Getting Along When We Differ

Introduction

Good morning. I want to set the record straight. It was actually John who said you wouldn’t remember that we sang that song last week. So I didn’t want you to think I was putting you all down. So welcome. If you’re visiting, we’re so glad that you’ve come. If you haven’t been here before, I am not the regular preacher. He’s in California this week, so I’m just filling in for him. I also want to welcome two special people that are my new Fortnite buddies, Bo and Emmett, Park Rider. We’ve been playing Fortnite the last two days having fun. So they’ve been teaching me how to do it. So anyway.

So we’re going to explore the validity of that linking. But more than that, these verses, as we’ve discovered the last three or four months, are often misapplied. So in that regard, I would like your feedback if you think I misapply them. So we’ll take a closer look.

So if you want, you can pull out your Bibles or you can just follow along with me. So I’ll have your attention for the next 24 minutes.

Despite my wife telling me to slow down and speak up, I’ll probably go too fast. So first of all, the context of Romans, I mean 1 Corinthians the eighth chapter actually goes through chapter 10. And in Romans 14, the context actually goes through chapter 15, verse 13. So as anytime we study scripture, we need to make sure we keep study all the relevant context. So I’m going to start by reading. Okay, does this work.

1. Knowledge Puffs Up, but Love Edifies

Oh, I guess when I turned it off. Yeah. I’m going to start by reading 1 Corinthians the eighth chapter, starting in verse 1. Now, concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he is not yet known as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by him. Therefore, concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for him.

And one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through him. However, not all men have this knowledge, but some being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrifice to an idol. Excuse me. And their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God. We are neither the worse if we eat, if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For though through your knowledge, he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.

And thus, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again that I might cause my brother to stumble. So if someone were to ask you the context of 1 Corinthians 8th chapter, you might say it’s about meat sacrificed to idols. And you would be correct in the immediate.

Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Knowledge itself causes pride and arrogance. Having knowledge does not mean the issue is settled. Knowledge can cause us to think and do things that are arrogant and proud. And so Paul wants to destroy this kind of thinking in verse 2. Knowledge itself is not the goal. The spiritually knowledgeable know that they do not know. Think about your own spiritual journey. When we were younger and spiritually immature, things seemed pretty black and white. Well, things were more obvious and we just knew. But then as we learn more and have the love of Christ develop within us, we begin to see the truth of what Paul is saying. If you think you know something, then you really do not know anything about what God is trying to teach you.

Rather than boasting about knowledge, the goal is to love God. In verse 3, knowledge does not make us known by God. Having the love we ought to have for God is how we are known by God. In verse 4, we now hear the argument the Corinthians are making. They are saying they know an idol has no real existence and that there is no God but one. Paul agrees with their knowledge in verses 5 and 6. There are all kinds of so-called gods. They do not have any actual existence, however. For us, we understand there is one God, the Father, and it’s from Him that all things exist. But notice verse 7. Not everyone knows of this. Not everyone knows there is nothing behind the idols being worshipped.

2. A Stumbling Block Means Causing a Person to Sin

Because of their former association, they think that eating this food is worshiping real gods and real idols. Paul is making the point that just because they have knowledge does not mean that does not mean that what they are doing is acceptable. Other people do not have this knowledge and their faith is being destroyed. So, what does that mean for us today? We live in a time when we think being offended or defiled means we do not like something. That’s a false definition. That is misapplying this scripture, in my opinion. In Scripture, being offended does not mean you disagree with something. An offense or a stumbling block in Scripture means you are causing a person to sin. An offense or a stumbling block or defiled conscience means you are causing a person to break God’s law.

If you do not like something and it then offends you, that’s not a stumbling block in the Bible. Unless it causes you to sin. If something someone else does is not sinful, but you just don’t like it, that is not a stumbling block. So Paul makes another motto of these Christians in verse 8. There’s some disagreement on how to read verse 8. I believe in the context of the of the whole chapter, what Paul is doing is he is stating sayings by the Corinthians and then offering a dissenting opinion.

