The Path to Unity Amid Personal Convictions

Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. Romans 14:5

Romans 14:5–9 – Romans: The Righteousness of God
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost – October 22, 2023 (am)  

Scripture Reading: Romans 14:1-9 – covering both last week and this week’s texts

Jury Duty

This past Friday, I found myself in a courtroom. I’m thankful to report that my attendance there was not to determine my innocence or my guilt but because I had received a piece of mail about a month ago telling me that it was my duty to report there on that particular day. And because I didn’t read this particular piece of mail as well as I should have, I learned upon arriving that I was there, not for normal jury duty, but for “grand” jury duty. I wasn’t chosen – and I confess that, though they say the selection the jury is random, I couldn’t help but feel a little put out that my number was never called.

Three Courtrooms

I was in that courtroom for two hours as the process of choosing 16 jurors was worked out – which meant I had plenty of time to reflect upon what a unique place a courtroom is. The room itself has a seriousness to it. You can’t help but feel a sense of sobriety when you’re in there, and I confess I even felt a little anxious, finding at times that my heart was beating a little faster than usual. In general, a courtroom is not a comfortable place to be.  

And yet, with Romans 14 rolling through my mind as I sat there that morning, I began to think about how much of our lives is lived in a courtroom. Not a physical courtroom, but a metaphorical courtroom. In fact, I think we live most of our lives in and before three courtrooms. 1) The courtroom of our own minds – where we judge ourselves as well as others, 2)  The courtroom of other people’s opinions – where we find ourselves being judged, 3) And the courtroom of our almighty, eternal God 

That each of these courtrooms exist is evidenced by the reality that we can’t help thinking and making judgments about ourselves, as well as others, while also wondering or hearing about what others think of us, or about what God thinks of us. Sometimes we serve as judge and jury – questioning others or even God – and rendering verdicts of condemnation or acquittal. Sometimes we find ourselves in the dock – feeling the judgment of others, or of God’s. Sometimes we find ourselves in both roles at the same time – judging ourselves and, often times, falling short of our own standards 

I think it could be argued that Christians are most aware of these courtrooms – as we aim to live before God and others in a way that is consistent with our Christian calling. In our passage for today, each of these courtrooms is in view as Paul counseled the church towards unity amid their diversity.

A modern day example

To flesh out how we might see these three courtrooms at play in a local church, I thought it might help to consider a modern day example from our time in Jerusalem. When we lived in Jerusalem, we had a Muslim friend who loved Slim Jim beef sticks – asked us to bring them back from America whenever we went there – but one year he stopped asking for them. Why? Because he’d learned they were made in a factory that also processed pork – and as a Muslim, he was forbidden from eating pork – in fact, he was kind of disgusted to learn that there was even a possibility that he’d consumed a microscopic amount of it while eating his Slim Jim. 

Now let’s say our friend were to become a Christian and attend a local church made up of other Arabs – some of whom were raised Christian and some of whom were Muslim background believers like him. And let’s say he attended a church potluck where someone served some form of pork. Immediately, he would find himself in the three courtrooms we’ve identified. First, he’d stand in the courtroom of his own mind where he couldn’t help but feel like it was still wrong to eat pork, even though he was now a Christian. Then, he may put a few of the people around him in the dock of his courtroom, wondering how they could eat pork knowing they’d had the same upbringing as him. But then there’s the Christian background believer who is behind him in line, annoyed at the fact that he skipped over the pork dish and took only vegetables. He wonders to himself, “Doesn’t he know he doesn’t have to live like a Muslim anymore?” And finally, there is the courtroom of God – the eternal judge before whom all will have to give an account for their actions – even actions as simple as what you choose to put on your plate at a church potluck.

Similar Situations

While we may not have any moral misgivings with eating pork at a potluck, the situation I just described still takes place among Christians throughout the world, and here at Grace Church, on any given Sunday – we just wrestle with different things. We wrestle with the clothing people wear to church, the slang way they talk, the music they prefer, the apps they enjoy, the tattoos that adorn their bodies, the way they spend their money, the way they vote, and how they spend their Sunday afternoons. People are constantly being tried in the courtrooms of our minds, while we ourselves are being tried in the courtrooms of their minds – and in both cases – we are being influenced by how we think things will go down in God’s courtroom at the end of time.

So how are we to live in light of all of this? That is where Romans 14 comes in. Providing us with wisdom to guide how we live as Christians before these three courtrooms. Wisdom that I believe can be distilled into four questions – four questions that arise out of our passage and will serve as our outline for this morning.

1. Is it essential to salvation?

Our first question arises out of Paul’s opening statement in our passage, along with it’s parallel passage in last week’s text:

• 14:5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike.

• 14:2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.

