Romans 14:9-12

9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

When it comes to judgmental attitudes and actions we all have two things in common, first we all struggle with being judgmental and second we all detest being judged. In truth we do what we despise being done to us. The problem is we are often blind to our judgmental spirit; we are slow to see our sick hearts yet quick to judge and see the faults and failures of others. So we put our energy into pointing out others problems instead of proactively dealing with our own. We revert to rejecting others because they are judgmental instead of dealing with our own heart of hate. Our biggest road block to dealing with our own dysfunction is pride. It’s what causes us to point out the problems in the people around us because it takes the focus off of our faults. We need to admit that we all struggle with judgmental attitudes and actions that need to be jettison. Yet we would much rather see others sin than wade through and wage war on our own. But which is more productive, trying to change others, or confronting our own heart and admitting that we need Christ to conform us? Here in Romans 14:10 Paul calls us to personal accountability, “You, then why do you judge your brother or sister?” We have to take personal responsibility for how we are acting and reacting. Until we deal with the “YOU” and stop focusing on the THEY we will never experience the transforming truth of scripture.  In this passage Paul gives us three ways to help us overcome a judgmental spirit. First we need to:

• Focus on the fundamentals of our faith.

This is seen in verse 9: “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.” Paul is not just offering us a program to deal with petty problems or minor relational rubs. He is tying our care for our fellow Christians to clear truths about Christ. He is reminding us that Christ died for the believer you’re despising and He rose again for the one you are ridiculing. A focus on Jesus should stop the judging. Paul is elevating the ones we are called to love to a more lofty level than self. He is asking us to see them not through the eyes of judging but through the eyes of Jesus. Judging is seeing others through sin not the Savior. When we chose to look at others through the Lord the light finally comes on and we see what He sees. He loves them and cherishes them, instead of them being a disappointment they are a delight. We gain God’s perfect perspective not a polluted people perspective, and because we see things in light of what really matters, we let little matters go. If we really want to deal with our family friction then we need to focus on the Father not the fight. Second we need to:

• Analyze our attitudes.

Verse 10 brings us face to face with two probing questions which draw a contrast between what Christ has done and the condemning that we tend to do. The first question is assertive with the word “you” used twice: “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?” And the second is: “Or why do you treat them with contempt?” To judge means to dig, to find evidence and then evaluate it, this is where we not only find fault but we make their failure our focus. The wording is also in the present tense indicating that this was a persistent problem, these Christians were continually passing judgment. We need to see the damaging danger, that judging can lead to a lifestyle of judging, a judgmental spirit. Are you on a journey of judging or a journey with Jesus? Judgment here conveys the idea of condemning, “looking down” on and treating others with contempt. Contempt conveys to others an attitude that they are worthless and have no value while causing us to see ourselves as superior. We see ourselves as superior to others either because we do things that they don’t do or because we don’t do things that they do. This attitude is what alienates and ruins our relationships. But here is the question we need to ask ourselves, am I really better than my brothers and sisters in Christ? Luke 18:9 reminds us that this was the problem of the Pharisees: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else…” Paul here is focusing on the family relationship by using the word “brother and sister” he is reminding us that relationship rules not my rights. Why do we judge? Well the truth is that it is often simpler just to see the flaws in others and to point them out rather than taking the time to examine ourselves and deal with the hard heart change that needs to take place in our own lives. Also its easy to see the flaws in others that also resides in self, it takes one to know one as we would say. Our sinful selfishness finds it easier just to see the sins in others, it’s what I call the lazy look instead of the loving look. Self tries to find satisfaction in seeing others sin, it’s the morbid mentality of feeling better about self, based on the faults of others. We also use judging as a smoke screen for self-sin, our defense is to deflect. Yet Jesus said in John 8:7: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Let me remind you that there were no stones slung that day, so why do we let them fly so freely now? It’s funny how we like to get all up other people’s business, but Jesus gently reminds us in John 21:22 to butt out of the business in which we do not belong. After the Resurrection, when Jesus had graciously restored Peter and revealed His future plans for Peter, he immediately wanted to know what Jesus was going to do about John. We love the answer Jesus gave in John 21:22 but are we willing to live it: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Here we find a simple yet significant truth, stop focusing on what everyone else is called to do and just follow the Father in faith yourself. Stop trying to herd everyone into holiness, you’re not God’s sheep dog you’re a sheep, He already has a Holy Spirit to come and convict. So stop wasting your time trying to get everyone to follow the Father, start obeying so you can lead by example. Thirdly we must:

• Consider our coming judgment.

