Walking the Thin Line

Combating Legalism in the Church

Carey Hardy
Pastor, Adult and Family Ministries

INTRODUCTION

In any local church, there may be many different races and cultures represented, many different
life situations and backgrounds, varying social positions and vocations that are being pursued,
different levels of intellect, kinds of church backgrounds, and many different levels of spiritual
maturity.

There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, the church was never meant to be a cozy club of like-
minded people of one race or social position or intellectual caliber. Christians don’t have to be
clones of one another, identical in all respects.

But this is one of the challenges the body of Christ has always faced—that included in its
membership universally, and sometimes locally, are the rich and the poor, those from every
stratum of society, the old and the young, various races, and people of every expression of
personality.

Many other types of groups are not like this. Many other groupings in society we know are more
limited in their membership. But the church is not to be limited based upon the kinds of
categories and characteristics mentioned—variety is a good thing.

But this variety can put a strain on us all. There can be tensions. So the obvious question
at some point is: How are we to coexist within a local fellowship when we may be so
different from one another?

We know from Scripture that we are to get along with one another. UNITY in the body is a
serious issue to the Lord. In fact, many passages are devoted to this issue.

Eph. 4:2-3 …relate to one another with all humility and gentleness, with
patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Phil. 4:2 …live in harmony in the Lord.

2 Cor. 12:20 A warning to us…Paul discusses some of the issues possibly going
on in the Corinthian church and appeals to them to repent:

For I am afraid that perhaps when I come…there may be strife, jealousy,

angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances…

John MacArthur, when preaching on this passage, terms this list “Sins of
Disunity.” And these sins can be the reason for church discipline if
someone is guilty of them and doesn’t repent.
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One of the greatest concerns elders should have, therefore, is that unity be
maintained in the body. Disunity is destructive.

There is another aspect related to this issue of unity in the church…another category of discussion
concerning the ability of believers to get along with one another.

We may not be of the same race, or social status, or level of intellect, etc., and we shouldn’t let
those issues divide us. But the focus of this seminar is not on those categories of difference.
Instead, we will look at the need for all Christians to properly relate to other Christians who don't
share the same convictions on certain issues.

The habit of many in the church is to judge other believers based upon their own convictions and
views of the Christian life. In addition, the tendency is to form these convictions based upon very
rigid—and sometimes inaccurate—understandings of God’s law. People develop these strong
convictions and live by them. The problem, though, is that they do more than just live by these
heartfelt guidelines themselves: they also expect everyone else to live by the same convictions.
If someone doesn’t hold the same view on a subject, then that individual is judged at least to be
less spiritual, or at worst to be in open rebellion against God.

The term commonly used to describe this judgmental tendency is LEGALISM.

DEFINITION

WHAT IT IS

Legalism, as it is being discussed in this seminar, can be defined as “the tendency to reduce
Christianity to a set of rules rather than a personal relationship with Christ” (Truman Dollar).

This ends up being a system that judges an individual’s relationship to God in terms of
adherence to man-made rules. It is subtle and pervasive, and therefore deadly to the life
of the church.

Legalism is very judgmental. It also eliminates the need for true biblical decision-
making. Making personal moral decisions is not necessary when they are being made for
you by another individual or by some spiritual hierarchy.

A legalistic system generally leads to frustration and misery. It tends to produce morally weak
people who live with an unbiblical sense of guilt.

WHAT IT ISN’T

Legalism is not the same thing as having standards. God Himself surely has laws. He is a God
of law, and His laws are absolute and unchanging. But man has not been content simply to apply
these standards. So he amplifies them, interprets them, and often twists them. God’s lofty moral
laws end up being reduced to petty rules such as how long a man’s hair should be over the ears.
The Christian faith is thus cheapened.
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So legalism is making these man-made standards a gauge of spirituality.

In other words, someone caught up in this stifling web says, “Keep the rules and you will
be spiritual.”

Again, rules and standards are not the problem. They have their place in the home, in schools,
and in your personal life. It’s fine to have personal convictions that you hold dearly.

The issue is insisting that compliance with rules makes one spiritual or right with God.

