Think about your church for a moment. Do you believe your Christian peers have become too strict with their personal choices? Or conversely, are they too free?
Well, this tension among church members isn't new. In first century Rome, Christians clashed over things like eating meat.
Some imposed rigid restrictions, others flaunted their freedom.
Sound familiar? Today on Insight for Living, Juxmundahl teaches from Romans 14. In this passage, Paul laid out a roadmap for navigating minefields. By following these guidelines, Paul contends that people with vastly different convictions can coexist. not despite grace, but because of it.
No.
Well, we've been away from the letter to the Romans for about four. Sunday, so we return to it today in the fourteenth chapter. 14th chapter of Romans. If you're not familiar with your Bible, Into the New Testament, there are four books that are. similar called the Gospels.
And then Luke, who wrote one of the Gospels, later wrote A record of the Acts. of the Apostles as he recorded the early events of the church. Then begins the letters. Paul's letter to the Romans appears first in our Bible, though that wasn't his first letter to write. His first one was 1 Thessalonians, as best we can tell.
And his last was obviously 2 Timothy. which he wrote from the Mambertine Dungeon in Rome. shortly before he was beheaded. But while he was in Corinth, he wrote the letter to the Romans. As he reflected on their lives and the struggles they were going through.
In hopes of helping them. establish their faith and then resolve some conflicts. It is clearly the magnum opus. It is the most significant letter Paul writes. and has been used as a guide for New Testament theology.
Since it has been written, letter to the Romans. But we're now in the practical section of the letter. which begins in chapter 12 and takes us to the end of the letter. chapter 16. We're right in the heart of that.
The first 12 verses of Romans 14.
Now except 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 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 everyday 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. 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 Lords. For to this end, Christ died and lived again.
that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. But you, Why do you judge your brother? Or you, again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me.
and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then, Each one of us will give An account. of himself. To God.
Okay. You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the book of Romans on your own, be sure to purchase our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook by going to insight.org slash offer. Chuck titled today's message, Putting Grace into Action. No one can deny the value of unity.
The importance of harmony. in the body of Christ. At the same time, it's impossible for us to ignore the reality of diversity. While we are called clearly in the scriptures time and again to be one. To work together, to pull together, to serve together.
We have to face the fact that we are all different.
Okay. Just stop and think about that. We come from different backgrounds. My parents were not your parents the way I was raised or the way the person near you was raised, not the way you were reared. Perhaps you were not reared by your biological parents.
So, your whole setting is another frame of reference than others who are sitting near you. who are a part of the body of Christ.
So we have different backgrounds.
So we have different viewpoints. We have different opinions. Yeah. You think one way about something and Someone else thinks just as strongly, but another way. Not that one is wrong or the other is right, it's that You think differently about it, and you feel you can justify your convictions.
We have different value systems. We have different economic lifestyles. We differ in our choice and taste of foods and entertainment. Our convictions, even our prejudices are different. And we all have them.
Hard as it is to admit it. But none of the above cancels out the importance of our dwelling together in unity. Remember the words of the psalmist? Psalm 133 begins: How pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity. Eugene Peterson in the message renders that how beautiful when brothers and sisters get along.
Our Savior, in his last prayer, recorded before he went to Gethsemane. Remembered us. He prayed for those who would believe in him that all of them, quote, may be one. Bring them into a unit, Lord, because there will always be. My followers in a minority.
But they must impact the majority of a world that doesn't know me.
So hold them together. That was his hope for us before he ever went to the cross and after he left this earth. Knowing that we together as a unit can accomplish so much more than we will ever be able to accomplish with divided ranks. and separate fellowships. The apostles and early Christians, as different as all of them were, were remarkable examples of people who dwell together in unity.
They got along. In spite of all of that, there have always been conflicts. in the church. You cannot find an era in which Some of the people of God are not at each other's throats. To put it bluntly.
Pastor Kent Hughes writes: Churches have been ripped apart. by disagreements over which factions have polarized. The more broad-minded becoming openly contemptuous. of their narrow brothers. And others becoming hardened in their criticisms.
of their loose brethren. Which is what Romans 14 is all about.
