Everyone likes to be right. It’s not that we consider ourselves as having reached perfection but there is the natural tendency to think that our way is the right way, our approach to the varying issues of life is best. With that tendency, we may find those who see things differently or who make different decisions or who have different convictions than our own, rubbing us the wrong way. What happens when that kind of collision of ideas, convictions, and decisions takes place? Usually, some attitude problems arise.
After Paul had dealt with the loftiest of doctrinal themes, he moved to the application of the doctrine in the practical issues of life. He immediately focused on life in the body of Christ. He addressed functioning as one body with varying spiritual gifts, with the implication that each gift is necessary and allotted to us by God, so we have no cause to judge another with a different gift (Rom 12:3-8). The church at Corinth had a bit more problems in this regard! Some in the church had developed a swagger over what they considered to be superior gifts. But the apostle rebukes that kind of spirit and demonstrates that what they thought were the lesser gifts were just as necessary as those deemed greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12).
While placing a great emphasis on loving one another in the body (Rom 12:9-10; 13:8-10), Paul moves to the practical outworking of Christian love. How do we show love? We can tell others all day long that we love them while our actions show an opposite spirit. Our love is best displayed in the way that we unconditionally accept one another in the body of Christ (Rom 15:7). Yet getting to that point may prove challenging! This is especially true with regard to overcoming matters of conscience and personal conviction.
In Romans 14, Paul takes up the problem of judging one another. Notice the repetitive concepts of judgment: “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions” (14:1). Opinions have to do with the way one reasons or how he/she thinks on a given issue, particularly those more gray areas that are not spelled out in Scripture. “The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him” (14:3). The believer, who has no scruples against eating anything, disdains or looks down upon the one who has convictions about eating certain foods due to religious reasoning. The one who refrains from the foods judges the brother who readily eats it. Both are wrong—both are passing judgment on others in the body.
But Paul goes on. “Who are you to judge the servant of another?” (14:4) Assuming a position as master and lord, we judge another over a matter of personal conviction. Keep in mind that Paul is not talking about issues that are clearly addressed in Scripture—matters of commands that are unquestionable. Rather, in the context, Paul uses four examples: vegetables we eat or don’t eat; the days we observe as holy and the days we don’t observe; the wine we drink or refuse to drink; and the meat we eat or don’t eat. Vegetables, days, wine, and meat had nothing to do with specific commands but rather with personal convictions. We could extend this to many things: clothes we wear or don’t wear; education we promote or don’t promote; places we go or don’t go; the people we are in contact with or refuse to have contact with; the version of the Bible we use or refuse to use.
We are to admonish one another in regard to the commands of God. But everything is not spelled out for us. There are ‘gray’ areas that equally faithful Christians see differently. It is in these areas that the problem had arisen in Rome regarding judging one another. And it is still a problem today. Christians part company over non-essentials; choosing sides, judging, speaking-against, not over matters clearly addressed in Scripture but rather over personal convictions and opinions on Christian behavior.
Convictions are fine as long as we keep several things in mind. (1) We do not gain any merit or favor with God because of our convictions. (2) Convictions should arise out of an intense desire to live for the Lord, with the thought that holding the particularly conviction is helpful to us in living as Christians (Rom 14:7-8). (3) Convictions are not to be used to exclude fellow believers—when we do that we demonstrate pride and a judgmental spirit, which means we’re not living for the Lord! (4) Convictions vary from one believer to another—a fact that Paul makes legitimate in this chapter (Rom 14:5-6). In other words, it is okay for me to tenaciously hold a particular conviction and okay that you, just as tenaciously, don’t hold it. Neither of us is spiritually superior for our position. Rather it is just a matter of conscience in how we are to live as Christians.
Since we live together in the body of Christ we must major on showing the unity and love of the Godhead in our relationships. But sometimes we need motivation to get us out of a pride-saturated mind to walk humbly with each other as fellow believers. Knowing that we will all give an account of ourselves to the Lord motivates us toward love and humility, and against judging and treating one another with contempt. That’s the angle that Paul takes in helping us to work through this whole matter of living together in the body of Christ. What part does the judgment have in how we treat others?
Granted, this is an odd place to bring up the subject of the judgment seat of God. We’re looking at relationships, getting along with one another, treating each other with respect, loving each other, when all of a sudden, Paul seems to plug in a statement on future judgment. How does it fit? Here is where the context proves essential in understanding Paul’s application of judgment.
In Romans 12-15, Paul has in mind relationships in the body of Christ. It is comparable to what he does in Ephesians 4-6 and Colossians 3-4. He first sets forth a strong doctrinal foundation, focused upon the eternal purposes of God, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, and our union with Jesus Christ through faith. Then, what follows, shows life in the body of Christ. It is evident in each of these passages that being a Christian means that we cannot remain a loner. While we are saved individually, we are saved to be part of the corporate body of believers. We are saved with reference to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember the high priestly prayer of our Lord (John 17). He prayed for those who would believe in Him “that they may all be one,” even as the Father and Son are one (John 17:20-21). He continued praying about the union that we have corporately with Him, and how it is the outworking of the perfections in the Godhead (17:22-23). The Lord intends to show how His gospel rooted in a people transforms relationships that had been corrupted and distorted by sin. The picture given to us of heaven is never one of individualism but corporate life in the presence of eternal glory (Rev 5:6-14; 6:9-11; 7:9-17, et al.).
