**Know: Recognize that personal conviction, love, and harmony bring righteousness to the body of Christ.
Feel: Have a great sense of personal responsibility to live by his or her own convictions and by compassion for those in his or her sphere.
Do: Examine the things in life of which God has convicted him or her and lift up others in the walk of faith to live according to what God has convicted them to practice.
Learning Outline:
Know: Personal Conviction and Love Are Essential.
What personal convictions has God recently laid on your mind and heart?
How can you love others who do not share the same conviction(s) as you do?
Feel: Both Strong Personal Conviction and Sympathy
What do you feel when God places conviction on your life about something He wants you to do?
How does compassion help you to set aside your personal convictions so that you can love another person?
Do: Increase Self-Awareness of Personal Conviction and Assist Others in Their Developing Convictions.
How might you determine what God is trying to convict you about personally?
How can you lift up your fellow church members in their relationships with Christ, even if you disagree with them?
Summary: The Christian life is one of responding to the convictions that God lays upon our hearts while also—for the sake of love, peace, and harmony in the Spirit—lifting up our brothers and sisters in Christ, whom God is convicting differently.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Romans 14:10
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Know how to live according to the convictions that God places upon your heart while accepting that others around you have the equal right to do the same.
Just for Teachers: This lesson is a paradox. God calls us to live in certain ways. We become convicted of those ways. Yet, He also calls us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and, at times, set aside our lifestyle convictions in order to lift them up. Offer a prayer for harmony and compassion at the beginning of the lesson.
Opening Discussion: When Cory was in evangelistic field school at the end of his seminary training, he worked with a young man who attended the evangelistic meetings. The young man had just spent a wonderful Sunday together with Cory and his wife and some of their friends at a park. As they were leaving the park, Cory suggested that they go out to eat. The young man mentioned to Cory that he would rather not go out to eat until sundown, because Sunday was his Sabbath. Cory told him that they were willing to respect his beliefs and his request. Cory then asked the young man about what he had learned in the meetings regarding the seventh-day Sabbath. They talked through the texts that the young man had learned and about the clear evidence from Scripture. Cory asked him what his conviction was regarding the Sabbath and whether it made sense to him to keep the seventh day as Sabbath, thus freeing them to go out to eat before sundown on that beautiful Sunday. Cory once again gave the young man space for his personal convictions, not wanting to force a decision. The young man decided that he would try out his new conviction about Saturday Sabbath observance.
This story, though, haunts Cory. What were his true motives for trying to persuade the man about the Sabbath? Was it just because he had wanted to eat then, as opposed to letting him know about how important the Sabbath was? Did he do the right thing, or not?
Questions for Discussion:
Do you think Cory gave the new believer enough space to make the decision on his own? Why, or why not?
Do you think that Cory would have been holding to his own convictions about the Sabbath if he had not gone out to eat on Sunday for the sake of this new believer? Why, or why not?
Describe a time you had to walk the line between conviction and love for a new believer.
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Help your class to see that the following scriptural passages are not speaking to an issue that would encourage the breaking of the Ten Commandments. Rather, they concern a less significant, non-salvation issue, fraught with broad possibilities for interpretation.
Bible Commentary
Introduction: Do a brief overview of Romans 14–16 with your class. The last three chapters of Romans form the basis for a lesson on how to treat fellow believers who are at different stages of spiritual growth. The stronger and the weaker believers are following personal convictions and loving one another at the same time. Thus, the ability to set aside personal convictions in these areas for the harmony of the body of Christ is part of what it means for the righteous to live by faith. We must trust that God knows what people need to know, and He knows how and when they should apply what they know.
Consider This: How can we know, when confronted with tricky ethical issues, that we are making choices based on genuine Christian principles (values) as opposed to being driven just by a multicultural relativism?
I. Different Interpretations (Review Romans 14:1–12 with your class.)
This passage is a difficult one. Paul is writing to the Roman believers regarding an issue of eating and drinking. Commentators are split on how best to interpret these verses. It could be that the weaker believer, the one who does not eat the meat, is a Gentile believer who comes from the background of eating food sacrificed to idols and therefore is convicted to stay away from this food, lest he or she fall back into old idolatrous habits. It is also possible that the weaker believer could be a Jewish believer who still is holding to the dietary laws of the Old Testament for the purpose of gaining salvation by keeping the law rather than by relying on faith in Christ. The Jews had been removed from Rome for ten years, and as they came back into Rome, it may have been hard for them to find meat that had been prepared in the proper way—drained of all the blood. They therefore decided to avoid eating meat altogether.
