Taking Things Deeper
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:13–19, ESV)
Getting to the WHY
In the last post, we looked at some tension in this post. Paul says that we shouldn’t act in a way that is a stumbling block for a fellow believer. He also says we should hold firmly to our positions. We shouldn’t allow people to call something evil that we call good. So, how are we supposed to do that? It begins by asking “Why?”
Why does Paul tell the church not to let anyone call evil what we call good? The answer to that question comes directly after the statement. We know that because of the little word “for.” Whenever you see the word “for” or “because” the question “Why?” is being answered.
Why Not Let Them?
Here’s why we should not let someone call evil what we consider good: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17, ESV). We shouldn’t allow people to call something evil that we call good BECAUSE the kingdom of God isn’t about those things. The kingdom of God isn’t about eating and drinking. The kingdom of God is about righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That’s what Paul is saying.
How Is That Helpful?
Maybe you’re like me and find yourself asking the question, “Ok Paul. How’s that helpful?” Again, his reasoning seems to point us toward ignoring the disagreement. We could easily think Paul is saying something like, “The kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking. So, stop focusing on them so much.” And, to be honest, this is how many interpreted this passage over the years. Yet, we cannot forget about verse sixteen which tells us to talk about these things and not ignore them.
Reading The Next Verse
When you are confused about what is happening in a particular verse—and unsure of its meaning/helpfulness—it is a good practice to read the next verse. Hopefully, you’ll find help there. That’s the case with this passage. The next verse says, “Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.” (Romans 14:18, ESV).
The “thus” in this verse is extremely important. The “thus” is referring to the previous verse—the one talking about the kingdom of God and righteousness and peace and joy. This verse is saying: whoever serves Christ IN THIS WAY—in righteousness, peace, and joy—is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Moving In The Right Direction
Now we’re getting somewhere. Paul is driving the conversation deeper than external things. In the Roman congregation, the division revolved around externals—eating and drinking. Some were saying certain foods were good to eat and others were saying they were evil to eat. At the core, all of them wanted their decision to be acceptable to God—whatever side they were on.
So, Paul tells them, “If you want to be acceptable to God, focus on righteousness, peace, and joy—not on the external things of eating and drinking. If you do that, you’ll also be approved by men.”
More To Come & A Takeaway
I’m going to leave you on a cliff-hanger. I’m going to end my post here and develop it more in the next one.
But here’s a takeaway point. There are going to be times when Christians disagree over issues that are not central and that do not distort the Gospel. When we find ourselves in these situations, we need to talk about it. Yet, as we’ve learned in this post, we also need to bring the conversation deeper than the external things. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. Whoever is serving Christ in these ways is acceptable to God—even if they disagree with you, even if it looks different on the outside.