Jeff: Now, what's important about faith is to recognize that faith is not defined by us. It's not defined by what we think it is, it's defined by God's word. And Paul has been reminding us from the opening chapter of Romans that faith is what we're saved by. Hey, it's episode 109 of the Add in Color Podcast. And it was a blessing to be back with our church family last Sunday, as well as to be back in the book of Romans. We took a summer off from this amazing book as we've been marching verse by verse through Paul's letter to the Christians in the capital city of Rome. And you know, we've arrived at a section of Romans that is intensely. practical. As Paul often does, he sets up his letters with an initial foundation of theology and and doctrine, and then really wants the readers to take that theology and then apply it to their lives. And this is the section of application in Romans. And as we arrived back in Romans, we landed in chapter 14. And chapter 14 is one of those sections that when I was doing prep work a couple years ago for this series, I found Romans 14 to be one of those that I just kind of, let's say, dog-eared and anticipated studying. Not because I thought it would be intensely difficult, but because I knew I personally needed what Paul was writing. As you read verses 1 through 12 of Romans 14, it is easy to see that Paul is digging into some practical topics that were present then and are certainly present now. Practical topics in these verses that really focus in on the idea of diversity, of how people are different in who they are, the backgrounds they come from, the experiences they've had in life, and also their convictions. And there is often a polarity. When it comes to the topic of diversity. On one side, there is the approach to truth with convictions. And this is largely my heritage, my training. And I'm so grateful for it. A training that began by establishing that there is truth, there is absolute truth, and we should seek to understand it and then live by it. Now, the challenge with this approach is that it can be Easy to drift into a place where you begin to get so excited about your truth that you've concluded or the group of people that affirm these convictions that you have, that it can be easy to be more devoted to those convictions and conclusions and that group that you're a part of more than the process and the actual authority, which is God's word. Now, the other side of the polarity is that people can take an approach that's very prevalent in our culture today, with phrases like your truth is your truth, or there is no such thing as absolute truth. And really both of these, biblically, and I would imagine you could agree with me practically, have their dangers. So what Paul's doing in Romans 14 is certainly not promoting the One end of the polarity, which is there's no absolute truth, and we shouldn't have convictions and should just let everybody believe what we want to believe. But he's also not promoting the other side of the polarity, which is to be so focused on truth that you begin to look at others who hold different positions as judging them or despising them. And from the opening chapters of Romans, Paul has reminded us that truth is very important. And he does so by using a word that occurs some 40 times in Romans, and that's the word faith. Now, what's important about faith is to recognize that faith is not defined by us. It's not defined by what we think it is, it's defined by God's word. And Paul has been reminding us from the opening chapter of Romans that faith is what we're saved by. In fact, if you look at Romans 1:17, you can see very clearly that he emphasizes faith. He says, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith. It's not a mac a mixed bag of culture and religion. It is faith in Christ alone. Now, what's important is evaluating this word faith and letting Scripture and especially the Apostle Paul Define faith. Faith isn't a feeling, but instead an understanding of God's word that guides our convictions and commitments and our responses to life and ensures that these activities are flowing out of the standard of God's word. Now, Paul models this so brilliantly. By rooting his instruction in this amazing book in the Word of God, in the Old Testament. In fact, some commentators believe there were as many as 50 to 70 references to the Old Testament. And if you include the verbal parallels, you could even get over 90. So Paul is laying the foundation of truth by rooting even what he's teaching in God's Word. Now, Paul lays the foundation for what faith is in the first eleven chapters, and he makes strong statements about that faith, not just being open to a diversity that does not land on truth. In fact, chapters nine through eleven provide an incredible, challenging section where both for Gentiles and Jews what Paul had to say might have been difficult for them to hear, might have stretched their existing beliefs, might have Challenge their arguments that they have been having to with one another, but rooted in God's word. So when we arrive at chapter 14, it's important to have all of this as our background, as well as to recognize that Paul is leaning into both polarities, the side that just thinks that truth is relative, and the side that is so focused on truth that anybody who believes differently is despised or