This week we will be reading through Romans 14:1-15:13 where Paul tells us that believers should neither sit in judgment of other believers nor should they create stumbling blocks for other believers. Paul previously addressed this issue in 1 Corinthians 8 concerning the consumption of food sacrificed to idols. It is here that Paul puts into practice the teachings he has been discussing.
As you read through this chapter, try to place yourself in the context of Paul’s Jewish and Gentile audience. For example, for the Jew, the observance of the Sabbath is a holy obligation arising out of the very commandment that God himself wrote on Mt. Sinai. God told his people to keep the seventh day (Saturday) holy and that neither they, their servants, nor their livestock were to do any work on that day. Ex. 20:8. For Gentiles, the obedience to this random rule was odd if not outright foolish particularly in light of Paul’s message that we are justified by faith and that the law is of no consequence. And so for Jews, the Gentile non-observance of the Sabbath would break one of the Ten Commandments, whereas for Gentiles the Jewish observance of the Sabbath was superstitious and backward. The question, therefore, is how can a congregation be reconciled when one faction is denying God’s grace and the other is denying the clear rules of Scripture written in stone? How can the congregation live in peace and togetherness is the question addressed.
SCHEDULE: This is our second to last week in Romans. Please give me your hymn suggestions.
Dinner is at 6. The menu is Chicken Caesar Salad. Discussion about 6:45. Hope to see you here.
Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
Romans 14:13