From Freedom to Unity: Unpacking Romans 14 and 15
Last week, we walked through Romans 12 and 13—from worship and surrender to the practical realities of Christian living.
Paul told us to offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices.
He told us to renew our minds.
He reminded us that we belong to one body.
He called us to genuine love, faithful service, responsible citizenship, and a life that reflects Christ.
And he ended with a powerful command:
“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now Paul takes us one step further.
It is one thing to learn how I should live as a Christian.
It is another thing to learn how I should live with other Christians who do not always think, worship, or practice exactly as I do.
That is where Romans 14 and 15 take us.
When Christians Disagree
The Roman church was not made up of people who agreed about everything.
There were Jewish believers who continued to observe certain days and followed particular dietary practices.
There were Gentile believers who did not share those convictions.
Some believers felt free to eat certain foods.
Others did not.
Some regarded one day as especially important.
Others regarded all days alike.
Paul does not begin by telling them to win the argument.
He begins with something much more important:
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”
That is a remarkable command.
Paul understands that Christians can love Christ, believe the gospel, and sincerely seek to honor God—and still disagree about certain matters.
The answer is not contempt.
The answer is not judgment.
The answer is to remember that Christ is Lord of both of them.
Who Are We to Judge Another Servant?
Paul asks:
“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?”
That question goes directly to the heart of the matter.
The other Christian does not belong to us.
He belongs to Christ.
She belongs to Christ.
And Christ is able to make His servants stand.
That changes the way we look at disagreement.
It is very easy to assume that our understanding is the standard by which everyone else should be measured.
Paul tells us to step back.
Before I condemn another believer, I should remember:
That person belongs to Jesus.
The same Lord who is working in me is also working in them.
That does not mean that truth does not matter.
Paul is not saying that every belief or every behavior is equally right.
Romans contains plenty of clear teaching about sin and righteousness.
But Romans 14 is dealing with matters where sincere believers may differ in conscience.
And Paul tells them not to turn those differences into weapons against one another.
We Live—and Die—for the Lord
Paul brings the matter back to its proper center:
Jesus Christ.
“None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.”
That is the great unifying truth.
The Christian life is not ultimately about proving that I am right.
It is about belonging to Jesus.
Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
That gives us humility when we disagree.
My opinions do not become the gospel.
My preferences do not become Scripture.
My traditions do not become the measure of another believer's faithfulness.
Christ is Lord.
Freedom Is Not the Highest Good
Then Paul turns particularly toward those who consider themselves “strong” in faith.
They understand that certain foods are not spiritually unclean.
They understand that their freedom in Christ gives them liberty.
And Paul agrees with their basic conviction.
But then he gives them something they may not have expected:
Your freedom must be governed by love.
Paul writes:
“If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.”
That is a powerful principle.
The question is not merely:
“Am I allowed to do this?”
The Christian must also ask:
“What will this do to my brother or sister?”
Christian freedom is real.
But Christian love is greater.
There are times when love willingly lays down a legitimate freedom because another believer's spiritual welfare matters more than exercising that freedom.
Paul is not calling Christians to become controlled by the consciences of others.
He is calling Christians to care about the consciences of others.
The Kingdom of God
Then comes one of the great statements of Romans 14:
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Think about what Paul is doing.
The argument may be about food.
But the kingdom is about something much larger.
The argument may be about days.
But the kingdom is about righteousness.
The argument may be about personal liberty.
But the kingdom is about peace.
The argument may be about what I am permitted to do.
But the kingdom is about joy in the Holy Spirit.
We can become so absorbed in secondary matters that we lose sight of primary ones.
Paul calls the church back to what matters most.
Righteousness.
Peace.
Joy.
The Holy Spirit.
Build One Another Up
Paul then gives the church a practical rule:
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
That word edification means building up.
What if that became one of the questions we asked before speaking?
Not simply:
“Is what I am about to say true?”
But also:
“Will it build someone up?”
Not simply:
“Do I have the freedom to do this?”
But:
“Will this help or harm my brother?”
Not simply:
“Can I win this argument?”
But:
“Will this help us walk together toward Christ?”
The church is not supposed to be a collection of people trying to prove themselves right.
It is supposed to be a people who are building one another up.
Romans 15: The Strong Bear the Weak
Romans 15 continues the thought:
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.”
Paul does not say:
“Make the weak become strong.”
He says:
Bear with them.
That requires patience.
It requires humility.
It requires love.
And then Paul gives us the example that makes the whole argument possible:
Jesus.
“For even Christ did not please himself.”
There it is.
The Christian answer to selfishness is not simply another rule.
It is Christ.
Look at Jesus.
He did not live for Himself.
He served.
He sacrificed.
He bore reproach.
He gave Himself for people who could never repay Him.
If Christ was willing to lay down His rights for us, how can we refuse to lay down our preferences for one another?
The Scriptures Give Us Hope
Paul then reminds us why Scripture was given:
“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
The Bible does more than tell us what happened.
It teaches us how to endure.
It encourages us.
It gives us hope.
And that matters when Christians struggle to live together.
Church unity is not always easy.
People bring different backgrounds, experiences, traditions, personalities, and consciences into the same congregation.
But Scripture teaches us how to remain together.
Not by pretending our differences do not exist.
But by learning to love one another in the midst of them.
