What Truly Matters

UNSHAKEABLE: Trigger warning! So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out. It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine, play cards, put a dollar down on the lottery, go to movies, dance socially, or you name it. It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down, and wave flags when they worship, go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever. Here’s the deal: You can do what you want as long as your bottom-line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord. Romans 14:7-8 reminds us, “For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it is to honor the Lord. And if we die, it is to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

Unshakeable Living // Romans 14:17

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or what we drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

So much of what Christians get uptight about, particularly as it relates to how others are living out their faith, really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of how the Kingdom of God is to be fleshed out. It just doesn’t matter if some believers drink wine, play cards, put a dollar down on the lottery, go to movies, dance socially, or you name it. It doesn’t matter if some Christians run around, jump up and down, and wave flags when they worship, go to church on Friday night rather than Sunday morning, give their offerings online rather than in the plate, or whatever.

That is what Paul is really teaching here in Romans 14. Certain of the Roman Christians in Paul’s day were getting uptight with other believers because they weren’t living out their faith the way these Roman church members were. In that day, the issue had to do with certain foods that some believers felt was inappropriate to eat. The big deal about meat was that before it had been purchased, it had likely been sacrificed to an idol prior to its arrival at the market. That was a concern to the non-meat-eating believers because they believed to now eat that meat was to give tacit worship to idols.

Another issue had to do with what day they believed was the correct day to gather for worship. Some thought that Saturday, the Sabbath, was the correct day, while others preferred Sunday worship service. And as people chose sides over these issues, hard feelings and disharmony were the results in the church.

So Paul says, “look gang, what foods you eat or don’t eat and what day you choose to worship just doesn’t matter in the bigger picture of what the Kingdom of God is all about. You are free to do what you want so long as your bottom-line motivation in life is to bring honor to the Lord.” Notice these words,

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it is to honor the Lord. And if we die, it is to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Rom 14:7-8)

That is a great rule of life to live by. If — and that is a critical ‘if’ — your consuming motive is to bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, then nothing else really matters. Do what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want, worship when you want and in the way you want — as long as your sole purpose is to glorify the Lord. That’s why Paul went on to remind these believers, “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of meat or drink, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Now Paul gives a couple of caveats to this principle. One, if you cause a weaker brother or sister to stumble by deliberately doing certain things that offend their conscience, then you’ve missed the point. You are not glorifying God. You are unnecessarily creating disharmony, and harmony in the family of God is a big deal, a very big deal, to the Lord. And two, if you take advantage of this liberty in Christ to do something your conscience tells you not to do, you have crossed over into sin. So be careful in the exercise of your Christian freedom.

Here is what really matters in our Christian faith: Do everything to honor God, and you will be okay.

As St. Augustine said, “Love and do what you will.”