John K. Jenkins Sr - A Walk Through Romans, Chapter 14

Thank you for joining us tonight, wherever you might be. We’re going to be in Romans chapter 14. We’ve been going through the Book of Romans, and we’ve covered the first 13 chapters. Tonight, we will focus on chapter 14, so we want to bring your attention to that. Let 's turn to Romans chapter 14 in your Bibles, and we will go through it tonight. Alright, God bless you again for being with us. I also see that a couple of people have checked in from Spain. Hey, Spain! God bless you; we appreciate your presence today. It 's an international country, so we’re grateful for that.

Father, we thank you for the privilege of studying your word together. We are honored that you would think enough of us to let us live and give us the truth of your word. I pray, Lord, that you would speak to our hearts tonight and allow your truth to prevail. Allow your name to be glorified. Open our hearts and minds to receive the teachings of your word and how to apply them to our lives. I pray that in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

What I want you to do, in fact, is for those of you who may be new to us, you may not know that we have a notes section where you can view and fill in the blanks as we go along. It provides most of the words of my outline but has little spaces for you to fill in the blanks. You can find that at fbcglenarden.org/BibleStudy. Oh, in fact, there it is on the screen right there. You just go to that link or visit that website, and you’ll see tonight’s Bible study pop up. We 're going to continue in Romans 14.

Now, this particular Book of Romans is divided into two sections. There are only 23 verses in this chapter, so this will not take us all night. The first 13 verses deal with what we call the law of liberty. It is about the liberty that God gives us in these verses; how we are to conduct ourselves and live our lives, particularly as it relates to other believers. This is a very important and significant principle for us to grasp because many feel the need to do their own thing and believe they don’t have to answer to anyone else. They see themselves as their own boss and feel they are applicable to whatever they want to do.

But the truth is, God holds us responsible and accountable for how we behave and the choices we make, particularly regarding how it impacts other people. He doesn’t give us the freedom to act recklessly, especially as mature Christians. If you’re not mature and want to do whatever you like, that’s where many people are. God calls us to be sensitive to others.

Let 's look at Romans chapter 14. I will start by reading the first three verses. Here’s what it says: «Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.»

Here 's the point: we should not argue over things that are doubtful or questionable. We are instructed to receive those whose faith may be weaker regarding certain matters. One eats all things while another eats only certain things; God receives us all. This is a very significant and important doctrinal principle, one that we must understand and embrace. We are not to debate over doubtful or questionable things.

There are numerous things in Scripture or surrounding Scripture that people debate about, such as what you can eat and what you cannot eat. What day you worship on or don’t worship on might be another example. I want to be clear that there are some non-negotiables; certain things like the person of Jesus, the nature of Scripture, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ-all these have no room for alternative views. However, if someone is weak in a particular area or has a different view, we shouldn 't argue over those matters.

I lead a denomination where some people want to highlight certain doctrinal issues or beliefs over others. The fact is, the Scripture teaches us to be cautious and careful about what things we prioritize.