Grow With Pastor Joe

If you’re reading this then I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that last week’s study only made it through one verse. The good news is that this week we’ll pick it back up again to prayerfully finish preaching on Christian liberty this Sunday. As we have seen throughout the practical section of Romans 12-16, the gospel is being applied to everyday living in the life of the believer. It is all of grace. We have seen that all of life, including the believer’s life, liberty, unity, and hope is “of Him, through Him, and to Him” for our good and His glory. We have been transformed, are being transformed, and will be transformed. You can also swap out transformed and use other words such as saved, delivered, and liberated. Each Christian is truly as liberated as the other when it comes to our position and possessions in Christ. However, our practical liberation has different stages of growth or experience. Some are weaker and struggle to enjoy the fullness of their liberty to eat, drink, or whatever other non-moral issues they may have. Some are strong and can eat and drink all things to the glory of God. Neither believer is wrong, they are just weak or strong. The issue though is that when we do not receive one another whether weak or strong, then we make our liberty an issue of sin. We can sin by using our liberty to hurt the weaker brother or we can sin by running down our stronger brother who partakes of what we are convicted not to partake.

            Now, Rom. 15:1-7 is a summary of the issue of Christian liberty, and it is transitional in pointing us to the hope that the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus Christ empower us to live. The passage says, “¹We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. ³ For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. ⁴ For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. ⁵ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: ⁶ That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” We must understand the believer’s life and liberty in relation to the believer’s union with Christ and the Church. The moment we were saved we were liberated and given life in Christ, united to Him and His Body and Bride forever. The exercise of our liberty is the communion that we enjoy with Christ and His church. Our liberty, both the explanation and experience of it in our daily living focuses on the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus. In this section, we have also been introduced to the hope that our life and liberty in Christ gives to us. We are sure and confident through the ministry of the word of God that we are united to Christ and one another, therefore, we are to live presently in unity with one another awaiting the day that our differences will disappear at Christ’s appearing.  Our life, liberty, and hope are in Christ alone. Heb. 10:19-25 gives some encouragement to the believer to draw near to Christ and the church in these last days. Just as our union with Christ is necessary to be a Christian, so too is our unity with one another. Unity is essential with one another because the essence of our position in Christ and practical life is our union with Jesus Christ. This truth should transform us from the inside out. Liberated living is fixated upon the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus Christ. True Christian liberty is the enjoyment of our unity and hope in Christ. As we wrap up this miniseries within the study of Romans 12-16, we must see true liberated living through the prayer of our liberty, priority of our liberty, and the practice of our liberty in Rom. 15:5-7.

            First, let’s see the prayer of our liberty in Rom. 15:5 which says, “⁵ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:” Go back and see that the word of God gives us enlightenment, endurance, and encouragement to be liberated and live in our liberty that Christ has given. We see that this verse is Paul’s prayer request based on the word “grant” which he uses in his prayer requests for the needs of various churches (See Eph. 1:17; 2 Thess. 3:16). What is the prayer request? It is that the God of enlightenment, endurance, and encouragement would enable us to enjoy our liberty and unity in Christ. Remember, liberty and unity must go together. That was the very issue of this section of Paul’s letter. Unity in the church was at stake because others were misusing or misunderstanding their liberty to the hurt of others in the local church. Can God do this? Is it really possible? Eph. 3:20-21 says, “²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ²¹ Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Furthermore, John writes in 1 John 5:14-15, “¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵ And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” God’s will for every believer is to enjoy their liberty to the fullest degree in Christ and to do so in the fullness of unity within the church of Jesus Christ. This only happens as we are enabled by the word of the scriptures and work of the Holy Spirit indwelling us. God is the God “of patience and consolation” who alone can grant life, liberty, unity, and hope. Therefore, Paul prays for the believers to be enlightened to their liberty to enjoy it through the endurance and encouragement that the scriptures and Spirit bring to us in our daily life. I believe that one of the issues with the understanding and application of our liberty in Christ is prayerlessness. We are so sure that we are right and others are wrong, or in this case we are certain that we are strong and others weak. I believe the cure for our misuse of liberty and our lack of unity and hope is prayer. God works through prayer. As we pray for one another and with one another, not merely about one another, then we see God transform the local church to be a united people that seeks to know Christ and make Him known. Prayer itself is the calling on and trusting in God’s promises and provision. The Lord promises eternal unity with one another because He has united us to Himself through His Son and by His Spirit. It is the grace of God that grants us life, liberty, unity, and hope; but it is also His grace that grows us in these areas and guards these areas of practical Christian living. The prayer in this verse is for the purpose of all believers, strong and weak alike, being “likeminded.” The word used is “phroneo” which deals with our intellect, intentions, an inclination (what we are inclined to or bent toward). We will be closer together the more we are bent down and toward the Lord Jesus Christ. In other scriptures we are told that we are not only to be likeminded, but we are told that like-mindedness comes from Christ-mindedness. Our attention and attitude should be directed by the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus so that we can live in our liberty and unity with Christ and one another (See Col. 3:2; Phil. 2:1-5; Rom. 12:16). This prayer is not just Paul’s prayer for our liberty, but it is Christ’s prayer for us. Jesus prays for us to be liberated through the truth to be transformed so that we may live in unity together in John 17:17-26. We must look to Christ as our example to endure and be encouraged through prayer as we see in Heb. 12:1-3. As we look to Christ, we see who we are united to and liberated by which enables us to live in liberty, unity, and hope with one another in the Lord. We know that Paul prayed for this, and Christ prayed for this, but the question is, are we praying for it? Will we pray for it?

