Bible Guys Classics: Romans 14

Show Notes

In this episode of The Bible Guys, Jeff and Chris explore Romans 14, where Paul warns against judging and criticizing other believers over personal convictions.

Jeff and Chris discuss unity, grace, and the importance of focusing on what truly matters.
If you’ve been caught in comparison or criticism, this episode will challenge your perspective.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to build others up instead of tearing them down.
#TheDailyBibleGuys #Romans14 #Unity #Grace #ChristianLiving #BibleStudyPodcast

What is The Bible Guys?

Whether you’ve been following Jesus for years or you’re just starting to ask questions, there’s a seat for you here.

Join Jeff and Chris for honest conversations about Scripture, faith, and the everyday stuff we all navigate. With humor, personal stories, and plenty of back-and-forth, The Bible Guys explore what the Bible says and how it connects to your life.

Subscribe, bring your questions, and get to know the Bible one conversation at a time. Head over to TheBibleGuys.com for more information!

Hey, everybody, we're the Bible guys, and if you're just tuning in recently, just know that we are showing a little bit of reruns for a few months, and then we'll be back bigger and better than ever on August thirty first, because behind the scenes, we're taking a hiatus to do some very important things. Yeah, we're building building out a new studio and we've got some new structure. Super excited about it. So August thirty first, brand new content. But in the meantime, enjoy some of our greatest hits. Well, Wesley, it's too hot in here. I need some more water, and I don't like your shirt. Yeah, if you can't tell, we're talking about criticism today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that. Is the topic. I'm Wesley, this is Chris. This is the Daily Bible guys. All right, So we're talking about criticism today. But first we want to have a little fun. We're going to do a segment that everyone seems to absolutely love. If that segment is what made Chris mad, So we're gonna find out we haven't done this. We haven't done it a lot. Yeah, So everyone wants to know. The listeners want to know what made Chris mad today, so let us know, jeez, it need not even be today. What made you mad the last week? Yeah, all right, I have one. Uh you know, it's funny. I didn't really walk in here. I didn't know I was gonna be talking about this as always right, the segments are thrown on us. But I actually went to Las Vegas last week to go to the Pro Bowl. So you know, the Pro Bowl was out at Vegas and it was wonderful. By the way. A lot of people thought it was gonna be a massive failure with the NFL doing flag football, and I have to tell you the opposite was true. It was absolutely packed and it was wonderful. I actually told my buddy Jeff, who was with me, I said, to watch their expressions. Right, they were on the field having a good time, and you never see their faces because but they were laughing, cracking up, joking. It was just flag foot. They were just having a good time. I'm thinking, when in my entire life have I we've been able to see NFL players having a pickup game, laughing and having a good time sort of like we did, right, And the answer is never, which means it's a brand new undiscovered dynamic. So I was a massive fan of the of the Pro Bowl this year. Yeah, and it was, of course the best of the best. Right by the way, side note, we actually wandered down to the forty nine ers. Family section, Oh wow. And I actually sat directly next to Ed McCaffrey and Lisa McCaffrey. It was Christian McCaffrey's parents. I love how you said you wander You just kind of casually tripped and you know, rolled down and ended up in a seat. Yeah. Well, believe it or not. Believe it or not, we figured something out. I think they wanted us. To sneak down, so I do. Yeah, I actually do. I promise you I did. And the reason why is because the controversy around the Pro Bowl but was so high and they desperately needed the crowd to be filled. So you know how normally, if you go to a Lion's game, there's a guy checking your tickets and you can't really sneak down until it's like the last quarter when nobody cares right and they'll say, yeah, I. Go down and get a good seat. So if you're in the nosebleed seats, listen, the NFL didn't even hire. Not only were they not checking tickets, there was no security. No wow, none. So everybody was like, can we just go where we want to go? And so everybody went went down. I'm talking thousands. Wow. In retrospect, I think what they did was they did that on purpose, because they're not stupid, right. They did that so that the cameras would show every seat filled, which was amazing. I had that happen at the Palace. My dad and I went to a Pistons game. This is years ago, back when the Palace was still there. We're seated way up and we were in the two hundred section, but kind of far up there. I was going to get like a pretzel or something. Guy is walking directly towards me. I stepped to the left, He goos left, Okay, I stepped to the right. He goes right. Like what is this guy doing? He said, where are you sitting? I