Relationships in the body of Christ matter to the Lord of the Church, so we must never treat them casually or indifferently. That’s why there are over thirty “one another” passages in the New Testament that help us to understand that we have responsibility to live like a redeemed people (e.g. love one another, encourage one another, accept one another, admonish one another, be kind to one another, etc.).
One of the stickiest arenas of subtle division and cliquishness in the church has to do with this matter of convictions and how we hold them. Our attitude and treatment of others can serve to build up one another in the body of Christ (cf. Rom 14:19) or it can serve to destroy those for whom Christ died (cf. Rom 14:15). Our attitudes can strengthen the work of God among His people or it can tear it down (cf. Rom 14:20). Do you see where Paul is taking us? He is showing us the big picture of “life in the Father’s house,” to use Wayne Mack’s expression. He is exposing to us the point of false spirituality that leads to division and destruction in the body.
If someone is promoting a false teaching, such as denying the deity of Jesus or denying the inspiration of Scripture, we can spot that quickly and root it out. But matters of conscience are different. The convictions we hold can morph into monstrous arrogance and false spirituality by which we judge others and treat others with contempt.
“But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt?” What two relational ideas are emphasized? “You” and “brother.” The problem that Paul considers is when we fail to treat a brother as a brother, but instead, put him/her into servitude to our personal preferences. We judge the other person or treat the other person with a contemptible spirit when we seemingly have amnesia toward the Lordship of Christ! We forget that Jesus is Lord—not us. So we begin to judge His servants as though they were our servants (Rom 14:4, 7-9). We attempt to tell His servants how they are to behave, what they are to believe, where they are to go, what they are to wear, and how they are to act with regard to matters that He has not commanded in Scripture.
‘But Pastor, I’ve prayed about these things! God has given me a ‘word’ about them!’
Keep it to yourself! If God has not spoken in Scripture regarding the matter then we must tread lightly in trying to conform others to our opinions and preferences. It’s not that all convictions are bad! If you hold your conviction in humility before the Lord, and you practice it as unto the Lord, then it is a good conviction—for you (Rom 14:5-6). You can even talk about it to another brother or sister. But keep it where it should be—a matter of personal conviction, a matter of the conscience, not a command of the Lord.
When you begin to assert your convictions or matter of conscience on another brother or sister, and that one does not respond, and you judge him/her or treat contemptibly, then you have become the judge and standard setter for the church. You have tried to assume the position of lord of the church. The Lord Jesus does not take that lightly!
Rather than spending time trying to impose convictions and matters of conscience on others, let’s focus instead, on the teachings of Scripture. I still remember with shame and horror, some absolutely unbiblical sermons that I delivered in my youth, where I violated this principle. I railed away about some matters of personal conviction but was completely devoid of the gospel and the things that promote true sanctification. How I wish that I could recover those moments for the sake of God’s kingdom and the glory of Christ in the gospel! I was attempting to conform the hearers to my convictions, some of which were merely extensions of the legalism that had enslaved my heart.
Brethren, let us never be known for such folly that contains no eternal good, but rather, let us give ourselves to the gospel and to the things that are fitting for sound doctrine, as Paul told Titus (Titus 2:1; cf. 1 Tim 4:6; 2 Tim 4:3). It is through these things that we will build up the body of Christ and promote sanctification among the brethren.
Attitudes of judgmentalism, self-righteousness, and contemptible spirit due to our personal convictions are difficult to uproot. We hold them tightly, like a security blanket of a two-year old. We battle to let go of them because we have grown comfortable with them. We actually pat ourselves on the back for such attitudes, thinking ourselves to be more righteous than others. We see them as favorable to God.
So to help us uproot such attitudes, Paul takes us to the judgment seat of God.
Here is a wonderful example of a truth that must be firmly fixed in our minds. Doctrine promotes right behavior. Doctrine is not some dusty, man-centered idea meant for debate in the halls of the academy, but rather doctrine serves as the foundation for living. Notice how Paul applies doctrine throughout this context. In Romans 14:3, he tells us, that we are not to treat others with contempt because they hold a different conviction that we do nor are we to judge those who hold different convictions. And what is the reason? “For God has accepted him.” That points to our justification—our acceptance by God on the basis of the death of Jesus Christ for us. In that wonderful chapter on union with Christ, Romans 5, Paul states, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners [and so estranged from God, enemies of God], Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God [there’s acceptance!] through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom 5:8-10). Acceptance is grounded in the death of Christ for us. So, “God has accepted us,” not because of some merit on our part, but due to the death of Christ for us, then we surely must not judge our brothers and sisters in Christ who were accepted by God through the same work of Christ.
