Of Majors and Minors (sermon)
Romans 14:1-8
By Rev. Dale Tedder

Three years ago, in Denver, Colorado, our denomination met for the 1996 General Conference. General Conference meets once every four years, and represents United Methodists from around the world. And it's at General Conference that the representatives of our denomination meet together to hammer out the shape and direction of the United Methodist Church.

That General Conference, in anticipation of sharp disagreements on certain issues, voices from the conservative and liberal sides of our denomination met together before the Conference. At this meeting they suggested that the theme for the 1996 General Conference be the Wesleyan Motto:

"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and, in all things, charity."

And although, John Wesley didn't actually come up with that motto, it still reflects his thought and hope for Methodist Christians. The motto basically means this:

In the essentials of the Christian faith, we need to all be unified in our beliefs. The core doctrines that have been proclaimed and taught since the early church, the doctrines that are clearly taught in Scripture and which make up the creeds of the church - these doctrines need to be accepted and followed. These are the doctrines that make Christian belief, well, Christian.

Wesley meant by this, the things that the Apostles preached and taught when they presented the gospel to unbelievers - things like: faith in God, the repentance and deliverance of our sins, the death and resurrection of Christ, the incarnation of Christ, justification by faith, just to name a few.

In other words, as Wesley put it,

the essential teachings of the church should be those scriptural truths that were the grounds for salvation.

So there needs to be unity in these essential or core beliefs. The third part of the motto says that "in all things there needs to be charity, - or love." That shouldn't need any clarification. If you are a Christian, loving others is not optional.

However, the second part of the Motto is what I want to look at a little more closely this morning. That second part of the motto says: "in non-essentials, liberty."

And this is precisely what Paul is dealing with in our text today. Paul is trying to get to the heart of how we are to relate to each other as Christians. In chapters 1-11 of the Book of Romans, Paul spent a great deal of effort to teach new Christians what they should believe as Christians. (The essentials).

Chapters 12-16 were written to teach Christians how to behave. This is where our text this morning is found. When Paul deals with the issues found in our text today, he's dealing specifically with the non-essentials of the Christian faith. -- or those things about which, God is indifferent.

What I mean by indifferent is this: that God did not reveal everything (and sometimes even anything) about certain issues, and therefore, faithful Christians may hold different beliefs about them.

There are great divides among Christians about many things that are non-essential. Or, to work my title into the sermon: There is a great deal of majoring on the minors in the Christian faith. So much of the bickering in the Church seems to concentrate on issues that are at best non-essential, and at worst- not mentioned in Scripture at all.

Christians at both sides of the great divide often suffer from a judgmental attitude and pettiness. Paul says this is wrong. In fact, this is the very thing he is denouncing in chapter 14.

He begins chapter 14 by saying:

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters."

By the comment: "him whose faith is weak," Paul doesn't mean that the person's trust in God is insecure or unstable, or that they haven't really placed their faith in Christ. Instead, Paul is talking about a weakness in understanding the content of the faith; those who may not be as deeply grounded in the things of God. He's speaking about those who are perhaps still confused about what God commands and what God forbids. That's what Paul means by "weak faith."

But Paul's assumption in verse one is this: of course there will be differences of opinion in "disputable matters." A better word for "disputable matters" might be "scruples." Paul is saying that these kinds of disputes are not about doctrines essential to salvation, but are discussions about differences of life-style. (Christian lifestyle, by the way. We know as Christians that not every lifestyle is acceptable to God)

Now although there is a divide that exists between believers and unbelievers, one that only God can bridge, there is NOT to be a divide placed between anyone who truly believes on Jesus Christ as their Savior. One writer has labored to point out that although Christians have plenty of problems with the world, the worst problems for Christians seem to be with other Christians.

I think of the great debate that came about during the Reformation between the Protestant Reformers. Luther, Calvin and Zwingli were divided over how Christ was thought to be present in the Lord's Supper. This is a division which still exists today. It's sad that this division and others like it have ever taken place at all, but at least that was over a theological and biblical issue.

The issues that Paul mentions in Romans 14 are not theological at all: What kinds of food should be eaten; Whether or not Christians should set aside special days for their religious observances. Paul's point is that issues like these should NEVER divide Christians. Instead, those differences of conviction must be respected.

