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(upbeat music) - Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. We're in Romans chapter
14 this week, our second day in our look at that chapter, verses three to 12.
And today we're going to focus on the question, what does it mean to pass judgment?

The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not. And the man
who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has
accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant?

To his own master he stands or falls, and he will stand, for the Lord is able to
make him stand. For one man considers one day more sacred than another, another
man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own
mind.

He who regards one day as special does so to the Lord. He who eats meat eats to
the Lord, for he gives thanks to God. And he who abstains does so to the Lord
and gives thanks to God.

For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If
we live, we live to the Lord. If we die, we die to the Lord.

So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason Christ
died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the
living. You then, why do you judge your brother?

Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's
judgment seat. It is written, as surely as I live says the Lord, every knee will
bow before me, every tongue will confess to God.

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. It's pretty obvious
as I read through those verses that he talks both about our passing judgment on
one another and about that day when we will stand before God and God will judge
each one of us. I'd like to save that second part for tomorrow and focus
tomorrow together on that day of judgment when God will judge each one of us.

And today, focus instead on what does it mean to pass judgment on one another?
It is obvious in these verses that we're not to pass judgment on one another. He
uses phrases like don't look down on one another, don't condemn one another, who
are you to judge someone else's servant?

Don't judge your brother, stop passing judgment. Now, just wait a minute as I
even approach this subject, does this mean that if someone decided that murder
is okay, that adultery is okay for them as a Christian, that I have to just
accept that? Does that mean I have to just accept anyone's interpretation of the
Bible even if they make God out to be a liar?

Of course not, that would be foolish. He is talking here in these verses about
disagreements on disputable matters. That's the whole subject.

And he's saying, don't pass judgment. Passing judgment in this chapter is
looking down on someone who will not do what you've decided you will do. I've
decided this is the choice I have to make in order to live the Christian life.

And they say, no, I'm not going to do that, I'm going to go a different direction. And
you pass judgment because they don't do it exactly like you. I see this often
happening when it comes to people's spiritual gifts.

Maybe you have the gift of evangelism and you believe in street evangelism, that
everybody you meet on the street, you should have a gospel track, you should
share Christ with them. And if somebody won't do that just like you do it, you
feel like, oh, they're just not much of a Christian. They won't do it the way
that you will do it and so you pass judgment on them.

Passing judgment also here is condemning someone who will do something that you
will not do. God may have given you a conviction not to do certain things as a
believer. We talked yesterday about entertainment.

And maybe God has given you a conviction not to have a television in your home.
And yet, you know other believers who do, maybe a lot of other believers. And
you think, well, you know, if only they would make this choice, they would truly
have a great relationship with Jesus like I do.

That's passing judgment. That's what he's warning us about here. He's warning us
about elevating non-essentials to the level of essentials and making them tests
of genuine faith.

Don't pass judgment in that kind of way. What I find most distressing about
these verses is the way people misapply it. The way I just explained it to you,
I think it's pretty simple.

I found that often people misapply it and they think, well, that means I can't
have any opinion about the Bible if someone else has a different opinion. That
means if someone says something wrong about how to live the life of faith, I
have to just accept it, even though maybe Jesus said something clearly
different. No, you can point out those things.

We should point out those things. The Bible tells us in the household of God, we
are to point out those things to one another. But when it comes to disputable
matters, watch out for passing judgment.

Now, as we talk about passing judgment, as we talk about what's a disputable
matter and what's not, I'd like in the second half of what we're looking at
today to talk about how is it that you have a clear conscience about an
activity? How is it that you know it's okay for you to do? 'Cause we can talk
about other people all we want, but it starts with me.

I have to know, I have a clear conscience about it. And if someone says to me,
"I'm not sure you should be doing that," let me just give you some tests that
you can walk through to determine, "Can I have a clear conscience about this? "
Maybe they're right.

