By Charles R Erdman
III. Practical Exhortations. Chs.
12:1 to 15:13
A. AS MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. Ch.
12 1. The Appeal to Consecration.
Ch. 12: 1,2
1 I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God, which is your spiritual
service. 2 And be not fashioned
according to this world: but be
ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove
what is the good and acceptable
and perfect will of God.
Paul always bases duty upon
doctrine; he traces life to
belief; he shows that character
is determined by creed.
Therefore, when in twelve
chapters of his epistle he has
set forth in logical fashion the
great doctrines of the Christian
faith, he proceeds to give a
series of practical exhortations
which indicate how Christian
believers ought to live. These
exhortations are in large
measure summarized by a
comprehensive appeal to
consecration. Vs. 1, 2. This
appeal is linked to the
preceding portion of the epistle
by a logical and significant
connective, "therefore." "I
beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,' writes
the apostle. These "mercies of
God;' point back to the
statements that Christians have
been justified by faith in
Christ the Son, that they are
being sanctified by the power of
the Holy Spirit, and that they
are to be glorified as heirs of
God the Father. In view of such
mercies comes the appeal to
consecration. This is the real
logic of Christianity. We do not
serve God to win his favor but
because we have received his
favor we serve him in gratitude
and love. This appeal to consecration is
twofold. It is described as an
act and an activity, as a crisis
and a process, as a gift and a
life. The act is pictured, in figures
drawn from the Old Testament
ritual, as a "sacrifice." V.
1. Our bodies, and thus, too,
our souls of which our bodies
are agents and
instruments, are to be offered
to God once for all in a
definite act of self-dedication.
This sacrifice is described as
"living,' in contrast with the
ancient sacrifices the life of
which was taken before the
offering was placed upon the
altar; in fact, our bodies and
spirits are to be animated by
the new life which comes from
faith in Christ. This sacrifice
is "holy," that is,
"consecrated," separated from
sin, and separated unto the
service of God. It is certain to
be "acceptable to God," like the
rising in his presence of a
"sweet savor" offering of old.
Such a sacrifice is further
described as a supreme form of
religious service; it is
"spiritual" in contrast with
offerings which were merely
material and physical; it is a
"service," that is, a cult or
priestly ritual; in fact, such
an act of consecration forms the
most sublime of liturgies. This act, however, must be
followed by an activity. This
gift of self must issue in a
life of service, this dedication
of the body must result in a
transformation of character and
in doing the will of God. V. 2. This new activity is described
both negatively and positively.
One so consecrated to God must
not be "fashioned according to
this world." The phrase "this
world,' or "age," pictures the
sphere or form of life from
which God is excluded, the
spirit of which is selfishness,
the prince of which is Satan.
One who belongs to God must not
be controlled by worldly
precepts, by selfish motives, by
sinful impulses. On the other
hand, he must be "transformed"
by accepting the -will of Christ
as the controlling principle of
his life and by allowing the
continual indwelling of the
Spirit of Christ as the
dominating power of his life.
His character and conduct will
not be determined by a mere
imitation of Christ, but by the
transforming energy of a divine,
indwelling presence, irradiating
his whole being. The supreme
purpose of such a moral and
spiritual transfiguration is
that one may "prove," or find
out by practical personal
experience, what the will of God
is, that is, what is in itself
"good,'" what is "acceptable" to
God, what is ethically complete
and "perfect." Such a blessed experience,
issuing from a true consecration
of self, should be enjoyed by
everyone who has known
the power of the gospel and has
accepted the manifold mercies of
God. 2. The Exercise of Gifts. Ch. 12:3-8
3 For I say, through the grace
that was given me, to every man
that is among you, not to think
of himself more highly than he
ought to think; but so to think
as to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to each man a
measure of faith. 4 For even as
we have many members in one
body, and all the members have
not the same office: 5 so we,
who are many, are one body in
Christ, and severally members
one of another. 6 And having
gifts differing according to the
grace that was given to us,
whether prophecy, let us
prophesy according to the
proportion of our faith; 7 or
ministry, let us give ourselves
to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; 8 or
he that exhorteth, to his
exhorting: he that giveth, let
him do it with liberality; he
that ruleth, with diligence; he
that showeth mercy, with
cheerfuness.