Paul knew this: that just like the Pharisees, Christians receive rules and traditions that are not grounded at all in the Word of God. Instead, they're scruples and convictions on certain issues that were passed down in families or even in denominations. And, just like the Pharisees, these traditions and rules found outside of Scripture - become so much a part of us, that we elevate these non-essential things, to the level of essential Christian belief.

As I was studying for this, I found that Paul handles this very issue in a surprising way. When people ask for practical teaching about how Christians should live, they usually want a list to hang up on their refrigerator. They want a list of things Christians should do or not do: read your Bible, come to church, spend quality time with your children, and so on.

If their concern is for values or Christian morality, they want a list of rules approaching legalism: Don't smoke, Don't drink, Don't dance, Don't go to bad movies - and so on.

But if you have ever read chapters 14, 15, and 16 of Romans, what you've noticed is how little there is of anything like those lists. Paul does give commands: "hate what is evil; cling to what is good." "Live at peace with everyone" "Do not take revenge" But these are general statements, not a list of practical dos and don'ts.

But what about dos and don'ts? Isn't there a list of things we should do and not do? Of course there is. The Ten Commandments is one important list. Nothing in Paul's writings suggest that we are free to violate the moral law of God. But when Paul writes about specific details of the Christian life, it's important to see that the approach he takes is NOT legalism.

He doesn't provide a list of acceptable and unacceptable things; above all - not in gray areas. In fact, in these areas, he teaches that Christians are free to do anything, and they must allow other Christians to do the same. In other words, the way to move forward in the Christian life is not for one group of believers to lay down a set of "house-rules" for other Christians.

How many of you have received a litmus test of what real Christianity is from someone, when all it really is, is their personally held conviction about something that's not essential at all? Sadly, I suspect we all have such a list that from time to time we impose on others.

Those of you who know me, know I like to run a tight ship when it comes to the essentials of the faith, but I must agree with Paul here. We can't hold up our personally held scruples to the same level with the core doctrines of the Christian faith.

I hate to even mention an example because I know it's bound to step on someone's toes, but I want to make clear what I am talking about. We all know of some schools this Spring who did not have a prom because they believe dancing is wrong. And Paul is clear, if they believe it's wrong, then for them - it is, and we shouldn't judge them for that. That's their personally held belief. But, there is also nothing in Scripture that says dancing, in and of itself, is wrong. Now I know where some people go after prom, and I know that sometimes alcohol may go with them, and that's certainly an issue to be greatly concerned about. Yet dancing, in and of itself, is neutral. God has not spoken on this issue.

But this is precisely what Paul is saying. Paul says in verses 1-3:

[1] Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. [2] One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. [3] The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.

The Jewish Christians were having a hard time accepting that they could eat all kinds of meat. And even though they were never forbidden in the Old Testament from eating some kinds of meat, their own, personal scruples, taught that they could only eat vegetables. So even though this was not grounded in Scripture, this is what they believed. The other Christians were not bound by this scruple, so their faith permitted them to eat anything they wanted.

Paul's point was this: God has already accepted both the vegetarian Christian and the other Christian. So who are we to sit in judgment? The person with the deeply help conviction about not eating meat, or whatever the present day example might be, is not to look down on the other Christian. Likewise, the Christian who freely eats all kinds of food, must not look down on the vegetarian Christian. Paul says in verse 17 of this chapter:

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, even though I may disagree with my brothers and sisters in Christ who believe certain things about certain issues, I am commanded of God not to look down on them, or judge them. Instead I am to love them as Christ has loved me.

You're not called to agree with every believer on these non-essentials any more than they have to agree with you. But you do have accept that person as a believer, and as your brother or sister in Christ, because God has accepted him, just as he has accepted you.

Therefore if all Christians stand by the grace of God, as Paul says in verse 4, and if all Christians are accountable to God, don't you think we have enough to be concerned about without trying to straighten out other Christians on these non-essential issues. If a Christian needs straightening out, Jesus will take care of it.

In the meantime, worry about our own accountability, and decide, that, regardless of the case of others, when YOU stand before the judgment seat of Christ, you will hear him say to YOU, "Well done good and faithful servant."