Welcome One Another
Then Paul brings the whole argument to its beautiful conclusion:
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
Notice the standard.
Paul does not say:
Accept one another because everyone agrees.
He does not say:
Accept one another because everyone sees everything the same way.
He says:
“Just as Christ accepted you.”
That is the foundation.
Christ welcomed us.
Christ received us.
Christ bore with us.
Christ died for us.
And now Paul says:
Welcome one another.
There is something beautiful happening here.
Romans 14 began with:
“Accept the one whose faith is weak.”
Romans 15 ends with:
“Accept one another.”
The circle has widened.
The church is not a place where everyone must become identical.
It is a place where people who belong to Christ learn to belong to one another.
Jews and Gentiles Together
Paul then takes the discussion beyond the immediate problem in Rome.
This unity between Jewish and Gentile believers is part of God's larger purpose.
Christ came as a servant to the Jews in order to confirm God's promises.
And the Gentiles are now glorifying God for His mercy.
Paul reaches back into the Old Testament to show that this was not an accident.
God's plan always included the nations.
The promises were always moving toward a day when the peoples of the earth would praise God together.
The church is therefore more than a collection of individuals who happen to believe the same gospel.
It is a demonstration of what God is doing in history.
People who once stood apart are brought together in Christ.
Different backgrounds.
Different histories.
Different customs.
Different consciences.
One Lord.
One Savior.
One hope.
One people.
One Mind and One Voice
Paul's prayer is beautiful:
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Notice where Christian unity ultimately leads.
Worship.
The goal is not simply that everyone gets along.
The goal is that together we glorify God.
Unity is not an end in itself.
It becomes a witness to the gospel.
When people who could easily divide instead choose love, patience, forgiveness, and mutual submission, the church demonstrates something about Christ.
From Worship to Unity
There is a beautiful progression through these chapters.
Romans 12 says:
Offer yourselves to God.
Romans 13 says:
Live responsibly and love your neighbor.
Romans 14 says:
Do not destroy one another over matters of conscience.
Romans 15 says:
Bear with one another and welcome one another.
The progression is:
Worship → Transformation → Service → Love → Unity
Paul is showing us that the gospel changes not only our relationship with God.
It changes our relationships with one another.
The mercy of God creates a people who can live together.
What Does This Mean for Us?
Romans 14 and 15 leave us with several important lessons.
First, not every disagreement is a gospel issue.
There are matters clearly addressed by Scripture.
But there are also matters where sincere Christians may differ.
We need wisdom to know the difference.
Second, we should not make ourselves the judge of every other believer.
Christ is their Lord.
We should be careful about placing our personal convictions where Scripture has not placed them.
Third, Christian freedom must be governed by love.
The question is not merely what I am free to do.
The question is what love requires me to do.
Fourth, we should seek to build one another up.
The church should be a place where believers become stronger, not a place where they are constantly torn down.
Fifth, Christ is our example.
He did not live to please Himself.
He served others.
He bore their burdens.
He gave Himself.
And He calls us to follow Him.
Finally, Christian unity is ultimately about the glory of God.
Paul's vision is not a church where everyone looks alike.
It is a church where people who are different can stand together and glorify the same Lord.
From the Head to the Heart—and Into the Church
Romans began by showing us humanity's desperate need for salvation.
Paul took us through sin, grace, faith, justification, suffering, God's sovereignty, Israel, God's faithfulness, worship, transformation, service, love, and responsible Christian living.
Now he brings the gospel into one of the most difficult places of all:
our relationships with other believers.
It is possible to believe the right things and still treat another Christian wrongly.
It is possible to defend Christian freedom without practicing Christian love.
It is possible to be correct about a secondary matter and completely miss the heart of Christ.
Paul calls us to something better.
Welcome one another.
Bear with one another.
Build one another up.
Pursue peace.
Put the good of others ahead of your own preferences.
And above all:
Look to Christ.
He is the One who did not please Himself.
He is the One who welcomed us.
He is the One who gave Himself for us.
And He is the One who can teach His people to stand together with one mind and one voice.
The gospel does not merely create individual believers.
It creates a people.
And that people is called to live together in the love of Christ.
*******************
Called Unto HOLINESS
“Called unto HOLINESS,” church of our God,
Purchase of Jesus, redeemed by His blood;
Called from the world and its idols to flee,
Called from the bondage of sin to be free.
Refrain:
“HOLINESS unto the Lord” is our watchword and song,
“HOLINESS unto the Lord” as we’re marching along;
Sing it, shout it, loud and long,
“HOLINESS unto the Lord,” now and forever.
“Called unto HOLINESS,” children of light,
Walking with Jesus in garments of white;
Raiment unsullied, nor tarnished with sin;
God’s Holy Spirit abiding within.
“Called unto HOLINESS,” praise His dear Name!
This blessed secret to faith now made plain:
Not our own righteousness, but Christ within,
Living, and reigning, and saving from sin.
“Called unto HOLINESS,” glorious thought!
Up from the wilderness wanderings brought,
Out from the shadows and darkness of night,
Into the Canaan of perfect delight.
“Called unto HOLINESS,” bride of the Lamb,
Waiting the Bridegroom’s returning again!
Lift up your heads, for the day draweth near
When in His beauty the King shall appear.
Leila N. Morris, 1900
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto HOLINESS. 1 Thes. 4:7
Comments