Having made his comprehensive
appeal for consecration of life,
the apostle proceeds to indicate
more in particular the duties
which devolve upon Christians,
and first of all he enjoins
those which belong to them as
members of the Church. He begins
with an exhortation to humility
in exercising the different
gifts and opportunities for
service which are granted to
believers. He intimates that
such humility will be a natural
result of true dedication to
God. Such may be the force of
the word "for" with which the
exhortation opens; since if we
have given ourselves wholly to
God, and if all our talents and
gifts for service are intrusted
to us by him, we may be expected
to have a humble opinion of
ourselves. Paul was himself an example of
such humility as he gave this
very advice, since he indicated
that he did so "through the
grace that was given" him. His
authority asa teacher, his
opportunity for advising his
readers, were thus assigned by
him to the goodness and grace of
God, leaving no occasion of
self-exaltation or pride. Toa similarly humble judgment of
himself each member -of the
Church is exhorted; he is urged
"not to think of himself more
highly than he ought to think;
but so to think as to think
soberly"; and surely each one
needs
such an exhortation, for to
himself each one is naturally
the most important person in the
world, and it is difficult to
regard others with a due sense
of moral proportion. Whatever
differences exist must be due to
a divine provision, "according
as God hath dealt to each man a
measure of faith." Thus;
whatever estimates we place upon
ourselves, all must be
controlled by the humility which
is inspired when we remember
that we belong to God and that
whatever we are and possess
comes from him. A further safeguard against
pride is found in the fact that
in the Christian Church there is
a wide variety of gifts; no one
should expect to possess all the
talents and to do all the work
necessary for the life of the
Church. As in the human body
there are many members, each
with its spec!2i function, so
all believers, because of their
common relation to Christ, form
one body in which each member
has a definite place to fill and
a special work to do. The gifts
which are granted to the several
members are to be exercised not
with a view to securing praise
or for gratifying vanity but for
the benefit of the whole body. If one possesses the gift of
prophecy, by which is meant not
so much the ability to predict
as the power of unfolding and
preaching the revealed will of
God, he should exercise this
gift not in proud
self-confidence or with vain
endeavor to be original but
within the limits of his own
belief and in accordance with
the faith God has granted him. One may have a special gift for
ministering to the*needs of his
fellow Christians; another may
have a gift for teaching
spiritual truth; still another
may find that his gift lies in
the ability to speak words of
wisdom and comfort. To one God gives a spirit of
liberality, or of sincere
unselfishness which fits him for
the work of supplying relief to
those who are in need. To
another is given the grace of
diligence, or moral earnestness,
to equip him for his sphere of
leadership in the Church; to
another is granted a spirit of
cheerfulness, of joyfulness and
sunny brightness, which
qualifies him to visit the sick
and the poar and the sorrowing, However, each talent is to be
applied, each gift is to be
exercised, with a humble regard
to the limits of one's own
appointed task and with a desire
to benefit others, for whose
common good each gift is
allotted and each talent is
designed. 3. The Manifestation of Love.
Ch. 12:9-21
9 Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor that which is evil; cleave
to that which is good. 10 In
love of the brethren be tenderly
affectioned one to another; in
honor preferring one another; 11
in diligence not slothful;
fervent in spirit; serving the
Lord, 12 rejoicing in hope;
patient in tribulation;
continuing stedfastly in prayer;
13 communicating to the
necessities of the saints, given
to hospitality. 14 Bless them
that persecute you; bless, and
curse not. 15 Rejoice with them
that rejoice; weep with them
that weep. 16 Be of the same
mind one toward another. Set not
your mind on high things, but
condescend to things that are
lowly. Be not wise in your own
conceits. 17 Render to no man
evil for evil. Take thought for
things honorable in the sight of
all men. 18 If it be possible,
as much as in you lieth, be at
peace with all men. 19 Avenge
not yourselves, beloved, but
give place unto the wrath of
God: for it is written,
Vengeance belongeth unto me; I
will recompense, saith the Lord.
