But why do you judge your brother? "Romans 16:24 have it to thyself before God. Romans 8:1. Good praying, preaching, and discourse, may often, for want of prudence in ordering the time, the expression, and other circumstances to edification, be evil spoken of. The kingdom of God is not meat, etc. 2. Pauline Epistles While the issue of not eating meat for spiritual reasons is no longer directly relevant to most Christians today, there are plenty of issues where some believers believe one way and others believe differently. This he was assured of, not only from the general tenour and scope of the gospel, but particularly from the revelation which Peter, the apostle of the circumcision (and therefore more immediately concerned in it), had to this purport, Acts 10 15, 28. So that, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's, devoted to him, depending on him, designed and designing for him. We neither live to ourselves nor die to ourselves. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Our work is to bless the sons of men. The advantages of it. So, as to other things, it is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision (Gal 5 6; 6 15; 1 Cor 7 19), it is not being of this party and persuasion, of this or the other opinion in minor things, that will recommend us to God. [2.] Grace is the soul's cheerful, entire, and avowed subjection to Jesus Christ. John 3:16, Jesus faith love), The Whole Bible Shall we despise those whom Christ valued at so high a rate? Strong believers and weak believers, those that eat and those that eat not, if they be true believers, are accepted of God. He grants that all things indeed are pure. Thus, while both have an eye to God in what they do, and approve themselves to him in their integrity, why should either of them be judged or despised? Christ deals gently with those that have true grace, though they are weak in it. It is true we cannot hinder loose and ungoverned tongues from speaking evil of us, and of the best things we have; but we must not (if we can help it) give them any occasion to do it. It is a generous piece of self-denial, for which we have Paul's example (1 Cor 8 13), If meat make my brother to offend; he does not say, I will eat no meat, that is to destroy himself; but I will eat no flesh, that is to deny himself, while the world stands. c. Acceptable to God and approved by men: Serving God with a heart for His righteousness and peace and joy is the kind of service that is acceptable in His sight, and will be approved by men. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. Let us observe the rules he gives, some to the strong and some to the weak, and some to both, for they are interwoven; and reduce the reasons to their proper rules. While thou destroyest thy brother thou art helping forward the devil's design, for he is the great destroyer; and, as much as in thee lies, thou art crossing the design of Christ, for he is the great Saviour, and dost not only offend thy brother, but offend Christ; for the work of salvation is that which his heart is upon. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 3. Minor Prophets Secondly, The consideration of the love of Christ in dying for souls should make us very tender of the happiness and salvation of souls, and careful not to do any thing which may obstruct and hinder them. b. Christians should take heed of grieving one another, and of saddening the hearts of Christ's little ones. You should work together with God, do not countermine his work. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. God will judge the world by him, Acts 17 31. Our rule is, to walk as far as we have attained, not further, Phil 3 15, 16.For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If a weak Christian doubts whether it be lawful to eat flesh, while he remains under that doubt he had best forbear, till he be fully persuaded in his own mind. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. General Epistles Remember that it is an inspired passage: although it consists of Christian courtesies addressed to different individuals, yet it was written by an apostle, and written not as an ordinary letter but as a part of the inspired volume. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Essentially, Pauls answer is Stop worrying about your brother. 3. "If thy weak brother, purely by thy example and influence, without any satisfaction received concerning his Christian liberty, be drawn to act against his conscience and to walk contrary to the light he has, and so to contract guilt upon his soul, though the thing were lawful to thee, yet not being so to him (he having not yet thereto attained), thou art to be blamed for giving the occasion." (2.) Qui credit, vescatur quibusvis: qui autem infirmus est, olera edit. Legalism has a way of making us think that we are strong and those who dont keep the rules the way we do are weak. 1. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, and it is a dangerous thing to debauch and put a force upon conscience, though it be under a mistake. The free Christian found it easy to show contempt against his brother, regarding him as a uptight-legalistic-goody-good. Sin is the transgression of the law. The Romans did it out of weakness, the Galatians did it out of wilfulness and wickedness; and therefore the apostle handles them thus differently. Secondly, He is approved of menof all wise and good men, and the opinion of others is not to be regarded. Compare Gal 6 4, Let every man prove his own work, that is, bring it to the touchstone of the word and try it by that so exactly as to be well satisfied in what he does; and then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 4. We must understand it with an exception of the Lord's day, which all Christians unanimously observed; but they made no account, took no notice, of those antiquated festivals of the Jews. This the strong Christian is clear in, and practises accordingly, eating what is set before him, and asking no question for conscience' sake, 1 Cor 10 27. "While thy brother's cause is before thy judgment, it is coram non judicebefore one who is not the judge; the court of heaven is the proper court for trial, where, and where only, the sentence is definitive and conclusive; and to this, if his heart be upright, he may comfortably appeal from thy rash censure.". Thus the apostle takes part with the weakest, and condemns the defect in love on the one side more than the defect in knowledge on the other side; agreeably to his principles elsewhere, that the way of love is the more excellent way, 1 Cor 12 31. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. In those indifferent things which we are sure it is no sin not to do, and yet are not clear that it is lawful to do them, we must not do them while we continue under those doubts; for he that doubteth is damned if he eat (v. 23), that is, it turns into sin to him; he is damned, katakekritaihe is condemned of his own conscience, because he eateth not of faith, because he does that which he is not fully persuaded he may lawfully do. Here the apostle speaks of the distinction of meats and days as a thing indifferent, when it went no further than the opinion and practice of some particular persons, who had been trained up all their days to such observances, and therefore were the more excusable if they with difficulty parted with them. (2.) Your partnership makes all we do possible. Let us not judge one another: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus helped us to understand what this means it means judging others according to a standard that we would not want to have applied to ourselves. If we would know what way we walk in, we must enquire what end we walk towards. Romans 15 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Secondly, It is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Historical Books In face of our common responsibility to Him, how dare we judge each other?" Or why do you show contempt for your brother? This is true Christianity, which makes Christ all in all. Our love is the true measure of our obedience to God. There are things God may challenge us to give up, but we go on approving them in our life thus we condemn ourselves. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. They were not well instructed touching the cancelling of the ceremonial law by the death of Christ, and therefore retained the ceremonial institutions, and practised accordingly; while other Christians that understood themselves better, and knew their Christian liberty, made no such difference. It wasnt that they were weaker in their Christian life because of what they ate or didnt eat, but they were weaker because of their legalistic attitudes and lack of love towards others. C.H. (Romans 14:7-9) We live and die to the Lord. But have your strong faith before God, not before a brother who will stumble. No fruits are on the table; no wines are in the bottles of the promise; I come to the sanctuary, but I find no comfort; I turn to the Bible, but I find no solace; I fall on my knees, but even the stream of prayer seems to be a dry brook. WONDERFUL is the power of faith. Have it to thyself, that is, enjoy the comfort of it in thy own bosom, and do not trouble others by the imprudent use of it, when it might give offence, and cause thy weak brother to stumble and fall." This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. 23. 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