Living by Faith - Romans

True Strength

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Living by Faith

Lesson: 57-64

Genre: Talk

Track: 057

Dictation Name: RR311ZD57

Location/Venue:

Year: ?

Let us worship God. Thus saith the Lord, ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jesus said blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Let us pray. All glory be to Thee oh God who has made us for Thy purpose, provided us with those things needful to serve Thee, and given us such great promises in Jesus Christ. Grant oh Lord that day by day we walk in faithfulness, in gratitude, and in service; to the end that the kingdoms of this world might become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. Bless us to this purpose we beseech Thee, in Jesus name, amen.

Our scripture is from Romans 14:14-23. Romans 14:14-23, our subject: True Strength.

“14 I 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.

15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.

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.

22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Paul tells us that we are justified through Jesus Christ. We live as the justified the life of the just, that is in terms of God’s justice, by faith. Man’s world since the fall has been dedicated to injustice in the name of justice. It takes faith to live in terms of God’s justice in such a world. Christ’s people are a new creation in the midst of an old and fallen world.

Another complicating fact is that we are in this world imperfectly sanctified, thus the life of faith is not easy. We have the hostility of the world with its injustice, plus our own nature, not totally sanctified.

Now Paul as he tells us of the life of the just does not turn directly to politics, economics, education, and other like subjects. The solution of the world’s evil is not in any system or form, however good; but in men who are a new creation, who then in turn create of the world God’s realm. So that the plan of salvation is not a plan of economics, however good the economics; or a system of education, or a form of politics; it is new men who then make of all things a new creation. Bad men can destroy the best civil government and the best economic system, or the best schools; and they have done this again and again. Paul’s concern is to discipline us for the task of Godly order.

Paul’s concern in this chapter is the fact that men love to major in minors, to substitute trifles for essentials; and Paul is now dealing with such a problem.

In verse 14 he declares: “I 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.”

Now the word that is translated as unclean is somewhat difficult to express in English, because we have the one word, and in the Greek and in the Hebrew there are more than one word translatable into our single word unclean. The word unclean in all three cases is ‘koinon,’ common, communal. Of itself it doesn’t mean anything bad. It can be in fact, and very commonly is used in a very good sense. We have the term in ‘koinonia,’ communion, which has almost become an English word. We have it in a number of forms in English. Koinos means related, a partner, but it can mean common as compared to separated and sacred, it can also mean profane, impure, and defiled; depending on the context.

Now in Acts 4:32 we are told the believers in Jerusalem had all things common, and it is the same word, ‘koina.’ In Acts 10:28 Peter says that now he realizes that: “God has shown me that I should not call any man ‘common.’” koina, or unclean, using another word, akathorton. Now this word refers, this latter word, to ceremonial uncleanness, which for a time bars men from the sanctuary. So that Paul is not saying that things are dirty, he is not saying there is nothing that is dirty of itself, but nothing that is unclean, common, of itself.

For example: We can speak of a dish that is dirty, unclean; ‘it is a dogs dish, you don’t want to eat out of that.’ In that sense it is unclean. But it is not unclean of itself. That is a dish that, if properly cleansed you could eat out of. Now this is what Paul is saying, nothing is unclean of itself. So he is referring to the use that is made of things.

Paul is clearly saying also that the position of the weak is weak. He is not talking about things forbidden by God, but refers to scruples harbored by earnest but weak believers. They felt that they were sinning in eating meat, because meats were in those days sold at shops after being sacrificed to pagan Gods; they were a form of communion. The same was true of wine, it was first presented to the God’s and then sold. So it was regarded as a part of a pagan communion service.

So, such people, the weak, felt that they had sinned in eating meat. For them it was wrong, it was a burden of guilt. But they were making distinctions where God made none, and they were living in terms of these distinctions.

Then Paul continues in verse 15: “But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”

The word that is translated ‘charitably’ is ‘agapen,’ agape. It is the word in the Koine Greek which means the grace, the love of God, which is unmerited, by God, it is the favor of God manifesting itself in love for us.

