1 Corinthians 15--Resurrection: His and Ours

Over 500 people at the same time saw Jesus after He resurrected from the dead. This proof, along with many others, demonstrates the indisputability of His Resurrection.

Similarly, those that believe in Jesus, that belong to Him, shall also be resurrected to everlasting life with the Lord Jesus and will also receive glorified bodies that are not subject to corruption, decay, or death.

Jesus, the Christ/Messiah, will return to earth again and will reign in His kingdom on earth. When He returns, believers, both dead and alive, will meet Him in the air and will receive their glorified bodies. (See also 1 Thessalonians 4:16.)

In view of these spiritual realities, the believer is called upon to be "stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Co 15:58).

Hallelujah!! What an inheritance! What encouragement to persevere!

1 Corinthians 14--Tongues, Prophecy, & Women

After being admonished to exercise their spiritual gifts in the love and power of God, believers are told that in their church meetings the gift of prophecy is to prevail over the gift of tongues. Prophecy entails explaining the Scripture in view of past and present history, rather than foretelling some event unrelated to Scripture. Tongues entails speaking in a language not understood by the audience.

Speaking in tongues is highly regulated: at any given meeting, only one, two, or at most three people may speak in tongues and then only if they take turns at it and only if an interpreter is present. Prophecy is also regulated: only two or three and then only one at a time; and the speaker must sit down if another rises to speak.

The problem being addressed is confusion and disorder in the church. The women were responsible, at least in part, for the confusion. They are told to be quiet and if they had any questions to ask, to ask them of their husbands at home. In 1 Peter 3:12 wives are instructed to dress modestly and to have a "meek and quiet spirit." (See also 1 Timothy 2:9-12.)

The women were seeking to draw attention to themselves by their dress and by their mouths. And the men were satisfied to sit back and watch them, if not encourage them. The men also allowed the women to usurp leadership authority from them.

Is the foregoing a picture of the modern church? If so, where is the fear of God? This God is the same God that told His people in the Old Testament that He hated their religious services and He would not accept their offerings because of their hypocrisy and lack of reverence. (See Isaiah 1: 11-15; Malachi 1:6-14; Jeremiah 6:19-20.) In the New Testament Paul warned the church: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap..." (Galatians 6: 7-8).

If men and women in the church are more interested in looking at each other than in seeking God and at the same time are calling their meeting together "worship," this behavior constitutes "mocking God" and is a serious matter.

1 Corinthians 12 Spiritual Gifts & Unity

Paul warns believers to beware of following after spiritual experiences that do not honor the Lord. He explains that the Spirit of God should be evident when individual believers exercise their individual spiritual gifts.

The gifts of the Spirit are listed: word of wisdom (wise counsel); word of knowledge (knowing the facts); faith (in addition to the saving faith that every believer has); gifts of healing; working of miracles; prophecy (proclaiming prophetic Scripture and its fulfillment); discerning of Spirits (identifying erroneous doctrine); tongues (speaking in foreign languages); interpretation of tongues (understanding/translating foreign languages).

Believers are instructed to use their gifts working together with other believers in unity, rather than allowing themselves to covet each others' gifts and thereby allowing division because of their pride.

The Corinthian church was divided rather than unified: they followed various preachers based on their style of preaching rather than on any relevant doctrinal issue (Chapters 1-3); they elevated the wealthy over the poor (chapter 11); and they honored the church members who appeared to be more talented over those whose gifts were less glamorous. In a word, they were worldly.

The pride of life ( 1 John 2:16) is not of God but of the world's system. The world's system presents a form of "wisdom" that is not true wisdom at all (James 3:13-18). Worldliness causes division in the church. Believers who follow Christ will not (and cannot) be unified with persons who are following the world system ( these worldly ones are probably not true believers--see James 4:4 and 1 John 2:15-16).

Arrogance, envy, and love of worldly success negate any chance of unity of the church in regard to exercising spiritual gifts in a meaningful way. "(W)hosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (Jm 4:4). Believers must courageously identify, confront, and eliminate worldliness in the church before they will see the ministry of the Spirit in power.

1 Corinthians 11--Church Behavior

Paul explains to the Corinthian believers that God created men and women equally, but with different roles: the men are ordained to be leaders; e.g., to lead the congregation when they come together to pray or prophesy. (See Ephesians 5:22-23 for the husband's headship over the wife.)

