Do not pass judgment. Romans 14:1-4

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

If you did a quick overview of Romans 14, then you would know that the first three verses are inherently tied together. One of the first things you see is the word judgment; however, if all you used was, say, the NASB, you might not understand why Paul uses the word judgment. I will try to explain.

Romans 14:1 NASB Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

How would you know this person, who just walked in the door, is weak in their faith, and what does it mean to be weak in faith?

You wouldn’t know, that is unless you had some in-depth conversation. And, just because these “new” people don’t see things the way you do, does not necessarily mean they are weak in faith.

[As I write this, the United States is shutting down mode over the Covid 19 virus. Not knowing what is affecting me physically, and the fact that my sinuses began draining again, I opted not to take any lip off of people at church, and stay home. Since the church I attend is a modified “faith” church, although they will not tell you that, to some, my actions would indicate that I did not have enough faith. Given the global circumstances, I would be very annoyed if someone started coughing all over me. Does that make me weak in faith?]

Let's look at other translations and see if we get any clarification.

Welcome with open arms, fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

(Romans 14:1 MSG)

Did you catch that, he is not just talking about someone who is merely weak in their faith, he is talking about fellow believers who don't see things the way you do? Well, there are two or three conflicting opinions to every truth you might be expressing.

An example. Sitting in a home-group, “of men,” a man showed up who was reasonably new to the church. The assumption was made that this guy knows nothing. So, in an attempt to show off some biblical prowess, based on tradition and opinion, and not the word, the question was asked, how big do you think David was when he slew Goliath? The man who asked the question is someone I have known for close to twenty years and, the standard religious tradition is that David was a boy of about 12 years. When no one would dare to answer the question I said, I will take a crack at it, and said, about six foot four inches tall, or so. Well, guess what happened, I got verbally mugged because I said something with which they did not agree. By the way, there is biblical evidence that David was about that tall, but I will leave that to you to find out.

Some of these people can be very opinionated and therefore come as though they know everything. Another example came to mind when an ex-pastor brought in stacks of the book, “The Shack,” by William Paul Young. That Pastor said it had impacted his life, and he wanted others to read it. I bought one. I struggled a bit with the book because the imagery was not what I was used to. If you read Eugene Peterson's book, “What's So Amazing About Grace,” you came to learn that in his church, in the South, racism was simply a way of life.

While it may not have been so openly visible for me, I strongly suspect that racism ran through the church I attended as well; these hidden racist attitudes caused some of my struggle as I read The Shack. The Holy Spirit told me to shut up and keep reading, and I did, but I still approached a man at our church who had a Theological Doctorate and asked him about “The Shack” because I wanted answers. His response was, I will not discuss something that is filled with such weak theology. I never bothered him again.

To be honest, I struggled with the crowd passing judgment against me that evening, and yet, I have passed judgment against them. The brother who asked about David's height, went on, several years later, to lead a study in Romans, just as I am still doing, months after the other has ended. I dropped out after some time, rather than to get into contentious arguments, primarily because my friend was teaching Warren Wiersbe's commentary on Romans. While some of that information could be deemed useful, I also found aspects that grieve me, such as: telling the audience that the book of Romans was primarily written to the Gentile world.

Here is where the idea that Romans is a Gentile's book comes into play.

Romans 14:2 NLT  For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.

You get some freshly converted Jew, and they will come undone if you hand them a pulled pork sandwich. 

Would that bother a Gentile? 

Hardly. So if he is talking to Gentiles, then why have this discussion? Perhaps there is more to this idea of eating anything. 

Peterson's Message says this.

For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. (Romans 14:2 MSG)

Interesting, how Peterson says, “ while another, with a different background might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly.” 

Since you know your Bible, then I will bring up that Peter was the Apostle to the Gentiles, but that didn't last long. 

How do we know this? Because of this.

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (Acts 10:9-16 NIV)

Immediately after this, Peter was called to the home of Cornelius, the Centurion.

The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius, the Centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say." (Acts 10:22 NIV)

This Centurion was a Roman Gentile. Watch what happened.

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." (Acts 11:1-3 NIV)

Obviously, for most of the Jews, their faith was not strong enough to handle Peter's sitting with Gentiles, let alone the eating part. Why because these new converts may have been willing to eat pulled pork and lobster?

Romans 14:3 NIV  The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.

What did Eugene Peterson say?

“Welcome with open arms, fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with.”

Is this also Paul's way of telling these Jews that the Gentiles are acceptable? 

The Complete Jewish Bible tells us:

The one who eats anything must not look down on the one who abstains; and the abstainer must not pass judgment on the one who eats anything, because God has accepted him— (Romans 14:3 CJB)

There does not seem to be anything abnormal, as one is merely abstaining. This can work both ways. But let's pursue what might not be said in this rant. The first church council was made up of Apostles, Jews, and they held tightly to their Jewishness. So when they gave instructions to the “Gentile” believers, they merely said,

but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. (Acts 15:20 NASB)

This did not explain the reasons why you don’t consume the blood, as it is for most, just disgusting. Paul takes it a step further.