The last part of verse 10 gives the answer about why we shouldn’t judge or look down on others: “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” Knowing that we will be judged should keep us from judging. Paul doesn’t make this point in passing, three different times in this passage we’re reminded that we will appear personally before God’s judgment seat. Paul says “we will all” each of us will have to give an account. Now we know that this passage is not referring to believers being judged for their sins because Jesus said in John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” Paul also called us to confidence in Romans 8:1 when he said: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” In the past God dealt with us as sinners, in the present, He deals with us as sons and in the future, He will deal with us at the judgment seat as servants.” The truth that there is a judge and it is not me should not only free us from frustration in the family of God, but move us to help each other not hinder. My ability to judge is limited, only the Almighty knows all, not everything you hear is true so let God sort it out. A wise teacher once sent a note home to all parents on the first day of school: “If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I’ll promise not to believe everything your child says happens at home.” If God is going to judge others who He knows better and loves bigger, they why am I trying to get involved? Am I seeking His way or getting in the way? Am I condescending and critical or caring? So are you leaving the judging to Jesus? It’s time for us to stop calling the holiness hotline and reporting all the rule breakers. Look it’s not about being right but righteous.

Romans 14:1-8

1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 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. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

In Romans chapter 14 Paul calls Christians to address the attitudes and actions that threaten to fracture the flock. The believers he was writing to were divided over special days and diets. Their big issue was whether or not it was ok for a Christian to eat meat that might have been offered to an idol before it was brought home from the butcher. Paul reminds them that the food shouldn’t be the real focus, what really matters revolves around relationship. It is here that Paul offers us help in knowing what to believe and how to behave when God’s Word seems to allow for some differences in application. What does God want in the grey areas? How do we handle people who follow the same principles but have different practices? Paul starts by introducing us to two different groups in the church, the weak and the strong. A “weak” believer is one who hasn’t fully grasped the extent of their freedom in Christ; their conscience becomes consumed by preferences that are not paramount. In this group were Jewish Christians who refrained from certain foods and observed certain days in their attempt to remain loyal to the Mosaic Law. A “strong” brother or sister is the one who can exercise his freedom in Christ with a clear conscience.  While one faction followed a strict diet and felt that some days were more spiritual than others, the other group only had one hang up, the first group. The ‘easy’ solution to this problem would have been to form two churches, ‘The Church of the Carnivores’ and ‘The First Church of fruits and vegetables. But Paul was committed to the nobler, though far more difficult, solution of submitting to the Savior and serving each other. As you read through what Paul preached to the churches in Colossae, Corinth and Rome you see some specific groups of people: The sensitive and insecure, the strong and insensitive and the stubborn and immovable. Not much has changed in the church since Paul penned these words, we still see these three same groups today and we have to ask ourselves which one do I often belong to? The issue many no longer be focused on food but the struggle over frivolous things continues. We seem to struggle with two tendencies, we love to compare and we like to control. It’s easily to fall into the thinking that the way we do things is truth, that our interpretation is the only correct one, and that those who differ from us are wayward and wrong. When we do we try to control and conform how other believers think and behave. For some this is very outward in nature but for many they secretly judge others according to their spiritual standards. Differences don’t have to divide but many buy into the saying: “to dwell above with saints we love, oh that will be such glory, to dwell below with those we know…well, that’s a different story.” We belong to God’s family, His plan is not for us to fight and have fallings out with each other, if we are to be a community united in Christ then we have to change, we need to:

