the Emperor Claudius decreed their expulsion
from the city, in A.D. 52. It was a city of stark
contrasts of wealth and poverty, and of paganism
and Christianity. The Roman historian, Tacitus,
described the great city as “. . . the common sewer
in which everything flows.”
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2. Second, it went to a church about whose
establishment we have no certain information. It,
apparently, had been meeting for a number of years
before Paul wrote this letter, we believe in about
A.D. 56. (Romans 15:23: “. . . having a great
desire these many years to come to you.”) While
the majority of converts were Gentiles there were
also some former Jews in its membership (Paul
refers to those who “. . . are called a Jew, and rest
on the law, and make your boast in God,”
Romans 2:17; he writes of them with a certain
attitude of contempt). The Roman church could
have had its origin in the return of converts from
Jerusalem and the Pentecost that was the birth-date
of the church itself (Acts 2:10: “. . . visitors from
Rome, both Jews and proselytes”), or, it could have
been started by some of Paul’s own Gentile
converts who carried the gospel to the great city.
3. Third, unlike most of Paul’s letters, it was not
written to address specific problems in the church at
Rome. No internal strife or difficulties are
mentioned. In fact, the church was admired for
producing an admirable record of service to God:
(Romans 1:8: “. . . I thank my God through Jesus
Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of
throughout the whole world.”).
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4. Lastly, their letter represents a thorough statement
of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It’s
the closest thing to a systematic exposition of Paul’s
understanding of the gospel that can be found. It’s
not a tract for sinners, but was meant to feed, and
grow, the saints. Its theme is found early in the
letter: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for
everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for
the Greek.” (Romans 1:16).
B. As he approaches the conclusion of the letter, Paul
addresses, first, a Christian’s moral obligations
(Chapter 12), then a Christian’s political obligation
(Chapter 13), and, third, a Christian’s personal
obligations toward other members of Christ’s body
(Chapter 14). The situation Paul uses to elaborate on this
last point has to do with differences of opinion, not
fundamental doctrine.
1. The unity of Christ’s church and, to a degree,
uniformity of thinking is necessary and
commendable (Romans 15:6: “Now may the God
of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded
toward one another, according to Christ Jesus that
you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”).
a. I Corinthians 1:10: “Now I plead with you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing and
that there be no divisions among you, but
that you be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment.
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b. Philippians 1:27: “Only let your conduct be
worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that
whether I come and see you or am absent, I
may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast
in one spirit, with one mind striving together
for the faith of the gospel.”
c. Philippians 2:2: “fulfill my joy by being
like-minded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind.”
2. But, the ability of Christian fellowship to survive in
situations where differences of opinion might tend
to disrupt unity required specific instructions to
contain potential problems, not on matters that were
essential, but on those that were unessential. This is
what Paul speaks to in Romans 14.
C. It is a situation with application for us, today, as it has been
for the church in every generation, where divisions have
occurred over things of secondary, even trivial,
significance. In verses 1-12 of Romans 14, Paul gives
instructions to the over-scrupulous Christian who makes
unessential questions a matter of conscience. Then, in
verses 13-23, he gives instruction in the proper use, and
place of Christian liberty.
D. The way Paul deals with the situation in Rome, again, sets
this letter apart from others he wrote in which he mentioned
similarly “weak” brethren. But, let’s also recognize the
difference between the problem discussed in Romans 14
and that of Corinth and Galatia. Those Christians took
issue with the eating of meat sacrificed to idols in pagan
rituals, whereas those spoken to in Rome did not eat meat
at all and apparently drank no wine (verse 21; read).
1. In both the Corinthian and Galatian letters, Paul is
dogmatically firm.
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a. I Corinthians 8:4: “Therefore concerning
the eating of things offered to idols, we
know that an idol is nothing in the world,
and that there is no other God but one.”
b. Galatians 4:10-11: “You observe days and
months and seasons and years.” [The
Jewish customs and festivals now no longer
observed under the new covenant]. “I am
afraid for you, lest I have labored for you
in vain.”
2. But, in “Romans,” Paul makes no such firm
statements, and does not seek to correct the errors of
the weak brethren, or denounce them, as he did in
“Corinthians” and “Galatians.” He gives the
strongest emphasis here to containing the problem
within a boundary of Christian love. So long as
these brethren did not attempt to get others to
conform to their way of thinking, or insist upon its
correctness as a matter of doctrine, Paul says treat it
kindly, tolerantly, and with love.
3. In fact, in Romans 14, the surprising thing is that
the “weak brother” is seen as the overly-strict one,
not as one who understood, and exercised, Christian
liberty.
E. Here, Paul speaks to us on the matter of that liberty and of
love.
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II. Respecting One Another.
A. Romans 14 begins (re-read verse 1). To what is Paul
referring by the descriptive phrase “weak in the faith?”
First, it is the person who is overly-scrupulous, and
committed to a principle that cannot, and should not, be
applied to everyone. Indeed, the matter in question is not
even a spiritual one. It’s not “weak faith” that Paul writes
about, but a lack of understanding for two reasons.
1. The person has yet to discover the meaning of
Christian liberty. He, or she, takes a legalistic
approach to spiritual life, and sees Christianity as
adherence to a set of regulations.
