Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Unity in Diversity, Part 10 of 33
TEXT: "Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).
IDEA: We stand before God, not on the basis of what we do, but on the basis of what He has done for us.
PURPOSE: We sometimes confuse convictions about “gray areas” with “legalism.” How are they different?
Some Christians believe that in order to please God, they must live very restricted lives. Often other people’s scruples seem “odd” to us:
“Hookers” believed that it was wrong to wear buttons. Others feel it is wrong to wear ties or bright clothing.
Others believe that while it is all right for men to dress in business suits, women should not wear make-up.
In Romans 14 Paul says that the “strong,” those with the freedom before God to do what other Christians cannot do, are not to despise those with a sensitive conscience.
We can despise those with a sensitive conscience by dismissing them as “legalists.” Are they? What is legalism?
Legalism is not a “gray” area. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul condemned legalism as “another gospel” which is not a gospel at all [Galatians 1:6-9].
Legalism centers on the terms of the gospel. It says, “You can’t be a Christian if you . . .” It adds something else to the basic message of the gospel.
Legalism may also say, “You can’t be a good Christian if you don’t . . .” It implies that salvation is based on works, and that our behavior puts God under some obligation to us.
Paul condemned legalism, and implies that anyone who preaches it ought to be damned for doing it.
People with sensitive consciences are not necessarily legalists. They may simply be Christians with convictions about certain behaviors that are not right for them.
They must not be accused of “legalism” unless their convictions pervert the gospel.
They have a right to their convictions, and other Christians ought not try hard to talk them out of them.
The “weak” Christians appear to be in the minority in the church at Rome. They may have felt pressure from the strong to change their views about eating meat. That’s not a good enough reason to change.
Sometimes we have a deeply-felt conviction, but we can’t marshall clear-cut arguments in its defense. As a result, the laughter or pressure of others makes us change. In such cases, we lose our integrity. We may be mistaken but very sincere about how to apply the Bible to life. In “gray” areas Paul does not make that a major concern.
Sometimes Christians with a more sensitive conscience border on legalism when they imply that other Christians are disobedient to God.
The logic is:
“You and I differ therefore I am right and you are mistaken.” “I am righteous and you are sinful.”
“I can’t tolerate deliberate sin therefore I cannot fellowship with you.”
Whether or not a man or woman stands or falls before God does not depend on their conformity to my convictions or to keeping a set of rules. It depends on their relationship with “their master.”