What kinds of issues do legalists adopt to gauge spirituality? There are many—more than you
may think. In fact, we deal with these issues on a daily basis. We call them the “gray areas.” By
that we mean that the Bible doesn’t explicitly say that various opinions in these categories are
either right or wrong.

Here’s a brief list of some of the categories involved:

♦ ENTERTAINMENT—movies, TV, cards, pool, paintball, computer games, places to

go
♦ EXTERNAL PERSONAL APPEARANCE—clothes, makeup, jewelry, hair
♦ MUSIC—style, etc. (What is appropriate in church?)
♦ PARENTING
♦ DATING
♦ EDUCATION OF CHILDREN—home, private, public
♦ PATRONIZATION OF BUSINESSES—shopping, Disneyland, long distance
providers, restaurants
♦ BIRTH CONTROL
♦ LANGUAGE
♦ BIBLE TRANSLATIONS
♦ GIVING
♦ POLITICS—parties, activism
♦ MEDICAL ISSUES—life support, transfusions, medications
♦ HALLOWEEN
♦ SANTA CLAUS
♦ OWNING MATERIAL GOODS
♦ FOOD
♦ SEPARATION
♦ SUNDAY ACTIVITIES
♦ “MIXED” SWIMMING
♦ ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
♦ DEBT/CREDIT
♦ DRINKING WINE, DANCING, SMOKING

Some of these are issues in particular areas of the country, and not in others. In some
areas the pastor and congregation come down heavily on “mixed” swimming, while
people in other locales consider such a thing nonsense. Some of these are issues in
certain parts of the world, and not in other cultures.
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The point is: we have convictions on these and many other issues. Churches have
experienced turmoil in the body due to the varying convictions held in these categories.
Some churches have even split over them.

You could also call the legalistic system that develops over such topics Phariseeism.

HISTORY

The Scribes and the Pharisees were the original legalists.

Pharisee means “separated one.” They prided themselves in their denunciation of impure
and ungodly elements. Physical separation was of paramount importance. Functional
holiness was considered evidence of personal piety, and Leviticus 11:44-45 was a central
passage. They considered their priorities close to the heart of God.

The Pharisees had no greater task than to protect and propagate the laws of God. They
had so much respect for the original set of scriptures and wanted to protect them so
desperately that they started adding to them. After a while, it not only seemed helpful to
make additions but absolutely essential. God’s moral, ceremonial, and dietary laws were
not enough for them. Even though the law was already burdensome, they developed
another 365 rules (one for each day of the year). These rules, as part of the oral law,
became even more important to them than God’s commandments.

The counterpart to the Pharisees today is the people who are afraid to allow Christians to
live only with God’s Word. To biblical principles they add rules and regulations and
standards, and then come to the point of believing they are part of the Scriptures
themselves.

This is the way it is for legalists. God lays down a principle. Then, man reduces God’s great
principle to a set of rules that may be burdensome, but that certainly remove individual
responsibility for making choices. Finally, man elevates rule-keeping to a mark of spirituality
and judges himself and others by it.

Of all the degrading titles that Jesus used to describe the Pharisees, none was more devastating
than referring to them as “yeast” or “leaven.” He told his disciples, “Be on your guard against the
yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).

Christ’s concern over the Pharisees centered around the fact that their opinions, both
casual and official, were becoming inseparable with the laws of Moses, and Jesus
considered the confusion reprehensible.

It is just as easy for the modern believer to become blind to the gangrene of legalism that
has spread throughout the church. Teachings and traditions of purely human origin can
over the years become so ingrained that they appear to be of divine origin.
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The problem is NOT with having traditional practices, or even with a church’s local
distinction. However, there is something desperately wrong with presenting these
personal preferences as eternal truth.

MOTIVATION

Why do people tend toward this unfortunate and enslaving system?

Because people fear that if God’s principles are not replaced with rigid rules, men will
ignore what God said and run wildly into sin.

In other words, the rules are an attempt to force people to do what is right.

The key problem, then, is unbelief—legalists do not believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to
direct men into right living.

