Romans 14:11-23 How far should you rely on faith? Part 2

Summary: A verse by verse examination of what the book of Romans in the Bible teaches. This is part 2 of the message that covers Romans 14:11-23 practicing deference and the strength of our faith.

Romans 14:11-23 ( KJV ) ¹¹For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  ¹²So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.  ¹³Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.  ¹⁴I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  ¹⁵But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  ¹⁶Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  ¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  ¹⁸For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.  ¹⁹Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.  ²⁰For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.  ²¹It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.  ²²Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.  ²³And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

1 Corinthians 3:1-15 ( KJV ) ¹And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.  ²I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.  ³For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?  ⁴For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? ⁵Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?  ⁶I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  ⁷So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  ⁸Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.  ⁹For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  ¹⁰According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. ¹¹For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  ¹²Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;  ¹³Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.  ¹⁴If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  ¹⁵If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 ( KJV ) ⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:  ⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)  ⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  ⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.  ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 

Acts 10:11-28 ( KJV ) ¹¹And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:  ¹²Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.  ¹³And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.  ¹⁴But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.  ¹⁵And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.  ¹⁶This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.  ¹⁷Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,  ¹⁸And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. ¹⁹While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.  ²⁰Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.  ²¹Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?  ²²And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.  ²³Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.  ²⁴And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.  ²⁵And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.  ²⁶But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.  ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.  ²⁸And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 

Ephesians 4:29-30 ( KJV ) ²⁹Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  ³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 ( KJV ) ¹Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.  ²And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.  ³But if any man love God, the same is known of him. ⁴As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.  ⁵For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)  ⁶But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. ⁷Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.  ⁸But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.  ⁹But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.  ¹⁰For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;  ¹¹And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?  ¹²But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.  ¹³Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Romans 16:16-18 ( KJV ) ¹⁶Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. ¹⁷Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.  ¹⁸For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 

James 1:5-8 ( KJV ) ⁵If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  ⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  ⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  ⁸A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.