20 But if thine enemy hunger,
feed him; if he thirst, give him
to drink: for in so doing thou
shalt heap coals of fire upon
his head. 21 Be not overcome of
evil, but overcome evil with
good.
Having urged upon his readers
the need of humility in the
exercise of their various gifts,
Paul next exhorts them to
manifest love toward all their
fellow members in the Church of
Christ. It is true, the
paragraph contains many related
maxims for Christian living, but
love seems to be the ruling
thought. Thus humility, "the
most beautiful flower in the
Christian garden," is linked
here with charity, "which is the
bond of perfectness." This love
must be "without hypocrisy,"
unfeigned, neither hiding what
one is nor pretending to be what
one is not; and it must not
countenance moral weakness or
allow mutual indulgence; it
should make one shrink in horror
from "that which is evil" and
hold with determination to "that
which is good." In the matter of love for fellow
Christians, as toward brethren
in the one family of God, there
must be not only moral purity
but also warm affection, with a
real eagerness to show honor
each to the other. Zeal in
Christian
service must not be allowed to
flag. The "spiritual glow" must
be maintained. The absorbing aim
of life must be to serve the
Lord Christ. The hope of future
blessedness should be a source
of joy even in the midst of
severe persecutions, which
indeed must be endured with
patience. Continual prayer,
maintained with consistency and
effort. will make such patience
possible. Love must be shown
further by sharing one's goods
with needy Christians, and by
making a practice of showing
hospitality. While such charity is to mark
our attitude toward our fellow
Christians, we are to show the
same disposition toward all men.
We must bless and not curse our
persecutors. We must be
sympathetic, quite as ready to
rejoice with those who rejoice
as we are to do the thing which
is quite as easy, namely, to
"weep with them that weep." We must maintain a loving
harmony with one another.
Instead of cherishing selfish
ambitions, we must give
ourselves over to humble tasks.
We must not be self-conceited. Even to our enemies we are not
to repay evil for evil. We are
so to live as not to provoke
enmity, so to live that our
conduct may commend itself as
honorable to men; if possible we
are to live at peace with all
men, at any rate so far as
concerns our own part. Even when wronged we are not to
take revenge, but are to let the
wrath of God have its way. He
will right our wrongs; for we
have the promise, "Vengeance
belongeth unto me; I will
recompense, saith the Lord." On the contrary, as contrasted
either with taking revenge or
resigning the case to the
judgment of God, we must do as
the Scripture bids, Prov. 25 :
21, 22:
"If thine enemy be hungry, give
him bread to eat; And if he be
thirsty, give him water to
drink: For thou wilt heap coals
of fire upon his head";
by which is meant, " You will
make him feel that burning sense
of shame and remorse which comes
to one whose unkindness is
repaid by love.'" In a word, do
not let the evil done to you
drive you to revenge, but
overcome evil by the good you do
to your adversary, transforming
him from an enemy into a friend.
B. AS CITIZENS OF THE STATE. Ch.
13
1, Civil Duties. Ch. 13:1-7
1 Let every soul be in
subjection to the higher powers:
for there is no power but of
God; and the powers that be are
ordained of God. 2 Therefore he
that resisteth the power,
withstandeth the ordinance of
God: and they that withstand
shall receive to themselves
judgment. 3 For rulers are not a
terror to the good work, but to
the evil. And wouldest thou have
no fear of the power? do that
which is good, and thou shalt
have praise from the same: 4 for
he is a minister of God to thee
for good. But if thou do that
which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain:
for he is a minister of God, an
avenger for wrath to him that
doeth evil. 5 Wherefore ye must
needs be in subjection, not only
because of the wrath, but also
for conscience' sake. 6 For for
this cause ye pay tribute also;
for they are ministers of God's
service, attending continually
upon this very thing. 7 Render
to all their dues: tribute to
whom tribute is due; custom to
whom custom; fear to whom fear;
honor to whom honor.
In the preceding chapter Paul
has been pointing out to
Christians their duty of showing
humility and love as members of
the Church; here he enforces the
duty of loyalty as citizens of
the State. The Church and the
State occupy different spheres,
according to the apostle, yet
both are divine institutions.