“We must interpret God’s principles for them and then force them to obey for their own
good.”

THE CENTRAL FOCUS

Legalism focuses NOT on the legitimate needs of an individual, but the institution. The rules and
standards therefore exist to protect the institution and its image. That fact results in legalism
being neither compassionate nor forgiving.

It must force compliance and conformity in order to protect the institution.

Some legalists think that if you make children or young people obey rules for many years, you
have actually improved them morally—you have actually forced them into sanctification.

The reality is that you have only taught them to conform.

THE PROBLEM

Legalism is a system that has always failed—a system that always will fail. It cannot succeed if
true biblical progressive sanctification is desired. Rules have never made anyone more spiritual.

Legalism doesn’t work for a variety of reasons:

♦ A system of rules does not provide decision-making opportunities and experiences.

In life, every day brings a new set of moral circumstances. Though God’s
principles do not change, life situations do.
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Others must make decisions for you in your formative years. But as you grow,
God wants you to mature to the place where you can examine God’s principles
and apply them to today’s new and changing circumstances.

It’s been my observation (and it has been the observation of many others) that
those who live under a rigid set of rules easily fall into sin. When the peer group
or spiritual leader isn’t present to ensure compliance with the rules, the freedom
to decide almost produces panic. Since no authority is there to make the
decisions for you, you fall into sin.

A loving parent knows that as a child grows and moves toward maturity, he must
be allowed to make some wrong choices. I say “some” to acknowledge that no
caring parent would stand idly by while their child made some decision that
would bring bodily or moral harm. You do not let a child make a wrong decision
about drugs, pregnancy, etc. On issues such as these a parent will be as
aggressive as possible in both warning their child against, and even stopping their
child from, the kind of failure that would have devastating lifelong consequences.

In general, a caring parent knows that the younger a child is, the more decisions
you must make for him. But that must gradually lessen and finally end as a child
matures. Children must learn how to make decisions, even though it is painful at
times. And it is best that the parent is allowing this opportunity for failure when
the child is still young enough to live at home, so that the child can be
encouraged and instructed.

♦ Rules focus on the external.

That very focus often encourages believers to neglect the inner man. And unless
a person experiences “heart-change”—unless the Christian faith and lifestyle are
internalized—the believer never truly changes.

God is not interested in mere appearances or superficial behavior

modification (1 Sam. 16:7; Prov. 4:23; Matt. 12:34; Mark 7:14-23; John
2:23-25).

People are prone to feel very holy and safe with rules. And they then are
judgmental toward those who break them.

Some pastors make the mistake of focusing on external issues in their preaching,
thinking they can somehow manipulate their listeners into conformity through
their attack on particular, visible expressions of sin. They preach against
smoking, drinking, cursing, dancing, going to movies, certain forms of clothing,
etc. “Worldliness” is characterized in terms of these habits and behaviors.
Though they may do this thinking they are helping people be more godly, they
are actually ignoring issues of the heart such as covetousness, hatred, strife,
envying, idolatry, love of self, etc. They may also ignore any discussion of such
inward qualities as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and gentleness.
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THE EXTENT

Whom does this “disease” affect?

Ultimately, any Christian if he’s not careful and on guard can fall into the trap of legalism. And
any church can be victimized by it. A church can have the wrong goal of trying to protect its
image rather than glorifying God. When that happens, little is said about obeying Scripture for
the proper reasons—because it is right and pleasing to God.

Two groups within the body of Christ seem to suffer from legalism, possibly more than others:

♦ Preacher’s kids (PKs) are certainly expected by the church to act right, but what is
right?

Frequently that means they are expected to keep a set of rules that will not offend
the weakest person in the church.

The reality is that the rules are kept by PKs in order not to embarrass the pastor-
father. Yet many times the children have no personal convictions about the rules.
Their motives are wrong in keeping them.

That is why some children of legalistic pastors often become rebellious. As soon
as they leave home they reject the system because the Christian faith has never
been internalized.

Preachers’ kids must also be allowed to make errors. They must be encouraged
to live by godly principles and allowed to make personal choices.

♦ The Christian school movement has also been victimized by legalism.