said, oh, we're in two hundred whatever. He's like, how would you like two tickets to sit on the floor? Wow? Like what, yeah, I take those. I want to grab my dad and I said, Dad, follow me. Don't ask questions, right, So we literally went all the way down and set on the second row, and it was for that reason during telecast, they want the lower bowl that section to look more filled in. Yeah so yeah, that was a cool experience. Well, the funny thing is, we spent minutes on this, but it's not even close to why I was mad. Yeah. So anyway, that's all besides the fact I was down there for the Pro Bowl. But we had stayed in a hotel. Yeah okay, now the hotel that we'd stayed in. I was there for five nights. We at a great time, saw some shows and it was really fun. But we were down there. We stayed one night at a hotel called the Wind. Okay, yeah, I've heard of them. In The Wind is like one thousand dollars a night. We didn't pay that through it doesn't matter. We only paid like two hundred something bucks a night. But it was a thousand dollars a nights like hotel. And there was a pair of boxer shorts left in the hotel. I kid, do not have you ever seen like like a master bathroom where the toilet has its own door. Yeah, okay, well it has its own little room. Well, if you opened the door, the door opened against the wall and so a lot of times people would just sort of leave that open. Well, because I was there with my friend, he was in the bathroom, I closed the door. So apparently whoever was in there before me had left a pair of boxers, and then they had opened the door and it got trapped between the door and the wall. And so I go in there and I closed the door, and I see this pair of boxers and I think to myself, Oh, I didn't know Jeff were boxers, right, because about he had boxer breathe, you know, And I'm like, huh. So I ended up grabbing these boxers. I put my hands on them. By the way, oh. No, this is going downhill quick, and I threw them. In the middle of the floor, expecting him to grab them and put him in his luggage. Well, after like three hours, they're still sitting and I go, dude, I go, I threw those there so you can clean up your mess. I said, grab your boxers. He goes, those. Aren't my boxers, because I thought they were your boxers. And I said, are you kidding me? I said, I just grabbed boxers. It's just some guests. Guess you know, I should have watched my mans oh, actually I did because I went to the restaurant. But I thought to. Myself, I can't believe that I did that. And so we actually mentioned and we weren't trying to get a discount, we really weren't. We just mentioned, hey, you probably should know that there were boxers, and we took a photo of them and here they were in the middle, and they're like, we're so sorry. We're going to give you one hundred dollars off your room. Oh wow, for your inconvenience. And I was like, man, I should try that. Every time, kidding. But they did. They were very generous and compensating us. It was hilarious. It made me mad. So we found out this is what made Chris mad. Wouldn't you be. Mad if you if you sign up for a thousand dollars hotel experience and found out that this, you know, servers left boxers in there from the previous owner. That's hilarious. That's enough to make you mad. So anyway, hey, listen, we are way into this here. We have to go ahead and read Roman chapter fourteen. We're gonna read the whole chapter, so I'll just give it over to you. Yeah, I'm gonna fly through this because you've used up a little time. YEP. Chapter fourteen, Verse one accept others accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it's all right to eat anything, but another believer with the sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't, and those who don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Or are you to condemn someone else's servants. Their own Master will judge whether they stand or fall, and with the Lord's help, they will stand and receive his approval. In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. For we don't live for ourselves. Or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord, and if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, to be the Lord, both of the living and of the dead. Why do we condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the scriptures say, as surely as I live, says the Lord, every need will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God. Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. I know I am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food in and of itself is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love. If you eat it, don't let your eating ruin someone from whom Christ died. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good for the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you too. So then let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Verse twenty. Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there's nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don't feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning. If you go ahead and do it for you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning. Yeah, So here we go. We have a whole chapter here about. Criticism, criticism of eating and drinking, and and that mixed with the beliefs of other believers. Right, what's so interesting about this is it's really not about eating and drinking. Paul is just using the example of eating and drinking because in their culture and at that time, eating and drinking was a very big deal because after all, remember they're in They're in Rome, and Rome was polytheistic, not monotheistic, so in other words, not having one god, but many gods, and so consequently they would offer sacrifices to all these gods. And they would say like, well, this steak is offered to the god of Molek, you know, this steak is offered to the god of you know, of raw or whatever it is. And what they would do is they would, you know, put it in front of a person. And here's what Paul is saying. Paul saying like, okay, you and I know that that God of Molek is nothing more than a fake statue. It is not connected to anything bad or good, right, And they think it's good. Other people think it's bad. It's nothing, it's a piece of metal. He's saying, we know that this steak is just steak, right, and we know that it's good to eat and throwing it away would be a crime. It'd be a waste. Right. So if we're up to me and you know, and if I'm with another believer who understands that, we both agree, this is not a big deal for me to eat this steak, even though it was offered to fall sidle. But what he's also saying is he's saying, now there are people who believe he talks about them having a more sensitive conscious. In other parts of the scripture, he actually says he calls them the weaker believer. He says the weaker. Believer would stumble, and he's using the same language here stumble, which is interesting because those who are offended are actually categorized. As the weaker believer because they don't understand. And Paul is saying, we who are mature have a greater understanding that this is just a cow right, or a goat or an ox or a dove, whatever it is. But they don't understand that they're the weaker believer. They're going to be offended. And think about that how that applies for our lives. There are a lot of people who misunderstand the Scripture about a lot of things, right, they would think, oh, it's wrong to have the drums in the church because if you tap your toe. I've been told this, if you tap your. Toe more than you're praising Jesus, and something's wrong with that, that carnal desire to tap your toe. And I'm thinking to myself, I want to, you know. Plunch you the face for even throwing that out my You know, you're trying to yell at me for tapping my toe, you know, and that's just me being human. Right, But here's what Paul is saying. Paul saying, like, listen, if it's not too much trouble, then choose a song where you're not going to tap your toe in this case, right, is this guy, even though he's completely in the wrong about tapping your toe, you know, if he's going to stumble, then you need to consider that. So do whatever you can to make sure that you don't offend the weaker believer who has a conviction that's not correct. I want to camp out just for a quick moment on that concept of not doing something to cost someone else to stumble. So I'm a pastor. I don't drink. There's at our church we have celebrate Recovery, which is an awesome, awesome ministry for anyone wants to know. If you have any kind of hurt, habit or hang up, dive into Celebrate Recovery. It's a great group of people. You'll love it. Because I am aware that there are people from Celebrate Recovery. I am cautious of the things that I do. Let me give you a clear example. So my wife and I and my daughter, we like going to Red Robin, So they're down the street from the church. You can get burgers and belts and like all kinds of stuff if you get a carry out from there. This is pre COVID, it's different now they do carry out a different way. But before, if you had to carry out, they would say, well, come in, have a seat at the bar. So you have a seat at the bar, and then while you're waiting there, they'll say, oh, if it's a long wait, we'll give you something to drink. Do you want to a coke or something like that. So you have to get the imagery here. Someone, let's say, from Celebrate Recovery, who are struggling with alcohol. They walk in and they see Pastor Wesley sitting at the bar with a dark glass. They don't know what's in the glass, but I'm at the bar with something in a dark glass that now may cause them to slip, That may cause them to say, well, you know what, and maybe okay, to just go ahead and take a drink. Pastor Wesley is so I think that's very true. As mature believers, we have to be conscious of our surroundings and conscious of the fact that there are other people who may not be as advanced in their faith or weak in a certain area, and we don't want to do anything even though it's not a hindrance to us. We don't want to do anything that will cause a stumbling block for someone else. Yeah, you know, it's really interesting that you brought that up, because Paul, I think, is pretty specific when he talks about another believer who thinks a certain way, and so there's sort of two schools of thought on this area. So you could either So for you, you're not thinking of a specific person. You're not thinking of. Like you know, like oh, this one guy I know named Bill. Right, you're just saying this is a blanket behavior just in case, by some random chance, somebody should number one come in. Number two, think that way. Well, you know, it's so interesting because it is a nuance, it's a dance. And the reason why I believe, you know, throughout my life, I having a pastor for thirty one years this year, I believe it's a dance because it can go one extreme or the other. So think about this, So extremes would be the problem. Yeah, well yet, but yet where's the line, right, because because like your. Conviction, I don't have that conviction, right, But it's. Probably only because the way I was raised, Right, So I grew up in a bar, right, so I don't view it as a bad thing, and and I should. And I think to myself, somebodys sitting at a bar and they're drinking a coke. You know, if somebody assumes that it's something other than a coke, then that's their problem. Not But but at the same time, though, if I knew somebody was specifically in that restaurant, I would immediately pivot, right, because because here's the extremes. Here's why I'm saying this because like, for instance, uh, here here's the extreme. In in the blanket way. But when I when I attended my college, it was it was a conservative Baptist College in Missouri. Here's what they would say. They'd say, if you go to a movie, you're expelled forever. And I'd say, whoa, that's incredible. I'm like why And they said, well because and this is this is the same concept, only taking it to extreme. He says, well, and this is the exact quote. I'm just giving you the He says, well, how do we know that you're walking in the movie theater to see The Little Mermaid? Or Debbie does Dallas, so and so. In other words, so to avoid that so that other believers won't stumble, we're just saying. No movie is allowed. And so it's like, so you can take it to the extreme. So you're like, you're like, okay, Well, to make matters worse, you can say, well, you shouldn't even be in that restaurant because it has a bar, right, because who's to stop you from ordering a coke. At your table? Right? So, so the only way then to not a fund a believer is to attend a restaurant that doesn't even have a chance of giving you liquor. You see how there you see how they're the same, right, So all you did was sort of move the marker toward your proximity. So you said, well, because of it at a bar, you're going to assume it's something. But if I'm at a table, they won't assume. Well, how do you know? But I understand how it looks worse. But so I've wrestled. With this nuance my whole life because I think Jesus drank wine. Clearly, there's no doubt in my mind. The Bible acts. He says that Jesus was accused of being a drunkard, which means like you don't you're not accused of being a drunkard unless you drink wine. And he was accused of drinking in areas where prostitutes and sinners were. So in my mind, Jesus would be the guy, you know who has a mission in a ministry at someplace like a bar. But let me give you another example. My college also said this. My college also said we had this place called Legends, and it was a sports bar. Now, back in the remember this, in the eighties, there was really no There was really no way to view a Cleveland Brown's game in Missouri. Back then. There was no NFL ticket, right, So so the only way to do it was to do satellite and. The bars had satellites. Yes, And so the only place that we knew that had satellite to watch the Cleveland Browns game while in Missouri was Legends. But Legends was a sports bar. It was a restaurant, but it was a sports bar. And so I went to the dean of men and I said, please, please, please please allow us to watch the Cleveland Browns game. He says, well, that's a bar. He says, you can't walk in. I said, but it's also a restaurant and he says, no, no, it's against the rules. How do you know that, people? I said, well, I want to sit at the bar. To your point, right, I said, I want to sit at the bar. I'll sit at the table. And he says, but it's still a bar, and I said, okay, listen. I said, let me ask you a question. I said, where do you shop for your groceries? He said, I shop a Kroger? And I said, shame on you. I said, I literally said this. He was so angry. I said, how does anybody know you're going to walk into Kroger and you're not going to go grab a bottle of wine? I said, do you do you choose clear bags or do you choose plastic or paper? And he says, what I usually choose paper. Well, that's that's a sin, right, because. You shoot what I'm saying. So the extreme goes back and forth. So here's what I belie. I believe that when Paul talks about another persons of the Scripture, he says, all things are expedient, right, or all things are are lawful, but not all things are beneficial, right, he says, So, so you're a free to do whatever you want, but you have to understand that not all your actions are beneficial, So listen. I firmly support the bar theory. If I know for a fact. That there's somebody