The Power of Love (Romans 14:16-23)
The central message of the Christian faith is The Power of Love, which is uniquely revealed through the person of Jesus Christ. Unlike any other figure in history, only Jesus can truly demonstrate this power. For believers, this power of love is expressed through a dedicated pursuit of God and a Christlike life characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The Mandate of Love and Familial Witness
Love is intended to be the hallmark of the Christian life and the number one priority for believers. Jesus gave a new commandment: “love one another as I have loved you”. This love serves as the ultimate identifier of Christ’s disciples.
Love Covers Sin
Fervent love for one another is paramount because love will cover a multitude of sins. This means that a believer’s love for another person prevents them from focusing on the other person’s sins or wrong actions. Love prioritizes the person over their mistakes. True believers are often more concerned about the souls of their lost family members and friends than those individuals are about their own souls.
Sacrificial Love in a Dark World
When believers return to their communities, they enter a world that is often unloving, hurting, and dark. Christians must not quit or grow weary. Instead, the Christian life demands sacrificial love for one another. Acting out love toward neighbors, even those who hate the believer or hate God, may be more powerful than any message preached.
Protecting Your Good Witness
Believers are called to live in such a way that their “good be spoken of as evil”. This does not mean getting defensive; it means standing unwaveringly but lovingly for the truth. Christians are ambassadors for Christ in the world, mediating God’s love to those warring against Him. We must avoid giving opponents anything they can use against us.
However, pursuing Christ can lead to division, as Jesus warned: “A man’s enemies will be those of his own household“. This means choosing the new spiritual family in Christ over old relationships rooted in sin.
The Kingdom of God: Righteousness, Peace, and Joy
The pursuit of God leads believers to prioritize the Kingdom of God, which Paul defines not as matters of eating and drinking, but as “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit“.
Beyond Rituals and Legalism
Paul clarifies that the Kingdom is not dependent on adherence to rules about food or drink. The idea that one must follow specific rules (like eating meat or being a vegan) to attain heaven or favor with God is rejected. Food does not commend us to God.
Mature believers understand that salvation is based on trusting in Christ alone. An immature believer might mistakenly believe that attendance at a specific church or denomination is required for salvation or favor with God, a concept that “slaps of being a cult”. Adding good deeds or moral achievements to Christ’s finished work on the cross nullifies salvation by grace.
Serving Christ for Divine Approval
“He who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men“.
- Acceptable to God: This means being well pleasing to God—living and doing what is like one’s Master, Jesus Christ. God sees the believer acting like His Son.
- Approved by Men: This means being tested, examined, scrutinized, and inspected by man. People in our lives—neighbors, children, and the world—are constantly watching and listening to believers. This scrutiny demonstrates that Christians are always making converts to their lifestyle.
Practical Wisdom for Believers
The book of Romans provides clear guidance on how to pursue God’s way without causing others to stumble.
Pursue Peace and Edification
Believers are instructed to pursue the things which make for peace and the things which edify one another (meaning to build up another person).
This means living a life that strengthens others, especially spouses in marriage. The believer should be a source of strength and comfort, not a source of problems.
Avoiding Stumbling Blocks
A crucial component of Christian love is ensuring personal freedoms do not become stumbling blocks for weaker believers. Paul advises: “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food“.
- Though all things are pure, it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
- It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
If a believer has faith regarding a certain liberty (e.g., eating pork chops), they should keep that conviction to themselves before God. A stronger believer, who is not in sin by engaging in an activity, should abstain from it in the presence of a weaker believer to demonstrate love and avoid causing offense.
The Role of Conscience and Faith
We are to have a clear, clean conscience. People who have not come to Christ are condemned by their conscience and often try to cover up their sins with destructive behaviors like drugs and sex, which never works.
Furthermore, believers must act from faith. “Whatever is not from faith is sin“. Happy is the person who does not condemn himself in what he approves. If a person doubts the morality of an action and proceeds anyway, they are condemned.
The Ultimate Priority: Knowing Jesus Christ
The focus of the Christian life must remain fixed on the Lord Jesus. The single most important question for every person is “who is Jesus Christ?”.
- Salvation through Christ Alone: Salvation is not achieved through good works, moral scorecard achievements, or religious affiliations. It is found only through repenting of sin and asking Christ to come in as Lord and Savior. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Him.
- Sovereign Calling: God is sovereign above all, and He has a plan above us all. His specific teaching is to go make disciples of all nations.
- The Mark of the Believer: The Holy Spirit indwells the believer, marking them in life with the mark of love. The Christian life is to be lived in hot pursuit of God.