All attempts to combine the
functions of Church and State
lead to serious confusion.
However, because he is a member
of the Church, a Christian is
not free from his duties to the
State, but rather is under
obligation to perform these
duties with the greater
faithfulness. What local conditions may have
led Paul to discuss (the
question of Christian
citizenship is largely a matter
of conjecture. Yet evidently it was
necessary that the church \in
the Roman capital should not be
misled by any false ideas as to
the nature of the Kingdom of
God, that it "should not be
allied with any movements which
tended toward anarchy,
insurrection, or rebellion. All
Christians need to have a
definite understanding of their
right relation to the State, and to accept
sound principles of Christian
politics. These principles were
all included in the
comprehensive rule of the
Master: "Render unto Cesar the
things that are Cesar's, and
unto God the things that are
God's.'" Here Paul expands this
rule in more detail and with
more fullness than elsewhere in
his writings, yet with marked
sobriety, wisdom, and restraint. "Let every soul be in subjection
to the higher powers," writes
the apostle. The duty of
submission to civil authorities
is thus without exception, no
matter how high or privileged
one's social position may be, no
matter what political theories
one may hold, no matter what
religious views one may profess. The reason for such individual
and universal submission is
found in the fact that civil
government has its source in
God: "The powers that be are
ordained of God." Therefore to
resist the authorized officers
of the government is to resist
God, for they are his rightful
representatives; and such
resistance will receive
condemnation, by human
authorities and by' divine
sanction, for "they that
withstand shall receive to
themselves judgment." Another reason for submission to
civil authorities is the beneficent aim of human
government, "for rulers are not
a terror to the good work, but
to the evil." Therefore one who conducts himself rightly
need have no fear of civil
officials, but one who is
lawless in his behavior may.
well stand in dread, for "the
sword" as the symbol of power to
punish, is not given to a ruler
"in vain." The ruler will
inflict penalties when they are
demanded and he will do so as an
administrator of divine justice,
"a minister of God, an avenger
for wrath to him that doeth
evil."
Therefore obedience must
be rendered to rulers not only
as a matter of prudence but also
as a matter of conscience, not
only because it is dangerous to
resist but also because it is
right to submit to the
representatives of God. We
recognize this principle of the
divine right of the State when
we pay taxes for the support of
its functions; as Paul declares,
"For this cause ye pay tribute
also; for they are ministers of
God's service." Therefore Paul
concludes his exhortation and
prepares the way for the next
paragraph by a general
injunction which covers all the
their dues"; and he specifies
four forms of such dues which
have been interpreted as
follows: "tribute' even to a
foreign superior power; "custom"
for government support; "fear"
or respectful awe for one in
power; "honor" paid to a ruler. Therefore, the important
principles of Christian
citizenship set forth in this
paragraph include the
conceptions that one has
obligations to the State in
addition to-his obligations to
the Church; that human
government is a divine
institution; that its purpose is
beneficent, two of its main
functions being to protect and
help those who do right and to
restrain and punish evildoers;
and therefore that loyalty to
civil authorities is the duty of
every follower of Christ. In this connection, however, two
or three observations should be
made: First, no particular form of
government is hereby commended
or advocated by the apostle.
Almost any form is better than
anarchy, and in so far is worthy
of loyal support. Second, loyalty does not
preclude endeavors to improve a
government; nor does it forbid
one from raising the question as
to whether a particular officer
or group of officers rightly
represents a government. There
is such a thing as the divine
right of the State, but there is
also a divine right of
revolution. Paul, however, is
stating a general principle for
normal conditions. Third, one must be loyal to the
government even in spite of the
character of the civil rulers,
who may be selfish, arbitrary,
oppressive, and immoral men.
Paul urged loyalty to Nero. The
Roman Government was a benefit
to mankind in spite of the
Caesars. Fourth, one must not disobey
conscience in submitting " to
civil government. Without being
a rebel he can refuse to do what he regards as wrong,
but he must patiently endure the
penalty. _ Fifth, while duties
to the Church are distinct from
duties to the State, the
performance of either is equally
binding upon a Christian. The
payment of a tax may be as real
an expression of spiritual life
as the offering of a public
prayer.
