Page 95 - Romans Student Textbook.doc

In how you relate to fellow image-bearers. (12:9-21)

In how you relate to governing authorities. (13:1-7)

In how you relate to fellow image-bearers continued. (13:8-10)

In how you relate to evil. (13:11-14)

In how you relate to brothers and sisters in Christ in the church. (14:1:15:13)

Remembering to whom you are all accountable accept and respect the choices you each make about how
to use your freedom in Christ to serve him faithfully. (14:1-9)

Do not use your freedom in Christ to judge one another or to keep one another from growing in their
trust in and service to Christ. (14:10-23)

Receive one another despite your differences so that the harmony of your relationships with one another
will show the glory of God. (15:1-7)

As Christ has worked on your behalf to show you God’s love and mercy, so you must joyfully accept one
another in spite of your differences. (15:8-13)

15.4 Chapter 14 - Specific Applications of the Foundational Command: Relating properly to
brothers and sisters in the Church.

Introduction:

It is really not very difficult to understand the content of the instructions and commands
that Paul wrote to the Roman churches. They are quite straight forward. However,
understanding them and putting them to work in the real-life situations in which they and
we live is another story. Putting them in action is difficult. In fact, we find that without
God’s help these commands are impossible for us to obey consistently. Paul knows of that struggle. It is
one of the reasons that he wrote what he wrote in earlier in the letter.

So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God,
in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and
making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus
Christ our Lord! 120

The wisdom, grace and strength we need to be able to put into practice the commands that are the
evidence that we have presented ourselves to God as his servants comes only from one person. It comes
through the person and work of Jesus Christ who sets sinners free from their sin and enables them to
serve Him faithfully by the help and power of the Holy Spirit.

It is at this point in this letter that Paul got to the issue that moved him to invest his time in writing the
letter. He had things that needed to be said about how they were relating to one another as brothers and

120 Romans 7:21-25a, ESV.

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