Reading for Today:

• Job 21:1 Chapter 21 1 Then Job answered and said, –22:30
• Psalms 96:1-6 Chapter 96 1 Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song: Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth. 2 Sing unto Jehovah, bless his name; Show forth his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples. 4 For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols; But Jehovah made the heavens. 6 Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
• Proverbs 23:6-8 6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties: 7 For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.
• Romans 14:1-23 Chapter 14 1 But him that is weak in faith receive ye, `yet' not for decision of scruples. 2 One man hath faith to eat all things: but he that is weak eateth herbs. 3 Let not him that eateth set at nought him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest the servant of another? to his own lord he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand. 5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day `alike'. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord: and he that eateth, eateth unto the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, unto the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and none dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived `again', that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But thou, why dost thou judge thy brother? or thou again, why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of God. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, And every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling. 14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him who accounteth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 For if because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died. 16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he that herein serveth Christ is well-pleasing to God, and approved of men. 19 So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another. 20 Overthrow not for meat's sake the work of God. All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. 21 It is good not to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor `to do anything' whereby thy brother stumbleth. 22 The faith which thou hast, have thou to thyself before God. Happy is he that judgeth not himself in that which he approveth. 23 But he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because `he eateth' not of faith; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Notes:

Psalm 96:1 a new song. This new song was intended for the future inauguration of the millennial rule of the Lord over the earth (Pss. 144:9; 149:1; Rev. 5:9; 14:3).

Psalm 96:3 His glory…nations. The glory of the Lord is more than just His majestic splendor. It includes all of the reasons for admiring and praising Him, such as His acts of creation (Ps. 19:2) and redemption (v. 2).

Romans 14:15 15 For if because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died. grieved. The Greek word refers to causing pain or distress. A weak believer may be hurt when he sees a brother do something he believes is sinful. But still worse, the strong believer may cause his weaker brother to violate his own conscience (1 Cor. 8:8–13). love. Love will ensure that the strong Christian is sensitive and understanding of his brother’s weaknesses (1 Cor. 8:8–13). destroy. This refers to complete devastation. In the New Testament, it is often used to indicate eternal damnation (Matt. 10:28; Luke 13:3 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all in like manner perish. ; John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. ; Rom. 2:12). In this context, however, it refers to a serious devastation of one’s spiritual growth (Matt. 18:3, 6, 14).

Romans 14:17 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. kingdom of God. The sphere of salvation where God rules in the hearts of those He has saved. eating and drinking. Nonessentials and external observances. righteousness. Holy, obedient living (Eph. 6:14; Phil. 1:11). peace. The loving tranquillity, produced by the Spirit, that should characterize believers’ relationships with God and each other (Gal. 5:22). joy in the Holy Spirit. Another part of the Spirit’s fruit, this describes an abiding attitude of praise and thanksgiving regardless of circumstances, which flows from one’s confidence in God’s sovereignty (Gal. 5:22; 1 Thess. 1:6).

DAY 15: How is unity maintained within the church when there is so much diversity?

Reading through Romans 14:1 Chapter 14 1 But him that is weak in faith receive ye, `yet' not for decision of scruples. –12, it is clear that the diversity of the church displays Christ’s power to bring together dissimilar people in genuine unity. Yet Satan often works on man’s unredeemed flesh to create division and threaten that unity. The threat to unity Paul addresses in this passage arises when mature (strong) believers—both Jews and Gentiles—conflict with immature (weak) believers. The strong Jewish believers understood their freedom in Christ and realized the ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law were no longer binding. The mature Gentiles understood that idols are not gods and, therefore, that they could eat meat that had been offered to them. But in both cases the weaker brothers’ consciences were troubled, and they were even tempted to violate their consciences, become more legalistic under the feelings of guilt, or even to sin. Knowing that the mature Jews and Gentiles would be able to understand these struggles, Paul addresses most of his comments to them.

The secret to unity begins with the willingness to “receive one who is weak in the faith” (v. 1). The Greek word refers to personal and willing acceptance of another. This characterizes those believers who are unable to let go of the religious ceremonies and rituals of their past. The weak Jewish believer had difficulty abandoning the rites and prohibitions of the Old Covenant; he felt compelled to adhere to dietary laws, observe the Sabbath, and offer sacrifices in the temple. The weak Gentile believer had been steeped in pagan idolatry and its rituals; he felt that any contact with anything remotely related to his past, including eating meat that had been offered to a pagan deity and then sold in the marketplace, tainted him with sin. Both had very sensitive consciences in these areas and were not yet mature enough to be free of those convictions.

Neither one should “despise…judge” the other (v. 3). “Despise” indicates a contempt for someone as worthless, who deserves only disdain and abhorrence. “Judge” is equally strong and means “to condemn.” Paul uses them synonymously: The strong hold the weak in contempt as legalistic and self-righteous; the weak judge the strong to be irresponsible at best and perhaps depraved. “To his own master he stands or falls” (v. 4). How Christ evaluates each believer is what matters, and His judgment does not take into account religious tradition or personal preference.

From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.

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