This has brought frustration and disillusionment to many.

The attitude by some seems to be that the validity of the Christian school
movement (possibly even its survival) depends upon the evidence that a school
has produced a child that is moral. This moral result is so important to schools,
their images, and their financing that many schools believe they cannot leave a
child’s behavior to chance.

If necessary, they must force their students to act right because bad behavior
reflects on the whole system of Christian education. It is too risky to let students
exercise their Christian responsibility to obey God—they might do wrong.

For a Christian school infected with legalism, high moral behavior is as

important a product as Christian philosophy.

Once again, this is old-fashioned fear. Fear causes school administrators to

resort to stringent and numerous rules about everything, for example, dress, hair
length, language, talking in the hall or lunchroom, how they sit in their chairs,
cars, ad infinitum.
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Don’t misunderstand the main point—it’s not the idea of rules that is the
problem. It’s not that rules have no place in an institution. A Christian
school is wise to have practical and reasonable rules for conduct and
even appearance.

But rules without reason do NOT motivate students to right behavior,

and they do not necessarily teach them how to make right moral
decisions.

There is a basic flaw with all of this: it is presumed that under a system of law it does not
really matter why you do right.

But God doesn’t see it this way—it DOES matter why you do what you do.
Right behavior because of fear of the system will end when the system has no
more control.

On the other hand: RIGHT BEHAVIOR AS A RESULT OF VOLUNTARY

DECISIONS BASED ON A KNOWLEDGE OF SCRIPTURE AND A
RESPONSE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL CONTINUE.

You have to wonder what the attraction to legalism is, especially when you consider its
disastrous results in the lives of individual Christians, in Christian homes, and in local
churches.

Partly, the answer is:

♦ It’s easy to measure the keeping of rules.

This attraction is based upon the faulty assumption that a person’s faith
can be quantified. You can look at a person’s hair, his dress, and so forth
and be able to determine his spirituality. In other words, these external
criteria will always indicate what is going on inside.

But a person can look great on the outside, and yet be ungodly on the
inside. IT’S THE HEART THAT REALLY MATTERS. Therefore, our
focus in ministry must be on the inner man.

♦ Legalism eliminates agonizing decisions.

To truly practice your faith, you must learn God’s principles and apply
them daily to life’s changing circumstances. This is often painful. It
definitely stretches your faith, but it is the only Christianity with
substance.

As already stated, Christian leaders often confuse conformity with

spirituality. Conformity is a social pressure and may not have anything
to do with true Christianity at all.
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♦ Legalism is the easy way out.

This is especially true for insecure Christian leaders. It makes them feel
safe, but it is harmful to believers.

There are no significantly fewer pregnancies, and no less

experimentation with sex, alcohol, or cigarettes by young people
reared under a strict system of rules than those who were not.

I have personally helped pick up the pieces of individuals who

were part of a very legalistic Christian institution. Just as
Colossians 2:23 says, all the man-made rules and standards were
“of no value against fleshly indulgence.” Others who have
attended legalistic educational institutions have told me horrible
stories of the rampant sin and immorality among students
“behind the scenes.”

Legalism is a cheap substitute for true spirituality (Steve Kreloff).

The system has obviously not worked well…it would be helpful if all
evangelicals would admit that.

The essential difference between legalism and freedom in Christ is the believer’s
responsibility for choice. This doesn’t mean, of course, freedom to indulge the flesh,
ignore other believers, or ignore God’s moral law.

Christian liberty is the freedom to choose to do right without a system of rules or

an ever-present authority forcing you to do right.

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do

not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.

THE RIGHT RESPONSE

If rules are not a guaranteed path to spirituality, what should we do? If legalism is a disastrous
system that destroys people and churches, what should be our response?

Some general responses:

♦ Teach that God makes it clear that some things are wrong.

Preach what the Bible says about adultery, fornication, uncleanness,

lasciviousness, idolatry, and so forth (Gal. 5:19-21).

♦ Admit that we have questions about many issues.

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Accept the fact that the Bible doesn’t specifically address every issue. And on
these topics, teach that it’s okay for us to have differences of opinion. Be careful
not to equate biblical directives with personal opinion.

