b. May the Holy Spirit help me to place it before you in a clear light. Christ will be the judge, and he has both authority and ability to determine men's eternal state according to their works, and before him we shall stand as persons to be tried, and to give up an account, expecting our final doom from him, which will be eternally conclusive. Thirdly, It is in these things to serve Christ (v. 18), to do all this out of respect to Christ himself as our Master, to his will as our rule and to his glory as our end. If this is the case, we should let God deal with our brother. We have learned to deny ourselves; this was our first lesson: None of us liveth to himself. Our work is to bless the sons of men. 14. He is happy that has peace and quietness within, for the testimony of conscience will be a special cordial in troublesome times. Who are you to judge anothers servant? Do not censure the practice of others; let them enjoy their own opinion; if they be persuaded in their own mind that they ought to do so and so, do not condemn them, but, if your sober sentiments be otherwise, do not make their practice a rule to you, any more than you must prescribe yours as a rule to them. Now if Christ paid so dearly for his dominion over souls and consciences, and has such a just and undisputed right to exercise that dominion, we must not so much as seem to invade it, nor intrench upon it, by judging the consciences of our brethren, and arraigning them at our bar. Of a mistaken conscience, v. 14. But why do you judge your brother? Should not we be pleased with that which God is pleased with? Such censures as these discovered a great deal of rashness and uncharitableness, and would doubtless tend much to the alienating of affection. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. It is observable that the apostle directs his reproof most against those who gave the offence; not as if those were not to be blamed who causelessly and weakly took the offence from their ignorance of Christian liberty, and the want of that charity which is not easily provoked and which thinketh no evil (he several times tacitly reflects upon them), but he directs his speech to the strong, because they were better able to bear the reproof, and to begin the reformation. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. a. If we do that, then it could rightly be spoken of as evil. In either case, the attitude is wrong because we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. i. They judged them as breakers of the law, contemners of God's ordinance, and the like. It was not so much the difference itself that did the mischief as the mismanagement of the difference, making it a bone of contention. So, as to other things, it is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision (Gal 5 6; 6 15; 1 Cor 7 19), it is not being of this party and persuasion, of this or the other opinion in minor things, that will recommend us to God. If he be a good Christian, he does not, he dares not, do it from such a principle; and therefore we charitably conclude that to the Lord he does not regard it. Weak and strong Christians are indeed our brethren, but they are not our servants. And he that doubteth This verse is a necessary part of the preceding, and should be read thus: But he thatdoubteth is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. See to what degrees of mortification and self-denial a tender conscience will submit. Commentary on Romans 14:7-13 (Read Romans 14:7-13) Though some are weak, and others are strong, yet all must agree not to live to themselves. (1.) Therefore, out of the law, by reason of our corruption, springs sin. If you have [strong] faith, and feel liberty to partake of certain things, praise God! Secondly, But to the Lord (v. 8), to the Lord Christ, to whom all power and judgment are committed, and in whose name we are taught, as Christians, to do every thing we do (Col 3 17), with an eye to the will of Christ as our rule, to the glory of Christ as our end, Phil 1 21. We must deny ourselves in our appetites, inclinations, and in the use of Christian liberty, rather than obstruct and prejudice our own or others' grace and peace. Shall we despise those whom Christ valued at so high a rate? Now those that had been Jews were trained up in the observance of the ceremonial appointments touching meats and days. If of the particular determination of the efficacy of his death to the elect, then, though none that were given to Christ shall perish (John 6 39), yet thou mayest, as much as is in thy power, destroy such. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike, Let each be fully convinced in his own mind, For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself, Whether we live or die, we are the Lords, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed [4.] That, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now (Romans 14:13) Summary: dont make it an issue of judging, but dont use your liberty to stumble another brother. . Probably, the use of both judge and show contempt is meant to have application to both the strict and the free individuals. This he was assured of, not only from the general tenour and scope of the gospel, but particularly from the revelation which Peter, the apostle of the circumcision (and therefore more immediately concerned in it), had to this purport, Acts 10 15, 28. Another rule here given is this, that in these doubtful things every one not only may, but must, walk according to the light that God hath given him. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves: Not every Christian knows this happiness. It is explained by the word akatharton, Acts 10 14, nothing common or unclean. Undoubtedly these weak ones did not see themselves as weaker. Because the stress of Christianity is not to be laid upon these things, nor are they at all essential to religion, either on the one side or on the other. 10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? [1.] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Romans viii. But have your strong faith before God, not before a brother who will stumble. God never cast off any one that had true grace, though he was but weak in it; never broke the bruised reed. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself: We must understand that from beginning to end our life is connected to other lives. [2.] Romans 14 - God Likes it When We Think About Others A. Don't judge each other in doubtful things. The case was this: The members of the Christian church at Rome were some of them originally Gentiles, and others of them Jews. I. God is well pleased with such a one, though he be not in every thing just of our length. Romans 10:10-14. Wisdom Literature On the other hand, he that regards not the daythat does not make a difference between one day and another, does not call one day holy and another profane, one day lucky and another unlucky, but esteems every day alikehe does not do it out of a spirit of opposition, contradiction, or contempt of his brother. In judging and censuring our brethren, we meddle with that which does not belong to us: we have work enough to do at home; and, if we must needs be judging, let us exercise our faculty upon our own hearts and ways.To his own master he stands or falls; that is, his doom will be according to his master's sentence, and not according to ours. No separation: that is the end of the chapter. Some make it a reason why, in case of offence likely to be taken, we should refrain the use of our Christian liberty; but it seems directed in general against that heat about those things which he observed on both sides. In these indifferent things, though we must never contradict our persuasion, yet we may sometimes conceal it, when the avowing of it will do more hurt than good. (2.) Even the Pope, when he takes to cursing, as at least the former one used to do very liberally, seems as if he could hardly be the vicar of God on earth. Commentary on Romans 13:11-14 (Read Romans 13:11-14) Four things are here taught, as a Christian's directory for his day's work. Every saint is God's workmanship, his husbandry, his building, Eph 2 10; 1 Cor 3 9. 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission, The Whole Bible Secondly, Confessing to himacknowledging his glory, grace, and greatnessacknowledging our own meanness and vileness, confessing our sins to him; so some understand it. The evil concupiscence of your nature revolted against the command, and led you astray. Those who were weak, and durst not use their Christian liberty, judged and censured the strong, who did, as if they were loose Christians, carnal professors, that cared not what they did, but walked at all adventures, and stuck at nothing. The bowing of the knee to him, and the confession made with the tongue, are but outward expressions of inward adoration and praise. There is a lot of useless, harmful division among Christians over silly, bigoted things. i. Site by Mere. As the particular end specifies the action, so the general scope and tendency specify the state. Salem Media Group. (2) All men need a Savior. Nothing more destructive to true Christianity than placing it in modes, and forms, and circumstantials, which eat out the essentials. Receive him: not to quarrel with him, and to argue about uncertain points that are in controversy, which will but confound him, and fill his head with empty notions, perplex him, and shake his faith. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. Who are you to judge anothers servant? (11-14) The urgency to love . ( Romans 14:19-21) Use your liberty to build each other up, not to tear each other down. Compare this with 1 Cor 8 10, 11. But this would not serve any more than Paul's erroneous conscience would justify his rage against Christianity (Acts 26 9), or theirs, John 16 2. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat: It would be easy for a Christian who felt free to eat meat to despise others as hopeless legalists. a. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. None know but those that experience it how great both the restraining and the constraining power of conscience is. 11 14. Those who thought themselves still under some kind of obligation to the ceremonial law esteemed one day above anotherkept up a respect to the times of the passover, pentecost, new moons, and feasts of tabernacles; thought those days better than other days, and solemnized them accordingly with particular observances, binding themselves to some religious rest and exercise on those days. Thank you for registering. And, Secondly, We have the more to do to judge ourselves. 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