• Lose our arrogant attitudes

Those who clung to the Law were condemning those who were living in liberty, and they were completing the circle of condemnation by despising them right back. But Paul called both groups to stop condemning and start caring: “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” The word, “accept” means to receive kindly, it’s the idea of opening up your heart and your home, it’s including others in your circle of acquaintances. We’re not to just to put up with each other but to extend family fellowship. This is also a present imperative, meaning it’s a command to make this a continual characteristic of our lives. The key here is the phrase, “disputable matters.” This is the debatable or doubtful, the gray areas of the Christian life. Scripture specifies three areas: those that are right, those that are wrong, and issues of freedom and preference. Yet our tendency is to argue over the freedom issues while we forget and forsake the clear commands. If two Christians agree on 99% they will usually focus and define themselves based on that which they disagree on. Instead of finding our commonality in Christ and His clear commands we argue and attack each other over the pointless. When we do we fall into the trap of judging others, which means to come to a negative conclusion about other Christians on the basis of their outward behavior in disputable matters. In our effort to be right over the gray areas we violate the clear commands like love other. Verse 3 reveals that the real problem had nothing to do with meat, it was really an acceptance issue: “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.” But instead of acceptance they were consumed with contempt, this is more than just looking down on another’s, it means to so utterly despise that they regarded them as nothing. Also the word “condemn” carries the connotation of punishment reserved for those who have broken God’s laws. We end up treating others like trash to be thrown away, punishing people in an attempt to point them toward our preference. When we condemn we call into question their character, and often make assumptions that are exaggerated, erroneous and dangerously damaging. Instead of peace with people we polarized because we take a disputable matter and turned it into a moral issue. Yet Paul reminds us at the end of verse 3 not to condemn and judge because: “God has accepted them.” There is grace in the gray areas so don’t try to ostracize the one whom God has accepted. Instead of trying to show that we are right we should make sure that our relationships are right. We need to learn to agree to disagree for the sake of harmony in God’s house. When we judge we try to take the place of God in others’ lives: “Who are we to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” Christians will be called to account by Christ not His creation and verse 4 reminds us that we will stand strong and be accepted because of what Christ has accomplished for us. We will not stand based on our behavior but His blood, no Christian will collapse because all condemnation has been removed. Today our disagreements are rarely focused of food which to us seems silly. No we are caught up with much more mature matters, like music styles, carpet color, parenting preferences, and politics! Today many have become serious over the silly, instead of getting serious over the things that the Master says matter we have become focused on the pointless and the petty. We need to avoid passing judgment in the “disputable matters.” You don’t have to like it, look like it, or listen to it, but don’t look down on those whom God has accepted. You are not better than others, neither are they better than you, it was Augustine who said, “In essentials, unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things, charity.” Second we are called to:

• Live for the Lord alone

We need to lose our arrogant attitudes and accept those whom God has accepted and the best way to do that is to live for the Lord alone. When you recognize that we’re all on the same road we are just at different points in the journey you will give God’s gift of grace. As we commit to live for the Lord alone, we should strive to see and serve our fellow saints as members of the same team. The truth is that we are all growing in grace, none of us has arrived. Instead of wasting our time condemning other Christians we should be giving careful thought and prayerful consideration to all the principles taught in the Word of God. Verse 5 tells us that each believer must be “fully convinced in their mind.” we’re not to automatically adopt the convictions of others but listen to the clear conviction of Christ. Many of us are quick to offer personal judgments on believers who don’t meet our personal standards but verse 6 serves as a great reminder that none of us has a corner on commitment. As a result we don’t need to questioning other believer’s motives: “He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” They both thanked God for the food they received, they both live out their convictions as an expression of their devotion to Jesus. They were both striving to serve the same Savior, it’s when they took their eyes off of Him and put them on the preferences and practices of the people around them that the problems began. If we truly believe in God’s right to rule, then let Him deal with those who disagree with us. So stop wasting your time trying to straighten others out, love the Father and His family. What arrogant attitudes do you need to lose? Who do you need to accept, and are you living for the Lord alone?