Men and women are told to distinguish themselves from each other in their hair and headdress. Even by nature, it can be seen that women should have longer hair than men. When praying or prophesying in public, women are to cover their heads as a sign of their willful submission to the leadership of their husbands.

Does Scripture demand the custom of head-covering for women in prayer meetings? The real issue is whether the women are too arrogant and rebellious to accept men as the God-ordained leaders in the home, in the church, and (by extension) in the society. Even if the men lack the courage to assume and fulfill their calling to leadership, the women are not instructed to assert themselves and usurp the position ordained to the men.

(See also 1 Timothy 2:8-3:16 for instructions for women's dress while praying and for men's calling to be bishops and deacons.)

Paul then chastises the church for their conduct when having group meals--the rich were shunning and demeaning the poor and some of the diners were getting drunk. The meals were a mockery of the communion (the Lord's Supper) prescribed by the Lord. This behavior, once again, was style over substance; empty tradition. The Lord's name was being proclaimed, but only in lip-service.

This chapter in First Corinthians calls the believer to ask himself: Are the men performing their roles as leaders? Are the women supporting them in their efforts to lead? Is the church practicing empty and disdainful rituals? Is the Lord Jesus present in power at the Christian fellowship meals or is His name merely proclaimed in lip-service?

On an individual level: Am I obedient to the role God has assigned to me (as a man, or as a woman)? Do I practice ritual (or, tradition) without meaning? Am I a glutton, drunkard, social snob, or hypocrite?

1 Corinthians 1-10 Theme of Self-sacrifice

After Paul distinguishes between God's wisdom and man's wisdom in 1 Corinthians 1-4, he gives some instructions that involve self-sacrifice.

In Chapter 6 the believer is told to give up his right to sue a brother in a pagan court; in Chapter 7, to give up his right to divorce an unbelieving spouse and, in marriage, to give up his right to his own body; in Chapters 8 and 10, to give up his right to eat and drink whatever he wants, and to give up his right to patronize pagan establishments; and in Chapter 9, to be willing to give up his right to remuneration for work done.

In 1 Co 9: 27, Paul says: "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Paul is demonstrating by example both a physical and mental discipline that has enabled him to be an effective witness for Christ.

Romans 12:1 beseeches the believer to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

The believer is said to have freedom in Christ (John 8:36). This freedom has two aspects: freedom from the sin nature with which he was born, and freedom from condemnation for failure to be able to keep all the laws, rules and regulations of the Old Testament moral code. This freedom is a freedom that allows the believer to serve Christ. Free from bondage to sin and the law, the believer is now in bondage to Christ. He is not free to sin with impunity.

Paul compares the need for the believer to have a disciplined life to that of an athlete who is running a race to obtain a prize (1 Co 9:24). Instead of selfishly seeking comfort, wealth, or worldly goals for himself, the believer is to give himself as a living sacrifice in order to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ. Rather than feeling he has been cheated out of some of the luxuries of life, the surrendered believer, with all his discipline and self-sacrifice, finds the power and joy of the Lord in fulfilling God's purpose for his life.

1 Corinthians 10--Lust Not After Evil Things

Under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites had many spiritual blessings, yet they continued to lust after evil things. Paul warns the Corinthian believers that the judgment of God fell on their ancestors because of their lust and that the judgment of God will fall on them, too, if they continue in lust.

Paul pointed out the sins of their ancestors were set out in Scripture as a warning to them. Many were sexual, such as fornication and idolatry (which included sexual sins as a part of their religion.)

Then Paul explains that the act of partaking of communion is a symbol of the unification of the partakers with each other and with Christ. Similarly, eating meat sacrificed to idols unifies the believers who partake with the pagans, who are actually worshiping demons.

Paul advises the believers that they should feel free to eat this meat if no one has made an issue of it being sacrificed to idols; but otherwise, they should avoid it because they will be unifying themselves with the pagans who are sacrificing this meat to demons."Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils" (1 Co 10:21).

How to make application for today? Believers may go along with certain practices that are really religious in nature, such as evolution; certain environmentalism beliefs (worshiping Mother Earth); certain meditation techniques, as in yoga; astrology, karma and numerous other Eastern mystic beliefs; the power of positive thinking, and others too many to list. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils...." It is impossible to be unified and in fellowship with God if a person is unified and in fellowship with demons.