2. The Animating Principle of
Love. Ch. 13:8-10
8 Owe no man anything, save to
love one another: for he that
loveth his neighbor hath
fulfilled the law. 9 For this,
Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt
not steal, Thou shalt not covet,
and if there be any other
commandment, it is summed up in
this word, namely, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. 10
Love worketh no ill to his
neighbor: love therefore is the
fulfilment of the law.
After insisting upon loyalty to
the officials of the State, Paul
proceeds to enforce the
principle of love, which must
control the relations of a
Christian toward all his fellow
citizens in the State. He has
been saying that one must pay
every lawful obligation to the
government; he now reminds his
readers that one must also pay
every just debt to his neighbor;
but that there is one obligation
which he must continue paying,
even though it can never be
discharged fully, namely, the
debt of love. "Owe no man
anything, save to love one
another." The reason why love is of so
great importance consists in the
fact that love is the
fulfillment of all law, and law
is the very foundation of the
State. Paul has just shown that
no Christian is exempt from
loyalty; he is declaring that
one who loves his neighbor will
not injure his neighbor, but
will fulfill toward him all that
the law demands. One who loves
will not borrow from a neighbor
that which he cannot repay; he
will not wrong his neighbor by
adultery, theft, murder, or
covetousness. In fact, all
special precepts are summarized
in that of love; so that love
becomes for a Christian the
great principle which takes the
place of law, and yet which
makes possible the fulfillment
of law. So it is that every
conceivable moral requirement is
summed up in this one New
Testament commandment, "Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself." It is evident, then,
that if one has the same regard
for the welfare and happiness of
his neighbor as he has toward
his own, he will work "no ill to
his neighbor"; he will fulfill
inevitably all that the law
requires and all that love
demands. 3. The Purifying Motive of Hope.
Ch. 13:11-14
11 And this,
knowing the season, that already
it is time for you to awake out
of sleep: for now is salvation
nearer to us
than when we first believed. 12
The night is far spent, and the
day is at hand: let us therefore
cast off the works of darkness,
and let us put on the armor of
light. 13 Let us walk
becomingly, as in the day; not
in revelling and drunkenness,
not in chambering and
wantonness, not in strife and
jealousy. 14 But put ye on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make not
provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts thereof.
To enforce the duties on which
he has been dwelling the apostle
now appeals to the hope of the
completed salvation which
Christians are to enjoy at the
return of Christ: "And this
[do]," particularly this
continual paying of the debt of
love, " knowing [as you do] the
season," the definite period
marked out by the Master as
preceding his return, "that
already it is time for you to
awake out of sleep." In
view of the coming of the Lord,
the readers are exhorted to
arouse themselves from all
spiritual indifference because
their perfected salvation, when
they are to be glorified with
Christ, is nearer than when they
first believed on him. Paul
seems to borrow his figures of
speech from the actions of a
Roman soldier who, as the dawn
approached, awoke from slumber,
laid aside the garments in which
he had been sleeping, put on his
gleaming armor, and stepped
forth gladly to greet the day.
Paul declares ' that his readers
should regard the night of their
distress and sorrow as nearly
passed and the day of their
deliverance and glory as about
to dawn. They should cast off '
the deeds and habits which
belong to the unbelieving '
world and to the kingdom of
darkness. They should put on
the bright armor of the
Christian soldier, the matchless "armor of God." They should go
forth to walk worthily of their
heavenly calling. Avoiding all
intemperance, impurity, and
unkindness, they should identify
themselves wholly with Christ in
every purpose and act, putting
on his perfectness of character,
and making no provision for
gratifying the sensual desires
and appetites by which they were
formerly controlled. They should
so live that with gladness they
could greet their returning
Lord. C. QUESTIONS OF CONSCIENCE. Chs.
