Romans 14-15 Clothes Make the Man

[HKHaugan]

Romans 14-15

We start again with the last verse of Ch.13, “Rather clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature (12:14).” This verse sets the pace for what he will say in the next three chapters.

How do we clothe ourselves with the Lord? Chapters 14 and 15 begin with the similar concern about weakness, uniqueness and cliqueness. “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters” and “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” This is not a new law but rather a new attitude of yielding one's self to the Lord Jesus in mind, heart and spirit. The key word here is acceptance. It is so easy to slip into an ego mode judging the fallen nature of someone else without seeing the same issue in one's self, you know, the 'log in the eye (Mt.7:3-5).'

Paul uses three issues apparently present in his day as illustrations, food choices, abstinence and holy days. They can be personal practices by which one would judge whether or not others are being righteous, a new Pharisaism or the old one dragged in from the past. If we are not alert, each of those three seeds can breed a bitter root of judgmentalism. Each seed is a new Pharisaic measure that allows secondary concerns to sidetrack us. It is so easy to slip into the 'I'm-more-righteous-than-you' syndrome. There are a lot of things like that are parallels for us that can derail our attention like doctrinal disputes, children's behavior, clothing styles, 'proper' decorum during worship, our church is better than your church, spiritual pride, raising or not raising hands and the all too familiar self-martyrdom of “I'm-the-only-one-around-here-doing-any-work. Why-doesn't-anyone-come-and-help-me?” Then too, when it comes to physical concerns in church building construction and interior furnishings, it is so easy for ego to take the lead instead of prayer and calm discussion. Also, you may have had this experience: “It's great being spiritual but how that evaporates when we start talking about bricks and mortar, carpets and colors.” That's why Paul directs our gaze to the Lord, “For none of us lives to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (vs.8).” Focus, focus, focus! Center everything in the Lord.

The Body of Christ is where we practice the kind of give and take that characterizes life in Christ, 'being clothed with Christ.' There's no question then. When it comes to being dressed spiritually that clothing is our attitude. It's really all about every next moment and what our attitude will be when the unexpected, the unusual, the unpleasant and the unintended invades our space. Being clothed in Christ demands a whole new attitudinal approach. The comfort of pre-designed religious response, of cultural expectations and comfortably social hiding places, doesn't work. When they were used before Jesus His response exposed the truth about their superficiality. He was perceptive when it came to the fear and pride that made up the cardboard style behind prevailing hypocrisy.

Jesus' faith was His attitude in every next moment reacting according to the will of His Father. His was a spiritual attitude, a holy honesty shredding the superficialities of sinful human hearts and leveling them with a new grace, a new truth and a new love. Jesus was always bringing truth to the moment, His truth, the truth in the Word from the Spirit of the truth He was. His perfection started within from His heart. He does the same with us through His Spirit. He humbles us at the moment we lean in the direction of being judgmental and we know it within. Judgmentalism is an attitude that needs to be taken to the Cross. Again, that's why we practice grace-filled honesty in the Body, His honesty. That equips us spiritually for our jaunt into the world around us.

In His Body believers share the conscious task of relational conformity to Him in order to de-conform from the fear standards sin sets to isolate everyone from each other. Think of it like a diver who has been in the ocean's depth for an extended period and needs to decompress in order to re-enter the surface atmosphere. In the Body of Christ everyone is a decompressing sinner rising into a spiritual atmosphere. In the depths of the secular world everyone without God eventually runs out of meaning and purpose regardless of the fading honors it bestows on them. In His Body everyone is gifted by the Holy Spirit to help one another breathe spiritually. That happens when the gifts ministry to one another frees us as witnesses of relational honesty in the surrounding world. In the process it's easy to get stepped on but bruising encounters are shared and prayed for in the Body. They happen even among those closest to us and that's where we develop spiritual lungs and learn spiritual growth. That's where we begin to understand what it means to be clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ.

