Yesterday we began the final section of Romans which brings us from the reality in which we live, the forgiveness we have found in the grace of God through Jesus Christ, to the response which we should have towards that grace. Remember that this response is one of gratitude, the third part of journey of “guilt, grace, gratitude” and has much to do with the living out of our faith and the freedom from sin that we find in Christ. Because we are dying to our old selves and putting on the new self, that is Jesus Christ, there is a sort of inner transformation that takes place. This doesn’t necessarily happen all at once, where as soon as we accept Christ we are perfect little angels, but rather over time. This process is called “sanctification,” the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to transform us and make us more like Jesus Christ each and every day. Part of this is the living out of a life of gratitude towards God, emanating His love, grace, mercy, compassion, and so much more in every situation that we find ourselves in.
Again though, we find that this isn’t about simply about an individual’s inner transformation. Too often in the American Church, which is plagued with individualism, we make things simply be about “me and Jesus.” There is an element of this in the Christian faith to be certain. Every one of us have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and each one of us will have to stand before the throne of heaven at the end of time. Yet this emergence of “me and Jesus” thoughts is really a recent happening. With the enlightenment, modernism, and now post-modernism leading the philosophical ideal, individualism and its associate relativism have marred the community of faith with its influence. Yet Paul makes a point here at the end of his letter to the church in Rome that Christian faith is not simply to be an individual thing, it is to be something lived out in the community of faith, mutually building each other up as we continue to be transformed and made more and more like Christ.
This shows up in Paul’s writing to the Romans, and in other epistles as well with His addressing issues that have cropped up in the church. We see Paul writing about the different things that people eat, about what is “clean” and what is “unclean,” and later we’ll even see what Paul has to say about spiritual gifts and how the impact the body of Christ. Really though, what this has to do with is passing judgment on others within the body of the Church. Paul is encouraging the believers in Rome not to sweat the small stuff as it were. There are many things that people do differently and they are more than likely convinced that they are doing things right. We see this all the time in church don’t we? We judge how other people are worshipping, what other people are wearing, how they are controlling their kids, what they do for a living… the list goes on and on.
Yet Paul’s point here is that what people do they do before the Lord much more than they do before any person. In this sense, individuality within the Christian community is something to be honored and understood. If someone is singing with their hands in their pockets, their heart is still before the Lord. If those pockets are bluejeans rather than dress pants their heart is still before the Lord. If that person’s kids are running around church after the worship service is over, their heart is before the Lord (there are safety concerns of course which is a bit more of a public affair, but this is not a judgmental thing). In all these things we are the Lord’s and we need to keep this in mind. Paul’s command here is to not pass judgment on each other. When judgment is passed it only serves to place a stumbling block in the community, not just in front of the one being judged. It is a stumbling block that more than just the judged can fall over too.
So what then is the point of community? Mutual edification… building each other up in Christ Jesus. While there are things that we do that are between us and God, ways that we worship and live our lives that others might not necessarily agree with, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t in a position where we could grow a little bit. Even those with the deepest convictions about their lifestyle, their worship style, or any other style can learn from those of other styles and convictions. And those that aren’t so sure about themselves should find the church a place in which they can come and grow in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit through the encouragement of the community of faith, not a judgmental group that only want you to do things the way you do them. What does Paul say right off the bat today? “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him (or her), but not to quarrel over opinions.” These opinion issues only serve to weaken the already weak and to drive a wedge between brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us use our faith and our gifts to build each other up, so that together we may all grow in the Spirit and knowledge of God and be formed day by day into the image of Jesus Christ.
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