In this section of Romans, Paul has something significant to say to us regarding opinions and Christian freedom. The manner in which the church deals with various opinions is not a trivial matter; the weight of eternal glory hangs in the balance. In Romans 14:1, he tells us not to quarrel over opinions. In verses 7 and 8 he says that no one lives or dies to himself; we all live or die to the Lord. In verse 10, Paul introduces the concept of judgment. We will be held accountable for the way in which we deal with opinions (v. 12). In verse 20, Paul warns us against destroying the work of God by the way deal with opinions. In verse 23 he brings in the concept of facing condemnation for actions based on opinions. At this point we need to pause and consider what God is saying about opinions and how we handle them. Matters of opinion which we may think are insignificant, God takes seriously.

Paul then begins to instruct us on how to navigate through the various opinions found in the church, opinions which result from traditions or the way we have been raised or from other church doctrines, or from different religions, etc. God does not want division in His church because division hinders both the gospel and spiritual growth. As we consider the Principle of Accountability discussed last week, we need to remember our relationships with one another; all true believers are brothers and sisters in Christ, and this should dictate how we treat one another. God’s plan of salvation includes weaving us into the fabric of the tapestry of the love of the Triune God. Understanding the fact that we are brothers and sisters in Christ should shape the way we see each other. God will hold us accountable for passing judgment or despising a brother or sister in Christ.

Paul is passionate about the way we deal with opinions because mercy is on the line. Mercy is love in action, and it flows from someone who has experienced forgiveness and mercy. We should show mercy because we have received mercy. Paul tells the weak that they are condemning their brother by judging them. Paul tells the strong that they are despising and devaluing their brother. With such attitudes, both the weak and the strong are shown to be unmerciful. We must keep mercy central in our relationships because it is mercy which leads to church unity. Mercy is a central attribute of God’s character and should also be a part of our character too.

A.T.Pierson said mercy is a non-retaliating spirit. Mercy does not return evil for evil, but actively imposes love in the place of hatred. Mercy received by a forgiven soul naturally comes to appreciate the beauty of mercy and yearns to exercise to others the same mercy that was shown us. A. W. Pink said, “Mercy is the overflow of experiencing the love of God. Mercy is not only merely an optional virtue, but it is a determining factor in one’s salvation.” A person who shows mercy is saved; a person who does not show mercy is not saved. Mercy is non-negotiable for the child of God. As we come in contact with the gospel, as the Spirit illumines us to our sin, whenever we repent of our [dead] faith and place our trust in Jesus Christ, where do we find ourselves? At the mercy seat of God.

The Christian life begins at the mercy seat of God and ends at the Bema Seat of Christ. When we stand before the Bema Seat of Christ, we will give an account for the mercy we have shown to others. God has shown mercy to us, and He wants to see how well we have been stewards of His mercy. We are saved by grace, but we will be judged by our works which are mercy in action.

We remember that we are siblings in Christ, so when there are disputes of opinion within the church we go to our Heavenly Father. Paul mentions this in Chapter 14 after laying the groundwork for submission to authorities in Chapter 13. When we understand the role of the Father in our life, we recognize that we need to defer to divine judgment, not our judgment. Siblings cannot work these things out; this is the Father’s role.

God is judge of all, for He created all things (Genesis 1), and all things belong to Him (Psalm 24:1). Psalm 18:5 declares that God is judge of all the earth. Psalm 2:6-8 says, "’As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.’ 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” From this passage we see that the baton of judgment would pass from the Father to the Son.

Daniel further prophesies the role of Christ being judge in Chapter 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” The Old Testament looked forward to judgment being the role of Messiah and the New Testament looks back to Messiah haven been given that role, for Jesus said in John 5:22, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.” The baton of judgment has officially been passed to the Son of God who “upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3) The Father gave the world to the Son to create, to uphold, to save, to redeem, to restore as it was in the beginning. This was Jesus’ purpose in coming into the world and it is His purpose as He reigns at the right hand of God, the Father.

As Jesus is our judge, we sit under His authority and respectfully submit to His judgments. Verse ten of today’s Scripture says, “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” Here Paul is referring to what we know is the Bema Seat of Christ.

Believers will pass through the Great White Throne judgment as stated by Jesus in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” This is why Paul could confidently proclaim in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Hebrews 8:8-12 declares that a day is coming when God “will remember their sins no more.” Believers will pass through the Great White Throne judgment, but, according to Romans 14:10, will still be held accountable, “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” This judgment is for rewards, not punishment. God judges us for the way we eat or drink, for the way we celebrate days, for areas of liberty, for opinions, etc. This judgment, the judgment at the Bema Seat of Christ,  will be where Christ says well done or not so well done, where we give an account for our salvation and for the mercy given to us.