1 Corinthians 9--Preaching For Pay

Paul explains to the Corinthian church that as a teacher and preacher of the Gospel, he is entitled to remuneration, as the saying goes: "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn" (1 Co 9:9).

However, Paul and his co-worker Barnabas, supported themselves with secular jobs and did not ask to be paid for preaching. Paul gives the following reasons for preaching without pay:

1. He was able to preach truth fully without compromise because he was not obligated to anyone for wages;

2. He was not preaching for a reward--the Lord had instilled in him such a desire to preach that he could not stop preaching;

3. Without having a salary, he would not be in a position to abuse his right to income; i.e., he would not be preaching just for the money;

4. Paul would be free to be a Jew with the Jews and a Gentile with the Gentiles and to change his style of preaching to fit his audience without anyone having a right to say anything about it ( 1Co 9: 20-22).

Paul also gave cautions to the Corinthians to keep their physical bodies under control, as an athlete in training, that they might serve the Lord better.

A believer might ask himself: Why don't I have the energy or enthusiasm necessary to complete the calling from God on my life? Am I too tired or too sick because I lack the discipline to eat, sleep, and exercise properly? Do I spend too much time pursuing recreation and indulging myself?

A believer who excuses himself from a service to the Lord because he has allowed himself to get in such a poor physical condition that he cannot do certain labor might consider confession and repentance (1 John 1:9).

1 Corinthians 8--The Appearance of Impropriety

The second question posed to Paul in this letter concerns whether or not believers should eat meat sacrificed to idols. Paul explained that idols are not really gods and the food sacrificed to them is not tainted.

However, if a believer enters an idol's temple to eat this meat and is seen by a Christian brother, this brother may be encouraged to enter the same temple, but then he would feel guilty about eating meat sacrificed to some pagan idol and, all-in-all, his walk with the Lord would be damaged.

In today's society a comparison would be the instance of a believer entering a gambling establishment just to eat the food--eating the food may not be wrong in and of itself, but it looks wrong; i.e., it has the appearance of impropriety, and another believer who followed the example of the first may feel that he has dishonored God.

With all the above said, however, it must be noted that in the tenth chapter of First Corinthians, Paul tells the believers there is a time to stay away from meat sacrificed to idols because this meat, while not sacrificed to real gods, is being sacrificed to real demons, and believers (Christians) ought to have no part in this activity.

One might conclude from this chapter that Christians should be aware that others are watching them to see if their behavior is as righteous as their talk, or if their religion is just lip-service. It is important for believers to show self-restraint and be willing to forego the indulgences of their culture in order to demonstrate their faith and obedience to the one true God.

1 Corinthians 7--Trust God in Marital Issues

In this chapter Paul begins a series of answers to questions posed to him by the Corinthian church. He gives these instructions:

1. Husbands and wives ought to share their bodies freely with each other and not deny sex to their mate;

2. Believers married to unbelievers should stay in the marriage in hopes of his or her spouse and children coming to know the Lord;

3. If the unbelieving spouse insists on leaving the marriage, the believing spouse should let him or her go and then the believing spouse is free to remarry;

4. Becoming a Christian does not mean a slave must seek freedom, or a person must be circumcised, or a person must change his marital status;

5. An unmarried person has more opportunity to serve the Lord than does a married person and singleness is a gift from God; widows should not be in a hurry to remarry;

6. A believer who wants to get married is free to marry as long as it is to another believer.

The emphasis is on serving the Lord in singleness or in marriage. Paul reminds the believer that he has been purchased with a price (the substitutionary death of Christ) and that now, as a bond-servant to the Lord Jesus, his aim in life is to serve and to please his Master.

A person who is single should find strength from the Lord to be at peace with his circumstance of singleness. A person in a bad marriage should find peace from the Lord in his circumstance as well. In both circumstances the believer should accept his circumstances as from the Lord and focus on serving the Lord fully and with joy.

From the foregoing, one could conclude that a believer who is dissatisfied, frustrated, or unhappy with his circumstances is not surrendered to the Lord. He is not obeying the Lord and he is not grateful to the Lord. Most of all, he does not trust the Lord to be in charge of his life. It is a matter of faith.