At the same time, make it clear that license is not an alternative to legalism. In
other words, in reaction to legalism we must not flaunt our freedom. Scripture
teaches we must voluntarily restrict our liberties out of love for others (Rom. 14:
3-4).

♦ Teach the principles of Scripture.

God wants us to honor Him, and to make the choices that promote the renewal of
our inner man. Teach your people that they are responsible to God personally in
these matters. Also teach them about the power of the Holy Spirit who affects
change in us as we submit to God’s Word.

Don’t be issue-oriented in your preaching, constantly attacking vices from the

pulpit. Teach the Word of God in its entirety and trust its power in peoples’
lives.

♦ Be honest with each other, and especially with our young people.

Make sure we are clearly saying “Rules won’t make you spiritual.” Let’s help
people understand that rules can sometimes be helpful, and that we may use
them. But we must not make the keeping of rules a gauge of spirituality.

Challenge young people with honesty and the truth, and do it openly. This takes
great courage and wisdom, but it needs to be done. Don’t be afraid that the
system of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people will not
really work. You’ll be amazed to learn how believers respond to honesty and to
compassion.

Some further dos and don’ts for the pastor:

♦ Don’t overestimate your importance.

Some men become authoritarian figures, hiding behind the statement, “Don’t
touch God’s anointed.” This is pride. Your authority ends where Scripture ends.
Make sure your people see you living by this. Help your staff lead this way, too.

♦ Don’t micro-manage your people or your staff.

Allow some freedom for people to fail, and freedom to do things differently than
you would yourself.

♦ Don’t be threatened by those who disagree.

Model this to your congregation.

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♦ Don’t make “mountains out of molehills.”

This is what legalists do.

♦ Don’t judge motives.

Love “believes all things, hopes all things.”

♦ Don’t allow legalistic people to be in influential positions.

Their legalistic tendencies will spread like gangrene.

♦ Do be patient with peoples’ sanctification.

Your sanctification is progressive; so is theirs.

♦ Do trust the power of God’s Word as you faithfully and accurately preach it.

Don’t resort to manipulation, guilt trips, etc. Don’t succumb to fear.

♦ Do “aim” your preaching at the heart.

People are changed by the renewing of their mind. As thinking changes,

behavior will follow suit. You primarily task as a preacher is to destroy
“speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.”
Your part in this is the clear proclamation of Scripture. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job
to illumine the mind and bring conviction of sin. Pulpit tirades against individual
sins and pet peeves won’t accomplish this in the lives of your sheep.

♦ Do teach your people the process of biblical decision-making.

Get the tapes on this by Stuart Scott. You can contact him at The Master’s
College.

♦ Do teach Romans 14 to your congregation.

This is probably the most significant passage on the subject of convictions,

legalism, etc. I’ve attached some thoughts from this great chapter as an appendix
at the end of these notes.

♦ Do teach on the importance of unity in the body.

Periodically present God’s perspective on unity to your people by teaching from

one of the many passages that address it. They need to be reminded that unity
among believers in a local assembly is important to the Lord.

♦ Do watch out for disunity in your congregation over the issue of the education of
children.
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More than one church has split over the issue of home schooling vs. private
schooling vs. public schooling.

My wife and I have homeschooled our four children at various grade levels,
placed them in private Christian education, and had them in public education.
For two consecutive years we had at least one child in each of these venues. So I
have an understanding of the good and bad of each. Since I am experienced in
each and have an appreciation of each, I am free to say this: most of the
problems I am personally aware of in churches over the issue of education are
caused by those who homeschool. Some, not all, homeschooling families tend to
become crusaders and end up judging others in the church who choose something
different. I’ve received reports of homeschooling families refusing to let their
children play with other kids in the church who were not homeschooled. A
pastor must graciously but firmly bring Romans 14 to bear on the thinking of his
people if any disunity over this issue is surfacing.

♦ Do be prepared to lose some people from your congregation.

As you are honest with your people about what the Bible does and doesn’t say,
you may very well lose some of your members. The odds are that it will be the
legalists.