Incidentally, I referred to the Koine Greek, it is the same word as Paul is here using; Koine Greek as separated from literary Greek was not dirty Greek, it was business Greek; it was every day language.

Now, we are to show God’s grace, not contempt for those who are the weak. Let us illustrate in another area, because a little later Paul speaks about those who refuse to touch wine. Now there are some Christians who believe it is a great sin to drink wine, or to smoke. Now, this is not to say there are perhaps problems, health wise, with smoking; and problems with excessive drinking. But, to understand what Paul is saying is to know the situation in terms of our contemporary life, that there are people who think they are strong because they can drink and they are not alcoholics; and they insist, some of us have probably seen it at one time or another, teasing or taunting someone who is an alcoholic, and is on the wagon, and is no longer drinking; as though somehow they can’t take it, they are weak. Well, at that point they are, but Paul is making clear to the strong: are they strong when they do this? So before Paul is through he is making it clear, the strong can be weaker than the weak if they use their strength to clobber others.

So, a man can be strong on one point with regard to say, drink, and weak everywhere else. So what right has he to boast it over a man who at one point is weak, but may be much stronger than he on other points; and what right has he to destroy a man on this one point, a man for whom Christ has died?

Now Paul is not telling meat eaters that they cannot eat meat, he is not requiring them to be vegetarians; and he does not deny freedom to those who do not observe days. He is saying: do not flaunt your freedom in front of others. Do not make a point for example, at church festivals or potlucks, of drinking wine and passing the bottle on to someone who has had a problem. Don’t use your strength to clobber others.

What Paul is talking about with regard to the strong is their Phariseeism. Their Phariseeism. Now our Lord dealt with this fact over and over again, and Paul is here dealing with it also. The Pharisee was a strong man; he kept the law very faithfully, every jot and tittle of it, and Paul is echoing our Lord’s words, he said: “Ye do well. You tithe even your garden products, very good. But you neglect,” our Lord said, “the weightier matters of the law, mercy, judgement, justice and truth. How dare you regard yourself as strong when you are faithful in the jots and tittles, and are unfaithful in the weightier matters of the law?”

Now this is precisely what Paul is dealing with, the same kind of problem. When our Lord in dealing with this kind of thing said: “It is not that which comes out of a man which defiles him.” He was using the same word, ‘koinos’.

So, what Paul is dealing with is that we must not forget the weightier matters of the law. So some people sin in trifles, when they make too much of trifles; but to be right in the wrong way, a wrong spirit, is morally wrong. So Paul says: “Let not then your good be evil spoken of. So you are strong, you can control your drinking; you are strong, eating meat offered to idols doesn’t bother you. Let not your good be evil spoken of, or become blasphemy. If you use your strength to clobber someone who may be weak at just that one point, you are guilty of blasphemy, and you are demonstrating that you are weak across the board; so how dare you call yourself strong?”

Paul’s concern thus is true holiness, Levitical holiness; as against uncleanness which wears a garb of being the Lords, but manifests an alien spirit. Our good, our greater strength and freedom, becomes blasphemy when it is pharisaical. Our Lord requires us to serve Him with all our heart, mind, and being; not to be lords over one another.

As Paul says: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

As we have seen, the Pharisees were stronger and superior men, humanly speaking; far more so than our Lord’s disciples. But for the most part the Pharisees are damned, and the disciples, except for Judas, are reigning in heaven.

When Paul says the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, he is talking to both the weak and the strong. He is saying: “Your feeling about meats, both sides, is wrong if you equate the kingdom of heaven and salvation with these things. That you cannot do.” Both sides were majoring in minors, and they were dividing the church over a minor matter. Paul was not saying: ‘There is not a right and wrong in these things.’ He is saying: “You have no right to major in trivia.” For to major in trivia is to falsify the kingdom of God, as many do nowadays. The Holy Spirit does not make us triflers, nor does He take us out of the world to be irrelevant to the world, but to make us the power of God at word, here and now. The source of our power is the Holy Spirit, not our insistence that we are better than somebody else, because this or that little thing doesn’t bother us.

