These words were spoken by Paul to Christians. He was addressing the matter of focus, motivation and our overarching priority in life. We are redeemed of the Lord, citizens of the Kingdom of God and as such we should conduct our life through the prism of his will.
I joke around about my Italian roots as if it were the defining element of my life. It is not. I grew up in what was primarily a White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant household and community. My mother is full-blooded Italian and of course there was some influence there, but we didn’t have a primarily Italian household. Culture-wise, it was essentially my Dad’s traditional Northern New England roots that prevailed.
But in Watertown, Massachusetts where many of my mother’s side of the family resided, their households were decidedly Italian. Their culture was very ethnic. Their traditions strongly tied to that heritage. They operated through the prism of Italianism. The two traditions (theirs and mine), are quite different.
I thoroughly enjoy meeting, learning and visiting people from other countries and cultures. Thailand fascinated me. Mexico held some curiosity. The French flavor in Montreal, Quebec drew me there for visits time and again when I lived in New Hampshire.
Each of these places is decidedly ethnic and as such they conduct their lives primarily as French Canadians, Mexicans and Thai. Their heritage and traditions factor heavily into everything they do. It’s part of who they are - often the largest part.
Many of these people as well as other ethnic groups immigrate to this country yet hang on to their native culture with all it’s traditions. And to an extent there is nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, if it’s over emphasized it creates a country that is balkanized.
People in this country have for quite some time been encouraged to view themselves first and foremost as African, Asian, Latino, Italian, Greek, French, whatever, and then secondarily as Americans. We’re losing our identity as an assimilated people. It’s sad because a balkanized country is a weak country, a dying country.
We need assimilation which brings a strong sense of national pride similar to what people feel about the countries of their heritage. We are the United States of America. The operative word in the hearts and minds of our ancestors was “United.”
Unfortunately, that most important aspect of our country (a united identity), is constantly being disparaged to the point where encouraging national pride and discouraging balkanization has become tantamount to bigotry. The damage that mindset has wrought on this nation is painful to behold.
But this isn’t a civics class. I bring this up only to serve as an object lesson for what Paul was teaching in Romans 14. Paul said that no matter who we are or what we do, we should do it for the Lord. Because first and foremost, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God.
We are Christians before we are Italians, or Mexicans, or Asians or even Americans. Our traditions, culture, and way of life should all flow from the waters of the Kingdom. Whoever we are, from whatever culture or tradition we originated, once we become a Christian we need to assimilate and find our identity as citizens of the Kingdom of God. This was Paul’s teaching.
We aren’t to identify ourselves as Playboy-Christians, or Partying Christians. Or Tax-cheating Christians or Worldly-Christians. We have left all that when we accepted Christ. We are simply Christians, children of God, citizens of the Kingdom of God.
The balkanization and hyphenated America we see in this country creates a problem. It is the same problem we find in Christendom. We’re Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Episcopalian, and there is nothing wrong with that. We should have the courage of our convictions with respect to our specific understanding of Scripture.
We should preach and teach the truth insofar as we understand it. And clearly, one church will teach somewhat differently than another. But as Christians we need to operate primarily not as any of these titles or traditions, but first and foremost as fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God, the universal church of God and Christ.
This is what Paul was talking about in Romans. We don’t need to water down our doctrine and teach that anything goes, and that one view is as accurate as another. It should be self evident that two opposing views on a specific doctrine can’t both be correct.
There is one truth. God knows it, and none of us have a lock on 100% of it. But we should operate under the primary umbrella of the universal church of God and Christ.
This is what Paul was trying to articulate. We need to recognize that all Christians have the vital responsibility to live according to the light that they have. They need to honor their beliefs and live according to what they understand God wants for them. And yet we all serve the same master.
While we live according to the light we have, we should also be open to the leading and teaching of God’s spirit. We don’t want to be trapped with the unpardonable sin of closing the door on God’s spirit. We have to be teachable even as we have the courage of our convictions. If we shut God out, we are darkening our own path to salvation.
But while we are living to the best of our understanding, and while we share our beliefs with others, we must respect another Christian’s sincere effort to live according to their best understanding. For it they ignore following what they believe is God’s will, they are sinning. And we should not encourage them to sin. If we do, then we are then sinning.
So then how do we help guide a fellow Christian who is following what we believe is error into the Light? Can we do that without sinning? Yes, we absolutely can and should!
Let’s look at Romans 14 a little closer. Verse 1-3 says, “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another?”
What can we glean from this passage? It begins by stating that there are those who are weak in the faith. It is saying we do have permission to identify someone’s position as “weak,” - that is, we can discern, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his relationship with God or his salvation. God has accepted them even while they are weak and believing something that is incorrect.
Why would that be? Why would God accept someone who is preaching and teaching something not within the will of God per se?
In verse 14 Paul says, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus
that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”
Why is that? If God doesn’t care what kind of food we eat, why is it then a sin - let’s say for example - a Seventh-Day Adventist to eat pork? Simply because the Adventist believes it to be a sin. So if he ignores his beliefs and eats the pork, what is the sin he committed?
