By Ezekiel Kimosop
I have been studying the Book of Romans for quite some time now. In fact my last sunday's sermon was based on the study of Romans 13:11-14.
At one point in the course of my study of Romans, I wrote an exposition of Romans 9 and posted it on my online teaching platforms.
I was not surprised when a barrage of sharp criticisms flooded my Facebook page from followers of high Calvinism whose interpretation of the passage does not agree with mine! I was aware that some of my readers will not agree with my exposition but the reaction was compelling.
One particular Calvinistic brother engaged me in a long conversation. He was contending for the theological perspective attributed to John Calvin and other Reformed Calvinistic teachers. The issue boiled down to the canvassing of our conflicting perspectives.
Some sections of Reformed Calvinistic traditions claim that Romans 9 affirms their beliefs on the predestination of believers from eternity past. They argue that the regeneration of the believer must precede their faith in Christ, saying the sinner is first regenerated by God before they can believe in Christ. This assertion is informed by their unconditional election and limited atonement doctrines which presuppose that God had decreed from eternity past the identities and specific number of those who will be saved and those who will be consigned to eternal damnation! This implies that Christ's atonement is only limited to those who had been marked out for predestined to eternal life.
Calvinism teaches that the sinner is so dead in sin that he is unable to make a moral decision for Christ unless God first quickens and regenerates his heart. This is based on their literal interpretation of the analogy of Ephesians 2:5. I must admit that I am not persuaded by the soteriological doctrines held by Calvinism. I believe that salvation is a synergistic process involving God's grace and the cooperation of the sinner and that every sinner who hears the gospel and is convicted of sin has a free will choice for obedience to God. They can either believe or reject Christ and the consequences of either choice are outlined in Scripture.
My view is that a sinner who hears the gospel proclaimed and is convicted of sin must first believe in Jesus Christ before they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Scripture does not appear to contemplate the converse.
We finally agreed to disagree with my Calvinism brother. We respectfully registered our divergence of opinions and closed our conversation. This does not imply that we do not recognize our shared heritage in Christ as believers but that we see things differently on the articulation of the doctrine of salvation. We are however agreed on the other fundamental truths of the faith.
THE PASSAGE
I have recounted this incident because it is somewhat relevant to what I am about to share based on my study of Romans 14:1-13. In this passage, the Bible prescribes some practical guidelines concerning the management of our conflicting views on Christian traditions and practices that are otherwise not fundamental to the truths of our Christian faith.
Allow me to qualify this further. When I speak of fundamental truths, I am referring to the core doctrines of the Bible that concern our faith in Christ. I will highlight a few for context sake.
The Bible teaches that we are born in sin by reason of Adam's disobedience and that God's condemnation stood upon all men until God provided a savior for us in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:12-19).
We believe that the atoning death of Jesus Christ at Calvary satisfied God's divine wrath against our sin for everyone who believes in Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Scripture further teaches that whoever believe in Jesus Christ will be forgiven their sin and reconciled to God. Their names will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life (John 1:12, 29, 3:16; 1 Peter 1:19)
Whoever rejects the message of the cross stands condemned until and unless they turn to Christ. We believe that Christ's atonement was final and that salvation can be found in no other except Him (John 14:6; cf. Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
We believe that Jesus is coming soon to take His Church and to judge the wicked and destroy His enemies once and for all.
Now these statements, among others, are part of the core Biblical truths that every true follower of Jesus Christ must subscribe to.
CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
Having said as much, I recognize that there are convictions that do not touch on the fundamentals doctrine that we have highlighted above. For instance, some Christian traditions such as the Seventh Day Adventists esteem a particular day of the week as hallowed. Most Christian traditions worship on Sunday. Some do not consider any day as more hallowed and would readily worship on any day of the week if it serves their convenience.
Away from the day of worship, there are other issues that divide Christians along their traditions, doctrines, and practices. Some liberal churches permit their faithful to take alcoholic beverages while others consider the consumption of alcohol as morally untenable. Still others subscribe to dress codes, worship styles or prescribe permitted music catalogues.
Evangelicals and Pentecostals have conflicting views and perspectives touching on cessation or continuation of certain spiritual gifts. Even where Church traditions agree on a given set of perspectives, their interpretations and practices and may considerably differ.
Now turning to our passage of Romans 14:1-13, we discover that Paul was addressing the management of Christian liberties. The Bible exhorts us to be mindful of one another's convictions on matters that are not otherwise fundamental to the faith. This passage identifies conflicting cultural preference on foods (Romans 14:1-4) and worship days (Romans 14:5-6) as examples of the sources of contention. These were notable areas of contention that separated Jews from Gentiles (Acts 15:1-29).
The Bible concludes with a warning that we should not sit in the place of God and judge others based on our theological inclinations on non essential issues that fall within the spectrum of our Christian liberties (Romans 14:10-11). This does not however suggest that we cannot judge acts of moral disobedience or point out false teaching or single out teachers of heresy.
The Bible says that each of us shall give an account before God. We should therefore allow for Christian liberty on the non essential matters while standing firm on our convictions touching on the fundamental truths of the Faith as revealed in Scripture.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
We believe that the atoning death of Jesus Christ at Calvary satisfied God's divine wrath against our sin for everyone who believes in Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Scripture further teaches that whoever believe in Jesus Christ will be forgiven their sin and reconciled to God. Their names will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life (John 1:12, 29, 3:16; 1 Peter 1:19)
Whoever rejects the message of the cross stands condemned until and unless they turn to Christ. We believe that Christ's atonement was final and that salvation can be found in no other except Him (John 14:6; cf. Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22).
We believe that Jesus is coming soon to take His Church and to judge the wicked and destroy His enemies once and for all.
Now these statements, among others, are part of the core Biblical truths that every true follower of Jesus Christ must subscribe to.
CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
Having said as much, I recognize that there are convictions that do not touch on the fundamentals doctrine that we have highlighted above. For instance, some Christian traditions such as the Seventh Day Adventists esteem a particular day of the week as hallowed. Most Christian traditions worship on Sunday. Some do not consider any day as more hallowed and would readily worship on any day of the week if it serves their convenience.
Away from the day of worship, there are other issues that divide Christians along their traditions, doctrines, and practices. Some liberal churches permit their faithful to take alcoholic beverages while others consider the consumption of alcohol as morally untenable. Still others subscribe to dress codes, worship styles or prescribe permitted music catalogues.
Evangelicals and Pentecostals have conflicting views and perspectives touching on cessation or continuation of certain spiritual gifts. Even where Church traditions agree on a given set of perspectives, their interpretations and practices and may considerably differ.
Now turning to our passage of Romans 14:1-13, we discover that Paul was addressing the management of Christian liberties. The Bible exhorts us to be mindful of one another's convictions on matters that are not otherwise fundamental to the faith. This passage identifies conflicting cultural preference on foods (Romans 14:1-4) and worship days (Romans 14:5-6) as examples of the sources of contention. These were notable areas of contention that separated Jews from Gentiles (Acts 15:1-29).
The Bible concludes with a warning that we should not sit in the place of God and judge others based on our theological inclinations on non essential issues that fall within the spectrum of our Christian liberties (Romans 14:10-11). This does not however suggest that we cannot judge acts of moral disobedience or point out false teaching or single out teachers of heresy.
The Bible says that each of us shall give an account before God. We should therefore allow for Christian liberty on the non essential matters while standing firm on our convictions touching on the fundamental truths of the Faith as revealed in Scripture.
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2020
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