So he will agree with their knowledge, but disagree with what they are doing. He disagrees with their application in verse 7, and I believe he does the same thing in verse 8. They are saying food does not matter before God. It doesn’t matter if you eat or if you do not eat. The Corinthians were eating in an idol’s temple, the meals that were offered there. The issue is not whether the food is okay or not, but where they were eating it. The point is they were eating in a temple dining room as a participant in an actual sacrifice. There’s archaeologist that there were several temples in Corinth that had dining rooms where feasts were held. So now we can see what the Corinthians were saying. They know an idol is nothing, they have knowledge.

3. Faith Cannot Be Separated From Our Behaviors

They know there is no God but one. So how does Paul answer this knowledge? He does so in verse 10. By eating in the idle dining room, they were encouraging other Christians who do not have this knowledge that they are participating in a worship and pagan worship that is occurring. Therefore, they were ruining one another’s faith just because they had knowledge. By causing other people to sin, you are sinning, verse 12. So Paul lays out a Christian principle in verse 13. If there is something I am doing that would cause another person to sin, I will not do it. That’s not the end of the story, however. In chapter 10, Paul will teach that what they are doing, eating in the temple dining rooms is idolatry and sin.

Paul’s point in these three chapters is this. In chapter 8, you must not participate in the temple dining rooms because you are causing others to sin. In chapter 9, you must not use the rights you think you have because being a Christian is about surrendering your rights. And in chapter 10, you must not eat in the temple dining rooms because it actually is idolatry. But notice that Paul starts with love.

Your knowledge is causing another person to directly violate God’s law.

This is not a person thinks he or she is sinning. Rather, the other person is sinning by what you are doing. So Paul has taught in this chapter that knowledge is not the primary ground for Christian behavior. What we are doing for the faith of others is an important consideration. Love for God and love for others is an important component of our faith and how we make our life decisions.

Just because I know something does not mean I can impose that on someone else and cause their faith to be destroyed. The bigger idea is this. What you believe in your heart and what you show by your actions cannot be differentiated. The Corinthians could not say in their heart that food is nothing, and then eat in an idol’s temple, because others think you are worshiping the idol and will fall into idolatry themselves. Think about Daniel’s three friends. Why don’t they just bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue? They could have said in their minds, this is not an idol, but they didn’t do that. Faith cannot be separated from our behaviors. Faith and works always go together. Our actions reflect our faith. Okay, so let’s look at Romans 14.

4. Accept the One Who Is Weak in Faith

I’m gonna read that. I’m gonna stop at the end of chapter 14, although I will make some references to chapter 15 near the end of the end of the lesson. Romans 14, verse 1. Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him 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 stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

One man regards one day above another regards every day alike. Let each man be fur firmly 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, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. To this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the living and the dead. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall not we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, as I as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then let each one of us, so then let each one of us shall give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this, not to put a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know him and 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. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walk walking according to love. Do not destroy your food. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.

The faith which you have as your own conscience before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin. So Romans 14 deals with Christians who are not getting along over things that didn’t matter to God. The two issues are the eating of food, both clean and unclean, as stated in verses 14 and 15, and the dispute over days in verses 5 and 6. God doesn’t care if they eat meat or not. God doesn’t care if they work on Saturday or not. He does care when they judge their brother for eating meat.

Meat sacrificed to idols is never mentioned. Therefore, the solutions given are not the same as in 1 Corinthians chapter 8. The problem is about eating together, but the problem is not over meat sacrificed to idols. Some necessary conclusions from this chapter. What we are reading about is Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians relationships. Paul has had to teach the Jewish Christians that they are not saved by works of the law.

Eating swine was very popular in the Greco-Roman world, but extremely offensive to the Jews based upon the law of Moses. If you read Galatians 2, you’ll see the same issue in the churches of Galatia. The second issue that reason that this concerns Jewish and Gentile relations is because of the dispute over the keeping of days.