The Adventist didn’t sin by eating the pork per se (because God doesn’t care what humans eat for food). His sin is in turning his back on God. For an Adventist to eat pork he is essentially saying that he doesn’t care what God’s will is. He’s going to do what he feels like doing without regard for God’s wishes (or what he understands to be God’s wishes). It’s the attitude that’s wrong, not the actual consumption of the meat.
So where then is God’s top priority with respect to following His will? It is in our motivation. It is in our love and respect for God. It is in our caring to please Him. He can wink at our misunderstandings if they are indeed misunderstandings. But when we willfully disobey God (or what we think is His will), then we are showing disrespect, ungratefulness and lack of love.
We show this same disrespect when we put a stumbling block before our Christian brother or sister. And actually, that’s a double whammy. If we try to get our brother or sister to ignore their beliefs and eat that pork - or if we sneak it to them - we are not only causing them to sin, we are also sinning by disregarding God’s call for us to love our neighbors. How is making someone sin a demonstration of our love?
Verse 4 and following: To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully
convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.
The operative sentence is: Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. Ultimately we answer to God. We must be faithful to our beliefs.
It continues in verse 7, "For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for it we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
We have to see ourselves as citizens of the Kingdom. And as such we have to honor and serve the King. People serve a king differently. God says through the inspired word over and over, I desire obedience over sacrifice. He wants our dedicated hearts first and foremost. If we give Him that, He will help us with our understanding.Verse 12, “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather
determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a
brother's way.”
It is better that a Christian sincerely desire and strive to follow God (even if they have an unclear understanding of God’s will), then for them to be dotting all the “I’s” and crossing all the “T’s” and have their heart far from God. We want to encourage our brother’s faith, while gently trying to persuade him of greater or clearer truths. These are not mutually exclusive goals.Verse 17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The Scribes and Pharisees had the Law down pat, at least the letter of it. But the spirit of that law was lost on them. Some righteous Gentiles did things naturally with no actual knowledge of the Law and thus they were said to be a law unto themselves. Who would our Lord have more respect for?
Verse 22 sums up this thought. “The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.”
In other words, follow your convictions. Just be sure your motivation is learning and following the will of God.
Let’s continue in Romans and consider chapter 15.“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.”
What does this mean? How is it that we should bear their weaknesses? What Paul is saying is that we shouldn’t overdue our liberty in Christ. For us that understand such freedoms (for instance the cleanness of all foods), we should not exercise that freedom in a manner that disregards how our conduct will affect others.
Paul says in Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
This is a somewhat different thought, but carries with it a similar principle. We have freedoms in Christ but we need to use caution and discretion in how we exercise those freedoms. We can still sin even though free.
Paul continues in verse 2 of Romans 15, “Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself…”
Now this isn’t telling us to go along to get along with our neighbor, but simply not to beat him over the head with his (in our view), misunderstandings of doctrine and the liberty in Christ. So long as they are attempting to follow God and Christ, encourage that aspect of their faith while gently nudging them toward greater light.
I’m very strong in my beliefs and I hope you are as well. I can defend my beliefs Scripturally and I’m happy to do so. I have the courage of my convictions and I preach and teach my beliefs here in church. I encourage you to have that same conviction. However, our greatest calling is to guide people to submit themselves not to us, but rather to God and Christ.
The challenge for followers of Christ today is to encourage others to actually follow Christ, to walk his talk. We need to help others to see the benefit of living our lives and making decisions in harmony with God’s will. We need to teach people the benefit of consulting God routinely as we navigate through life and it’s challenges good and bad.
But of course we have to try to operate our lives that way. I don’t want to put an undue burden on you. I don’t want you to hyper focus on every little detail of your life and begin fretting and stressing that you haven’t done everything perfectly. Because you never will.
I don’t want you to beat yourself over the head for failing to set a perfect example in the past or even stumbling from time to time now. It’s part of life. But the primary example we should set it to have as our strong goal to care about what God thinks of our actions and priorities.
If people in this country cared more about America as a united nation and less about their own specific hyphenated part of it, we’d all get along much more harmoniously.
And if Christians would begin to see their identity primarily as citizens of the kingdom of God, rather than whatever their heritage or current nationality is, or by their occupation, or their denomination, we would be a stronger and brighter example to the world.
I’m happy to have a heritage that is roughly half English and half Italian. I’m very proud to be an American. I feel quite blessed to be a pastor. And I’m passionate in my doctrinal beliefs. But what defines me as a person, is my desire to live my life as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I don’t do it perfectly. I may not do it absolutely consistently in every way. But it’s a real goal of mine and I hope it is of yours as well. That’s a cause we can all get on board with. Patriotism for the Kingdom of God!“For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.”
We are united by faith. And we are united in Christ. We are united together by faith in Christ to God. We are the Lord’s people. We are ambassadors of the Kingdom. We are proud citizens of that kingdom. Let us shine the light of God’s love so that His light will guide others to their true native home, the home of their Father and our Father, God.
The benediction today is from Romans 15:5,6 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you, take care and God bless.