In both of these statements, Paul raises ongoing matters of disagreement within the church – both of which seem to arise from Jewish believers who are holding on to Jewish customs even after coming to Christ

• Customs regarding food – eating food according to the Jewish food laws

• Customs regarding days – likely Jewish feast days, new moon festivals, days of fasting, and especially the observance of the Sabbath day

• With Jewish believers abstaining from certain foods and observing certain days while Gentile Christians believed they were free to eat any food and need not go on observing these particular days.

Paul responds to both of these scenarios by encouraging unity amid a diversity of convictions, encouraging Christians to welcome one another amid these differences. But when we look at Paul’s other letters, we see that this is not always the approach he takes when a there are a diversity of convictions withing a church community. Let me give you two examples where things go a little differently.

First, in his letter to the Galatians he observes that there are those in the community who are advocating circumcision for new converts. Second, in his letters to Timothy, he observes that there are those in the community who are suggesting that the resurrection has already taken place.  

What Paul doesn’t do, in each of these cases, is say, “One person believes new male converts ought to be circumcised while another doesn’t . . . Or One person believes a the resurrection has already happened, another believes it is in the future . . . . just welcome one another or be convinced in your own mind. Instead, he says: “Gal. 5:2   . . . if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you . . . and he says anyone who would teach this are under a curse and not to be rejected (Gal. 3:10)” And in 1 & 2 Timothy Paul says he has handed those who say the resurrection has already happened over to Satan (1 Tim. 1:20 & 2 Tim. 2:17)

Paul’s response to these situations suggests that there are two types of categories of convictions among those in the church and that those two categories of convictions require two different types of responses. The first category is what we might call non-essential matters, as in Romans 14:2 & 14:5. The second category we understand to be essential matters - non-negotiable, ones worth separating over. This distinction is crucial if we’re to rightly apply Romans 14 to life in the local church.

Which issues are essential or non-essential?

Many have answered this question in many ways . . . so I don’t want to sound too presumptuous by giving a definition but we do get some clues from Romans 14 on what are non-essential issues as Paul discusses food & days. First, we see Paul is not discerning between issues that are addressed in Scripture and those that aren’t in Scripture (Plenty of ink is shed on the topic of food & days). Second, we see Paul is not discerning between issues where Scripture clearly lays out what is right and ones where Scripture is unclear about what is the right view (regarding food, he goes on in this argument to say that he is persuaded that nothing is unclean in itself in v. 14 and in v. 20 says “Everything is indeed clean”).

So what matters when it comes to deciding what is essential and what is not? The key distinction is the motive behind the practice and if this motive serves to strengthen one’s faith in God or if it jeopardizes their faith in God. We can see this clearly if we return to the topic of circumcision. In Galatia – it is being commended as necessary for salvation and is shorthand for following the old testament law – as such, it destroys a gospel of salvation by faith alone, and jeopardizes the relationship between God and the one who would accept it. But despite Paul’s condemnation of it in Galatia, Paul actually circumcised a young convert named Timothy before taking him on mission. How could he do that? The motivation was different – it was not for Timothy’s salvation, but so that the Jews would more readily receive him and the gospel he preached.

Looking back at the church in Rome, we see that the motivation behind applying food laws and observing days is totally different (as we will see in our third point) and actually serves the weak believer in their walk with the Lord.

What does this mean for us?

When it comes to differing Christian convictions, one of the first questions we must ask in the courtroom of our own minds when another is in the dock is: Is this issue that we differ on essential to salvation? Is this something that should my brother or sister continue in this direction it will jeopardize the gospel, salvation by faith alone, and thus their relationship with God? If so, we have some hard but necessary conversations in front of us – to be carried out in love.

But if not, if we find that this thing does not jeopardize the gospel or their relationship with the Lord, even if we believe Scripture clearly teaches a better way, then we must learn to show grace to one another and forebear with one another in the name of Christian unity!

That said, it’s not always easy to discern whether someone’s practices or even our own practices are leading us towards or away from God. Which is why we need to continue on in our passage, as it gives us some really helpful criteria for evaluating Christian convictions.

2. What do you think?

Returning to verse 5 we read:  One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. In both last week’s text and this week’s text, Paul follows the example of a non-essential matter with a principle. Last week – the principle was: Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. This week, the principle is: Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

What does that mean? What I think that means is if pastor Paul had a troubled believer in front of him wrestling if they should observing the Sabbath or not or eat meat from the Roman market or not his first question would be, “What do you think?” What do you think you should do?

This is surprising because, for most of us, because if we were in Paul’s shoes this would be one of the last places we’d go.  We’d begin by asking, well, what does God think about that? Or what does the Bible say about it? Or we’d say “Here’s what I think about it.” But we wouldn’t begin with “What do you think?”

Why would Paul go here?