2. The person has yet to separate himself or herself
from the belief in the necessity for “works” as the
way to pleas God. Instead of accepting God’s
grace, they are attempting to earn a proper
relationship with Him, by doing certain things, and
abstaining from doing certain things. What can I do
for God takes the place of what God has done
for me.
B. Paul counsels fellow disciples to “receive” (take a special
interest in; welcome) such a brother or sister in Christ, and
not to put upon them the burden of negative criticism or
attacks. This involves avoiding three attitudes toward the
one who is “weak.”
1. We must avoid an attitude of irritation – impatient
annoyance. However much we might disagree with
a person, or differ with them in our point of view, it
does no good to argue the point continually.
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2. We also must avoid an attitude of ridicule, which
can spiritually and emotionally wound someone
else. We cannot laugh at what they take seriously
and then expect them to adopt a different attitude.
Probably, the result of ridicule, besides the hurt,
will be a further withdrawal into rigidity.
3. Third, we must avoid an attitude of contempt.
Agree or disagree, we, as Christians, must respect
the other person’s view.
C. There are those whose faith is strong enough to withstand
any attack upon it. Then, there are others whose faith does
not rest upon so sure and solid a foundation. Weakness in
the faith is not a matter of chronological, or spiritual, age,
but of one’s growth and maturity as a child of God.
D. The Roman church had those members who were stricter in
their views of what it took to please God, and those who
took a broader, more liberal view of this. Paul sees the
danger this poses for the church: almost certainly the more
liberal group would despise the scruples of the narrower
group. And, in turn, the narrower group would, almost
certainly, pass judgment on what they saw as the spiritual
laxity of the broader group.
1. To counter this, Paul lays down a principle, in
verse 4: “Who are you to judge another’s servant?”
The servant is answerable, and responsible, to the
master alone.
2. It’s not upon our judgment that another person
stands or falls, but upon the judgment of God.
E. What Paul says here parallels statements made by Jesus
during His ministry on earth, especially words like those
of Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
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1. This is hardly a prohibition of seeing other peoples’
actions and distinguishing between right and wrong,
but rather, of presuming to condemn. We can make
a personal, tentative evaluation of another person’s
conduct, and not pass judgment by publicly stating
an opinion, drawing a conclusion, or making our
views known to others.
2. Judging others, and making our imperfect
conclusions known, tends to set peoples’ view of
the one judged. It does not always account for the
facts (things we may not know); it does not allow
for growth and change. Paul says, in
I Corinthians 4:5: “. . . judge nothing before the
time, . . .” In Christian fellowship, and service,
many people find the grace to grow and to develop
strength. “. . . God is able to make him stand.”
(Romans 14:4).
III. Acting In Good Conscience.
A. The next point Paul makes, in Romans 14:5, is equally
significant for Christian liberty (read verse).
1. Paul insists on one thing. Whatever one chooses
to believe, let he or she be “. . . fully convinced in
his own mind.”
2. Our actions should be dictated not by conversation,
but by conviction. Don’t believe things, don’t do
things, just because other people think or do them,
or even just because it’s the “right” thing to do. Do
them because you are convinced it’s what you must
do.
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B. Paul was a person of conviction and, because of that, of a
good conscience. Even when he was wrong in his thinking,
and his actions, he could say he was wrong because, he,
himself, believed whole-heartedly that he was right, and
was doing what pleased God.
1. In his speech to the Jewish council (Acts 23:1), he
says: “. . . ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all
good conscience before God until this day.’”
2. Peter uses such terminology in describing baptism
as a part of one’s salvation: “There is also an
antitype which now saves us – baptism (not the
removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of
a good conscience toward God), through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 3:21).
C. What unites the church is our common salvation and our
common goal – heaven. Conscience, like memory, reason,
and imagination, is a part of our human make-up. It sets
people apart from other living creatures. The function of
the conscience, as R.C. Bell says in his “Studies In
Romans” is: “Not to ascertain the truthfulness of things,
but to see that its owner is true to himself and follows his
convictions; that, in violating his conscience, a man so
destroys his moral integrity as to make moral, spiritual
living impossible; and, therefore, the most deadly thing a
man can do is to trifle with his conscience; for, in so doing,
he is tampering with the compass of his soul.”
1. The person who violates his or her conscience, as
well as the person who might have influenced
someone to do so, are both guilty of sin.
2. Thinking that something is right cannot make it so.
But, thinking that a thing is wrong can, indeed,
make it so for him who things it is (read
verse 14).
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IV. Conclusion.
A. What makes the principles of Romans 14 so vital for all
generations is stated in verses 7 and 8 (read verses).
Whatever we do, however we live, our relationship to God
determines everything.
B. Paul, in a brief way, summarizes an earlier statement made
in “Romans” (8:38-39; read).
1. Life has many responsibilities, some tedious, some
burdensome, some more joyous and light. But,
everything the child of God does is done in service
to the Lord.
2. Death, too, loses its terror because we are “the
Lord’s.”
C. None of us can pursue a course of isolation. We are
interacting with one another in life, and we are in the
presence of God in life and death.
D. Finish with Romans 14:10.