Either way this passage is interpreted, Paul makes it clear that whether the person eats or doesn’t, he or she does so to the glory of God. Different believers hold different convictions; and yet, none is to judge another. They are rather to leave the judgment of these convictions to God and to welcome their fellow believers as God has welcomed them.
Consider This:
Which of the two interpretations outlined do you think is more likely?
Does it matter which interpretation should be the preferred one?
II. Putting Aside Our Own Convictions (Review Romans 14:13–23 with your class.)
In this passage it sounds as though Paul is talking only to the stronger believer. He is encouraging the stronger believer to set aside some of his or her freedom in order not to cause offense to the weaker believer.
The truth is that Paul is speaking to both the stronger and the weaker. These letters were to be read aloud in the churches; so, both the stronger and the weaker would be listening to the letter together. Paul is calling both of these groups to set aside their previous convictions regarding food and drink, all for a new conviction: the conviction of love and harmony with other believers. Paul is not calling the individuals to live differently in their own lives as much as he is calling them not to force others to change to their own way of thinking. Instead, each one needs to live according to the conviction of conscience; for if a believer goes against that conviction, only then would that action constitute a sin.
Believers must, however, interact with the other believers in a manner that does not cause needless offense. In other words, believers must not place judgment upon others and force them into their ways of thinking or into their own image rather than into the image of God, which the Spirit is convicting them about.
Consider This: What does this passage tell us about what it means to live by faith?
III. The Example of Christ (Review Romans 15:1–6 with your class.)
Christ is always meant to be our Example as we live by faith, and that ideal is true for this passage, as well. Jesus came to this earth to lay down His life for people, not to force them into submission. He could have come with great force, but as He told Pontius Pilate, “ ‘My kingdom is not of this world’ ” (John 18:36, NKJV). Instead, Jesus laid down His life and was raised again to give us the freedom to choose whether to follow Him or not. This gift of freedom shows great strength, and, in the end, the exercise of it will be the only way for the universe to live in harmony.
Consider This:
How can the example of Jesus help you to allow people to live by their own convictions?
What does it really mean to live in harmony with other believers in the body of Christ?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Offer a time of quiet reflection for the members of your class to consider and apply the following application questions. They could discuss them in small groups and then pray for one another. You could then ask for volunteers to share their thoughts and answers with the group at large, if they would like to. If possible, hand out paper and pencils so that people can write down their answers in silent reflection.
Application Questions:
Have you ever pushed your own agenda on another person to the point of offense?
How can you make the offense right and live in harmony and Christian love with this person?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: You may want a whiteboard or poster board for this activity. If such supplies are not available, ask the participants to make simple mental notes to report on.
Activities:
List the lifestyle choices that your church is most stirred up about, even to the point of being judgmental.
How can you help your church to make more principle-based changes in these areas of ethical contention?
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Key Text: Romans 14:10
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Summary: The Christian life is one of responding to the convictions that God lays upon our hearts while also—for the sake of love, peace, and harmony in the Spirit—lifting up our brothers and sisters in Christ, whom God is convicting differently.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Romans 14:10
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Know how to live according to the convictions that God places upon your heart while accepting that others around you have the equal right to do the same.
Just for Teachers: This lesson is a paradox. God calls us to live in certain ways. We become convicted of those ways. Yet, He also calls us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and, at times, set aside our lifestyle convictions in order to lift them up. Offer a prayer for harmony and compassion at the beginning of the lesson.
Opening Discussion: When Cory was in evangelistic field school at the end of his seminary training, he worked with a young man who attended the evangelistic meetings. The young man had just spent a wonderful Sunday together with Cory and his wife and some of their friends at a park. As they were leaving the park, Cory suggested that they go out to eat. The young man mentioned to Cory that he would rather not go out to eat until sundown, because Sunday was his Sabbath. Cory told him that they were willing to respect his beliefs and his request. Cory then asked the young man about what he had learned in the meetings regarding the seventh-day Sabbath. They talked through the texts that the young man had learned and about the clear evidence from Scripture. Cory asked him what his conviction was regarding the Sabbath and whether it made sense to him to keep the seventh day as Sabbath, thus freeing them to go out to eat before sundown on that beautiful Sunday. Cory once again gave the young man space for his personal convictions, not wanting to force a decision. The young man decided that he would try out his new conviction about Saturday Sabbath observance.
