Freedom, Grace and Faith in Daily Practice, Romans 14

Context of Romans 14

• This is a chapter on personal religious practices, not a chapter on morality.
• Moral issues are explicitly covered at the end of chapter 13 letting us know that some behavior is absolutely forbidden by God and not an issue of "opinions"
• Freedom, grace and faith are critical to the way we approach each other in areas of personal religious practices.

I.     The Personalities
       A.  The Stronger Ones: those who understand their personal religious        
            freedom in Christ
       B.  The Weaker Ones: those who follow certain dietary requirements due to personal religious convictions or those who follow certain observations of days due to personal religious convictions
II.   The Personal Religious Practices
       A.  Food choices
       B.  Observance of certain days: likely Sabbath observance and other special
            days within the Mosaic Law

Excursus: Why are "opinions" about food and days aspects of Christian freedom, grace and faith in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8 but is condemned in Galatians 4?

Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8 involve an individual's conviction about personal religious practices

Galatians 4 involves the leadership of a church instructing the church to follow the personal religious practices as a means for righteousness before God

III.    The Response

1. Freedom: In Christ believers have freedom in these areas
2. Grace: In Christ believers should allow for the conviction and freedom of others
3. Faith: In Christ believers should follow the convictions of their own hearts