judged. And I gotta tell you. I needed the message of Romans 14, and I believe you do too. So, what do these 12 verses provide for us? Well, really tools for us to handle diversity in the church, but also outside of the church. And that's the beauty of the relevance of God's word. Now, in 12 verses of the first part of Romans 14. Paul's primary focus is on how diversity exists and functions in the local church, and then how Christians should navigate it. But the secondary application is that he provides tools for us to navigate diversity in our culture outside of the church. But the key inside the church is embedded throughout these 12 verses. And that's the beauty of walking verse by verse: we Don't draw conclusions based on what we think or what we feel, but instead how the author actually is revealing them. And what Paul reveals is that it's important and key for Christians when it comes to the topic of diversity to have the common standard of God's word and the common goal of God's glory. In fact, if you look at verse one, Paul says that there are some who are weak in faith, and that word Faith is so important. It is rooted in God's word. In fact, we could say this that faith is the commitment to the divine standard for truth revealed in God's word. And then it's the appropriate application of that standard in everything that we think, everything that we say, and everything that we do. So when Paul says in verse one that there are some who are weak, this is through the Lens which he is evaluating, which is faith. And throughout these verses, Paul identifies that the goal of our convictions is to be running it through the Word of God and being fully convinced in our minds. Verse 5 tells us that. But it's important for us to remember, and this is where the Wesleyan quadrilateral comes in again, is that being Fully convinced in our mind must be on the authority that God says it should be on. And that is not our reasoning, it's not our traditions, it's not our experience. It is in fact the word of God. And Paul has been building this argument for 13 chapters in Romans and essentially saying, be fully convinced as a result of studying and seeking to accurately understand God's word. That's what's so important about taking faith and having it be the lens of our view of diversity. Now all of this has as its goal when you look at verse six, three times Paul says this to honor the Lord. So when you have your convictions, when you say what you do, when you when you live how you live, it should have as its goal and its purpose to honor the Lord. And then he says twice in verse six to honor. Run it through the filter of giving thanks to God, the God of Scripture, not the God whom we've domesticated, not the God who culture says exists, but instead the God of Scripture. And so with this, Paul acknowledges that there are some who follow this process, some who study God's word, some who believe that their convictions and their activities are honoring the Lord, some who even might thank God as they Process these activities. And yet, Paul says they're they're weak. In other words, their theology is not precise. Now, this is obviously challenging for us as Christians, no matter where you stand on your maturity, no matter how long you've been a follower of Christ, no matter how much you think you know God's Word, because this book, the Bible, is 66 individual books written over a span of thousands of years. In languages that as they were written no longer exist today, with historical context that are very difficult for us in our modern reality to relate to. And all of this comes together to challenge us with how do we know that we are being theologically precise? Now, thankfully, Paul provides in the following verses and in the chapter 14 and chapter 15 the color that we need to be added to. This foundation, but this is an amazing place to start in the church. But what about outside the church? And really the answer is the same. As Christians, we we process diversity, both both ours as well as the diversity of others, through the lens of faith, the belief system or worldview that is grounded in the design of our Creator and his instruction from his word. And that is where we must start, not culture, not tradition, not reasoning or experience, God's word. So when we see someone who who dresses differently, or has a different ethnicity or a different worldview, or on and on and on, we start by recognizing the Imago Day, that that individual was made in the image of God. And then the most important context immediately following that is To want to evaluate and consider that person's relationship with the God of the universe. Now, from there, we do evaluate the worldviews and the decisions and responses and convictions through the lens of Scripture and how it relates to honoring the Lord. All the while, still courageously and vulnerably exposing ourselves to the same filth. So this is the foundation of chapter 14, verses one through 12. And it leads to practical topics. Perhaps you're asking questions even as you're listening, or you're processing how does this practically play out in your lives? And I've got three that I want to finish the episode with. two of them came out of interactions with people after the sermon. And then also one is detail that was left on the cutting room floor. So the first question that