CONCLUSION

My goal in this seminar is NOT to persuade people to begin wearing their hair a certain way, or
go to movies, begin drinking wine, or dress any way they want. My desire is that people not be
afraid to think—and to be honest with God’s Word. I don’t want our youth to be confused
because of our failure to deal with issues courageously and biblically.

As a pastor I want my sheep to examine legalism and recognize it for the dangerous, failing
system that it is. I want the people God has placed in my charge to understand and pursue true
spirituality (internal change), not a superficial faith (mere external change).

We must teach people God’s principles and how to make decisions based on Scripture
and a relationship with God and His Holy Spirit. We must lead believers into a
victorious Christian life. Rules will not accomplish that.

Some church leaders, like the Pharisees, believe we must hedge Christians in with layers
of rules or they will chase wildly after sin. We must recognize that this system of
legalism denies the power and victory of the Christian faith.

Among many Christians, freedom and liberty have become dirty words, but to Paul they were
symbols of unshackled hearts and lives.

Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing
firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
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Combat legalism in your church. Deal with it graciously, but firmly. Don’t let it grow. And
don’t be afraid to teach people how to scripturally make moral decisions. Then show them there
is divine power to live the Christian life the way God intended (Eph. 1:19).

Appendix

Getting Along When It’s Gray

Rom. 14:1-12

CAREY HARDY
PASTOR, ADULT & FAMILY MINISTISTRIES
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

The church in Rome was a cosmopolitan type of church. It experienced the strains that can come
in a local church when there are differences. In this passage are three truths that, if understood
and embraced, form a foundation for learning how to get along with people who do not see
what you are doing as the ideal way of living out the Christian faith.

I. THE TRUTH ABOUT ISSUES & ACTIVITIES (vv. 1-2, 5)

It is a fact: The Bible does not DIRECTLY address every particular issue or activity in life.

And when we are discussing these issues not addressed in Scripture, we may well hold different
opinions as to what is right and wrong.

I don’t mean issues that are clearly laid out in Scripture. For example, we MUST share
the same convictions about who Christ is. And certain activities are clearly described in
the Bible as being sinful. So we can't sit around trying to decide what our personal
conviction might be on (for example) adultery, drunkenness, or lying, murder, or
homosexuality, etc.

There is no doubt as to the sinfulness of these activities.

But many issues are NOT clearly spelled out in the Word of God like these are as being sinful.
There are principles that can guide us, but there’s no particular verse to tell us whether the
activity is right or wrong.

We call these the gray areas of life (not exactly black…sinful and forbidden; and
not exactly white…good and encouraged). We tend to form personal convictions about
these issues, which is FINE. We ought to. And we ought to live by those convictions.

But regardless how our conscience is trained, no matter how we try to make black issues to be
white or white issues to be black, the truth remains: THERE ARE MANY ISSUES THAT ARE
GRAY.
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In this passage, Paul addresses some particular activities to illustrate his point:

ƒ vv. 2-3 --eating or not eating certain foods.

ƒ v. 5 --observing particular days over other days.
ƒ vv. 17 and 21 a --a third example is mentioned briefly, that of drinking wine.

THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE TRUTH ABOUT MANY ACTIVITIES WE

INVOLVE OURSELVES IN: Such things are in themselves indifferent.

It doesn’t matter, biblically, what your conviction is, because the Bible neither
encourages nor discourages them.

II. THE TRUTH ABOUT PEOPLE (vv. 1-9)

People in the church at Rome were both different and similar, as we are today:

A. THE DIFFERENCES

When it comes to differences in the subject of conscience, the Holy Spirit through the Apostle
Paul informs us that there are two basic categories of people:

Those who are strong…and those who are weak.

1. Strong in the faith

This doesn’t refer to strength OF faith. In other words, Paul is not describing people who did or
did not believe in Christ, or who were struggling with some aspects of the gospel, or who were or
were not morally strong or weak.

BOTH THE STRONG AND WEAK BELIEVED THE GOSPEL AND WERE
TRULY SAVED.