Whatever is not of faith is sin (Ro 14:23). Without faith it is impossible to please him (God) (He 11:6).

Accepting one's circumstances and living at peace with God (instead of being angry with Him) is not optional with believers. This acceptance is surrender and it is necessary in order for a believer to live by faith, trusting God.

1 Corinthians 6--Wisdom to Judge Yourselves

Paul continues to give instruction on church members (presumably, believers) having the wisdom of God to judge themselves. In the previous chapter he told them to judge the member who was committing incest and to excommunicate him if he did not repent.

Now he tells them to select a wise church member to judge disputes among themselves rather than any believer having to go to a pagan (non-Christian) court for legal relief. He told them their behavior in defrauding each other was shameful. Paul asks them: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (sodomites), Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Co 6: 9-10).

The sins enumerated repeat those listed in the previous chapter where Paul was telling them to judge each other in the church for these sins. In this chapter he clarifies that these sins are reflective of non-believers and that those who habitually, and unrepentantly, practice these sins (including church members) will not be a part of God's kingdom; i.e., they are not true believers. True believers, even if they were engaging in these sins prior to salvation, have been cleansed and set apart from these former things in order to serve Christ.

Paul emphasizes that they must "flee fornication" because in this sin, a person sins against his own body and someone with the indwelling Spirit should not be uniting his body (and by extension, uniting Christ) with a harlot or prostitute. He reminds them that their physical bodies are not their own, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Co 6:20).

Righteousness is not optional for the believer.

1 Corinthians 5--Foolishly Choosing Sin Over Power

Paul continues to chastise the Corinthians for arrogantly preferring human wisdom to God's wisdom. In their foolishness, the church was tolerating a member who was committing incest. Paul explained that believers were to be holy. Tolerating one person who was committing such a flagrant sin would soon mean more in their congregation would start indulging in sin.

Paul told the Corinthian church to remove this man from their membership. Moreover, Paul told the church not even to eat lunch with people who claim to be Christians if they were known for sins such as these: fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, or extortion.

Fornication is sexual intercourse between a person and someone who is not his or her spouse. It includes premarital sex, cohabitation, and adultery.

Covetousness is lusting after something that belongs to someone else. The Tenth Commandment warns against coveting, or lusting after, another person's spouse or his employees or his house or his material wealth.

Idolatry is the act of fervent devotion to something other than the one true God; i.e., being obsessed with something; such as, wealth, social standing, wardrobe, beauty, sports, travel, food, drink, internet, TV, books, education, one's own children.

Railing is angrily denouncing someone or something. People rail against different races, ethnic groups, religions, political groups, professions. Railing has a component of anger and hatred.

Drunkenness is intoxication: "excited mentally beyond self-control or reason" (Webster). Drunkenness may be caused from alcohol, drugs or some other means.

Extortion is the act of getting something by illegitimate means.

Church members are implicitly called upon to examine themselves and each other for deviating from purity into these sins. They are told to judge (yes, judge) one another (1 Co 5:12) in this regard.

Because of their arrogance, the church had elevated style over substance--they were satisfied with the superficial pretense of clean living and they were unwilling to look at the proliferation of sin in their midst. Is it any wonder there was no spiritual power in their church?

Is it any wonder there is no spiritual power in many churches today?

1 Corinthians 4--Ministering in Power, Not Pride

The Apostle Paul continues to warn the Corinthian believers to quit exalting their preachers and teachers. These preacher-teachers(Apollos, Paul and Peter) were all sound in doctrine and they worked together: Apollos planted, Paul watered, and God gave the increase. (1 Co 3:5-6). They were being exalted and judged on their style. The Corinthian church members were acting in arrogance to set themselves up as their judges and comparing their styles of ministry.

The Corinthians also gave themselves positions in the church and were proud of their social standing. Paul said of them: "Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us...(1 Co 4:8). Then he reminded them of his own ministry wherein he was rejected and underwent constant hardships so that others might come to know the truth and be saved from their sins and from the wrath of God. He told them that he had the power of God in his ministry but they did not because of their pride. He told them to follow his example.

How many in the church today would be willing to give up their social position and comfortable living to minister in the power of God? Paul did. In discussing his former upper class social position, Paul said: "...I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:8).

