Beth-El Baptist Church

02/03/2008

Greg Tomlinson


How can a Christian be damned (Romans 14:23)?


Scriptures tell us that the Christian is eternally secure in Jesus Christ and can know that they have eternal life. They will dwell for eternity in heaven with Jesus. It is important than to understand what Paul means by 'he that doubts is damned if he eat, ...'.


  1. What are some of the key words in the verse?

Doubts (diakrino)

Matthew 16:1-3; 21:21 Acts 10:20; 11:1-3; 15:8-9

Romans 4:19-21 1 Corinthians 6:5; 11:29-31; 14:29

James 1:5-8


Doubting carries with it the idea of being unsure of what is right. It is wavering or staggering between multiple options.


Damned (katakrino)

Matthew 12:41-42; 20:18; 27:3-4 Mark 14:64; 16:16

John 8:10-11 Romans 2:1-3; 8:3, 34

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 Hebrews 11:7

James 5:7-9 2 Peter 2:4-8


Damning carries the basic idea of condemning or finding guilty. It could be said that there are two types of condemnation of an individual. There is the conviction by the law of God that a particular action is wrong and needs to be changed within the individual. This would be the usual condemnation of a Christian regarding sin in his life. The other condemnation comes when a person stands before God and is found guilty and is sentenced to eternal hell. Both of these views can be found in the word.


Combining the uses of these primary words and placing them back into the verse needs to take place as well. What can be seen is that Paul is taking about someone who is unsure whether or not to 'eat'. He does not know the ramifications of his eating and in a sense the reason for the eating. If the individual does not eat, then he does well because he is unsure about its correctness. If he goes ahead and eats when he is unsure of its outcome and meaning, then he is condemning his own actions by not being sure it is right when it could be wrong.


This only deals with the particular verse and the understanding of it needs to be held in check with the greater context of the verse.


  1. What then is the greater context of the verse?

Romans 14:13-15:3


The primary thrust of the passage is that with the grace of God comes the elimination of the Christian judging or condemning others for their own faith relationship to God through Jesus Christ. As Christians, our purpose is to do no harm to other believers that would cause them to doubt or question their own relationship to Jesus. It is also to do nothing that would result in their own entrance or engagement of sin as a result of their doing the same things as their brethren. For the Christian, there is nothing that they can do that would result in their losing favor with God through Jesus Christ. That is why nothing is unclean in and of itself. There is nothing that defiles to such a degree that the relationship with God would be destroyed. As Christians our interest and involvement with other believers is to be carried out with THEIR best intentions at heart. We are called to edify or buildup others in their relationship with Jesus Christ and not to cause them any stumbling or falling into sin. We need to understand that everyone may have different events that for them would be a sin against God because of its ramifications to the individual believer.


With all of this in mind, Paul is challenging the Christian to consume meats, most likely they were offerings to pagan idols, with the realization that other Christians are watching and to take into account the effects on other believers. For those who see their brethren eating the meat, but to them it is still a gift offered to an idol, that they should not eat the meat unless they are thoroughly convinced that the meat and its offering is meaningless. To eat the meat in these conditions would be to act contrary to there own stumbling blocks and they would be condemning themselves for having eaten the idol offered meat.


  1. What else can we discover about the eating of this meat?

1 Corinthians 8:4-13; 10:18-29 Daniel 1:8-13


Although an idol is nothing, partaking in the eating of the sacrifice made to an idol is equivalent to adhering to the thought behind the sacrifice, namely allegiance to the one being sacrificed unto. As a Christian, we are not to be a part of any faith or belief system that diverts attention away from the one and only true God. Knowing that the idol is nothing and that there is meat that exists that is not associated with idol sacrifices, to eat a meal with a pagan friend is not a problem unless the eating of the meat offered to some idol means something to the host you are eating with.


  1. What are some things about the Christian relationship to God that ensures us that the condemnation is not an eternal or hell bound condemnation?

Romans 8:38-39 2 Timothy 1:12

John 10:27-33


A true faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ is an assurance of salvation because we are saved not by our works but by the acts of Jesus Christ. There is nothing on this earth that could ever result in the removal of God's loving kindness from His children.



Summary:


The only condemnation that a Christian can encounter is a personal condemnation in which they have sinned against God and God is bringing the reality of that sin up to mind. The Christian response to sin is to confess it and leave it behind and keep walking with Jesus (1 John 1:6-9). Therefore Paul is talking about a condemnation that comes from within that is the result of our own sinful behavior engaging in what could be viewed, by others and by the individual, as idolatrous participation. To participate in eating the meat that was offered to idols when the individual is not thoroughly convinced that it would be good and proper to do so would be to commit sin against one's own conscience.