The title of my message this
morning is Christian Liberty and Unity. And as I said, it's
taken from Romans 15, verses 1 through 12. Our last message that I had here
in the Book of Romans was taken from the previous chapter 14.
It dealt with the believer's liberty in Christ. and how to
use the liberty when communicating with weaker brethren that are
in the congregation. The previous chapter mainly dealt
with believers' liberty as it relates to non-vital issues,
issues of indifference, such as eating or drinking and observing
days and so forth. Because of this, it's very important
that we look at what's being said here. and that we understand
that Paul's not dealing with doctrine but with Christian liberty. Now the Apostle Paul begins here
in Romans 15 dealing with how a strong believer, a believer
that's been in the faith for a time, a believer that's grown
in grace and knowledge, a believer that's that's come into more
knowledge as it relates to Christian liberty. And these things have
to do with non-violation because, see, he's talking to believers
when he's telling these strong and weak believers in how to
deal with each other. And so we need to keep that in
mind as we look over everything that's said here. He's not talking
about an unbeliever and our dealings with an unbeliever in these issues.
Now, verse one here says of 15, chapter 15, says, we then that
are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not
to please ourself. The strong or the mature believer
must exercise their liberty in the use of these indifferent
things, such as drinking or eating foods, certain foods, and they
should do it in love and in patience. and with wisdom as they deal
with the weaker brethren, that weaker brethren that has lack
of knowledge or not being aware of these issues of indifference. Now, the strong, it says here,
must bear or pick up and carry the weight, the weight of and
holding that bond together of believers as we hold this bond
together. And be patient with that weaker
brethren. You might ask, well, why does
a strong believer have to carry this weight? Well, it's because
he is strong. He's been in the gospel for a
while. He's grown in grace and knowledge. And because of this,
we must bear up these weaker brethren. As believers and disciples of
Christ, we are not to please ourself or live for ourself. We're not saved by the grace
of God so that we can go through this life in our own selfish
desires and purposes. We're saved, first and foremost,
to please and honor God and to reflect the love of God in Christ
in our thoughts, doctrine, and attitudes, and in our conduct.
This would especially apply in our relationship to one another's
brethren. John tells us this in John 13, verse 35, by this
shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love
one to another. Now, in Romans 15, verse 2, it
says, let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to
edification. We're saved also to please our
neighbor. And in the context that we're dealing with is speaking
of weaker brethren when it talks about our neighbor here. The
last part of this verse says, for his good to edification.
Pleasing our neighbor here does not mean that we're to bow or
to give in to all the whims and fancies, all the prejudices and
personal preferences of all men, not even weaker brethren. We're
not to flatter men and we're not to engage in any activity
or abstain from any food or drink in any way that would promote
their pride, their self-righteousness, or any false views of salvation
by works. This would not edify or build
up a brethren or promote any center in salvation. In the matter
of weaker brethren, we're to receive them and bear their infirmities
or their weakness. while being true witnesses of
Christ, using every means to point lost sinners to Christ
for all salvation, and also to help weak believers grow in grace
and in knowledge of Christ, so as to establish their hearts
with grace, and thereby remove all thoughts that make them weak
in these specific areas that they're dealing with here as
weak brethren. In verse three, Paul says, for even Christ pleased
not himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of them that reproach
thee fell on me. Paul quotes here from Psalm 69,
nine, to show the supreme example of Christ as one who pleased
not himself. Christ came to the earth and
he suffered and he bled and died on the cross, not to please himself,
but to please the father. which was to satisfy God's justice
on behalf of God's elect, which indeed did save his people from
their sins. He died for our sins, those sins
that were imputed, charged, legally charged to his account. Everything
Christ did in his work for our eternal good was for our eternal
good and for our edification. All that we do, we should do
for the glory of God. the salvation of sinners, and
the edification of our brethren. We, however, are not commanded
by God to put up with or promote any practice that would lead
men to think that salvation in any way was conditioned on something
that they do or would be unable to do. Never should we do this. We're never to encourage men
to think that our righteousness and our holiness before God is
anything more or less than the merits of Christ's obedience
unto death. We're to let the light of the
gospel and the glory of Christ shine in all these things. Look at Matthew 5 verse 16, which
says, let your light so shine before men that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. The
light is the gospel preached in all of its particulars, which
gives God all the glory in the salvation of sinners. And we
know that false religionists take this verse here and go about
and promote work salvation as they look at these things. But
this light that shines forth as the believer talks about the
gospel God and all that is revealed in this gospel and how he saves
the sinner. This is that light. This is those good works that
the believer has as he preaches the gospel to all men. Now, in verse 4 here of Romans
15, it says, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures,
might have hope. The Word of God in the Old Testament
was written for our learning, and this written aforetime is
what this is speaking of, not only in leading us to Christ
for all salvation, but also to guide us by the hope of the gospel
in dealing with one another as brethren. Christ is our hope
of salvation and our supreme example of love and obedience.