In verse 18 Paul continues: “For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.”

‘In these things’ refers clearly to meat or drink, as well as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. So you can drink and you can handle your drink; so you don’t drink and you serve the Lord better thereby. The key is, whatever you do, you are serving Christ; and that is what is acceptable and approved of men.

Acceptable to God, approved of men. An interesting statement, because Paul makes it clear, first we must be acceptable to God, then second approved of men. We are not to be governed by public opinion, but neither are we to despise it. And so, we are called not to give our lives to minors, but to live our lives to the glory of God.

According to Leenhardt, commenting on verses 17 and 18, and I quote: “It would be useless to claim to be pleasing to the Lord while at the same time behaving in such a way as to break the bruised reed or quench the dimly burning wick. The commandment to love one's neighbor is inseparable from the commandment to love God. It is impossible to render to God authentic worship while despising the weakness of the brethren.”

The Pharisee gains virtue by comparing himself to his neighbor; the Christian by loving and obeying God and his neighbor in Christ.

Then Paul continues in verses 19 and 20: “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.”

If a man is troubled about something, maybe his conscience isn’t entirely mature. We know that the idols are nothing, and so that meat offered to idols is offered to nothing; ‘it doesn’t bother me,’ Paul makes clear elsewhere. But if it bothers someone, it will go against his conscience. You cannot help him by clobbering him, and Paul says we are to edify one another; edify is a word which we have also in edifice, a building. The root in Greek is to build one another up; that is exactly it’s literal meaning in the Koine Greek, we are to build one another up. So, for meat, should we eat it or should we not eat it? Destroy not the work of God.

Then we come to something that is very much misused, the sentence: “All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.” All things indeed are pure. Well, there are many who say: “There you have it, Paul has wiped out the Old Testament dietary law.” Has he? In saying that all things are pure, does Paul say that you can eat poison that is pure and good for you? Or that fornication and adultery, or homosexuality or anything else is pure? Well, there are people who have said that, in fact that argument is used based on this word, ‘all things are pure; so as long as two consenting adults don’t harm anybody else, it is pure and godly.’

I knew a minister once who insisted that since we were now mature Christians, all things being pure, there was nothing wrong with adultery, or homosexuality, or fornication. However, to avoid giving offense to weaker Christians you didn’t do it publicly, you kept it quiet.

Well, a building I read in the papers, in a major city, was dedicated to him not long ago. So he kept it discrete; but God knows. And God does not say here through Paul that everything under the sun is pure. All things has reference to all the things Paul is discussing. What are they? Well, in these two verses, we are told very clearly as well as before: meats, and drinks, and days, the observance of days. Now, those are the ‘all things’ that are encompassed by Paul’s statement, but people are so prone to take words out of context and generalize them to vindicate their way.

‘Judge not.’ That is another example of wresting something out of its context and generalizing from it, so when Paul says: ‘all things are pure’ he is saying: ‘the meat you are talking about, the wine you are talking about, the observance of fast days and the like. These are all pure. But it is evil to the man who eateth with offense.’

And so, he continues: “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.”

Does he mean we are never to eat it? No; in verse 22 he says: “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God.” ‘So you can take your wine, and your brother cannot. Well, if you are a strong person, you won’t do it in a way to offend him, to create problems for him. So you can eat the meat someone else finds offensive, believing it is offered to idols; are you going to eat it in front of him and ridicule him? Practice what you want, but have it to thyself, before God.’

“Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” The word ‘happy’ there is also the word translated as ‘blessed.’ So we are blessed if we use our strength to serve God, not if we do it to harm our neighbor, and Paul makes this clear: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Faith here does not refer, again, to avoid generalizing to any kind of faith, but faith in Christ, justifying faith. The just shall live by faith, not easy believism. The strong are damned if their strength is Phariseeism, and the weak can also be the same, if they exalt their weakness into the very word of God.