Now, it causes all of us to think, oh, for the good old days, I wish I could go back in the first century. No, you don't. As one of my mentors used to say, it was the good old days that created these bad new days. In the good old days, the churches were split apart. The purpose of the First Corinthian letter was to resolve conflicts that were tearing the church apart.
There were those who only wanted to listen to Paul's teaching. And then there were those that didn't want Paul, they wanted Peter's teaching. Then there were those that didn't want either one of them, they wanted Apollos to teach them. Then there were those that didn't want any of those three. They wanted to listen only to Jesus.
Just let Jesus speak to me. I don't need any human leader. They're the hardest kind to deal with, by the way. Pious, super spiritual. Do you realize that every time you look at great lives in the scriptures, you will find enemies of the great lives?
Yeah. Nehemiah's life was dogged by the steps of Sanbalat and Tobiah and Geshem, who hated the fact that he was building that wall around Jerusalem. John the Apostle, at the end of his life, said, When I come to the church, I'm going to confront Diotrephes. who loves to have the preeminence, first century church boss. He's the one around whom everything must revolve.
I'm going to confront him. Paul had his Alexander the coppersmith, who was so difficult for Paul, he warned Timothy about him in the generation yet to come. Watch out for Alexander. He'll hurt your ministry. And even Barnabas, Paul had disagreements with Barnabas.
Part of us, the man who was the reason Paul was accepted in the group of the disciples to start with. They didn't believe that Paul's conversion was valid, and so they still saw him as Saul of Tarsus. Persecuting the Christians, and they heard about this so-called conversion. And if it hadn't been for Barnabas, who almost led him by the hand into the group of the apostles, who knows how long it would have taken Paul to be accepted. But do you know later in ministry they had an argument, even though they had traveled on a missionary journey together?
And they were going to go on another journey and Bardabas said, let's bring John Mark with us. But John Mark had flaked out on him in the first journey, and Paul said, No, I'm not going to take a man that was proven unfaithful. Barnabas said, You've got to give him another chance. And Paul says, No, I'm not giving a guy who is not reliable and loyal another chance. He's going to hurt us again.
He hurt us before. And Barnabas said, That's not a very Christian response. And Paul says, What do you mean, calling me that? Back and forth. In fact, it says in Acts 15, it became so heated that they separated from one another.
The word is paroxysm. There was a verbal explosion between them. Pooh. Barnabas. And frankly, It worked out good.
It was okay.
Some denominations have begun because there was a split.
Some fine churches exist today because they couldn't get along in the original church.
Some Christian organizations have been established because the other organization was going in another direction.
Some schools have been established in conflict with former schools. because of a doctrine of change or because of a different persuasion. I was reading to Cynthia just yesterday in one of my favorite books, Great Church Fights. I love the name of that book. And tell stories of all of this.
And I hope I've read it so much it comes apart on me now. I had two books that I've been reading to her: one in one hand, one in the other, one event after another. And all of these are actions taken and critical reactions that follow. And you read about them and you think, you know what, God's at work in all of this. The goal is that we learn to live together even though we disagree.
That's the goal. We can disagree, but why do we have to become disagreeable?
Now when we get to Romans Chapter 14, we get into subjects that seem kind of screwy to us. What's this about eating meat and what's this about observing days? Sure.
Well, if you lived in the first century, you'd understand. Give me just a few moments. Those Romans who were converted out of paganism. had had a background in idolatry, many of them. And you worshiped an idol by bringing meat to the altar of the idol, and you sacrifice the meat on the fire of the altar, and you do it in honor of the God.
Well, not all of the meat burn up. Since there wasn't refrigeration in those days, the part that didn't burn up Some enterprising man would or woman who was who had a butcher business would take the rest of the meat and chop it up and turn it into great steaks and sell it at the meat market. And there were Christians who had been born again out of this background. They go, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's terrible.