somebody came up to me was. How do we know if the Jesus that we believe in is in fact the true Jesus? And that's a very good question because there are a lot of people out there who would say they believe in Jesus. There are people who just say it's all about Jesus, but but when they're talking about Jesus, how how do we know? How do they know that it is the true Jesus to whom they are referring? And the answer begins with this broad statement, and that is the Jesus. Whom you believe in must be the Jesus of Genesis to Revelation. Not just the Jesus who spoke what many English translations highlight in red letters, not just the Jesus who is the focus of the details of the four gospels that begin the New Testament, but the Jesus who is introduced to us in Genesis 1:1. The Jesus who spoke the world into existence. It says, in the beginning, God created the heavens. And the earth. And then Paul in Colossians 1 says that it is Jesus that is the one by whom and through whom and to whom all things are created. The Jesus who, as Adam and Eve, were instructed to be prophets and priests and kings and extend the dominion of the creator of the universe to the ends of the world, that when they failed as prophets, priests, and kings, that there would be someone who wouldn't fail. Someone who is prophesied in Genesis three fifteen after Adam and Eve failed, that would be the offspring of the woman who would bruise the serpent's head, and then the candidates that would unfold from story after story of of people who seem to be righteous, but then would fail and seem to be obedient and then would fail. And it keeps us longing for the one who would not fail. And all of these providing billboards. Through the laws, through the festivals, through the sacrifices, billboards that point us to continue moving forward in God's word, to arrive at the fulfillment of what those billboards are pointing us toward. And then we get to the gospels and get to see from Jesus' own words who in fact He is. And then the apostles continue to build upon that and expand upon that and to provide color, connecting us with. The Old Testament billboards to see that Christ is the fulfillment of all of God's promises, and then culminating in the book of Revelation, especially chapters 21 and 22, to show how the Garden of Eden finds its culmination in the dwelling of God's people with God and God with his people in the new Jerusalem, the new heavens and earth. So when you say that you believe in Jesus, that Jesus must hold up. In that Genesis to revelation understanding. So when someone says that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer, when someone says that saints can intercede just like Jesus does for us, or when someone says that Jesus' mission was not to teach but to heal, or when someone, like I just heard this last week, says publicly that we don't even know if Jesus existed, if if if somebody claims to be a Christian and makes those statements, That's not the Jesus of Scripture, and they are not believing in the true Jesus. Now, when we run all of this through this idea of faith, we have to make sure that our Jesus that we believe in holds up. If it doesn't, if he doesn't, then we must call that Jesus exactly what Paul described in Galatians 1 8. He says that if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel, any other Jesus to you than what the Apostle Paul had taught, which is standing on the foundation of what Jesus himself had taught and the prophets of the Old Testament had taught. If it is anything, if he is anything other than this Jesus, then Paul says that that Jesus, that gospel should be recognized as heresy. It should be accursed. Now, you and I will spend the rest of our lives learning and growing in our awe and affection for Christ. As we continue to study God's work from Genesis to Revelation, we will continue to accurately and better understand who Jesus, the true Jesus, is. Now, the second question that I had was really a good one, and one that I needed to answer, one that I need you to answer when you come face to face with. Someone with whom you very much disagree. And I mentioned a politician here in Kansas who is running for Senate, who claims to be a Christian, who is also the pastor of the largest United Methodist church in all of America, right here in Kansas City. And if you read what he says in his campaign, if you listen to his sermons, if you read his books or his online articles, Sadly, he falls into this category of heresy. He falls into this category of believing in a Jesus that is not the Jesus of Scripture. And he has, unfortunately, tens of thousands of followers in his church. He has people who right now should know better supporting him in his campaign. And so as I expose this by Giving practical tools of what we've studied in Romans 14 for how we evaluate the claims that this pastor and politician presents. It's important for us to evaluate how we would respond if he was in our presence. And somebody asked me that. How would I respond if he was sitting across from me? And before I got into how I would respond, I I wanted to remind them, and I remind you, listener, that. We first must view people as image bearers of God. And that means there's a certain dignity, there's a certain respect that and and care that we should have in our hearts and minds as we're addressing something