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Romans 14 - is it good reading for the church?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by whatever, Dec 9, 2005.

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  1. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    Romans 14:14 - "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean."

    The question before the class today - Does 'nothing' really mean 'nothing'?
     
    #1 whatever, Dec 9, 2005
  2. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Writing to people who (as the rest of Romans shows) were 99% Jewish or Jewish proselytes who knew what "clean" and "unclean" meant, I think Paul is making a point.

    Personal conscience for those folks, coming out of a religion steeped in ritual clean/unclean must have been very difficult, don't you think.

    So John Doe-genheimer lives a life of ritual cleaness, gets saved and still cannot look at pickled pig's feet for dinner. To him it is and always will be unclean and we have to "cut him some slack" in Christian love for that.
     
    #2 Dr. Bob, Dec 9, 2005
  3. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    I think it must have been very difficult indeed. I also think that we all probably ought to cut each other a lot more slack than we do.

    But I still wonder how we ought to take statements like this, or what Paul told the Corinthians, that "all things are lawful to me". Surely he didn't mean that murder and adultery were now OK. But the older I get (and I am not THAT old) the less I worry about whether other Christians are smoking or watching Disney movies or reading Harry Potter or drinking a glass of wine or whatever. Should I be worried about myself? Am I becoming liberal?
     
    #3 whatever, Dec 9, 2005
  4. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    All the phrases should be taken in CLOSE CONTEXT of the Judaism/Christianity mix that was in Paul's day. To try to make it an eternal (10 commandment type) principle is not wise.
     
    #4 Dr. Bob, Dec 9, 2005
  5. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    But how do we know what to think today about things like movies and cigarettes, things that did not even exist in Paul's day?
     
    #5 whatever, Dec 9, 2005
  6. blackbird

    blackbird Active Member

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    Your thread title asks---Is it good reading for the church??

    Well, whether its good or bad--makes no difference-its still required that stewards be found faithful to the revealed word from the Word whether he/she is applying John 1 or Romans 14 to their lives!!
     
    #6 blackbird, Dec 9, 2005
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