14:1 to 15:13
1. Do Not Judge Others. Ch. 14:1-12
1 But him that is weak in faith
receive ye, yet not for decision
of scruples. 2 One man hath
faith to eat all things: but he
that is weak eateth herbs. 3 Let
not him that eateth set at
nought him that eateth not; and
let not him that eateth not
judge him that eateth: for God
hath received him. 4 Who art
thou that judgest the servant of
another? to his own lord he
standeth or falleth. Yea, he
shall be made to stand; for the
Lord hath power to make him
stand. 5 One man esteemeth one
day above another: another
esteemeth every day alike. Let
each man be fully assured in his
own mind. 6 He that regardeth
the day, regardeth it unto the
Lord: and he that eateth, eateth
unto the Lord, for he giveth God
thanks; and he that eateth not,
unto the Lord he eateth not, and
giveth God thanks. 7 For none of
us liveth to himself, and none
dieth to himself. 8 For whether
we live, we live unto the Lord;
or whether we die, we die unto
the Lord: whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the
Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ
died and lived again, that he
might be Lord of both the dead
and the living. 10 But thou, why
dost thou judge thy brother? or
thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall
all stand before the
judgment-seat of God. 11 For it
is written,
As I live, saith the Lord, to me
every knee shall bow,
And every tongue shall confess
to God.
12 So then each one of us shall
give account of himself to God.
Some things are unquestionably
right, and others are as
unquestionably wrong, but there
are still others as to which the
consciences of men differ. These
"questions of conscience' arise
among Christians and become the
sources of serious trouble.
Christians who are
overscrupulous are apt to
condemn others as lax or
"inconsistent," while those who
feel no scruples as to the
practices in question are
tempted to despise their fellow
Christians as bigoted or
fanatical or narrow. As to these questions which
concern matters morally
indifferent, Paul lays down
three great principles: Do not
judge others, ch. 14 : 1-12; do
not tempt others, ch. 14: 13-23;
follow Christ's example of
forbearance and love, ch.
15:1-13. One "that is weak in faith,' who
does not grasp the full meaning
of salvation by grace, who
thinks that his keeping certain
rules as to food or religious
rites will make him more
acceptable to God, is to be
received into the Church, but is
not to be argued with as to his
scruples. V. 1. One man may
understand that eating or
refraining from certain
wholesome foods is a matter of
moral indifference; another man
may believe that he will be more
pleasing to God if he eats only
vegetables. V. 2. However, neither is to judge the
other. The one who eats foods of
all kinds is not to despise the
other; and the one who eats only
vegetables is not to condemn the
first, but to remember that God
has received him as his servant,
and therefore, as it would be
improper to intrude into the
household affairs of another
person and to pass judgment upon
his servants, so we as
Christians are not to pass
judgment upon our fellow
Christians, who are not our
servants but are servants of
God. Each one is responsible to
his Lord, and the overscrupulous
brother must feel no anxiety for
the one who indulges in food
from which he himself refrains.
His Lord will keep the less
scrupulous brother from falling
and not allow his innocent
indulgence to prove for him a
fatal snare. Vs. 3, 4. So, too, one man regards certain
days as particularly holy, while
another regards all days alike,
excepting of course the Sabbath
Day. There is no exact rule as
to the observance of such "holy"
days, or holidays. Each one must
be certain as to what he regards
to be right. He must do what he
thinks will please his Master.
Whether in keeping holy days or
in partaking or refraining from
food, his actions must be
regulated by this great
principle of the lordship of
Christ. Whether living or dying
we recognize him as Lord, and
belong to him, who by his dying
for us and by his living again
has become the Lord of the dead
and the living. Vs. 5-9. Why, then, should one of us
condemn his brother as lax
and inconsistent, or why should
another of us despise his
brother as narrow and bigoted,
since we all are to stand before
the divine judgment seat, as
indeed Isaiah predicted: "As I
live, saith the Lord, to me
every knee shall bow." Let us,
therefore, as fellow Christians,
servants of the same Lord,
refrain from judging one
another, particularly in matters
of moral indifference, since
"each one of us shall give
account of himself to God." Vs.