Issues in Genesis 1

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth....And the earth was without form, and void: and darkness...And God said, Let there be light...." Ge 1: 1-3. Nothing existed but God. He created matter by speaking it into existence. First He spoke it into being dark and covered in water. Then He brought on light. All this happened on the first day (1:1-5). These verses are plainly and clearly written for the non-biased reader. Anyone who takes issue with them or comes up with some far-fetched theories is just looking to discredit them because he does not like what they say.

The same goes for all this controversy about the meaning of the word day. What do you think day means? How about a 24-hour period? That is the normal understanding. Any doubt in your mind about the meaning of this word has been introduced by someone with an agenda. However, God made it exceedingly clear when He addressed the topic in Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments. The Fourth Commandment: "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God...For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it " (Ex 20:8-11, emphasis added).

We are to work six days and rest on the seventh just as God did. He gave us a pattern for the week. We are not to work six eons of time. We are not to work six millions of years. We are to work six days--and so did He.

Does the clear reading of these passages sound uneducated, fundamentalist, low-brow to you? If so, someone may have used his high-sounding credentials and some intimidation to push his godless agenda on you. Just use your mind and think for yourself.

The Christian community has allowed nonsense to be perpetrated on us and our children. The day is late and the time is now to find courage to stand for the truth of God's Word without equivocation.

1 Corinthians 3--Follow God, Not Man

1 Corinthians 3 continues the discourse of the previous two chapters on wisdom. The church is chastised for its reliance on worldly, man-made wisdom instead of God's wisdom. Church members are compared to babies in their squabbling over which leaders and style of worship to follow (denominationalism).

Believers are told not to "glory in men" (3:21). Church leaders are cautioned about losing their reward in heaven if their work is not of God, but of man. They are reminded that the wisdom of God is available to the church through the Spirit of God, Who indwells each believer, and that the church is actually a living body made up of these Spirit-filled individuals.

Called "carnal" and immature, the Corinthians were acting like non-believers in creating their own man-made styles of "worship." They were in danger of defiling or destroying the temple of God; i.e., the body of believers (the body of Christ, the church) by their worldly wisdom because this kind of "wisdom" leads to man-made religion and strife and does not please God.

It is Godly wisdom that leads to Godly worship and pleases God. Worshiping God in God's way leads to holiness rather than the strife and divisiveness they were experiencing. How to worship God in God's way? Be led by the indwelling Spirit, not the popular wisdom of the day.

1 Corinthians 2--Only Believers Have God's Wisdom

1Corinthians 2, like the previous chapter, explains the wisdom of God:

1. It is not the same as man's wisdom;
2. It is not available to non-believers;
3. It is given to believers as the "mind of Christ" (2:16) and the "spirit which is of God" (2:12);
4. It baffles non-believers, especially worldly leaders and intellectuals.

The Apostle Paul gave his own preaching as an example of the power and wisdom of God: "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Co 2:4-5).

How did the Apostle Paul do it? He gave testimony of his encounters with Jesus; he proclaimed Jesus as resurrected from the dead and as the Messiah, or Christ (Acts 17: 3 and 28:23, 31; see also Acts 13, 17, 22-26.) He was " determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Co 2:2). No clever anecdotes. No entertainment.

How many preachers and teachers today speak in the Spirit and power of God?

1 Corinthians 1--God's Wisdom Overcomes Strife

1 Co 1 presents an appeal to believers to overcome the divisiveness in the church and to give a unified witness, or testimony, of who Christ is to the world around them. Denominationalism has divided the church so that both believers and unbelievers focus more on the issues that divide Christians (baptism, tongues, dress, alcoholic beverages) than on what unites them--worship of the Lord Jesus and obedience to His Word.

This plea for unity in the church is followed by a discourse on wisdom. Man's wisdom does not lead to peace and harmony. The strife and divisiveness in the Corinthian church was a result of their reliance on the wisdom of man rather than on the wisdom of God (See also James 3: 13-18.)

God's people (the chosen, the elect, the saved) are generally not lauded by the world for intellectual positions, political power, or social prestige (1 Co 1: 26). To the contrary, they are often the target of worldly scorn. However, while they do not usually have worldly acclaim, they do have wisdom from God and peace and joy in the midst of a crooked and perverse world.