If you eat that meat, you'll contaminate yourself with idol worship. Then there were other Christians who said, What are you talking about? An idol is nothing, it's wood or stone or clay. It's just an idol. There's nothing to it.
And so these were the meat eaters, and these were the non-meat eaters. And it got to where they were so different that Paul gave them labels: those who had the scruples. felt they couldn't eat the meat are called weak. And they needed to be taught and brought to maturity so they could know there's nothing wrong with the meat. And those who were strong.
Who had the tendency to kind of slap around those that were weak needed to be told: calm down, lighten up. You may see your freedom in doing this, but don't throw out the weak brother. And by the way, wheat brother, don't become a legalist. Trying to make the strong brother live with your convictions. And by the way, strong brother, don't try to make the weak brother as strong as you are, give him time to grow up.
So I think Paul is saying to the strong, lighten up. to the weak grow up.
Now, all that as a background, look at the beginning of the verses here that appear in chapter 14. Paul writes to the Roman Christians, and by the way, this was a big issue in that day. Maybe I should tell you it's like issues in our day, but we're not about meeting days. Our issues have to do with other things.
Soon as I list them, you'll immediately know what side you're on. Don't answer out loud. Alcoholic beverages. Drugs, prescribed drugs. Should you take them or should you pray and trust God to heal without the use of drugs?
And how about those who misuse and abuse prescription drugs? Card playing, games that relate to gambling. The lotto. Cosmetic, should you wear them? Should you not wear them?
Fashions, should you keep up with the trend or should you ignore fashion trends? You say, it's no big thing to meet.
Well, that's you're one person. You have one vote. It may be a big thing to the person two people away from you. Don't look. I mean, you just, you never know.
Dancing is another one. Should you dance? Should you not? Is this dance okay? You just square dance.
Should you do ballroom dancing, is that okay? Disco, is that okay? The theater. Should you go to live theater? Should you go to the movies?
Uh is that okay for a Christian? Um music. Yeah, no. Music. Everywhere I go, it's music.
It's about the music. And it's not just every church I know struggles with the music factor. Too contemporary, or too traditional, or not enough of that, too much of that. And even some homes struggle with it, admittedly. It isn't funny.
I mean, is this good music for my son or daughter to listen to? And the daughter wants to know what makes it good, what makes it bad, it's what all the kids are listening to. How about tobacco? I can keep this going all afternoon, folks. Bible translation is another one.
You go Bible translation. Listen.
Some sections of the country, you don't use their translation, they walk out on you.
Soon as they hear it's another translation than the one they, well, that's it. They believe unless it's their translation. I mean, if King James is good enough for Paul, it's good enough for me. Or whatever. If you use a paraphrase, you're showing that you're a liberal.
That kind of nonsense. Material wealth, you have a nice home. You may have two or three nice homes. And you who don't have nice homes tend to judge those who do. You have bucks drive luxury cars, or maybe several luxury cars, and you don't.
And you think, oh, I think of the money that could be used for missions. Even though you don't use your money for missions, you think that the wealthy ought to be using more money for mission. How could they possibly live in a place that night? It's none of your business where they live. Grow up!
You're in the body, and it's none of your business that they're not living where you're living. The reason I'm kind of excited about all of this is because all of this winds up on the pastor's desk. Come on. Pastor Swindahl, are you aware of what's going on in the church? You know what I want to do sometime?
Yes. Yeah. Hang on. Yes, I'm aware. Thank you.
I didn't know you were in charge, so I guess I need to listen to what you have to say. I'm being facetious with some of this, and some of it I'm very serious. The whole point is the great tendency on the one side is to judge those. Who lives certain ways? On the other side is to put down the others.
The strong tend to put down those who can't press 400 pounds, spiritually speaking. And the weak tend to despise those who take liberties that they don't think is right. I mean, you've got alcohol in your refrigerator. Don't invite me over. That offends me.
Well, what's in somebody's refrigerator is none of your business. You like a good cigar? You just, you know, preferably don't blow it on somebody in your adult fellowship.