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 has 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 sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not 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 through your knowledge, he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. (1 Corinthians 8:1-11 NASB)

So it has more to do with freedoms and liberty, and Paul practically uses the same language here, as he did in the letter to the church in Rome.

While I intend to include this next verse in the future study, it is undoubtedly, and contextually, an aspect of this conversation.

Romans 14:4 NASB Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master, he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Consider these words:

“Who are you to judge the servant of another?”

What does that mean?

Paul, as I have pointed out on several occasions, opened this letter in this manner.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1 NASB)

Do you not realize that we are all bond-servants?

And if we are bond-servants, then this portion of this verse stands true.

“To his own master, he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

If scripture is true, and it is, then we will either stand or fall because we are the Lords. Thank God, He will make us stand, not only in this world but also in the world to come.

After hearing these words, I felt like I could fit in somewhere. Romans 1:1-20

This study will look at Romans 1:18.

Romans 1:18-19 NASB: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (19) because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

Now, if you are one of those who advocate that all sinners should be sent to the Great White Throne and only find the portals of hell waiting for them, then perhaps this is for you, as the passage we are going to cover can give you that impression if you merely glance at the verse. But you should know me by now, as I tear everything apart, and we will do that; however, as I often do, I want to give you a glimpse into my life and hopefully make it relatable.

I recently had the opportunity to go to a men's retreat put on by two Vineyard Churches. We had done something like this two years before, and then it was titled “No Man Left Behind.” I felt like I got thrown under the bus, and I returned home as miserable as I came. These events, much like our relationship with Christ, will give you as much as you invest in them. With that in mind, I got to camp this time and almost immediately decided to jump in with both feet; besides, the speaker caught my attention.

The speaker was Dr. Eric Sandras (You can find several of his books on Amazon.com). We were told to call him Dr. E, and we came to find out that he has a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Relations, and that he has spent nearly a decade as a Human Sexuality instructor at various universities and colleges. So, at one meeting, we had an opportunity to ask any sexual questions we had. You might think that in a “holy” environment we wouldn't speak of such things, but our silence, discomfort, and false bravado, along with our phony acts of sucking up the horrible pains around us while trying to act brave, is nothing less than passive-aggressive behavior. (Passive-aggressive behavior has been a lifetime battle for me, and it is a battle that comes out of Co-Dependency.) 

The disastrous side of passive-aggressive behavior is that, like Mount St. Helens in Washington State, USA, you will eventually blow off that pressure with disastrous results. I know this from experience.

When Dr. “E” opened the series of meetings, the first thing he did was read off a card that they use to introduce people to the church. It looks like this.

After hearing these words, I felt like I could fit in somewhere. Since I am not in a position to move to Colorado Springs, I guess my mission is to make sure that others who correspond with this description fit in as well.

Many will see a description like the one in the photo, realize that some of us are accepting those who are broken, and complain, loudly, that we are NOT pointing out their sin; how could I respond to that?

Good lord, if they, in their broken conditions, are reading this, trust me, they know they are broken and thirsty; I know I did.

John's gospel tells us that Jesus had an answer to this.

Now on the last day of the festival, Hoshana Rabbah (the Feast of Tabernacles,) Yeshua stood and cried out, If anyone is thirsty, let him keep coming to me and drinking! John 7:37 CJB

There were no accusations or restrictions on when or how you should come; He merely said, come, and by your coming and getting closer to Jesus, the more you begin to look and act like Him.

Another example looks like this.

 

Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. (24) The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Matthew 4:23-24 NASB

Matthew 4:23, though many see this verse as talking about sicknesses for which you merely take some pill, it demonstrates the same attitude that the welcome card conveys: you are welcome here. 

Eugene Peterson's Message puts it this way,

"From there, he went all over Galilee. He used synagogues for meeting places and taught people the truth of God. God’s kingdom was his theme--that beginning right now they were under God’s government, a good government! He also healed people of their diseases and of the bad effects of their bad lives." Matthew 4:23 MSG

Jesus healed diseases, but the book of Acts in chapter 10:38 associated those same diseases with demonic oppression; however, there are, without a doubt, bad effects from our relationships and choices.

As I sat through these meetings, I heard things that my “religious” upbringing wanted to conflict with; but I also heard the Holy Spirit say to me, as He had done before, you relax and listen, and all will be explained to you. I don't expect many of you to understand this, but I cried all weekend. Imagine a six-foot-four-inch, 280-pound bear of a man, crying. I had powerful men praying over me all weekend long. Some I voluntarily submitted to, while others just approached me, asking me if they could share what they had heard from the Holy Spirit, and then proceeded to tell me things they would not have known otherwise. These guys poured into my life, life from the Spirit of God, and spoke healing over me. 

For my part, I have to trust the process as I continue to put the Word of God into my life.