They are to be one in Christ. There’s no Jew, there’s no Gentile, there are only Christians.

The purpose is not to set one another straight. They are not now going to, they were not now going to quarrel over the works of the law. The phrase weaken faith is not referring to the person’s conviction. Both groups have strong convictions. That is made clear in verse 5. Both groups have strong convictions about their belief, such that they were quarreling with one another. Therefore, weaken the faith has more to do with not knowing or fully understanding God’s revealed word. The person thinks he knows God’s will, but he’s missing some key points of understanding. Verse 3 reveals the heart of the problem. The one who is eating, most typically Gentile Christians, is despising those who are not eating all foods. They are looking down their noses at them.

However, those who do not eat, typically the Jewish Christians, aren’t innocent either. They are passing judgment on those who are eating all foods. They are condemning their actions. At the end of verse 3, Paul simply states that God accepts them all. Paul drives their sinful actions even deeper by asking who they think they are by passing judgment on one another.

Or mine of you.

God and giving thanks for the position they each hold. On a side note, this relates to a current day issue where some Christians don’t think it’s wrong to observe various holidays. Take Halloween, for example. Some Christians decide not to celebrate Halloween because of its pagan origins. And some think Christians must not participate in Christmas. Whatever you do, be consistent. If you object observing Halloween, you also need to object observing Christmas. That is the point here. If some want to keep them and others do not think it is right to do so, both have every right to do so. The key is whatever we choose, honor God. We are to give God glory and show him thanks.

5. Each of Us Will Stand Before God

Our actions are not about making us happy. What anyone thinks about you and the condition of your soul is irrelevant. What matters is the condition of your soul before the Almighty God. We are simply servants trying to help one another see our condition. None of this is about pleasing each other. It is about the fact that we will stand before God one day. Notice verse 10. Each of us will stand before the judgment seat of God. It is God we are to be concerned about. So this is a threefold reminder. First of all, let God do his job as judge. On matters that our opinions are questionable in nature, it is not for us to judge one another. That water’s not helping, sorry. But thank you.

Clearly, we’re not talking about sinful actions that are condemned in Scripture. But there are things that do not put one another in sin that can be of a questionable nature. These are matters that are to be left to God. On matters of opinion, it is not for us to judge one another. Secondly, we must be careful when we do choose to judge. On a side note, some people will read, I’m sorry.

My apologies. Some people will read Matthew the seventh chapter, verse 1, which reads, do not judge so that you will not be judged. And they will say to you don’t have any right to judge me. But they stop at verse 1. If you go to verse 2, he goes on to say, For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. So clearly, there are times when we have to make judgments.

We know when judgments must be made and when things must be lived to God. Thirdly, our acceptance or rejection of one another does not matter in terms of our standing be lost because of the way you live or your lack of faith. Or you might be rejected by this church based upon false information. Consider Paul in Acts the 9th chapter. God will decide whether we stand or fall.

Conclusion

So in conclusion, here’s what Paul says at the end of chapter 14 and in verse 15. Chapter 15. Verse 14, I’m sorry, chapter 14, verse 19. Pursue the things that make for peace and the building up of one another. In chapter 15, verse 5, be of the same mind with one another. In verse 6, be of one accord. And in verse 7, accept one another as Christ has accepted us. We may have different opinions on something, which is fine as long as it’s not a matter of faith. Where God doesn’t care, one way or another, we need to accept one another’s opinion without judging or condemning.

First three verses.

Thank you for listening.

This has not been a lesson. Let me go back. This has not been a lesson geared towards teaching what you have to do to be saved. If you have read the Bible and you understand what you need to do to be saved, you have to hear the word, you have to believe it. You have to confess Jesus as your Savior, repent of your sins, and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. If you understand that, we can help you do that today. We can help you do that anytime. Today’s just a convenient time since we’re all here. Or if you need the prayers of the church, if you want the whole church to pray just for you this morning, we can do that. Either way, if you’re subject to the invitation, please come forward as we stand and sing.