Okay. People don't think. They come back from a hunting trip and they say, Yeah, that's me with the beer. That's me right there. Yeah.
And you don't have a problem with that, but the person you should, so be quiet. Uh quit flaunting it. Enjoy whatever you enjoy. Within reason, don't go against anything set forth in Scripture. and live your life.
Okay, lighten up. Grow up.
Now then. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no. Yeah. I love the opening line, accept Accept the one who is weak in faith.
Strong folks. Please. Stop putting down the weak ones. Accept them. I'll get to the word accept in a moment, but for right now, just let it stand.
Accept the one who is weak in faith, not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. Look, we've got a divided opinion here, verse 2. One person has faith that he may eat all things. Now, you know what that means. He's the strong one, called the strong one in this passage.
He who is weak eats vegetables only. Feels like it's safer. My conscience says I ought to eat vegetables only. That's fine. For you, that's great.
Don't make me eat vegetables only. That's your diet. Keep it to yourself. Buy what you want to buy, fix it, and eat it, but don't force it on anybody else. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who doesn't eat.
Got it? It's just common sense. And the one who does not eat should not judge the one who eats, for God has accepted. him. could very well say both of them.
Both of them. I love the way one Wag put it. Believe as I believe, no more, no less, that I am right. And no one else confesses. Feel as I feel.
Think only as I think. Eat what I eat and drink but what I drink. Look as I look. Do always as I do, then and only then will I fellowship with you. Please.
Uh Ladies and gentlemen. That's the motto of many a church. Not Stonebriar Community Church. If you need a church like that, you need another church. If you want to turn this church into a church like that, you need another church.
You do. You won't be happy here. There's a culture. There's a culture. We are not a Presbyterian culture.
We are not a Baptist culture. We are not a Methodist culture. We are not a charismatic culture.
Okay? We are an evangelical Independent. Bible church culture.
Somewhat similar to a few churches, but not like any other exactly. And we love it that way. Uh that's probably why we're here.
Okay. We don't like everything, but, you know. Uh That's the way it is. By the way, just a little warning before you jump up and change. Uh Be careful because you're going to take yourself there.
And when you do, you're going to like something there. Let's learn to live within the framework. Of this kind of grace. Look closely. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who doesn't eat, verse 3.
The one who doesn't eat is not to judge the one who eats. I love the way John R. W. Stott writes this summary. We are not to turn the church into a debating chamber.
whose chief characteristic is argument. still less into a law court. In which weak persons are put in the dock, interrogated, and arraigned. The welcome we give them must include respect for their opinion. Sure.
Respect for their opinions. We can get along very well if we commit ourselves in grace to respect one another. It doesn't mean we have to agree. What great advice for the new year, huh? What great guidelines to follow if we hope to remain a church in harmony?
with each other. Uh As followers of Jesus, we come from diverse backgrounds and carry different convictions. But unity isn't found in uniformity. unity is found in Christ. You're listening to Insight for Living.
Chuck Swindahl is teaching from Romans chapter 14. and he titled his message Putting Grace into Action. You can hear Chuck's entire sermon from start to finish by downloading the Insight for Living mobile app from your favorite app store. When you do, you'll have free access to more than 1,000 messages from Chuck. Today, we're also delighted to offer a brand new 25-day Advent devotional published exclusively by Insight for Living.
It's called Everlasting Light, a journey from promise to presence. Written by our Spanish pastor Carlos Sasueta, along with Chuck Swindahl, it's an ideal gift to share with friends and family. by offering them a guide for celebrating the arrival of our everlasting light. In fact, in addition to the English version, we're pleased to offer a Spanish version as well. What could be more important this holiday season than sharing the joy of Christmas with those you love?
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Briscoe, Texas, 75034. We also have multiple copies of the Advent devotional Everlasting Light available for sale when you call us at 800-772-8888. or you can order them online at insight.org slash offer. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us on Monday when Chuck Swindahl's message called Putting Grace into Action continues.
Here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Putting Grace into Action, was copyrighted in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2025, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R. Swindahl, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