Paul goes here because what takes place in the inner courtroom of your mind, when you have yourself in the dock, really does matter. It matters, because what you determine in your inner courtroom will have implications before the courtroom of God.

Where does that idea come from? From further on in Paul’s argument in Romans 14: “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:22-23) 

If you go against the judge in your personal courtroom, your conscience, you’ve transgressed the judge of the universe. Not because the thing you’ve done is inherently sinful, but because you believed it to be at the time you did it.

How does this apply to my life?

When you’re trying to decide what you should do on non-essential matters – can I wear this to church? Can I watch that show? Should I go to that concert? Should I spend my money on that car? You should ask, “What do I think?” You should step into the courtroom of your mind and ask yourself – am I at peace with this? Can I do this without feeling like I’m doing something wrong? Do I believe that this is what God would have me do? If the answer is no, even if it is a no that is not fully scripturally informed, then you shouldn’t do that thing.

Similarly, if we find someone else in the dock of our own minds . . . wondering how they could live in the way they are living. We should say to ourselves – “I wonder what they think about this thing” I wonder if they do what they do because their conscience tells them it is what is right. If so, I should not encourage them to go against their conscience

Am I fully convinced?

Now there are those among us who will wrestle with the words “Fully Convinced.” When it comes to convictions about the Christian life, some of us struggle to be fully convinced about anything. We waver back and forth – not sure what to do.

I’ve recently learned about a condition called “scrupulosity.” Defined by the National Library of Medicine as: “. . . a psychological disorder primarily characterized by pathological guilt or obsession associated with moral or religious issues . . .”[1] Described by the International OCD Foundation as: “Scrupulous individuals are overly concerned that something they thought or did might be a sin or other violation of religious or moral doctrine.”[2]

While this is a serious struggle for some people, I think we can all relate to it in some way when we read – “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” That’s not always as easy as it sounds. Which is why it’s important for us to see what Paul says next to support this principle. Because what we will see is that it is not a logical progression that leads to full certainty about Christian convictions but rather a love for God.

3. What is your motivation?

Paul supports his principle at the end of v. 5 with the following reasoning: The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.

What is Paul’s point here? We hear something being repeated, and it is the theme that unites each of the examples Paul sites. How do those who observe certain days do so? Do so in honor of the Lord. How do those who are convinced they can eat whatever they want eat their meat & drink their wine? Eat in honor of the Lord  evidenced by the fact that they thank God for the non-kosher food before they eat it. Why do those who abstain from certain foods do so? Abstain in honor of the Lord. How do those who abstain eat the food they’ve chosen to eat?. They thank God for their vegetables, for the food they do have. The posture of each example given here is one of doing what they do in honor of the Lord.

The Christian life is to be lived for God’s glory

Paul’s observation is this: In each of these cases – what governs the decisions of each believer, whether weak in faith or strong in faith – is a desire to honor the Lord, to bring glory to God. And in the next two verses – Paul is basically saying – my friends, this is what the Christian life is all about!

7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.

All of life - From life to death – is about doing whatever we do to the Lord and living for the glory of God. Which is why, in a companion passage to Romans 14, where a very similar point is being made, Paul concludes, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31). So the key for Paul, when it comes to evaluating differing approaches to non-essential matters, is to ask not what are they doing! But why are they doing it? What is their motivation? And if their motivation is – they are doing it because they are fully convinced that it most honor’s the Lord – then that is reason enough for why they should be allowed to continue in their practice – even if Scripture teaches they are free to do something else.

Why do you do what you do?

So when it comes to differing convictions within our body – a second question used to evaluate our own decisions, as well as those of our brother or sister ought to be – “What is your motivation?” And the motivation Paul is commending to us as the one we ought to respect and listen to, both in ourselves and in others, is the motivation of doing everything to the glory of God. When we do – we will find that while we may be mistaken about what Scripture permits or prohibits, but we won’t be mistaken about what the Christian life is all about.

And when you’re not mistaken about what the Christian life is all about – you can be wrong about a lot of things – and still be welcome among the people of God. That, I believe, is Paul’s final point in this passage.

4. Who do you belong to?

Paul concludes our passage for today by saying: So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. While I believe the last two questions are ones we can use to help us evaluate both our behavior and the behavior of those around us, this final thought comes to us less as a question to be answered and more as an assurance to be received.

United in Christ

In this last thought, Paul is assuring the church in Rome of their unity in Christ. Yes, they may differ on what they eat or how they observe certain days. But they have this in common – they belong to God, they are part of his family, he has welcomed them

Why has he welcomed them? It’s not because of what they do. It’s not because of the food they eat or the days they observe. It’s not because of how they dress on Sundays. It’s not because of the movies they don’t watch or the beverages they don’t drink. He’s welcomed them because Christ has died and lived again that he might be Lord of the dead and the living.

