Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

Romans 14:13-23

In our last episode, we established that every believer stands or falls before their own Master. This week on Open Your Bibles, we continue our journey through Romans 14, moving from the principle of liberty to the practice of love.

As we dive into verses 13–23, consider "What is Christian Liberty?" In this episode we will encounter one of the most challenging applications of the Christian life: the voluntary limitation of our Christian freedom for the sake of a weaker brother’s conscience.

In this Episode we discuss:

• Christian Liberty and Love (Agape): Why Paul insists that "if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love." Our Christian thinking is shaped by Scripture, but by personal opinion.
• Secondary Issues of Faith: Understanding "things indifferent." How do we distinguish between the non-negotiables of the Gospel and the matters of private opinion?
• The Nature of the Kingdom: A deep dive into verse 17: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." We talk about refocusing our zeal away from external ceremonies and toward the internal work of the Spirit.
• Keep the Main thing, the Main thing: All Christian Liberty is subordinate to the Glory of God. Exploring the sobering weight of verse 23. We discuss how a wounded conscience is a serious matter and why forcing someone to act against their conviction—even a "wrong" one—is a spiritual danger.

As those who have been justified by grace through faith alone, we are free to lay down our "rights" for the sake of the body. We are called to "pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding," recognizing that the work of God in a soul is far more precious than our right to a certain food or drink.

Grace and Peace.

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 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. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Romans 14:1-13

After establishing love as our primary debt, Paul turns his attention to a practical test of that love, where we will answer: Who is your Master?

In this week’s episode of Open Your Bibles, we dive into Romans 14, moving from the broad call to love into the specific, often difficult territory of the Christian conscience.

In a culture that encourages us to look down on those with "weaker" convictions or judge those with "more freedom," Paul reorients our focus. He reminds us that the church is not a courtroom where we sit as judges, but a household where every member answers to the same Master.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Contempt vs. Criticism: A look at the two pitfalls of the heart—the strong who look down on the weak with contempt, and the weak who look at the strong with judgment. We discuss how both attitudes usurp God’s authority.
• To His Own Master: Why the status of a believer’s standing is determined solely by the Lord’s ability to "make him stand." We discuss the peace that comes from realizing we are not the ones responsible for holding our brothers and sisters up.
• The Individual Account: Exploring the weight of verse 12: "Each of us will give an account of himself to God." We discuss how a healthy fear of God’s judgment seat should silence our criticism of others.
• Deciding Not to Trip: A look at the transition in verse 13, where Paul shifts the focus from judging a brother to ensuring we never put a "stumbling block or hindrance" in their way.

When we realize that Christ is the Lord of both the dead and the living, our need to control the consciences of others fades away. We stop looking at our brothers and sisters as projects to be corrected and start seeing them as fellow servants of the King.

Grace and Peace.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Romans 13:8-14

Having established our subjection to the civil magistrate, Paul now directs us to the singular debt that remains for the justified: the obligation to love.

In this week’s episode of Open Your Bibles, we answer the question: Does love fulfill?

We understand that while we are freed from the law as a covenant of works, we are bound to it as a rule of life. We do not love to become right with God, but because we have been made right with Him through the finished work of Christ.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The Perpetual Obligation: Why love is described as a debt we never finish paying. We discuss how the Christian’s freedom in Christ is not a license for autonomy, but a call to a higher service toward our neighbor.
• The Third Use of the Law: How Paul summarizes the second table of the Decalogue through the lens of love. We explore how love does not replace the Law, but is the very "fulfillment" (pleroma) of it, guiding us in our sanctification.
• Redemptive Urgency: A look at the "Already/Not Yet" of our salvation. We discuss what it means to "wake from sleep" in light of the fact that our final glorification is nearer now than when we first believed.
• Put on Christ: A Reformed view of the "Armor of Light." We talk about the active nature of the Christian life—casting off the works of darkness and being clothed in the imputed and practiced righteousness of Christ, making no provision for the "flesh".

When we recognize the lateness of the hour in God’s redemptive timeline, we find the strength to cast off the deeds of the night. We live not for the fading shadows of this world, but in the growing light of Christ’s coming Kingdom.

Grace and Peace.