Pursue Hearts Seeking God
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 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. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:13–19, ESV)
Wrapping Things Up
In my last post, I left you on a cliffhanger. Then, to make things worse, I waited a couple weeks to write the last post in this series. I suppose that was mean. However, I’m back and looking forward to wrapping up some thoughts on this post.
Where We’ve Been
I want to begin with retracing the path we’ve taken so far. We’ve been looking at this passage from Romans 14:13-19. I began by showing some difficulties in this passage. Some have used this passage to say, “Some issues aren’t worth talking about, so move on.” Yet, that’s not what Paul says. He tells them to talk about it, even when they disagree. This is the path to true peace.
Then, we noticed how Paul told the congregation to move beyond the externals to something deeper. He encouraged them to look beyond the externals to righteousness, peace, and joy—things acceptable to God.
Looking At The Next Verse
In a previous post, I mentioned an important principle: If you’re not sure what a particular verse is saying, look at the next verse. So, let’s look at the last verse of this passage.
Notice the first words of verse 19, “So then…” These words are connecting this verse with the one before it. Verse 18 tells us that the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The “So then…” builds off of this and tells us to pursue peace and mutual upbuilding. Because the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, we should pursue peace and mutual upbuilding. Another way to say it is: Peace and Mutual Upbuilding flow from righteousness, peace, and joy. If we want to pursue peace and mutual upbuilding, we need to pursue righteousness, peace, and joy—the kingdom of God.
Tying It All Together
Here’s my attempt to tie all of this together and understand what Paul is saying in this passage:
Don’t pass judgement on those who choose to eat meat differently than you. The kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the heart. If they are eating and drinking with a heart pursuing righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, God approves that. So, don’t pass judgement on them, but pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding. Pursue a heart seeking God.
Don’t exert your freedom to someone’s downfall because the kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the heart. If your freedom hinders someone’s pursuit of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit—knock it off. That’s not what the kingdom is about. You’re hindering the very thing that is approved of by God. So, rather than hindering their pursuit of these things, pursue them together. Pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Pursue a heart seeking God.
Don’t let anyone call your position evil because the kingdom is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of the heart. How can they call pursuing righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit evil? Don’t let them do it. But don’t pass judgement while you do this and don’t exert your freedom to their downfall. Rather, together, pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding. Pursue righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Pursue hearts seeking God.
Final Thoughts
It seems like Paul is telling us to look beyond the external acts to the heart. Why are YOU doing the things YOU are doing? Why are THEY doing the things THEY are doing? Focus on those things.
Focus on pursuing righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Sprit. Then, as you focus on those things—and discuss those things—you find that peace and unity come as you pursue God together and build one another up to for that purpose.