ROMANS Study Guide

Rom 14:22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. Rom 14:23 But, the one doubting, if he eats, he has been condemned, because it is not of faith; and all that is not of faith is sin.

3 ) Paul summarizes …vs.22 -23

a) If you are confident that what you are doing is right and

acceptable before God… then you are blessed in that you

are not “self” condemned in what you are allowing in your life.

b) But he who doubts (wavers, is hesitant) in what he is doing

is judged (sentenced) because he has not come to a

conviction before God of what he is doing is right and

acceptable. Anything not of faith (confident God is Ok

with what we are doing) is sinning (offending God). This is not

God condemning us because he does not. (Rom.8:1) But it is us

doing what we are not sure is right and thus in fact we are

sinning because we are willing for pleasure or pleasing someone

else to do what we have not come to the conviction is right.

Conclusion: Paul is not saying in this chapter that a mature Christian does not have the freedom

to live in what they have found to be acceptable to God and themselves. Paul himself indicated several

times his own convictions and personal level of freedom in his life choices (i.e. no limitation on what

he could eat - vs.14). But Paul drives home the fact that our freedom (personal rights in God) is to be

subjected to the greater good of the Churches edification and unity. We do not live for ourselves, but

we live to please the Lord . Nor are we called to argue our personal convictions and force these

convictions on another which could result in their sinning before God because they are not fully

convinced, they should be doing what we are free to do. Paul says our job as the mature in Christ is to

“bear up” the weak (put up with their struggles in how to live a good and acceptable life before God)

and be a source of strength and support in their growth and walk before God.

This is a great challenge that we as God’s People must learn how to deal with the differences in our personal preferences without allowing them to divide us as a church. We must come to the