With that in mind, let's look at Romans 1:18

Romans 1:18-19 AMP: "For God's [holy] wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. (19) For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them."

After the question-and-answer session, I felt a little overwhelmed; in moments like this, I have learned to relax and let the Holy Spirit sort things out for me. I trust the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth and to help me discern when something is not right. Simply because the topics are uncomfortable to me does not make them wrong, and this was not wrong. For several in the audience, the things that were discussed were pure ungodliness and reeked of unrighteousness; why? Because, as I explained to one of the attendees, some people, with their legalistic point of view, are wound much too tightly. After coming down off the mountain, I made this same statement to my friends/accountability partners, and one of them asked me, what does it mean to be wound too tightly? 

Since I had an excellent example of this at the camp, I demonstrated what a brother did and said while we were there. 

We had been given icebreaker questions, and one of the questions was, what was the funniest thing that happened to you this weekend? 

While my answer was not funny at the time, several hours later, at lunch, I could laugh about it. Now it was the turn of another Christian brother from the church I attend. 

When he opened his mouth, he began an angry rant about how we were merely accepting people's sin, and how none of the pastors among us were addressing God's wrath and outrage over such sins. I happen to know this brother, and he fatigues himself fretting about sin; and, when he attempts to teach mature believers, they too have to endure his rants about sin.

It is sad how many are focused only on God’s potential wrath and indignation. As I said, with a simplistic read, it is easy to perceive Romans 1:18,19 as nothing less than ominous. So let's tear the verse apart.

• Wrath is the Greek word orgē and means desire (by analogy) violent passion; by implication, punishment: anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.

If I substitute alternate wording in for the wrath, I get, For the violent passion of God. 

I always look at everything in light of God's character, which is Love. 

Can God get violently passionate? 

Absolutely, and we saw this when Jesus took the time to make a whip and drive the money changers and buyers out of the temple's outer court.

"And the Jews' Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." (John 2:13-17 KJV)

The word wrath shows up in the book of Revelation in three chapters: Rev 6:16-17; Rev 14:10; and Rev 19:15. 

There is no doubt that God is angry in these instances, but the recipients are spelled out in Scripture and have had their chances at mercy, no less than anybody else.

• Revealed is the Greek word apokaluptō, and it means to take off the cover; that is, to disclose: reveal. This word apokaluptō should be a familiar word, as it has strong similarities to the title of the Revelation; here, the Greek word is apokalupsis but still means disclosure.

To again substitute words in place of what we have so far: For the violent passion of God is disclosed from heaven, 

but for what purpose?

• Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. Well, that sounds relatively decisive.  The Greek word for ungodliness is asebeia and also means impiety and/or wickedness. Impiety is defined as ungodliness; irreverence towards the Supreme Being; contempt of the divine character and authority; neglect of the divine precepts. Unrighteousness is the Greek word adikia and means (legal) injustice (properly the quality, by implication the act); moral wrongfulness (of character, life or act): iniquity, unjust, unrighteousness, wrong.

In continuing to substitute words and phrases into the verse, we get: For the violent passion of God is disclosed from heaven, against all irreverence of God, contempt of His character, and neglect of His precepts.

The dictionary explanation of the word precepts goes like this: “In a general sense, any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action, but applied particularly to commands respecting moral conduct.”

We who follow Christ are deemed by God to be in Christ. 

This wrath that is to be poured out would have been meant for us, but since Christ took the wrath that we deserved upon himself, we do not have to endure that wrath. 

Here is where most have problems, as they cannot distinguish between the tribulations that are a part of being in this world and the wrath that is to come (see Romans 5:9 or 1Thessalonians 1:10). 

The wrath that is coming is to be poured out upon the nations, the Jews, and those who have displayed irreverence of God, contempt of His character, and neglect of His precepts. 

Sorry, you don't get to stop here, as the wrath is directed at particular people.

• Of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Suppress seems simple enough, that is, until you look the word up in the Greek. It is the word katechō and means to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively): - have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X, make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold. Thayer's definitions indicate: to restrain, hinder (the course or progress of). Take a moment to read Romans 2:8,9

Working off what we have so far: For the violent passion of God is disclosed from heaven, against all irreverence of God, contempt of His character, and neglect of His precepts, of men who have restrained others from finding the truth, and in many cases have hindered the people from the truth.

Are you aware that Isaiah 53 is a forbidden chapter in Israel's Synagogues? 

What does Isaiah 53 speak of? 

The Messiah and the price He was to pay by His death.

I was angrily confronted one day when a brother in Christ tried to dispute the idea that Jesus could come back at any minute. 

This brother in Christ told me that everybody, according to Scripture, had to have a printed copy of the Bible before Christ could return. I think for some, this will be bad news, and Romans 1:19 is the reason why.

Romans 1:19-20 NLT: "They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.  (20)  For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

 Creation testifies of God, and therefore, nobody will have an excuse as they stand before God.