This story, though, haunts Cory. What were his true motives for trying to persuade the man about the Sabbath? Was it just because he had wanted to eat then, as opposed to letting him know about how important the Sabbath was? Did he do the right thing, or not?
Questions for Discussion:
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: Help your class to see that the following scriptural passages are not speaking to an issue that would encourage the breaking of the Ten Commandments. Rather, they concern a less significant, non-salvation issue, fraught with broad possibilities for interpretation.
Bible Commentary
Introduction: Do a brief overview of Romans 14–16 with your class. The last three chapters of Romans form the basis for a lesson on how to treat fellow believers who are at different stages of spiritual growth. The stronger and the weaker believers are following personal convictions and loving one another at the same time. Thus, the ability to set aside personal convictions in these areas for the harmony of the body of Christ is part of what it means for the righteous to live by faith. We must trust that God knows what people need to know, and He knows how and when they should apply what they know.
Consider This: How can we know, when confronted with tricky ethical issues, that we are making choices based on genuine Christian principles (values) as opposed to being driven just by a multicultural relativism?
I. Different Interpretations (Review Romans 14:1–12 with your class.)
This passage is a difficult one. Paul is writing to the Roman believers regarding an issue of eating and drinking. Commentators are split on how best to interpret these verses. It could be that the weaker believer, the one who does not eat the meat, is a Gentile believer who comes from the background of eating food sacrificed to idols and therefore is convicted to stay away from this food, lest he or she fall back into old idolatrous habits. It is also possible that the weaker believer could be a Jewish believer who still is holding to the dietary laws of the Old Testament for the purpose of gaining salvation by keeping the law rather than by relying on faith in Christ. The Jews had been removed from Rome for ten years, and as they came back into Rome, it may have been hard for them to find meat that had been prepared in the proper way—drained of all the blood. They therefore decided to avoid eating meat altogether.
Either way this passage is interpreted, Paul makes it clear that whether the person eats or doesn’t, he or she does so to the glory of God. Different believers hold different convictions; and yet, none is to judge another. They are rather to leave the judgment of these convictions to God and to welcome their fellow believers as God has welcomed them.
Consider This:
II. Putting Aside Our Own Convictions (Review Romans 14:13–23 with your class.)
In this passage it sounds as though Paul is talking only to the stronger believer. He is encouraging the stronger believer to set aside some of his or her freedom in order not to cause offense to the weaker believer.
The truth is that Paul is speaking to both the stronger and the weaker. These letters were to be read aloud in the churches; so, both the stronger and the weaker would be listening to the letter together. Paul is calling both of these groups to set aside their previous convictions regarding food and drink, all for a new conviction: the conviction of love and harmony with other believers. Paul is not calling the individuals to live differently in their own lives as much as he is calling them not to force others to change to their own way of thinking. Instead, each one needs to live according to the conviction of conscience; for if a believer goes against that conviction, only then would that action constitute a sin.
Believers must, however, interact with the other believers in a manner that does not cause needless offense. In other words, believers must not place judgment upon others and force them into their ways of thinking or into their own image rather than into the image of God, which the Spirit is convicting them about.
Consider This: What does this passage tell us about what it means to live by faith?
III. The Example of Christ (Review Romans 15:1–6 with your class.)
Christ is always meant to be our Example as we live by faith, and that ideal is true for this passage, as well. Jesus came to this earth to lay down His life for people, not to force them into submission. He could have come with great force, but as He told Pontius Pilate, “ ‘My kingdom is not of this world’ ” (John 18:36, NKJV). Instead, Jesus laid down His life and was raised again to give us the freedom to choose whether to follow Him or not. This gift of freedom shows great strength, and, in the end, the exercise of it will be the only way for the universe to live in harmony.
Consider This:
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Offer a time of quiet reflection for the members of your class to consider and apply the following application questions. They could discuss them in small groups and then pray for one another. You could then ask for volunteers to share their thoughts and answers with the group at large, if they would like to. If possible, hand out paper and pencils so that people can write down their answers in silent reflection.
Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: You may want a whiteboard or poster board for this activity. If such supplies are not available, ask the participants to make simple mental notes to report on.
Activities: