Sabbath: Christian Living
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Read for This Week’s Study: Romans 14-16.
Memory Text: “Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10).
We are now in the last part of our study of Romans, the book from which the Protestant Reformation was born – the book that more than any other should, indeed, show us why we are Protestants and why we must remain that way. As Protestants, and especially as Seventh-day Adventists, we rest on the principle of Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone as the standard of faith. And it is from the Bible that we have learned the same truth that caused our spiritual forefather centuries ago to break from Rome – the great truth of salvation by faith, a truth so powerfully expressed in Paul’s epistles to the Romans.
Perhaps the whole thing can be summarized by the pagan jailer’s question, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).
In Romans, we got the answer to that question – and the answer was not what the church was giving at the time of Luther. Hence, the Reformation began, and here we are today.
In this, the last section, Paul touches on other topics, perhaps not as central to his main theme, yet important enough to be included in the letter. Thus, for us, they are sacred Scripture, as well.
How did Paul end this letter, what did he write, and what truths are there for us, the heirs not just of Paul but, indeed, of our Protestant forefathers?
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 30.
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It is interesting to me how the Apostle Paul refers to the vegan (the one that eats only vegetables,) here as being "The Weak Brother." Romans 14:2. Yet Ellen White refers to the one that has not stopped eating meat as being the weaker brother. So do we go by Ellen White in this matter or do we go by what was written by the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:2 as the criteria for the one who eats only vegetables as being the one considered to be "The Weaker Brother?"
This have nothing to do with eating meat or not eating meat folks. Please read the three verses from another translation and get the essence
Paul's main point is about not judging, but given the works oriented background he was constantly fighting, he is also calling those who are obsessed with behavioral concerns weaker, because they are not basing the salvation on faith. This is such an important concept today, too. Too many are into salvation by vegetarianism, salvation by Sabbath keeping . . . They are Paul's "weaker" ones, and their judgemental attitude is being used by the devil to divide the church so we spend our time fighting each other, rather than him.
Since we are in this Christan journey, no one should judge his brother/ sister
Looking on the issue of judging on the real side is very important. No one has ever gone through life without making correct judgment. I'm sure that if you have a basket of fruits and there are some that are rotten you will make the correct judgment and remove the ones that are bad. So then is it ok to judge the fruits. The point from this should be in the line of this that you and I have no right to judge a persons salvation.
yes, of course, judging another person is not a duty for a Christian to do, but it is, so sad how we forget so quickly, and respond to this negative.