The second doctrine that serves as a foundation for the way we treat one another is the preservation of the saints or the believer’s security in Christ. Notice Romans 14:4, “who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” While the one judging a brother or sister offers condemning words, Paul retorts that we do not stand due to our convictions or preferences of conscience. We stand because the Lord causes us to stand. Peter had something of the same idea in mind when he wrote that we “are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:5). Jude tells us that the Lord is the one “who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 24). So what’s the point? When we try to impose our convictions on someone else, we are subtly attempting to give him/her a false prop for standing before the Lord. In other words, we are insisting that if you are going to please the Lord and find favor before Him, then you must follow this particular matter of conscience or conviction. This will give you favor before God. But that is false! It is the Lord alone who makes us to stand before Him. Here is the certainty of the believer’s security in Christ. It is motivation for not judging a brother with regard to convictions, as though imposing our convictions would give him more favor than he already has in Christ.
The third doctrine that Paul explains is the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Rom 14:7-9). Jesus’ death and resurrection declared Him to “be Lord both of the dead and the living.” So if He is Lord, then what place do we have to try to lord over others our convictions? Lordship means His rule over our lives. We live unto the Lord—in life and death; we do not live unto convictions or matters of conscience.
Judgment is one of the subjects that we prefer to leave alone. If we don’t think about it, maybe it will go away! Yet, throughout Scripture, humanity’s destiny with judgment looms. Paul not only declares the judgment but also chooses a passage from Isaiah 45:23, 700 years earlier, to reinforce the certainty of judgment. Keep in mind that his purpose is not to give a full exposition on divine judgment. He teaches on judgment with a view toward transformation of behavior. He similarly, utilizes the judgment seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5 to motivate the Corinthian Church to be pleasing to the Lord.
After raising the questions of why we would judge our brother or treat our brother with contempt, he then drives home the rationale for why this is unacceptable. “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” ‘All’ is emphatic, as he connects the stark reality of judgment with behavior in the body of Christ. Notice a few considerations.
(1) He is speaking of believers standing before the judgment seat of God. The word “stand” is important since he has already spoken of one standing or falling before his master (v. 4). Then he declares, “For the Lord is able to make him stand.” So the judgment of which he speaks is not a matter of deciding whether or not you are accepted by God and received into His presence. That is settled through the justifying work of Christ, and therefore, “The Lord is able to make him stand.” Your standing is in Christ. So why are we judged since our sins were judged in Jesus Christ? Paul tells us in 2 Cor 5:10 that in this judgment of believers, “each one will be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” This implies, as Wayne Grudem points out, “degrees of reward for what we have done in this life.” It is a time of reward. Some are received into the Lord’s presence though with little or no reward—they are “saved, yet so as through fire”; others, who have built their lives on “gold, silver, precious stones,” as Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, will have purified treasure or reward in heaven.
(2) Judgment is universal. Notice the emphasis throughout vv. 10-12: “we . . . all . . . every knee . . . every tongue . . . each one . . . of us.” None of us escape judgment. Angels will be judged. Satan and his horde will be judged. The unbelieving world will be judged. The nations will be judged. Believers will be judged. I realize that some systems have developed different judgments for each category but that likely strains the biblical teaching. There is a strong sense that believers being judged will display the glory of Jesus Christ in the gospel before the nations, while in a display of divine justice, those without Christ will be eternally condemned for rejecting the Son.
(3) Judgment will ultimately proclaim Christ’s Lordship and praise throughout the universe. Paul quotes from Isaiah 45:23, “For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’” In that OT context, the Lord has identified His sovereign use of the Persian king Cyrus for Israel’s sake. He reminds the readers of the folly of man in arguing against God; and He even challenges Israel to bring their case against God if they think His judgment to be amiss. Then there is the great invitation for all the ends of the Lord to turn to Him and be saved. Why should the nations pay attention to this God of the Israelites? For there is no one else like Him who created the heavens and the earth, and who will one day be confessed worshiped as Lord by all the nations.
(4) Judgment, though universal is also individual. “Each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” Paul moves from the masses to you and me. You may wonder how the Lord will do this? I do not know nor does anyone else but there is the certainty that each of us will give an accounting of our lives before the Lord. Stop and consider that sobering thought. We rush through life, living for ourselves, tipping our hats to God on occasion, while focusing on the temporal things of this world. Yet the stark reality is that we will one day give an account of ourselves to Him. Does that mean that if He does not find enough good or righteousness in us that we are doomed? No, our righteousness is in Jesus Christ (Rom 10:4); He is our steady anchor through this life and into eternity (Heb 6:19-20). Yet if rewards are to be given, an accounting must be made so that each one will be properly rewarded for their application of living out the gospel of Christ (2 Cor 5:10). The progress of life in Christ will be evident.
How does knowledge of judgment affect our relationships to the body of Christ?
What is Paul’s point in bringing up judgment? “For” is used as a connector to his questions concerning judging a brother in regard to his convictions and matters of conscience. “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” So in light of this, since we will “give an account” to the Lord, do we have reason for judging our brothers or treating others contemptibly? Here is our motivation: since God will ask for an accounting of how we have treated others in the body of Christ, let’s make sure that we can offer a record of having loved the church the way Christ loved the church. Let the certainty of judgment serve as a motivation for holding in high regard our brothers and sisters who hold different convictions than we do. Jesus is glorified in this!
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