"Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Rom 14:23).This phrase is the last thought of Romans 14. Romans 14 is the famous "Christian Liberty passage". What is "Christian Liberty"? For those of you who don't know, the doctrine of Christian Liberty says "That which is not expressly forbidden in the Bible is allowed in Christian living." Nice. Of course, that's not what Romans 14 says, but that's the idea.
What does Paul say in that passage? Paul warns against quarreling over opinions (Rom 14:1). Some who are "weak in faith", in Paul's example, might hold that Christians should be vegetarians. No such command is given in Scripture. The one who is not "weak in faith" believes he may eat anything. So let's not pass judgment on what people eat. That, in essence, is Christian Liberty. In another example, "One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (Rom 14:5). That's Christian Liberty.
Now we come to the verse above. Oddly, a lot of Christians read it backwards, so to speak. They seem to read it, "Whatever you believe ("faith") to be okay is okay." That's not what it says ... at all. The topic of the passage is not "I can do whatever I want" but "Don't pass judgment on others when there is no clear command". Not the same concept. So what is Paul saying in that phrase? Well, it's pretty clear, isn't it? Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. That is, if you are doing something and it is not based on faith, you are sinning.
Think about that for a moment. I know. The topic is "Christian Liberty". This, however, is actually quite narrow. Maybe you think you need a better job so you can provide a better house for your family. That is "not of faith". That is a personal drive. Maybe you think that it's a good idea to put off having children until you're more established financially. That is "not of faith". It's a personal drive. There are many things -- things that seem morally ambivalent -- that we do every day that are simply motivated by our own preferences, not by faith. And Paul says, "Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin."
I know. We think "Wanting a new car or a good job or a better house is just normal", and our thought is "How can it be sin?" It's a product of worldly thinking -- conforming to this world. We are to be in this world but not of it. It is possible to want those things for the purpose of furthering the kingdom. I may desire a more reliable car for my wife as a product of loving my wife (a command that, in fact, requires faith). I may try to get a better job to provide for my family's needs (a command that requires faith). But simple desires for personal gain or comfort simply for its own sake ... does it fall in the category of "faith" or self-interest? If it's simple self-interest, it is "not of faith" and, therefore, sin.
When you talk to God today, you might want to bring that up with Him.
7 comments:
Maybe it is just one of those days for me...but I am struggling with grasping exactly all you are sharing in this post. I confess, I am sleepy and hungry, so maybe my focus is askew.
I do agree with you about the common misunderstanding about what Christian Liberty is all about. Sad, that we can take things out of context to excuse our choices. I am confident I have done it more than once in my past when I was either a babe in Christ or unsaved (I lean towards the last option).
I will go eat and then reread the rest of your post again to see if the rest of it all clicks with me.
Blessings to you and yours!
Okay, I am with you now. I just needed a nap and a meal and now it all makes sense. How funny! I have never noticed that characteristic about me before, but I have seen it in my kids.
Yikes, I am regressing...LOL!
So do you think there is a difference between wanting and desiring? Such as, can you look at a new car and say "Wow, that would be amazing to own" yet never give it another thought. On the other hand, one could start dwelling on how to get that car...it is a full blown desire.
Are both sins in your understanding?
Amazing what a nap and a bite to eat will do for you, eh? At my age I surmise that it's true at every age ... it's just that those younger folks don't see the wisdom in it. :)
I would definitely say that what we think and what we do are different things. "It would be nice if ..." is nothing more than a dream -- even a prayer. It's what we pursue that matters. In fact, what we pursue is determined by what we love. Oh, you know ... "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If we love God, we'll pursue what He wants. If we love us, we'll pursue what we want. I see nothing wrong with "Wow, that would be amazing to own!" or even, "Lord, that would be amazing to own" as long as it's followed with, "Nevertheless, not my will but Yours." (I don't think I need to offer a source on that idea.)
Ummm, my version says:
Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
Rom 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Which seems to me to be the last 'thought', and leads to a slightly different concept then you propose. I read it as:
The weaker brother needs to not do those things which are, for him, sin. And the stronger brother needs to abstain from them as well whenever by not abstaining he might offend the weaker brother... who is required to abstain from them. IF the stronger brother, by doing them, causes the weaker brother to do them too... he has caused him to sin... since 'whatever is not of faith is sin.'
IE if the weaker brother does something not from their own faith but in imitation of the stronger brother, they have sinned, and the stronger brother is at fault.
I wouldn't even start to disagree that "whatever is not of faith is sin" means "if the weaker brother does what he believes to be sin because he is imitating a stronger brother, it is still sin for him." My point was not to deny that. My point was that this is an extremely limited view on it.
Or, let me turn it around. Would you argue that it is perfectly suitable to operate in life apart from faith? Are there "matters of faith" and matters apart from faith? Are there things we ought to consult God about (the so-called "sacred") and other things about which we need not bother Him (the so-called "secular")? Bottom line -- I agree with what you're saying. Did you disagree with what I was saying?
Bottom line -- I agree with what you're saying. Did you disagree with what I was saying?
Ah, well that puts a different slant on the issue. I had read you as saying something a little different. I have recieved no little opposition for what I say about Romans 14. Those who place themselves (rightly or wrongly) in the stronger brother role raise no little objection to the idea that the 'stronger' brother may be required to limit his actions based on their influence on the weaker.
I certainly agree with you (altho I find your examples a bit hard to follow) that 'whatever is not of faith is sin' does not mean merely 'I can do whatever I want unless I (find and am convinced by) a clear command.
We see something similar to your point in the regulative principle. In fact, if I understand you correctly, you are proposing sort of a 'regulative principle' of life itself. If so, I would agree.
Von: "I had read you as saying something a little different. I have recieved no little opposition for what I say about Romans 14.."
What a shame! It says what it says. There is no avoiding it. Paul is clearly calling the "stronger brother" to surrender activities that might make the "weaker brother" stumble.
I am, I suppose, close to proposing a regulative principle for life ... but not. The Regulative Principle of Worship says that we can only worship God in the ways that He has specifically commanded. I wouldn't even want to hint that we can only do those things which God has specifically commanded (because that would automatically eliminate things like driving and the like). I do believe that we live black and white, that while some things may appear "gray", they're actually black or white. I do believe that what may be white for some is black for others. I do believe that everything is either sin or godliness. Unfortunately, I don't have omniscience, so what is right for you is not necessarily right for me (I'm speaking only about those things explicitly not commanded or forbidden) and it would be foolhardy of me to tell you that it is sin for you to, well, to use a biblical example, eat meat when it is sin for me to eat meat. In other words, this "regulative principle of life" isn't nearly as cut and dried as the one for Worship.
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