10-12. 2. Do Not Tempt Others. Ch. 14:13-23
13 Let us not therefore judge
one another any more: but judge
ye this rather, that no man put
a stumblingblock in his
brother's way, or an occasion of
falling. 14 I know, and am
persuaded in the Lord Jesus,
that nothing is unclean of
itself: save that to him who
accounteth anything to be
unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 For if because of meat thy
brother is grieved, thou walkest
no longer in love. Destroy not
with thy meat him for whom
Christ died. 16 Let not then
your good be evil spoken of: 17
for the kingdom of God is not
eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit. 18'For he
that herein serveth Christ is
well-pleasing to God, and
approved of men. 19 So then let
us follow after things which
make for peace, and things
whereby we may edify one
another. 20 Overthrow not for
meat's sake the work of God. All
things indeed are clean; howbeit
it is evil for that man who
eateth with offence. 21 It is
good not to eat flesh, nor to
drink wine, nor to do anything
whereby thy brother stumbleth.
22 The faith which thou hast,
have thou to thyself before God.
Happy is he that judgeth not
himself in that which he
approveth. 23 But he that
doubteth is condemned if he eat,
because he eateth not of faith;
and whatsoever is not of faith
is sin.
It has just been shown that we
are not to despise or to condemn
others for their attitude toward
things which are morally
indifferent, such as the eating
of various kinds of food or the
observance of certain days as
holy. On the other hand, as Paul
teaches in this paragraph, we
must have a due regard for the
consciences and the convictions
of others. We may feel certain
that for us a certain practice
is quite innocent, yet we may
conclude that it is wise for us
to give it up, lest it may
offend others or lead them to do
what their own consciences
forbid. We have the
right to do anything which we
believe to be innocent; yet the
greatest right is that of
relinquishing a right for the
sake of others. Even indulgence
which in itself may not be wrong
may be sinful if it causes
others distress or if it leads
others astray. Such, in
substance, is the message which
Paul here presents. Vs. 13-23. In view of the future judgment
of God, let us not judge one
another, but rather let it be
our determination that we shall
put nothing in the way of a
brother which will make him
stumble or fall. V. 13. . It is true that the old
ceremonial distinctions between
clean and unclean foods are no
longer in force; but if a man
does not understand this and
regards certain food-as
"unclean," then, so far as his
conscience is concerned, that
food is unclean and he does
wrong to partake of it. If then
he sees you eat such food, and
is thus led to do the same, you
may be leading him into sin and
may be destroying one "for whom
Christ died." Vs. 14, 15.
Christian liberty and your
freedom from scruples may become
an occasion for reproach in
leading others to do what they
regard as wrong. It is not important that you
should eat and drink everything
that you desire and that you
regard as right; self-denial for
the sake of others may be far
more necessary. In "the kingdom
of God" the essential things are
not "eating and drinking"; these
are relatively trivial and
insignificant; the important
things are "righteousness" in
our relations to others, and the
" peace and joy" which result
from true spiritual fellowship.
A life lived with these
essential Christian realities in
view will be "well-pleasing to
God, and approved of men." Vs.
16-18. So, then, in these comparatively
unimportant matters, let us
determine our actions by doing
what will make for peace and
will be helpful to others.
Merely for the sake of eating
some kind of food which we
prefer, or indulging in some
questionable practice which we
regard as harmless, we should
not "overthrow" the work of
grace which God has begun in the
soul of some more scrupulous
brother; for while the matter in
question may be morally
indifferent, it is really wrong
for the one who regards it as
wrong and
who violates his conscience by
doing the very thing you regard
as innocent. Vs. 19, 20. The great rule, therefore, is
this, whatever self-sacrifice
may be involved: "It is good not
to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,
nor to do anything whereby thy
brother stumbleth." V. 21. If one has such a clear
conviction of Christian truth
that he is free from all
unnecessary scruples, he should
not make a display of his
conscious liberty, particularly
not in such a way as to offend
or tempt a weaker or less
intelligent brother. He should
cherish such faith alone with
God. Happy is the man who feels
no rebuke of conscience when
indulging in those practices as
to which the consciences of
Christians definitely differ. V.
