The Liberty of the Christian, 3

Living under my own conscience and protecting liberty is a tough balance.  But it is precisely what the Apostle Paul calls us to do in Romans 14:1-15:7.  I want to give a few thoughts from this passage on what this looks like.

First, it is important to know that the Jew-Gentile diversity of the early church filled it with intensely held and differing convictions.  We are not too much in a lather about meat sacrificed to idols -- but for them, these were very important!  Anger flared and suspicions aroused when they were discussed.  I have rarely met someone who thought Rock music was of the devil who was not passionate about it.

Second, Paul makes clear that while we may have immense agreement on the main things (we are not talking atonement doctrine) and where Scripture is morally clear (we are not debating whether it is OK to murder) -- we are not to expect uniformity.  Rather -- these issues are present us with the temptation to reject, judge, or despise.

Paul repeats the command to welcome in 14:1 and 15:7.  He bases this command on this truth -- that brother or sister, with whom you differ, has been welcomed by God in Christ -- who are you to add requirements to someone whom God has already welcomed?    But this is not easy -- we are far more likely not to welcome -- to hold at arms length -- to hold in suspicion.  Just look at churches -- they are generally filled with people who agree -- the standards of Scripture applied to dress, music, schooling, and the taboo-lists are usually about the same. I am not so sure I am good at welcoming someone who is godly but who differs with me on some areas.  In my churches, Democrats generally keep quiet!  Or they do not come.  Are their people in your church you keep away from -- or is their a visitor you would not welcome because you would be suspicious of them for some reason outside of the clear teaching of the bible?

Third, the temptation with those who differ from us is to judge them or despise them.  Abstainers look on partakers and question their integrity.  Partakers looks on abstainers with pity -- "poor folks, just don't get their liberty do they?"  I tend to be a partaker -- and I am always battling my prideful desire to condescend to the abstainer. 

Fourth, Paul says that what is clear is love -- when I am with a brother or sister, I need to serve them by knowing their particular weakness and convictions.

Fifth, Paul does not give a ruling.  He does not form a committee to study the issues and give a report.  I think Paul, under God's wisdom, knows that once you start making universal policy on meat sacrified to idols or observing certain days or drinking alcohol or how you school your kids -- you will never get back to the main thing (righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit). I think Paul would also argue that the more detailed the required list of behavior required by all -- the less effective in mission.

Sixth, if someone came to Paul and said, "You must not eat meat sacrificed to idols or you will not be saved" -- Paul would immediately move to a different posture.  He would grill a steak fresh from the idol market and eat it with barbecue sauce on it. 

As long as the issue is varying consciences of Christians, there is a call to develop a conviction and to respect those who differ -- and to serve each other in love -- but when the stakes are raised to a condition of salvation or standing before God, there is not room for freedom -- we stand on the fullness of the suffuciency of the Savior's death for us.

Comments

[David]

Thanks again Mark. I am grateful for your humble, thoughtful and scripturally filtered thinking on this subject. Praying for you and your church, bro.

Btw, was there a pseudo-pun in those last two paragraphs? Something about "when the steaks...er...stakes are raised to a condition of salvation"...?