that we disagree with. But then from there, I would want to ask him about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'd want him to define the gospel, because that is what's most important. Before we even get into politics, it's important for us to be able to. To know what the gospel is and make sure that that is our starting point. Now, as I've heard him talk about the atoning work of Christ, as I've heard him talk about sin or lack of talking about sin, as I've I've heard him on two very important topics that I'll get to in a minute, when it comes to politics and where he lands, my my conclusion is that he would not define, and he does not define the gospel the same way that the Bible does. And that's where I would want to focus. But then I would like to get into a couple of topics. And I would say, Christian, that as we head into the voting season of November, I want to propose to you that these two topics are most important, that as you're considering who to vote for, that these two topics are foundational, and then everything flows out of that. And that those two topics are abortion and the LGBTQ plus agenda. And why those are important is because the Bible is. Adamantly clear on what the position is of our Creator on these two points. Now, I've heard the arguments from this pastor here locally that he believes that God is a God of love and wants to affirm and respect anyone who loves genuinely. And so he would make a distinction that if you are are same-sex and and you you love one another and and and you enter into what the government would call a marriage, as long as it's faithful, then God approves of it. And let me Unequivocally say that is false. That is heresy. The Bible is very clear that from the very beginning, God's design was that marriage is to be between a biological man and a biological woman for life. That is God's design. There's no wiggle room, there's no historical context that bends that. And the same thing is true with the LGBTQ agenda, specifically on transgender, that God, the Creator, assigned our biology when we were conceived. Now, some would say, well, there are some that it's difficult to tell. That's a very minuscule percentage. And even within that, there are chromosomes that we should be able to evaluate, to be able to determine what the gender is of an individual. And for somebody to say that they declare themselves to be a different gender than what God created, then that is an affront to our creator and should be called what it is. And that is heresy. That is called sin. And so what I would say to this pastor here locally is that I respect you as an image bearer. Please define the gospel of Jesus Christ according to God's word. And then if you do, then how can you get to a place where you support and do not renounce these two topics and the way that the culture views them? So I do pray for Adam Hamilton. I pray that he will study God's word and and be convicted and and repent and Recognize where the error is in his way and will be reconciled to Christ. That is my heart. The final topic is one that ended up on the cutting room floor. I didn't even address this in my sermon, but it in verse 10, it talks about the judgment seat. And this would have been a technical term, a technical seat in law in the Roman Empire that would be brought out, a seat or a bima seat would be brought out, and the one in authority. Would then sit on that seat and give his declaration on what his conclusion was on a legal matter. And why that's important for the original audience is it would have been very vivid. It would cause them to realize that diversity is not just a cultural or a preference topic, that diversity is something God cares deeply for and we will give an account for. The reminder that one day in the eternity that there will be a seat symbolically brought out where they Sovereign of the universe will declare his conclusion on our souls. And listen, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, if you have depended on the completed work of Christ and repented of your sin nature and declare Jesus to be King and Lord of your life, that conclusion, you can be assured, will be that you will be received into his presence. But we also have to take into account that our works will be evaluated. Passages like Matthew 16, 27, Romans 2, 6. 1 Corinthians 3, 13 through 15, 2 Corinthians 5, 10, and Revelation 20, 12 through 13 reveal that even though our eternity might be secure, we will be evaluated for our works, including how we processed the diversity of others and responded to them, as well as how we viewed our own diversity. So I hope this is the beginning of something that we'll be equipping, maybe. Encouraging and maybe even convicting for you as we continue to progress through this practical section of the book of Romans. Hey, if you're watching this video, thank you for doing that. We're on Spotify with video. We're also trying to get up and running on Apple, but we would love to hear your feedback about the background, about the quality, because we constantly want to be making this podcast better. You can always send that feedback as well as questions to our email activities. Questions at ascendkc.org. Hey, thanks so much for listening. Let's continue to study and add color as we review God, our human condition, and his plan for redemptive history.