In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things love.
This seems time be the gist of what preachers and teachers use in defining Romans chapter 14. The most popular verses they like to employ are 5 and 6, especially when it comes to celebrating holidays like Christmas or Easter, for example. At face value, one can see how it's easy to read into the text something that is not there. Read the text for yourself.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
It would seem that Paul is giving us the liberty to treat any day the way we like. We must remove our 21 century thinking from the text and read it with the same understanding that the Romans, whom the letter was written to, had.
What is the background for the writing of this chapter? Rome, like other Christian communities throughout the empire where the gospel had been received, had Judaizers that tried to get the Gentile converts to obey the ceremonial law with circumcision, avoiding unclean foods and observing the sabbaths, new moon and other feast days found in the law of Moses.
Being ensnared to be under the law (our schoolmaster Gal. 3:1-6; 24-25; 5:1) that God had ordained to be observed to serve and worship Him until the seed of promise came (Gal. 3:19) This is quite different than taking pagan worship of other gods and practicing them (Lev. 20:24, 26; Dt. 11:16). The difference is night and day. Though neither of them produce good results. How we serve, follow and worship God is an essential that requires unity.
Therefore, knowing this, it not only makes verses 5 and 6 better to understand, but in reality, the entire chapter.
That pagan holidays where not mentioned in this chapter is evident. Gentile believers generally cast away their former worship of idols (1 Th. 1:9) and dark arts (Acts 19:18-20), though those in Corinth being an exception, which caused Paul to warn them about their fleshly and worldly behavior. Nevertheless, false teachers did bring in foreign religions and philosophies corrupting sound doctrine (Col. 2:8, 18; 1 Tim. 1:4; 6:20; 2 Pet. 2:1-3, etc)
As history reveals, the celebration of Christmas and Easter came centuries later. A syncretizing, a mixing of "Christian" elements in with the pagan festivals as supposedly an "evangelistic' tool, is how these holidays originated. Which goes against the Word of God (Dt. 29:10-21; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, etc). Today we would call this an unhealthy compromise in that we are compromising our core values and beliefs and standards of our faith and become spiritually and morally bankrupt. Don’t be deceived. Stepping away from God’s truth always begins with what appears to be a harmless thought or act. But the end result is deep regret, sorrow, bondage, and separation from God. (Heb. 12:15-17)
We see an example of this in king Solomon's life as recorded in 1 Kings chapter 11 where his heart was turned away from fully following the Lord, to also following other gods, which the Lord commanded not to do (v10; Dt. 13:2; 28:14; etc). As noted by Albert Barnes, "He (Solomon) thus became the author of a syncretism, which sought to blend together the worship of Yahweh and the worship of idols." As reading 1 Kings chapter 11 reveals that God was not pleased with this.
Even Paul asked the Corinthians, "what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said..." (2 Cor. 6:16).
Paul also told the Corinthians - "the things the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils (idols, v28), and not to God; and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do you provoke the Lord to jealousy?" (1 Cor. 10:20-22)
Just verses before this, Paul exhorted them with an example of when the children of Israel made a golden calf after the manner of the Egyptians from whom they came out from with the words, "neither be ye idolaters, as we're some of them (v 7). In chapter 6, Paul mentioned that some of the Corinthians had been idolaters (v 9), but have been sanctified, and set apart from that now, or as he said to the Thessalonians, "ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Th. 1:9).
He continued to exhort them in verse 12 saying, "Let him that standeth take heed, lest he fall (back into their old ways)". Then again reminded them in verse 14 to "flee from idolatry".
I brought this up to show again that the early Christians left their former manner of worship to serve the living and true God. Therefore, Paul was not telling the Romans it was okay to worship God as they worshipped their former gods. As Jesus said, "ye cannot serve both God and mammon" (Mt. 6:24). Again, Solomon's life teaches us that! Yet, to worship the one true God after the law of Moses was a snare to the Gentiles by the believing Jews (Acts 15:1-2; Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:16-17; etc)
Paul did teach that an idol is nothing (1 Cor. 8:4; 10:19). That we are not under the ceremonial law and that there is no unclean food to us (Rom. 14:14; 1 Cor. 10:25; 1 Tim. 4:4). Though at the first Jerusalem counsel to determine whether the Gentile converts needed to observe the law of Moses (Acts 15) it was determined that the Gentiles eat not food sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25). Eating foods sacrificed to idols is considered a stumbling block (Rom. 14:13; 1 Cor. 8:9; Rev. 2:14; 20).