22. On the other hand, if one is
troubled by scruples, and doubts
whether it is right for him to
do what he sees other Christians
doing, then weakly to comply
with such others is to incur
condemnation; for his act does
not result from faith in Christ
and from an intelligent
knowledge of the
freedom which true faith
secures; he is doing what he
thinks may be morally wrong; a
and id anything which we do not
believe to be morally right is
sinful. V. 23. Thus Paul warns us that we may
tempt others to sin even when we
are doing something which we
regard as innocent; and that, on
the other hand, we may sin in
doing that which others regard
as harmless but which our own
consciences do not heartily
approve.
3. Follow the Example of Christ.
Ch. 15:1-13
1 Now we that are strong ought
to bear the infirmities of the,
weak, and not to please
ourselves. 2 Let each one of us
please his neighbor for that
which is good, unto edifying. 3
For Christ also pleased not
himself; but, as it is written,
The reproaches of them that
reproached thee fell upon me. 4
For whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written
for our learning, that through
patience and through comfort of
the scriptures we might have
hope. 5 Now the God of patience
and of comfort grant you to be
of the same mind one with
another according to Christ
Jesus: 6 that with one accord ye
may with one mouth glorify the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 7 Wherefore receive ye
one another,
even as Christ also received
you, to the glory of God. 8 For
I say that Christ hath been made
a minister of the circumcision
for the truth of God, that he
might confirm the promises given
unto the fathers, 9 and that the
Gentiles might glorify God for
his mercy; as it is written,
Therefore will I give praise
unto thee among the Gentiles,
And sing unto thy name.
"10 And again he saith,
Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his
people.
11 And again,
Praise the Lord, all ye
Gentiles;
And let all the peoples praise
him.
12 And again, Isaiah saith,
There shall be the root of
Jesse,
And he that ariseth to rule over
the Gentiles;
On him shall the Gentiles hope.
13 Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in
hope, in the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Paul is still considering the
two classes into which
Christians are divided by
questions of conscience, that
is, by their attitude towards
matters which, while not in
themselves sinful, are regarded
by one class as right and by
another class as wrong. There
are those who are "weak" or
defective in faith, who
consequently magnify ritual
requirements into moral
obligations; or, they look upon
pleasures as sinful; or, they
believe they can make themselves
more acceptable to God by
denying themselves things
absolutely innocent. In the preceding. chapter the
apostle has urged the "weak" not
to condemn the strong, and the
"strong" not to tempt or
needlessly offend the "weak."
Here he enjoins both classes to
show mutual forbearance and love,
following the example of Christ
as set forth in the Scriptures,
that all may be united in
harmonious praise. Thus, too,
should be brought together the
two great divisions of the
church, the Jew and the Gentile.
Christ has received both; they
should receive each other and
await in joyous confidence the
consummation of their glorious
hopes in Christ. "Now we that are strong ought to
bear the infirmities
of the weak," of those whose
faith is defective, of those who
are overscrupulous and narrow,
and bigoted and childish. We
ought "not to please
ourselves," but to please each
one his neighbor with a view to
his moral good and his spiritual
growth. Our great Exemplar,
Christ, "pleased not himself,"
but endured the greatest abuse
and unkindness from the most
bigoted and unreasonable men; as
we read in the Scriptures, "The
reproaches of them that
reproached thee fell upon me." The purpose of the Scripture is
to give us instruction and
so make us patient and hopeful.
May God grant that all who have
differences in the Church may
follow the example of Christ and
so manifest his spirit that with
"one accord" they may "glorify
the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ"! Therefore, whatever may divide
us, even though some are Jews
and some Gentiles, let us
receive one another as Christ
received us. He came to show to
the Jews the fidelity of God to
his promises, and to show to the
Gentiles the wonders of his'
grace, as passage after passage
in the Old Testament shows. We
surely should be ready to live
in unity as members of the great
body of the redeemed, for the
very purpose of God was to unite
all peoples in one great harmony
of praise to his goodness and
mercy in Christ Jesus. May the
God of all hope grant that our
faith may issue in a life of
such joy and peace that by the
power of the Holy Spirit we "may
abound in hope"! |
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