So what really counts here is to see each other as brothers and sisters growing in the Lord and not judge their choices until they give us permission to engage the subject at their point of need. That's the work of the Holy Spirit, to open the heart at the point of need. Patience is the key, a part of the many flavored fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22). The Body of Christ is the Holy Spirit's mutual growth factory reshaping us into the Lord's likeness as we go through every next encounter.

The primary theme here is to let everyone who comes into the Body grow at the pace the Lord sets for them. It won't be the same with everyone. We don't all grow the same way or at the same rate because of the blessing of being made unique. We are all unique sinners because of our uniqueness as God's images. We have to be loved equally but allowed space to grow uniquely. It is the singular love of Christ that brings our sinful uniqueness into the reshaping formula He has for each of us so that we become the unique faithful image He designed for each of us to begin with. “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (vs.19).”

One more issue Paul raises here is not using our position as believers to feel superior or present a superior attitude. People with weaknesses need the strength of those without the same weakness for support.

But heed this reality, there is no one without a weakness of some kind regardless of their length of time as a disciple. “There is no one righteous, no not one...(3:10).”

The examples of food, drink and religious practice point to a witnessing principle. If we like to eat certain kinds of food or choose favorite beverages and they can be harmful to someone struggling with a food or beverage abuse, it is better to back off and not push your choices on them. But that principle is equally applicable to ideas, personal practices or attempting to manipulate those who are weak when it comes to needing acceptance, recognition and approval. To prove its universality as an attitudinal principle Paul makes this concluding statement, “...and everything that does not come from faith is sin (14:23).”

Faith is always the bottom line when it comes to making choices and decisions about what we do in every next moment. This is why Chapter 15 starts with the same premise as Chapter 14, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves (vs..” Faith is where we are weakest because faith is experienced when we put legs on our mind's belief and our heart's trust. We may have a strong belief in the concepts about God. We may trust Him for our personal ethics and standing and the way we relate to others. But when it comes to action, to sharing Jesus with others, using our gifts in ministry to others in the Body, stepping out sharing Jesus with those who don't know Him, where are we then? Faith is the goal of belief and trust. That's how we measure our spiritual strength and weakness. Faith is the strengthening gift of God given to motivate our spirit, to move our relationship with the Lord Jesus into the actions of grace and love. Faith is the attitude leading us to accept others and then meet their needs materially and spiritually. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of thing unseen (Heb.11:1).”

So basically, as we get into Chapter 15 Paul declares to the believers in Rome that it is both Jew and Gentile that make up the Body of Christ and their sharing together is the witness they are to give the world in Rome. There is no longer any separation between Jew and Gentile. He has made of one blood all people on the earth to have a relationship with Him through Jesus the Christ (Acts 17:26, Eph.1:10).

Ch.15:1-3 shows that faith is for the sake of others followed by vs.4 which says that the way to learn faith is through the Scriptures. There we are taught by endurance and Scriptural encouragement we find hope.

Vs.5-13 God gives encouragement and endurance in order to build unity in the Body. With that intention in our hearts and words, we glorify God and show that Christ was a servant to the Jews in order to bring His glory and promises to the Gentiles as well.

Vs.14-16 Paul is convinced that the believers in Rome are filled with the goodness, knowledge and competency to teach one another which is why he wrote to them. He wants to make clear that he was given the grace to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.

Vs.17-22 “Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done---by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit (Acts 19:11). So from Jerusalem all away around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the Gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand (Is.52:15).” This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.”

Vs.23-33 Paul moves toward concluding his letter by stating his destination is Spain. While he is on his way there he will get to Rome but he has to go to Jerusalem first to share the gifts the believers in Macedonia and Achaia gave especially for them. It is right here he asks for their prayers so that they can share in his mission and that he can survive the assaults he expects from the Jewish leadership in Judea and that his service will work for the believers there. Then he will with joy come to Rome as promised and together they will experience a renewal, a refreshing in the Spirit.