Our hope in Him, our hope in Christ, is the foundation, is
the motive for all obedience, all our obedience unto God. All
that we do, we do out of love and gratitude based on what Christ,
looking to what Christ has done for us. Now in verse five, now the God of patience and consolation
grants you to be like minded one to another. according to
Christ Jesus. Now, I believe that this verse
is connected to verse four in that we're told to have patience
with the weak believer as they grow in grace and in knowledge.
Just as God, as the God of patience, has had patience with us in our
being taught of God, God himself is patient and he's long-suffering
with his children in all of our weaknesses and all of our errors
in these matters of indifference. God tolerates these things in
His children and allows them time to be taught and to grow. And once again, we're talking
about things of indifference and non-vital issues here. We
must continue to remember that these things that we're talking
about this morning apply to true believers, both strong and weak,
who are dealing in these areas of indifference relating to these
non-vital issues. God gives comfort to all his
children, not because they eat or abstain from eating certain
foods, but because of their consolation or their comfort in Christ. The
believer's patience, or our endurance, our perseverance in the faith,
and our consolation, which is our comfort and our encouragement,
are both gifts of God's grace in Christ. Now, in Philippians
2, beginning in verse 12, Wherefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling. For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. All of the
blessings of salvation are ours by God's grace in Christ, according
to Ephesians 1.3. which says, blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. As you can
see here in the verse here we just read, these spiritual gifts
are not from or they're not of ourself. These spiritual gifts
also include the unity between brethren and our fellowship in
these things of which We are, like Romans 5, the last part
of that verse says, like-minded one toward another. Concerning
that gospel, we're like-minded. Believers are to be of the same
mind in the truth of the gospel of God's grace in Christ and
in love to one another. And we're not to let these matters
of indifference upset our unity and our fellowship. Our next
verse, verse 6, says that you may, with one mind and one mouth,
glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our
goal as disciples of Christ should not be to promote ourselves or
our own personal convictions, preferences, or prejudices. Our goal is to be united in fellowship
with our brethren in order to glorify and to honor our Heavenly
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We're to do this in thought and
in doctrine and in word. There will be harmony and brotherly
love among all who are persuaded of this same hope, which is Christ
and salvation based on his righteousness alone. Those who are truly like-minded
will see themselves as members of the one body of Christ. And
though we may be many, we will speak as one, one mind, one mouth
concerning God's grace and faithfulness to fulfill his promise in our
salvation condition on Christ alone. This glorifies God, even
the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In verse seven, wherefore
receive you one another as Christ also received us to the glory
of God. Paul encourages both mature and
weak believers brethren in Christ, by the grace of God to embrace
and to receive one another in the fellowship of faith. Those
have the same faith. We are to accept all who believe
in the true Christ and follow him according to the word of
God. And we're to accept them willingly, readily, and lovingly. This verse says that we're to
receive one another. It says, as Christ also received
us to the glory of God. The foundation and motivation
of our receiving of one another is the glorious reality of our
own salvation and how Christ received us. Now, how did Christ
received us? Well, he received us as sinners
in need of mercy and grace with all of our sins and all of our
weaknesses. That's how Christ received us.
He received us as objects of his father's love and trophies
of his father's grace. We had nothing to recommend us
or qualify us for the blessings of salvation, according to Romans
5, 8, which says, but God commended his love toward us, and that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Our salvation and
communion with Christ was and is all based on the merits of
Christ's blood and righteousness alone. And it's all to the glory
of God, not to ourselves. We're there for to receive all
true believers with this same sincerity, knowing that God is
glorified in their salvation as well as our salvation. Although
one may be weak in the faith and another strong in the faith.
Both abide in the doctrine of Christ as trophies of God's grace,
and it's to his praise and to his glory and not ours. We have
no right or reason to turn away or break fellowship with any
of God's dear children, not on the basis of these non-vital
issues or these things of indifference. Now, A lot can be said concerning
those that go against the doctrine of Christ, that go against this
gospel of salvation based on Christ's righteousness alone.
