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4000 E.
Collins Rd. “Preaching
the Living Word through the Written Word (2Tim 4:2)” |
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CHRISTIAN
LIBERTY MUST EDIFY BELIEVERS (Romans
14:17-23) 3/8/09 Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor I.
THE KINGDOM IS
NOT FOOD BUT RIGHTEOUSNESS (17-18) A. Paul’s reason or argument concerning
Christian Liberty is that it would be tragic to cause a brother to stumble
over such a trivial matter such as food. B. The “kingdom of God”
emphatically is “not” (oú – first
in construction) about food and drink. However, God’s kingdom is very
much centered on “righteousness” (dikaiosúnę) and is a key
concept in Romans (Theme: “God’s Gospel of Righteousness”). 1. God’s impeccable righteousness (Ro 3:5). 2. Man’s impoverished righteousness (Ro 3:10). 3. Christ’s imputed righteousness (Ro 3:22; 4:3, 24). 4. Spirit’s imparted righteousness (Ro 8:4). 5. Believer’s practical righteousness in Christian
Liberty (Ro 14:18). C. Paul also adds, “peace” and “joy” in the Holy
Spirit. These are the qualities that are to be maintained among the
fellowship. D. These are the qualities, among the fellowship, that
God is pleased (euárestos – well pleased, aréskō) with and even the world judges and deems (dókimos - teseted and approved)
acceptable (cp. Pr 3:3-4). II. EDIFICATION IS THE BELIEVER’S
WORK (19-21) A. If righteousness, peace, and
joy in the Holy Spirit are the qualities of the kingdom, the logical
conclusion is that believers should pursue (present active subjunctive - diṓkō “continually
pursue ) the things of the kingdom. Paul mentions two: 1.
Peace. This
is neither speaking of the “peace with God” (Ro 5:1) nor the “peace of God”
(Phil 4:7). Rather this refers to peace among the brethren (cp. Ep 4:3; Col
3:15; He 12:14). Here peace among the brethren is played out in limitation on
Christian liberty. 2.
Edification (“building up” - oikodomę - act of building a house). Edification is metaphorically
used for the building up of the body of Christ. a)
Edification is to be done individually and corporately (Ep 4:16) b)
Edification is to be the purpose of the church (1Co 14:12, 26). c)
Edification is to be the purpose of Pastors and Teachers the church (Ep
4:12; 29). d)
Edification is the purpose of Christian Liberty (Ro 15:2). 3.
Peace and edification are to be the focal point of the believer’s
Christian liberty. B. On the contrary, believers
should never be apart of anything that tears down the body. Unfortunately,
the misuse of a believer’s Christian liberty could do exactly that.
Therefore, Paul commands, “you must not be destroying (present active imperative – katalúō - destroy or overthrow) the
work of God for the sake of food.” The work of God is to build up the body of
Christ. Verse 20 is similar to verse 14 in that “all things are clean.”
However, in verse 14, the weaker brother who eats against his conscience makes
it sin. In verse 20, it is the stronger brother who sins and tears down the
body by eating and offending the weaker brother. C. In fact,
any Christian liberty that causes a brother to stumble or fails to edify him
should be restrained. Such a practice is “loving” (vs. 15 - agápę)
and “good” (vs. 21 - kalós). III. THE BELIEVER OUGHT TO GLORIFY
GOD IN ALL THINGS (22-23) A. The believer can enjoy his own
(seautoú – of (to or for)
yourself) personal freedom and conviction before God. In fact, he is
“blessed” (makários - spiritually blessed or happy cp. Beatitudes -
Mt 5:1-12) if his own conscience does not condemn him. Christian Liberty
is a personal freedom that the believer is able to enjoy before God (1Co
10:25-26) for the glory of God. Yet the believer must also glorify God by refraining
from a Christian liberty if it will cause another brother to stumble. In all
things, glorifying God is the believer’s ultimate goal (1Co 10:31). B. Nevertheless, if a believer is
not fully convinced and has doubts (diakrínō –thoughts or
disputes in one’s mind) about a certain thing, then the believer should
refrain from that activity. If the believer is not convinced in his own mind,
he will not have faith in his heart. It would be wrong to muster up the pseudo-faith
to go ahead with an activity that one’s mind is condemning for him. In fact,
if it is not from faith, it is sin and does not glorify God. IV. PRINCIPLES FOR CHRISTIAN
LIBERTY #1 -
Do I have faith
and knowledge on this activity (1Co 8:1-4)? #2 -
Am I fully
convinced about this activity (Ro 14:5, 22-23)? #3 -
Can I do this
activity unto the Lord (Ro 14:6-9)? #4 -
Will it stand
the test of the Bema Seat (Ro 14:10-12)? #5 -
Will it cause
another brother to stumble (Ro 14:13)? #6 -
Am I walking in
love in regard to this activity (Ro 14:14-16)? #7
- Does it bring peace among the brethren (Ro 14:19)? #8
- Does it edify my brother (Ro 14:19; 1Co 10:23)? #9
- Is it profitable for myself or others (1Co 6:12)? #10
- Will it enslave me (1Co 6:12)? #11
- Does it bring glory to God (1Co 10:31)? |
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