Paul further explains this judgment in verse eleven, where he quotes Isaiah 49:18, “As I live, declares the Lord” and Isaiah 45:23, “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” Here Paul is addressing the weak and the strong. The weak are the Jews who judge. The strong are the gentiles, those who exercise freedom in Christ. In Isiah 49:18 God makes a vow with Himself: “As I live, declares the Lord.” This vow, one of the Servant Songs, where God has determined to use the Jews to declare to the world who God is and to call them to salvation. Even though Israel has failed in this calling, God’s promise to use Israel in this way still stands. When this comes to pass, glory and beauty will be seen, beauty as a bride adorned on her wedding day.

We see God’s sovereignty over all creation, and Israel should have understood that they were to be used to bring light to the world, including gentiles. Jesus brought the gentiles into the church, yet the Jews were judging their brothers. It is God’s responsibility to judge, not theirs. One of Paul’s goals in this section of Scripture is to evoke a sense of humility in both Jews and gentiles. The Jews should demonstrate humility because they failed in their calling and the gentiles should demonstrate humility by recognizing that their salvation came through the Jews. Both were condemned and both were given mercy. Each life will be examined, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) At this judgment, God will sort through our deeds and separate those that are done for His glory and those that are worthless. Then each believer will receive a reward based on what was done for God’s glory. Good intentions don’t count; what matters is what we did for God. We are saved by grace, but judged by works. As we stand before the Bema Seat, we can have peace because we know that God is just, thus, we trust in His assessment of our works.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” The word that Paul uses for servant is the same word used to describe the people who are rowing a boat from the lowest region of the boat. This is who we are as servants of Christ, just down at the bottom rowing. Paul continues, “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” The Corinthians judged Paul with a critical spirit. His response to them was: “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court.” In fact, Paul does not even judge himself; he says, “I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” This does not eliminate mutual accountability, but Scripture gives instructions on how to exercise accountability. In the context of Romans 14, we need to remember that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Sometimes our good intentions result in outcomes that don’t produce good results, but God knows our heart. Sometimes we are misunderstood or mistreated, and we feel we must defend ourselves. But we need to leave it to the Lord. Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” Be at peace, God is keeping account. All suffering, all rejection, all persecution are in the Lord’s hands. Paul said in Romans 8:18-19, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Creation groans to be restored. Creation groans, our heart groans, we all groan because we are eagerly awaiting the time when we will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ. We don’t worry about others; we rest in the fact that we do what we need to do in the way that God commands, and we do so through humility.

There are two aspects to the principle of accountability: mercy and humility. Micah 6:8 says that God requires that we be merciful and walk humbly with Him. We know that we will all stand before the judgment seat of God, and Paul further clarifies this in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, specifically addressed to church leaders, but applicable to all. Verse 13 says, “each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.” Anything we do for ourselves will be burned up; anything done for God will be sustained. Verse 14 continues, “If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.” When we think about the reward we will receive, we need to have our lives motivated by mercy cloaked in humility, then we exercise the will of God as we see it revealed in Scripture. Then in the judgment, Jesus “will disclose the purposes of the heart.” (1 Corinthians 4:5) All of this is important because all we do in life matters. How we respond to another believer’s opinion really matters. In every interaction we have with another we should remember that God will judge us for the way we deal with them.

These judgements are not meant to frighten us but to comfort us. These warnings are to help us have mercy with one another. God, in His grace, is helping us prepare for the time we stand before Him. It also highlights the importance of our ministry. Your ministry is also your response to life, your participation in sharing the gospel, your marriage, your parenting, your vocation, every aspect of life. Because of their faithfulness, many mothers and grandmothers will receive far greater rewards than some pastors preaching to thousands of people. We just need to be faithful in using the gifts that God has given us and trust the outcome to Him. We can have peace in our relationships because it is up to God. We are not to judge the opinions of others, this is God’s job. All of this begins with applying the principle of accountability. We must take our issues to the Father and trust in His ruling. If we do these things we will be acting with mercy and walking in humility.

Selah:

1. How do you feel knowing that you and your brothers and sisters will face judgment for your interactions? Do you want yourself and them to be rewarded for your interactions?
2. Does the thought of standing before the Bema Seat of Christ frighten you or comfort you? Why?
3. How would you rate yourself as being merciful to others?
4. How can you be certain that you will pass through the Great White Throne judgment?