We must begin this lesson with Paul's certain affirmation: "If you have either a weak conscience or a strong conscience, you are a Christian if you are in Christ" (Romans 14:4, 10, 13).
In the church that began shortly after Jesus' resurrection, there were four positions of conscience [with numerous variations] held by Christians. Two were held by Jewish Christians. (1) Because of a strong prohibition against idolatry in Israel regardless of the expression or form of idolatry, some Jewish Christians were "conscientiously certain" that even accidental contact with food that came from idolatrous sacrifices spiritually contaminated a person. At least in Rome, these Christians gave up eating meat altogether in their fear that they might eat something sacrificed to an idol. Their consciences demanded they be vegetarians! [See Romans 14:1, 2.] (2) Some Jewish Christians understood if God was thanked as the true Creator source of all food, one could eat anything and not honor an idol. [See 1 Timothy 4:4,5.]
Two positions were held by gentile Christians converted from idolatry. (3) Some who were converted to Christ from idolatry held this view: eating food used to honor an idol automatically worshipped the idol. [See 1 Corinthians 8:10.] However, (4) other gentiles converted from idolatry to Christ understood idols did not represent gods. There is only one God, the Father of Jesus Christ. Therefore food, regardless of how it was used in its past, had no spiritual significance. [See 1 Corinthians 8:4-6.]
To gain insight into this enormous confrontation in the first century church, we must understand all sacrificial worship involved eating part of the sacrifice--it involved a meal. Most Christians do not associate a genuine meal with worship. Yet, the first century world [and much before the first century!] understood that sacrificial worship always involved eating a meal. To see that practice in Israel's sacrificial worship, read 1 Samuel 1:1-8 and 2:12-17. Remember, many of Israel's holy days were focused on sacrifices and meals involving the sacrifice. Passover, the holiest memorial in Israel, was built around a meal.
Idolatry followed this same practice in sacrificial worship. Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. It was critical for the Christian NOT to cause the idol worshipper to think the Christian acknowledged and honored his idolatrous god. If the meal was not declared to be in honor of an idol [regardless of where and for what purpose the animal was killed], eat without questions. If the host used the meal to honor an idolatrous god, do not eat lest you convince your host you worship more than one god [a common practice]. It was not the Christian's knowledge but the idol worshipper's perception of the Christian's act that determined if the Christian ate or not.
We Christians follow the same practice for the same reason every time we take communion. We are Christians because of God's sacrifice. Jesus in death (just as animals in death) was God's sacrifice. Each time we eat as we take communion, we eat part of the sacrifice. In sacrificial worship, people ate to remember. As Christians, we eat to remember. Do you recall Jesus' words when he instituted our communion? "This is my body." "This is my blood."
The purpose of every Christian is to respect every other Christian--regardless of the peculiar acts of that Christian as he/she honors his/her God by honoring his/her conscience. A Christian does not welcome a person into Christ for the purpose of (1) judging his/her lack of understanding or (2) holding in contempt his/her understanding. Read Romans 14:1. No Christian says to another Christian, "If you knew and understood what I know, you would/would not do that!"
The incredible understanding is found in Paul's classification of the "weak" and the "strong." A conscience that functions on the basis of fear [terror] is weak. The conscience that functions on the basis of understanding is strong.
We often get quite emotional in regard to the transitions that continue to occur in the American culture and the American church. Our transition challenges are small when compared to the transitions of first century Christianity. What a person belonging to God could and could not eat changed radically. His/her basic awareness in worship changed radically. The concept of the meaning of honoring God changed radically.
Some understood the reasons for that ancient transition. Some did not. Some continued to function by their old concepts. Some knew the freedom produced by a new understanding. However, God could make the one who understood and the one who did not understand to stand, not fall. Their challenge [and ours!] was to encourage each other in Christ through respect for all in Christ and appreciation of God's accomplishments in Jesus' death and resurrection.
The position of Christians is not "only the strong stand." Nor is it "only the weak stand." It is this: "All who are in Christ stand because God makes them stand." Read and think about the points stressed in Romans 14:4.
Christians urgently need to understand the focus of Romans 14 is not about control. It is about mutual respect because we have given our lives to Christ, God's sacrifice for us.
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide Lesson 8