But other than that, these matters of indifference, we're to be
patient. And Romans 15, 8 says, now I
say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth
of God to confirm the promises made unto the Father. This verse
and the verses that follow prove that the issues between the weak
and mature believer mainly had to do with these Jewish believers
and the old covenant laws concerning abstaining from certain foods
and keeping certain days. It is true that Jesus Christ
was born a Jew according to the flesh. He was a minister of the
circumcision, meaning that he mainly ministered to the Jewish
people. But he was a minister to them, according to the last
part of this verse 8, for the truth of God to confirm the promises
made unto the fathers. He was not a minister to them
to make them proud and self-righteous because of their Jewish heritage,
circumcision, or their efforts to keep the law of Moses. That
would have been against the truth of God and the promises made
to the Father. God's truth has always been salvation
for sinners, Jew and Gentile, by His grace, His sovereign grace,
in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. The promises God made to Abraham,
to Isaac, and Jacob, this is what it's talking about when
it talks about promises made unto the fathers. were promises
of eternal salvation in and by the promised Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ, that would come in time as they looked forward
for Christ's coming. Now, look at what Christ says
in John 8, 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. He saw it and was glad. This
truth and these promises were not for the Jews only. but also
for God's elect among all other nations, among the Gentiles also. Look at what Christ says here
in Luke, in chapter 24, beginning at verse 47. Christ says, and
he said unto them, these are the words which I have spoken
to you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled,
which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets
and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures. And he said unto
them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from dead the third day, and that repentance and
remissions of sins should be preached in his name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem, beginning with the Jews. The
all nations here would include Gentiles, the Gentile nations
also, Paul says here in Romans 15, eight, now I say that Jesus
Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of
God to confirm the promises to the Father. Then in the next
verses, Paul speaks of the Gentiles, which includes all the other
nations who were not circumcised Jews. Romans nine, and we'll
read nine through 12. These are the last three verses
that we'll deal with this morning. says then that the Gentiles might
glorify God for his mercy as it is written, for this cause
I will confess to thee among the Gentile and sing unto thy
name. And again, he saith, rejoice
ye Gentiles with his people. And again, praise the Lord for
all ye Gentiles and laud him, all ye people. And again, Isaiah
saith, there shall be a root of Jesse. And he that shall rise
to reign over the Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now, the ultimate purpose of
God in all these things was and is to bring all his elect people,
both Jew and Gentile, into the great salvation that he has planned
and purposed, that he freely gives them in and by the Lord
Jesus Christ. God will bring them all unto
the unity of the Spirit and of the faith. Ephesians 4.3 says,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. Now, and then Ephesians 4.13
says, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto a measure
of a statue of the fullness of Christ. Believing in trusting
in and following Christ is one body under Christ, both Jew and
Gentile, all sinners in need of mercy and grace, and we cannot
be saved by our works in any way. Both Jew and Gentiles are
saved by the grace of God that reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, in verses 9 through
12, Paul quotes from several Old Testament passages, as he
quotes these verses here. And all of it's to prove that
salvation of the Gentiles and the abolishment of the old covenant
law in all Jewish distinctions were not some new doctrine that
Paul's own making. This was God's purpose from the
beginning, to save both Jew and Gentile by grace through the
redemption of Christ Jesus. Now, as we look at 1598, as to believe in Jews would glorify
God for his mercy, so would to believe in Gentile. There was
nothing in the old covenant to promote the Jews in seeking salvation
from God by their own merits or their own righteousness. Salvation
is now and has always been entirely by the grace of God. Now in verse
10 here, Paul probably quotes from Deuteronomy 32 and verse
43, which says, Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people, for
he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance
to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land and
to his people. This is where it is prophesied
that the Gentiles would join in Israel in praising God for
his grace and mercy in Christ. And in verse 11, Paul quotes
from Psalms 117.1, where it says, O praise the Lord, all
ye nations, praise him, all ye people. The apostle Paul does
this in order to show how that the Psalms pointed all nations,
both Jew and Gentile, to Christ for all salvation, and that the
believing Gentiles would join with the believing Jews to praise
and to worship. God in spirit and in truth. In
our last verse here, verse 12, Paul quotes from Isaiah 11.10,
where it says, And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse,
which shall stand for an ensign of the people. To it shall the
Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. This is a prophecy
of the redemptive work of the promised Messiah, who would rise
from the dead to save his people from their sins. Both Jew and
Gentile, all of spiritual Israel, he is the king, both of the Jews
and the Gentile, all spiritual Israel. And his elect among the
Gentiles would trust in him. God's grace in Christ is what
brings Jews and Gentiles together. as one, and it is what keeps
us together as one, believers today, even through all these
non-vital issues and these indifferences that we have. Therefore, we who
believe ought to receive and not reject one another, just
like back then in Paul, as he was writing this letter to the
church at Rome, Well, they had a lot of difficulties here with
the Gentiles and believers and the new Jewish converts that
were worshiping together. And they all had baggage, just
like we all have baggage. When we first come to the gospel,
we have baggage there that we still hang on to. You just don't
immediately get rid of all that baggage. and these things of
indifference. Now, we all believe the same
gospel, but there's little issues that we bring along and we have
to be taught. And we have to do this as strong
believers, dealing with the weak believers, because there was
some strong believer that dealt with us on some of these issues
that we had to deal with. Do it lovingly with patience.
Therefore, we who believe ought to receive and not reject one
another. Our mutual salvation by Christ
and our love for him, that's our unity. A believer's unity
is not our race. It's not our relative. It's not
our political party or candidate. It's the Christ of the gospel
that we believe and have all our hope in. And if you don't
believe this is right, what I just said, go to some of your family
members, tell them this gospel you believe, and you'll see that
there's not a lot of unity there once you tell them. And you do
it in a loving way. You desire their salvation. But
our unity as believers, that's what keeps us together. We have
a lot of different Different things going on here with different
people coming into the church and coming from a lot of different
areas. And, uh, but that unity, that unity we have is in that
gospel and that's stronger than anything. Uh, in closing, let's
look at revelation five, nine, where it says, and they sung
a new song saying doubt worthy. to take the book and to open
the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to
God by thy blood out of every kindred, out of every tongue
and people and nation. May Christ our Redeemer keep
us together in our fellowship, one with another, as we look
to Christ alone for all of salvation, giving him all the glory and
all the praise. and endeavoring to keep the unity
of the spirit and the bond of peace. Amen.