Our belonging to the Lord and being welcomed by him into his family, is not based on something so flimsy as our fluctuating convictions about how Christians ought to live. Instead, it is founded on the unchangeable truth that Christ died to redeem us from our sin and then he conquered death and was raised to rule over all of creation. He is Lord both of the living and the dead. And when we submit to his lordship and do all that we do to honor him, we can be wrong about a lot of things, and still be welcome among the people of God. And when it comes to our brothers and sisters in Christ – we can be patient with one another, not passing judgment or despising one another in our differing convictions, but welcoming one another, united in the common desire to do all that we do to the glory of God.

Conclusion

What Romans 14 shows us today is that Paul’s goal for the church in Rome, and for us today, is unity of focus, not uniformity in our patterns and practices. It’s to be unified by welcoming those God has welcomed and then moving in the same direction, but knowing we won’t necessarily do so with all of the same convictions. And that is a beautiful picture!

But so often, that picture is lost and we find ourselves passing judgement on one another and despising one another instead of welcoming one another. Why do we do that?

When I arrived at the courtroom this past Friday for Grand Jury duty, I was handed a pamphlet entitled: “A Handbook for Illinois Jurors” – the purpose of which was to help us understand our roles and duties were we to be chosen for the grand jury. In this pamphlet was written the oath that each juror would need to take before assuming their role. The oath, as it was recorded in the pamphlet, ended by saying, “you shall present the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, according to the best of your skill and understanding, so help you God.”

However, once the jury was chosen and it was time for them to take the oath, the one leading them in the oath said, “you shall present the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, according to the best of your skill and understanding, so help you . . .” And just like that, God was removed from this particular Illinois courtroom.

Why do we despise and pass judgement on one another instead of welcoming one another when God has welcomed us? Could it be because we’ve removed God from the courtroom of our inner minds? When we condemn and despise the convictions of our brothers and sisters in Christ, where is God in this picture? And if we find that God is in the picture, we may want to ask, is He the God of the Bible? Is he the God who sent his Son on a divine rescue mission to save sinners who could do nothing to save themselves? Is he a God who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love? Is he the God who invites all the weary and heavy laden to “Come to me, and I will give you rest?” Or is he a God made in our own image – judging and condemning those who aren’t like us?

If we are to live out Romans 14, God, as he reveals himself in Scripture, must be actively influencing the courtrooms of our minds – both in how we evaluate ourselves and how we evaluate others. When God is actively influencing the courtrooms of our minds, it will help us to see two things: First, it will give us eyes to see the beautiful fact that God calls people to himself from every people, tribe, and nation. This means he calls people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, worldviews, and previous orientations. With that diversity comes a diversity of convictions, and we can see beauty in that diversity, even as we live out our convictions out of a single minded devotion to God. It will also help us to be slow to critique and quick to forebear with one another.

Second, as God influences, and grows in influence, in our courtrooms. We will see that Romans 14 is not about living and letting live. It is not about just letting everyone do what is right in their own eyes. It is about welcoming one another into the fellowship of God so that we might grow. Grow into greater maturity, grow into the image of Christ. And so, while we will refrain from passing judgment and despising one another, we will continue to speak the truth in love to one another and put away our old ways of living and take up the new ways of living. And as we do we will find that we are not only on the path to unity, but that we’re growing more and more unified in Christ along the way.

_____________ 

Works Consulted

Krey, Philip D. W. and Peter D.S. Krey (Editors). Reformation Commentary on Scripture: New Testament VIII (Romans 9-16). IVP Academic: Downers Grove, 2016.

Moo, Doug. Romans. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids, 1996.

Mounce, Robert H. Romans (The New American Commentary). Broadman & Holman Publishers: Nashville, 1995.

Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans (BECNT). Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 1998.

Stott, John. Romans: God’s Good News for the World. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1994.

Articles:

Miller, Chris H. & Dawson W. Hedges. “Scrupulosity Disorder: An Overview and Introductory Analysis.” National Library for Medicine: August 22, 2008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18226490/#:~:text=Scrupulosity%20is%20a%20psychological%20disorder,is%20highly%20distressing%20and%20maladaptive.

Pollard, Alec. C. “What is Scrupulosity?” International OCD Foundation: 2010. https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IOCDF-Scrupulosity-Fact-Sheet.pdf

[1]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18226490/#:~:text=Scrupulosity%20is%20a%20psychological%20disorder,is%20highly%20distressing%20and%20maladaptive.

[2] https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IOCDF-Scrupulosity-Fact-Sheet.pdf

Next SUNDAY:  Romans 14:10–21, The Elusive Pursuit of Righteousness and Peace and Joy, Todd Walker