who is going to be, you know there that's going to stumble, I do. And I firmly support the theory of not sitting at the bar at legends being a being a Bible college student. Right. So I believe that. But at the same because that's because that's what they demanded. At the same time, I have to say that, like Paul gives us the freedom to say, let us use our lives in such a way to where you know, we're not going to intentionally make other people stumble and so and so, if we were to avoid all things that make people stumble, I would never buy a thousand or two thousand dollars TV because I should be giving that money to the poor. Right. So it really is a thing where God gives us freedom, and I'm so grateful for it because He allows us to use our own conscious And I completely support your conviction. The way that you were raised, the way that I was raised. God calls me to you know, let me let me wrap up with one last story. There's a couple that goes to our church, and in fact, they went to my previous church and say were with me for ten years. And if they're listening to this podcast, they know who they are because they're the owner of a bar that's located on our street or Shiner, only their south and they've been with me for ten years. But about a year ago they said, you know what we heard from the stage today that you. Love live music and we have you. Know, it's a bar, but it's also a restaurant and we have live music every Friday Saturday. We love to invite you. And they have invited me like three. Different times, but I haven't talked to them in six months, right. And so one day I was taking one of our staff members out to lunch and we had, you know, the choice of where to go, and I said, you know what, something inside is telling me to go to this bar for lunch so that I could basically, you know, visit these owners who go to our church. So we did, and we sat at the bar, he and I both we ordered, of course a die coke, so you know, we weren't ordering anything bad. And by the way, there's only like five people there that were like seventy five years old. You know, in the whole place. You know, it's like a Tuesday afternoon, like nude. Or something like this. And so I asked the bartender, I said, is so and so here and and she says, yeah, she's in the back. Who should I tell her is here? I said, tell her Chris is here. She says, Chris who? And I said she'll know. So then she comes out and she immediately starts weeping. Right, So Treye was with me, He'll tell you this. She's weeping. And she goes, you have no idea. How this has solidified my faith? She goes, I fell down by the way, washer by the dishwasher. And it's so funny how she even, like I think she even cussed, like yeah, she's like I fell down by the f and washer, right, she doesn't even know not to cuss, right. And she goes, and I just prayed, God, you need to show me some signs that you love me, that you're paying attention to me, Like, please, God, minister to me in such a way because her daughter is in a terrible situation. She's incarcerated and she's watching her kids and there's there's there's bad things involved, things that are not my story to tell, but let me just tell you it is. It is the worst situation ever. And she says, and I was at the end of myself saying like, you know, please, God showed me. And she's weeping, and she says, and here you are that God has sent you to me today. And she goes and for no reason at all, you felt like coming and visiting me here today. And I said, well, can we go back in the office and pray for your daughter? So we went in the back and she opened it up and we prayed, and she's just bawling and she's like, God has set you here today, and so and here. Everybody there in the whole restaurant is listening to this, and here's the owner who normally doesn't behave this way. And we're sitting right there in close proximity with everybody in the stools, and they're looking over. These guys are regulars, and they're like, I'm sorry, what is your name again? Like you're a pastor, like and you're here with us today, like God bless you. And I was clearly the pastor there on the mission. And I walked out of there and Trey looked at me and said, that was one of the most amazing things we could have done with. Our time today. And so you know, it's one of those things where I believe that God gives us the ability to say, you know, always have your wits about you, always use good wisdom. I think that's the key part. That's the key using wisdom. Motive. Yes, so your motive wasn't to go in there is already the lights out right right right. So anyway, I have to say, we've gone a little bit over our time, but this was. I think this segment will really help someone. I'll be honest. It's a great debate because these are the kind of podcasts that people really want to know. And when you brought that up, I thought that. I bet you people thought I wonder what zaraba? Right? Yes, because it's like, you know, I just had. An entirely different background, and God, I believe, sometimes calls me to the gritty people of the world, you know. So anyway, hey, listen, that's all we have time for and we will see you next time on the Bible. Guys,