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We Must Not Control Other People’s Faith
Romans 14:1-12
Mari Ikeda
From today we are going into chapter 14 of the book of Romans. Today, we’ll read 14:1-12, which tells us, “We must not control other people’s faith,” as the title says. As usual, let’s read a little at a time. Let’s start with v.1-3
A. Faith is the one-on-one relationship between God and each person
1. Are there people of weak faith and those of strong faith? (1-3)
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
What is said here is not some allegorical story, but is a real controversy over any food to be eaten or not. It was an issue that caused a controversy among the churches widely in those days. In the Old Testament, it is written that pork and any meat that is not treated properly to remove blood should be avoided, and accordingly the Jews did not eat them. However, the leaders of the early church like Paul and Peter, though they themselves were Jews, gradually changed their mind and came to think and teach people that there is no food that is impure in itself, as they welcomed Gentiles to their believer’s circle. Yet, there were some Jews, who could not accept it, and they caused a conflict among the believers over the issue of food. Paul, the writer of this letter, here calls those who stuck with the Jewish food law as “the one whose faith is weak.” It implies that he is talking from the position of those of strong faith who no longer stick with such food law, and teaching not to look down on those of weak faith. We living in modern times no longer have a dispute over a food law. But even today a different church teaches a different thing about how we should live out our faith in our daily life. We at Your Church does not think everyone has to attend the service every Sunday by any means, because many people have to work on Sunday in our modern society, and also because people sometimes need to prioritize their commitment to their family as many church comers have their non-Christian family members in Japan. We think it is more important that each of us turns our heart to God daily and worship Him in each of us’ life than just being present in this place every Sunday. Yet, the importance of Sunday Service never diminishes to us either, because we do think it is essential for every one of us to get nourished by God through the service and to encourage each other by meeting and getting to know each other. However, I remember the time right after I entered my seminary I made one of my classmates cry for this issue. I later got to know that that person had been taught in her church from her childhood to offer our Sunday solely for the church, and she had been following the teaching diligently and actually even fought with other for it at her school and workplace. That’s why she was greatly upset when I said to her totally without any consideration, “You shouldn’t care about such a thing.” Perhaps, you also have a similar experience with mine, if you have been in Your Church for some time, because this church no longer keeps many customs that are kept in conservative churches as unnecessary. I’m certain that we should keep cherishing Your Church way of thinking, as I myself might not even come to have faith if it was not Your Church, and also because I know there are quite a few people here who came from other churches and were released from the conservative church bondage. Still, we need to listen to Paul’s words today. He never says that those of weak faith need to have the strong faith. He just says that those of strong faith must not blame or look down those of weak faith, while he also says that those of weak faith must not judge those of strong faith. In other words, he suggests that it is ok we have different opinions over our life as believers. Here I want to draw your attention to Paul’s saying of faith as strong and weak. I don’t think this is appropriate, because we never know how strong or weak God sees our faith. So, how about we rephrase them as conservatives and liberals, even if these are not the best rephrasing? Let’s move on to v.4.
2. Faith is the gift of God for each of us (4)
4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
God called each of us and gave us faith. Our Lord and master is God Himself. No one can enter and must not enter this one-on-one relationship between God and each of us.
From the liberal point of view, the conservatives are wrong. But it is God alone, who is also their Lord, who can correct their wrongs, as Paul says, “To their own master, (they) stand or fall.” Paul continues to say, “And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.”
This disturbs us, for we clearly think it is wrong, for example, for conservative Christians to reject sexual minorities and to ban abortion. Do we have to stop condemning such injustice, if we want to follow today’s text? No, we don’t. That’s not the case. This chapter 14 of Romans questions about some specific matters of believer’s life, rather than interpretation of the gospel itself or the Bible. If this was a dispute over a more essential matter of faith, such as an issue of circumcision, Paul confronts and condemns his opponents with no mercy.
Therefore, we need to understand that on one hand there are issues that conservatives and liberals should accept each other’s opinion, while there are issues to be disputed on the other hand. Today’s text talks about an issue of the former category, an issue we should accept each other’s different opinion.
Now, let’s move on to the second half. The content is similar. Let’s read v.5-6 first.
B. Each of us belongs to God
1. Each of us should act by having the conviction to act “to God” (5-6)
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Here we see a new issue of whether or not to value some particular days as sacred. This is again thought to be the conflict between Jews and Gentiles, but I skip a detailed explanation about it today, as the root of the problem is the same with that of the food law. What is important in what Paul says here is that each of us should be fully convinced in their mind to do anything “to the Lord.” He goes on to say that we should decide by ourselves to do or not do anything, with thanks to God, instead of being forced by someone else. In other words, each of us should not trust blindly other people’s opinions, but think well and discern by ourselves in our one-on-one relationship with God how we should act. This applies to both conservatives and liberals. We need to think and decide by ourselves, rather than just follow what we have been taught by others or just because our pastor says so. Paul says an even more important point in the following verses, v. 7-9.
2. We don’t live for ourselves, but we live and die for the Lord (7-9)
7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
I think we should always ask our hearts whether or not we remember these words of v.7-9. Have I not forgotten that this life is the gift from God? Am I not trying to use this life for myself or getting despaired because I failed to control it while God is in control of our life in the first place? Have I not forgotten that I cannot choose the time when God calls me home, but there is no question that He had given this limited time on earth for me with a clear purpose? Do I remember that Jesus died and rose again to life because it was God’s love and will that He desires to live with me whether I have this physical body or after I lose it?
These things seem to have nothing to do with the content of today’s text at a glance. However, because we are all weak and imperfect, we need to understand that we do not belong to ourselves or some other people, but to God alone, in order for us to accept each other but not hesitate to correct each other’s wrongs at the same time. Whether conservative or liberal, we need to see ourselves critically and always question ourselves if we are not seeking God’s justice but only trying to justify our own positions, and if we really understand God’s justice in the first place.
Now let’s read the last portion, v.10-12.
C. We will all stand alone before God’s judgment (10-12)
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
This is to repeat what I said earlier, but faith is the one-on-one relationship between God and each of us. But, in Paul’s time and modern times alike, we often cannot accept differences of how each of us lives as a believer as just differences, and rather we tend to believe what is comfortable to ourselves is the best so that others should follow our way as well. Although there is nothing wrong to be proud of and convinced of ourselves for our faith, that faith would grieve God however great it is, once we try to control other’s faith to follow it. Every one of us has to stand alone before God. None of us can blame others for our mistakes. None of us can stand as a substitute for someone else. Let us live each of our life faithfully to God alone, and not forget we are given this life for God, not for ourselves or our own satisfaction.
(Prayer) Let’s pray. Dear God, we here are all different. Each of us has walked a totally different life, and the way we encountered You is also totally different. There are those who grew up in this church and those who got their faith in other churches. We gather here in this church, but the way we live out our faith is various, and the way we think is also different. Please help us to accept each other’s differences and to learn from each other. At the same time, please help each of us to cherish our one-on-one relationship with you. Dear our Lord Jesus, we pray this in your name, Amen.
Summary
Even though we share the same faith to believe Jesus as our Lord, each of us has a different way of living out our faith. Each of us is expected to examine well and pursue in our one-on-one relationship with God what is important and what is not, and act on conviction that each has reached. However, one cannot force others to accept what one is convinced as important for one’s faith. If we try to control others’ faith and action, we are disrupting their relationship with God. Let each of us live our life faithfully to God alone, and not forget we are given this life for God, not for ourselves or our own satisfaction.
For Discussion
- Have you ever thought of someone as a person of weak faith? Why did you think so?
- Why do you think we tend to evaluate each other as weak faith and strong faith?