Those that do not belong to God are considered to be still among the "wicked." Isaiah states that the "wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Is 57: 20-26).

Ought not the believer examine the origin of strife and division in the church today? The members of the Corinthian church sacrificed the wisdom of God and His peace because of their desire for worldly prestige. Foolish indeed!

Romans 16--Fellowship of Believers

This final chapter of the doctrinal treatise known as the Book of Romans closes with greetings from the Apostle Paul to fellow believers in the church at Rome with whom he was personally acquainted (although he did not found this church, nor had he yet visited with them.)

The chapter also gives a glimpse of life in the early church. For instance, two house churches are mentioned: one in the home of Priscilla and Aquilla in Rome and one in the home of Gaius in Corinth. It appears that the whole church in Corinth met in the no-doubt-expansive home of Gaius. (For mention of other house churches, see Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1-2; and Acts 16: 14-15,40.)

Women as well as men are noted for their Christian service: Phoebe was a deaconess at Cenchrea (near Corinth); she was also entrusted with taking this doctrinal treatise to the Roman church. Priscilla, with her husband Aquilla, hosted the church in their home and taught Scripture together (See Acts 18: 24-26). Sisters Tryphena and Tryphosa were said to "labour in the Lord" (Ro 16:12). (See Acts 16: 14-15, 40, for information about Lydia, who hosted a church in her home and hosted the Apostle Paul and his missionary team.)

Also included in this final chapter is a warning to avoid those who claim to be believers but who teach doctrinal error. They are adept at speaking and they deceive many. Their subtle perversion of Scripture causes strife and division in the church. They do not serve Christ but seek to enhance their own selfish ambitions. Believers are told to "mark them" and to "avoid them" (Ro 16:17-18).

Since these false teachers are able to deceive the "simple" (Ro 16:18), it behooves the believer to educate himself in doctrine so that he will no longer be "simple." (For similar warnings against false teaching, see Colossians 2; 2 Thessalonians 2; 1 Timothy 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 3; Titus 3:9-11; 2 Peter 2; 2 John 7-11; Jude; Revelation 2: 14-16, 20-25.)

Romans 15--Harmony Is Not Absolute Tolerance

Romans 15 continues the discussion in Romans 14 about believers living in harmony with each other. This peace among believers; i.e., unity, being in one accord, is necessary if a congregation expects to be able to glorify the Lord.

Secondly, the churches were instructed to help each other, without the discord created by bigotry. The Gentile churches sent donations to the impoverished Jewish church in Jerusalem.

Thirdly, harmony among believers made possible corporate prayer that was given in one accord. The Apostle Paul asked the Roman church to "strive together with me in your prayers to God for me...." (Ro 15:30).

The harmony under discussion is not the same as tolerance. Believers were also instructed to "admonish" one another (Ro 15:14). (See 1 Corinthians 5 for a discussion of church discipline for immoral conduct.) Also, believers were not to tolerate false teaching (Titus 3: 9-11; see also 2 Ti 3; 2 Pe 2; Jude).

The instructions in Romans 15 concern bickering over man-made rules that restricted the believers' behavior in areas where the Lord Himself did not impose any restrictions; in a word, pharisaism (legalism). It is noteworthy that the Pharisees were strict on matters of insignificance while the immorality, idolatry, and hypocrisy ran rampant. Should the church not examine itself in view of these admonitions?

Romans 14--Harmony of the Brethren

Romans 14 has a wonderful message promoting harmony of the brethren. Believers are told not to get up in another believer's face, wagging a finger at him for having a difference of opinion regarding certain conduct. For example, one believer may choose to eat meat sacrificed to idols and another may not. One may drink wine, but another may not. One may celebrate religious holidays; another may not.

Romans 14 instructs the believer not to impose restrictions on another believer in an area of conduct where Christ has given freedom. This type of criticism and pressure to conform to man-made (rather than God-made) restrictions is a form of legalism for which Jesus castigated the pharisees (strict religious leaders.)

With that said, however, the believer should be charitable enough to restrict his own conduct while in the presence of another believer who is offended by that conduct. For instance, a charitable believer may choose not to offer wine or drink wine where there are other believers who are offended by wine-drinking.

A believer should be sensitive to the appearance of impropriety and not give others an opportunity to slander his name. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Ro 14: 17.)"