Now, returning to the 21 century mindset of preachers and teachers. They often consider those who will not celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc, as the weak believers, yet consider themselves as the strong (Rom. 14:1-2). If this is the case, how should the stronger believers treat those whose consciousnesses are weak on such things?
In Romans 14 starting in verse 14 Paul says that "nothing is unclean of itself", but to him that esteemeth anything unclean, to him it is unclean". I think we understand this. Yet, Paul continues in verse 15, "But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably". Paul is saying that if you know it's okay to eat "bacon", for example, and you continue to eat it in front of your weaker brother, or even talk about eating it in front of your weaker brother, or even post such things on social media for your weaker brother to see, who believes it's not something a follower of Christ should do, then you are not walking in the love of Christ towards them! (1 Cor. 10:24; 28-29; 13:5; Eph. 4:1-3; Php. 2:4; 21, etc) In fact, Paul continues in the verse saying, "Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died". Would you be willing to walk in love and give up your "bacon" for a weaker brother?
In verses 19 and 20 Paul says, "follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God...it is evil for that man who eateth with offence".
Paul writes something similar to the Corinthians in chapter 8 of the first letter. In verse 9 he tells them to "take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak". That, "through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died". (v 11) Paul also refers to it as a stumblingblock in Romans 14:13.
In verse 12 Paul continues, "but when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ". Meditate on that for a minute. So if we continue with our "bacon" and doing our own thing (1Cor. 10:24; Php. 2:4), walking after our own covetousness (Jer. 6:13; Ez. 14:3; 33:31; Col. 3:5), we not only wound our weaker brother's conscience and possibly cause him to perish. Paul also calls it a sin against that weaker brother and Christ!
What does Paul suggest to the stronger believer? "Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother offend." So Paul says don't do it! Don't touch that "bacon"!
Jesus Himself also warned about offending one who believes in Him, saying, "it were better for him (the offender) that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and be cast into the sea (Mt. 18:6), than that he should offend one who believes in Him". (Lk. 17:2) So eating your "bacon" and offending, wounding, and destroying a weaker believer is quite serious indeed!
While I have been using "bacon" as an example. When we look back to Romans 14 and foods and days, the 21 century preacher and teacher should apply a similar approach to holidays such as Christmas and Easter. If a weaker brother is offended or wounded by your celebrating such holidays, then you, as the stronger believer, should say something along the lines of Paul - "if Christmas offends my weaker brother, I will have nothing to do with Christmas while the earth remains, lest I offend my brother". Yet, when have you heard a preacher or teacher say this, let alone practice it? Typically what is said and taught is, "I'll celebrate Christmas even though I know it offends you." What a display of Christian love! Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (Jn. 13:35)
Therefore, would you conclude that the 21 century preacher or teacher is teaching the truth of God's Word and walking in love towards weaker believers by doing as they please without consideration of offending them? Certainly not!
I hope you have learned a number of things through this brief article, primarily: 1) what Paul was truly writing about to the Romans in chapter 14 - speaking of the feast days, sabbaths, etc of the law of Moses and not pagan festivals of the like where Christmas and Easter have derived from; and 2) if the 21 century preachers and teachers instruct that it's okay to celebrate Christmas as long as it's to the Lord, yet offend and destroy the weaker brother who Christ died for, and sin against both them and Christ, because the weaker believer thinks it's wrong to celebrate - then how is their celebrating in honor of Christ? How is it "not seeking your own, but another's profit?" Is such a person loving in a Christ honoring way? Something for you to consider and take to heart and practice. Remember that "we are not to follow a multitude to do evil (bad)". (Ex. 23:2)
Again, I hope this article has been beneficial to you and that you may bear much fruit through it to the glory of God.
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