Now we need to ask ourselves a question: here is a church in Rome, probably in Nero’s day. Life is not easy, and life is not easy for the Christian today if he takes his faith seriously, because the state is moving in increasingly to threaten the church and the life of faith. “Why then,” Paul says, “All this majoring in minors and in trivia?” He says: “It is not acting charitably, or according to agape, the love which is the grace and charity of God toward us.”

Why do the weak and the strong both act so wrongly, so uncharitably? Our Lord says that the children of darkness are often wiser, more consistent to their faith, than the children of light. What is the meaning of this nonsense, this majoring in trivia? Paul says it is because they are not acting charitably, or according to the love which the charity of God to us, His grace.

An interesting novel was written some few years ago by a Continental novelist, George Simenon, a man whose writings epitomized the meaninglessness of life, the decadence, of which he is very much a part; but sometime he is most discerning. In one book, titled The Kept, he deals throughout the book with a husband and wife who are living together in total hatred. They live together, and do everything to make life miserable for the other. They do this year in and year out, until they are old, until finally on one day the wife dies; and on that very day the husband falls fatally ill and is taken to the hospital; in the hospital his final words are these: “I was no longer anything.” Why? Men without faith live for false God’s, and in hatred for God and man. This is the essence of elitism, which Paul so plainly condemns as he sets forth predestination. He says we either believe in God’s predestinating and sovereign grace unto salvation, or we believe in elitism. He says, it is God who gives us what we are, what are we that we have not received? Or it is we who gives ourselves status and place, and we become elitist.

At the heart of elitism is mans will to be his own God, and to use and to despise and to downgrade others. Paul sees this danger in the strong of Rome, and implicitly also in the weak. They are not living for Christ, they are living in hostility one to another, like Simenon’s husband and wife, living to hate. But neither has any justification for judging the other; both are alike servants of God who is their judge. The only premise of their lives can be the glory of God; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. True strength is not in our self evaluation, but from the Lord.

Let us pray. All glory be to Thee oh God, who has made us Thy creation, and called us to love and to serve one another all the days of our life. We give thanks unto Thee our Father, for Thy grace, Thy charity unto us. Make us strong in Thy service, faithful one to another, that Thy kingdom may come on earth, and may govern men, and that Christ’s word may be law among men and nations. In His name we pray, amen.

Are there any questions now on our lesson?

Yes?

[Otto Scott] Well, this is going on at a national scale. The greatest sin in the United States today as far as the general public is concerned is smoking; not smoking marijuana, either, smoking tobacco. And you hear all this clamor about South Africa’s Apartheid, while all the silence about the massacres in Ethiopia, Liberia, Uganda and other places, which are underway.

[Rushdoony] Yes. I could not agree with you more Otto. We are seeing it today; we have been murdering babies, but no pack of cigarettes can be sold with the Surgeon General’s warning. Now that is Phariseeism. We are ready to wink at the mass murders all over Africa, but not in South Africa. We are ready to forget about the lawlessness in our cities, which is far more destructive than the rioting of Africa which is blown out of all proportion. We are guilty of majoring in trivia. The Pharisee, our Lord says, is always ready to see the splinter in his neighbors eye; but not the plank in his own. It is a ridiculous image, and our Lord meant it to be ridiculous, because that is what Phariseeism is. Yes?

[Audience Member] Going on with what Otto says, it seems as though it is the same people who have said that we shouldn’t be involved in the internal affairs of South Vietnam are the same people that we should be involved in the internal affairs of South Africa.

[Rushdoony] Yes, very good. Very good. You see, what Paul is saying here gets to the heart of matters; if he had dealt with issues, those issues would have been dead and gone; but he is laying down the premises so that to the end of time men can know how to face problems in Christ. Majoring in minors is very much a problem, in fact we have gone beyond majoring in minors, we are majoring in trivia.

Any other questions or comments?

Well, if not let us bow our heads in prayer. Oh Lord our God, may Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done in our lives. Give us grace always to dedicate our whole heart, mind and being, to Thy service and to Thy glory. And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, amen.