In verse 13 God is reminding us not to judge one another in these matters any longer. We need to keep things in context. The warning given here is against hindering a brother from growing in the Lord. God is not making a blanket statement that we are to stop judging all together. That is what the New Evangelical crowd says. They do not care about doctrine. As long as a person claims to love Jesus, that is good enough. They cannot define what it means to love Jesus. They leave it up to the person making the statement to define it. Thus we have many people who claim salvation who have no salvation at all.
The key in the matters at hand is that we, those who are saved, should not put a stumblingblock before a brother. We should not cause a brother to fall. Again, we know that each person is accountable before the Lord. Even if some brother is doing wrong, I have no right to claim that as a reason to do wrong. However, we also have a responsibility to one another. We want to help the new believer to grow.
Gentiles are not the replacement for the Jews. However, there are many Gentiles who follow religions of works. If one of them gets saved, they will have some baggage with them. Those who understand these matters discussed in this passage, need to be careful not to abuse the liberty we have in Christ and cause a newer brother to doubt God.
I think back to my days in Bible school. I was a married man with three young children when we went to Bible school. I had been fighting with God about certain things for a number of years prior to finally yielding to Him. I went to Bible school to learn the truth. Some of the things they were trying to teach caused me to doubt my walk with God. All through my adult life, I had been taught that you cannot take the Bible at face value. You have to take culture and customs into consideration. When I went to Bible school I assumed this would be straightened out. What I discovered is that the Bible school was also New Evangelical and they were also undermining Biblical authority. God was gracious to me and He kept me from falling. He kept me from throwing up my arms in despair. He used the environment I was in to drive me closer to a right foundation upon His Word.
I would never counsel any born again Christian to go to a school like the one I went to. I did not know any better at the time, and the church I attended had nothing better to offer me. God does not expect us to be thrown to the wolves while we are infants. He wants us to be trained by godly men who love the Lord and have grown to trust Him. My three years of formal Bible school were a precursor for further testing as a pastor. I was forced to make a choice. Either God’s Word was true and I could trust it in all things, or it was not true and was a “living” document, meaning that it was an ever changing book.
God showed me that His Word is true and can be fully trusted. I believe the Bible school I attended was a stumblingblock for me and for many others. I thank God for protecting me during those years and after that as well.
Some of those who read these devotionals may have discerned that I care about the deception that so many professing Christians have chosen to follow. I know the same God that brought me to where I am today is well capable of doing the same for others as well. It concerns me that so few are being moved along. It suggests there are many who do not have life.
In verse 14 the apostle Paul spoke as a man who had come to the place where he was persuaded that he had the truth. Notice how Paul was persuaded. It was by the Lord Jesus. It was not by Peter or John or any other apostle. He had once been a dedicated student of Gamaliel. He appreciated Peter and John and the other apostles. However, he appreciated the Lord Jesus even more. He could grow because he had one master.
He was persuaded that there was nothing unclean of itself. There were newer Christians who were still following the Old Testament law and they were still bound by that which was finished. Jesus Christ fulfilled the sacrificial law. They did not need to bring a lamb or a turtle dove or a bullock or any other sacrifice any more. Soon the temple would be destroyed and that would be removed. The temple was to be the house of God. However, the Jews had lost sight of its’ true purpose long ago. It was going to be removed and God would not have another temple on earth until the Millennium. The antichrist will build one and the Jews will flock to that empty building. That is the secular Jews. The antichrist will lead many of them to their death through his deceptive ways.
In verse 15 Paul was still dealing with a brother. The weaker brother did not yet know the liberty that he had in Christ. He would not eat meat. It might be that it was pork, or it might be that he assumed or suspected it had been offered to idols. It would be foolish and irresponsible for the stronger brother to scoff at this and despise the weaker brother. Paul stated that to disregard the concerns of the weaker brother was uncharitable. To disregard this brother would be to destroy him. That is of no benefit to anyone. Jesus Christ died for that weaker brother. As we see in the book of Romans, we do not tolerate the weaker brother and leave him in that state. It is a matter of how we help that brother along.
In verse 16 we are reminded of the importance of keeping a good name. If we harm the weaker brother we lose his respect and we cannot help him further. If we show him the love of God we will be able to help him further.
In verse 17 we see that the kingdom of God is more than meat and drink. Our flesh likes meat and drink. We like to sit down to a full table. The flesh does not mind emptying that table and filling our bellies. However, what is of greater importance is God’s righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We want to see all believers enjoying the blessings of the Lord.
In verse 18 we see that in showing respect for the weaker brother we serve Christ. In serving Christ we are acceptable to God. That is what any true believer wants to be. We want to know that God is pleased with what we are doing. If we do that, we will also be approved of men. This again is not with regard to compromise. There are too many men who throw away doctrine in order to gain a greater following. They get that, but they lose the respect of those who know the Lord and are seeking to walk with Him faithfully. That is the point here.
In verse 19 we are challenged to follow after the things that make for peace. This peace is first of all peace with God. We do not throw out doctrine to try to find peace with those who do not love the Lord.
I can sympathize with those who have grown frustrated in their area. They may have attended a church at some point and they have grown in the Lord, and seen the failure of the local church. They may have sought to talk to the pastor about their concerns but he was not interested in truth. Thus they have withdrawn and go nowhere. I sympathize with them to a point. However, the answer is not to withdraw and go nowhere. The devil wins then. The answer is to ask God to show you where He wants you to be. He does not want orphans who have to scrounge for food wherever. Ephesians 4:11-16 tells us that He wants us to be well fed by His servants: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. He does not tell us one or two of those will do. We need them all. The apostles and prophets are the Word of God. The evangelists, pastors and teachers are the godly living men that can help us now. Those men must not stray from what the apostles and prophets wrote down for us. They will carefully and consistently teach the whole counsel of God. As we do that, there will be those who will oppose the truth. That is nothing new. There may be a few who will yield to the truth. In every generation God has a few faithful men. For those who claim there is no good church, what are you leaving for your children? Do you actually love them? If you do, you will want to make sure they know where to find good food.
There is no perfect church on this earth. If God is leading you, praise Him for that. Pray for your pastor and if he does not want to feed the flock God has given Him, then ask God to show you where you can be fed properly. Don’t go from poor to poorer. Often times that is what happens. A self-made man is usually dangerous. He has a problem with pride and will not submit even to God’s Word.
God keeps His Word. He knows all about the apostasy that is so prevalent today. He has also provided the way for His children to grow in Him. That way is still through His Word and through a faithful local church. That will not change as long as we are in this present dispensation. Following Him obediently is the way of blessing, for the present and for the future.
Pastor Bartel