Maybe you shouldn't be doing that. Or maybe they're passing judgment and it's
okay to have a clear conscience and you shouldn't become legalistic because of
what they've said. Let me give you eight specific tests just to walk through in
your mind.

Now, I know you may be somewhere where you can't write these down real fast and
you may have to run this back later so you can write them down somewhere, but
let me just give you, even though there's a large number of them, very quickly,
eight tests. Can I do something and have a clear conscience about it? Test
number one is the influence test.

Is it going to influence another believer in a way that hurt their faith? I
wouldn't want to do it then. Test number two, I would call the prayer test.

That is, can I talk to Jesus about it? If I can't even talk to him about it,
then there's a problem, obviously. And when I talk to him about it, what do I
hear him saying?

Test number three is the reputation test. Is it going to hurt the reputation of the
church? Is it going to hurt the reputation of Jesus for me to do this?

Test number four, I would call the fellowship test. Is it going to hurt my
relationship with another believer, damage my relationship with them? Why would
I do it then?

Because that fellowship with another believer, Jesus says, is my most important
witness in this world. Test number five is the appearance test. The Bible says
avoid even the appearance of evil.

And something might be all right, I know it's all right, but somehow the way I'm
doing it, I know in my heart it's going to appear wrong to others. Then I wouldn't
do it. Test number six is the second coming test.

This is the test of what I want to be doing this when Jesus returns to this earth.
That's just a good thing to think through about my daily activities, what I'm
involving my life in. Test number seven is the companion test.

This is the test of what I want to be doing this with another believer. Would I be
able to do this in fellowship and ministry with another believer? If you're
doing anything and you think, I really don't want anybody to be a part of this
in my life, there is a problem with that.

And test number eight is just an overall test. I'd call it the peace test. Is
there a check in your spirit about doing this?

Or is your heart at peace about doing this? Influence test, prayer test,
reputation test, fellowship test, appearance test, second coming test, the
companion test, and the peace test. Just some simple ways to think through, can
I feel okay about doing this?

And if what you're doing passes all of those tests, and you have an older
believer passing judgment on you for doing that thing, the Bible says you can be
at peace. That they're passing judgment. And you should not become legalistic
and do what they say you should be doing.

And if you know someone and they're doing something and it passes all those
tests in their life, and yet you don't want them to be doing it, I shouldn't,
you shouldn't be legalistic and demanding that they follow the way that you want
them to live. When it comes to this thing of passing judgment, I don't know
about you, but it's one I struggle with. It is so easy to pass judgment on other
people.

Pass judgment on their motives and think they're doing it this way, and pass
judgment on their actions and think that they must understand things the same
way that I do. And God tells us here in Romans 14, you need to have a different
heart, and recognize that we together are the servants of Jesus Christ. As we
pray today, I know that when it comes to living together in faith in Jesus
Christ, there are hurts that come.

There are pains that come. Sometimes even there are sins that are committed
against us by another believer. What do we do about that?

Well, you begin by taking it to Jesus. Let's talk to him. And as you pray, take
to him a hurt that's come into your life because of another believer.

Say to him, Jesus, you know this hurt. You see it. I pray you'd heal this hurt.

I pray you'd heal my relationship with my brother, my sister in Christ. You
might need to pray a prayer of forgiveness and say, Jesus Christ, I forgive that
other person for what they did. It may be that they didn't sin against you.

It may be that they just did something that they didn't understand what they
were doing. Or it may be that they clearly sinned. And in that case, forgive
them.

That's what Jesus tells us to do. And that's what Jesus alone can give you the
strength to do. If it's a misunderstanding with a fellow believer, say, Jesus,
would you give me the strength to work this through?

Not just to let this lie. Because my relationship with them is important. Jesus
Christ, we thank you.

You value your relationship with us so much that you came and gave your life on
the cross. Help us to value our relationship with fellow believers. Help us to
take the step to make things right.

Help us to take the step to forgive. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Well, tomorrow we're going to take a further look at this question of judgment.