But the strong were those who were able to grasp the significance of Christ's death for daily
living—he has grasped the truth expressed in Col. 2:14:

The strong:

ƒ Have laid hold of the great faith and live accordingly. They are strong in the sense of
comprehending the meaning of the Christian faith and it's implications for daily living.
ƒ Have entered completely into the rest of the Lord.
ƒ They know that justification is apart from works; they have realized the liberty Christ has
given us and are done with rules of legalism and ceremonialism forever.
ƒ Understood that the ceremonial aspect of the law had been done away with in
Christ…that there were no more "rules and regulations" to follow about food under the
New Covenant.
ƒ Enjoyed their freedom in Christ and lived according to this freedom

ALL foods were okay to eat. In particular, meat was great! And EVERY day of the week was
holy, not just ONE day above other days.
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2. Weak in the faith

As noted, this individual is saved. The weak person has faith in Christ, but has difficulty in
applying his faith to the practical issues of life. His faith is weak in that it cannot sustain him in
certain kinds of conduct.

Why called “weak in faith”?

ƒ Weren't making practical application of the position of being justified.

ƒ Because of their inadequate grasp of the great principle of salvation by faith in Christ,
they tend to live with an anxious desire to make this salvation more certain by the
scrupulous fulfillment of formal rules and so placed themselves under “rules and
regulations.”
ƒ Were exceedingly sensitive to sin. They were so sensitive to sin that they picked out
indifferent things, things that were neither moral nor immoral.
ƒ Preferred a system of “do’s and don’ts”.
ƒ Instead of enjoying their freedom in Christ, they lived according to human traditions.
ƒ They have not yet been able to apprehend and grasp full and free salvation as it is
revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. They have not grasped entirely the wonderful
proposition in Rom. 8:1, which says that in Christ there can be no condemnation
whatever.
ƒ Have not understood that when they entered into Christ, they were to leave behind
legalism and ceremonialism behind.
ƒ Have difficulty divorcing themselves from that which they were before coming to Christ,
and tend to either cling to what is legalistic or works oriented.

In this congregation, the “weak” individuals believed that certain foods were to be
avoided…certain days were more holy than other days.

So in the body, there are the strong and the weak. And the difference is based upon their ability
to apply doctrine in a mature way to the daily issues of life. In reality, you MAY be a
MIX…strong of faith on some issues, and weak of faith on others.

B. THE SIMILARITIES

1. Similar in Response to One Another (v. 3)

On one hand, Paul points out …

a. Contempt

This, sometimes, is the attitude of the strong toward the weak.

He looks down upon the weak person (or the abstainer) and sees them as worthless.

Even if it wasn’t at that extreme, there was still the prideful attitudes that caused
them to consider themselves spiritually superior. So Paul says, “Don’t look
down upon them. Instead, accept the one who is weak.”
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accept Means more than just “allow to stay.” It has the notion of
welcome and taking into friendship, and is a command.

not for the purpose of passing judgment Don’t try to settle every
difference; don’t do anything that will discourage the weak.

ACCEPT them. You can even discuss your freedom in Christ

with those who are weak, but it should never be for the purpose
of passing judgment.

On the other hand, Paul points out the sinful response of…

b. Condemnation

This is a common reaction on the part of the weak—or abstainers. And many times the weak
have been the greater tyrants.

When another is enjoying some activity that is against this person's belief system, then
the tendency is to condemn the other person as being in sin.

They are censorious: ”They aren't as spiritual as we are." IN fact, they can be tempted to
derive satisfaction from the very fact that they are in the minority.

So the two groups have something in common. What is it? PRIDE—they have both fallen into
the same error.

And both groups are clearly in danger of letting works obscure the centrality of
justification by faith, for their attitudes imply, “My faith is better than yours,” and that
turns the attention to what WE DO rather than to what Christ has done for us.

2. Similar in Submission (v. 4-9)

Each group has the same Lord who is their source of strength.

servant … the word for a household slave

of another …this is conveying possession. The servant in question belongs to and

therefore is accountable to someone else, and that person is the Lord.

And in this situation, both the weak and the strong are servants of the Lord. They have
this in common—both need strength, and they receive it from the same Lord. It is the
Lord, not the strong or weak brother, who makes each one stand.

This really is discussing motive.

v. 6 Both groups were choosing their activities out of the same motivation: TO HONOR THE
LORD.

Each is seeking the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though their actions are different, their
motive is the same.
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1 Pet. 2:16 We're not to use our freedom for the flesh, but for the Lord.

So the person who makes a distinction between days (for example), a distinction which
strong persons would not make, must NOT be looked down upon for doing so, for he
does so with the purpose of honoring the Lord.

Similarly, the one who eats, paying no attention to traditions or OT restrictions, cannot be
accused of being indifferent to the will of God.

On the contrary, he too honors the Lord by doing what he does.

Both the weak and the strong, in this matter of indifference, are honoring the
Lord—the weak, by giving thanks to Him for their vegetarian meal, the strong,
by giving thanks for their meat, etc. Each is aware that what he eats is the gift of
God to be enjoyed.

In v. 9 The death and resurrection of Jesus are related to His

Lordship. Jesus died but lived again and is living now in proof
of His power and Lordship.

And since Christ is Lord over all, dead and alive alike, then
clearly eating or not eating, keeping a day or not keeping a day,
come under His direction.

III. THE TRUTH ABOUT JUDGING (vv. 10-12)

Judging was actually going on (now seen again in v. 10), and the truth that is presented in this
chapter is that this judging is an inexcusable sin—it’s HEINOUS.

What makes it so bad? Two particular facts about judging that we find here answer this question:

A. THE OBJECT OF JUDGMENT

v. 10 a “brother”

You’re not judging an outsider—you’re not judging someone disconnected from your life
and ministry. YOU ARE JUDGING A BROTHER.

B. THE OPTION OF JUDGMENT

Judging is an option that only the Lord is to exercise.

Twice in this verse Paul uses an emphatic you:

“But you…why you…or you again…why you…” i.e., “YOU have no right to do this at
all.”
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People who judge the motives and character of others are taking to themselves a prerogative that
belongs to Christ and God alone. Unbelievers will be judged at the great white throne judgment.
Believers will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ

THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE: Each of us will give an account to God; not a single person
will be exempted. Also, the account will be given to God, not man.

I will not give an account for you, nor will you give an account for me. The strong will
not have to defend the weak, neither will the weak have to speak for the strong. But it is
to CHRIST that we must show whether or not we have used or misused our freedom, and
whether our motives have been right.

Judging motives is really what is going on in this chapter. But this is SINFUL
judging in Scripture. This is GOD’S job, and ONLY His job.

When you or I judge the motives of another, or sit in condescension over another, we are
usurping God’s role. We set ourselves up as being holier than God because God HAS
accepted that other person (v. 3).

CONCLUSION

♦ You may ask, "Which of the two groups is right?" Doctrinally, the strong are right, for they
understand the significance of the faith, and the apostle Paul would take his stand with them
unequivocally. But the issues involved are broader than merely a correct view of the
Christian faith. The issues involve people, those who in all sincerity have endorsed the
Christian faith, even though they do not fully comprehend it. In this situation, both groups
need correction in areas involving attitude and conduct.

The weak brethren need correction because their position is wrong, and they condemn
other folks who do not agree with them. They engage in censorious judgment.

But the strong also need correction because, while their principle is right, they have
misused it in their attitude toward the weaker brethren. Both here in Romans and in 1
Cor. 8 & 10, Paul teaches that the church—and of course believers individually—should
treat with consideration and tenderness those who are weak.

SO THE STRONG AND THE WEAK SHOULD TREAT EACH OTHER WITH
KINDNESS.

♦ It's okay to have different convictions.

But Paul does insist, however, in v. 5 that “each one be fully convinced in his own mind”
that what he is doing is right. No one must do what is contrary to the dictates of his own
conscience as illumined by the Word!

♦ And don’t require that everyone be exactly like you; don’t be threatened by someone who is
different.

WE MUST BE GETTING ALONG…EVEN WHEN IT’S GRAY.