            Second, let’s see the priority of our liberty in Rom. 15:6 which says, “That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The priority of your liberty is the unity of the church and the unending glory of Jesus Christ. The message of the church is the gospel. The means is of His grace. The mission is His glory. It is all about the fullness of the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus Christ. The priority of your personal liberty is not merely your enjoyment, but your enablement to strengthen others and live in unity with them in Christ. The priority of our life, liberty, and hope in Christ is that with one mind and one mouth we would magnify the Lord Jesus Christ as a united people. Truly this is the purpose of our redemption, to magnify and glorify Jesus (See Eph. 1:3-14, 2:4-10, 19-22). Throughout this study we have seen that truth transforms us, but it also brings us together in unity for the good of others and glory of Christ. When we focus on ourselves, then our priority is not right. When we care more about our preferences or the exercise of our liberty even at the cost of fellowship with the local church, then we have lost sight of the glory of Jesus. Preferential battles cease when we simply behold Christ in all of His glory. Our preferences don’t matter when our priority is the glory of Jesus Christ. God is not glorified by our grumbling or our disunity with one another. Notice though in this verse something very practical for us to consider. There is a relationship between our minds and our mouth. We have one of each, but whatever fills our mind will fill our mouth. This is why we must have a renewed mind to have a mouth that resounds the praises of His glory and grace. When my mind is focused on what I want then my mouth won’t glorify Christ alone. The stronger believers that Paul had to correct throughout this section were boasting with their mouth how liberated they were. This is why we need to have a renewed mind so that we wouldn’t spew prideful garbage or hurtful words to our brothers and sisters in Christ who may have a different stronger or weaker conviction. The priority for your liberty and mind is that we would have our minds and mouths filled and focused on the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus Christ. When Jesus becomes preeminent then His glory will be our only priority. This is why we must always ask, especially in issues of our personal liberty, does this glorify the name of Jesus Christ? If we are going to practically live out our life, liberty, unity, and hope in Christ as this passage suggest, then it must be through getting our priorities in order. As believers, we must get to the place where only one thing matters: the glory of Jesus Christ. Imagine what your life, my life, and the life of the local church would look like if our only priority was that “with one mind and one mouth” we would glorify Jesus Christ.

            Third, let’s see the practice of our liberty in Rom. 15:7 which says, “Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” The practice of our Christian life and liberty has the good of others and glory of Christ as its focus. This verse is the summary of Rom. 14:1-15:6. “Therefore” sends us all the way back to Rom. 14:1, but even that sends us back all the way to Rom. 12:1-2, but then we must go back to Rom. 11:33-36 which deals with the glories of the gospel and grace of Jesus Christ. In this, we are reminded that all of life is “of Him, through Him, and to Him.” We can’t receive one another as Christ received us without prayer and making the glory of Christ our priority of our liberty. Our personal liberty in Christ is the daily practice of our union with Christ and one another. Therefore, the practice of our liberty is the continual receiving of one another in fellowship so that Go will continually receive the glory that is due Him from His liberated and united people. To receive is the word “proslombano” which we have covered throughout this study. Simply, it is the idea of glad greeting and graciously receiving into one’s life, or heart and home. It is throwing out the red-carpet welcome mat of fellowship. This also is a reminder that the stronger is to initiate this inclusion of others as seen in Rom. 14:1. But here is the key for receiving one another. We receive one another “as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” When you were received by Christ through the gospel of grace, did He receive you halfway or all the way? Part or whole? Jesus received us fully in the gospel of His grace; therefore, we are to follow His example and trust that He will empower us to do so. Christian liberty is only practiced by grace through faith by the word of the scriptures and work of the Spirit that unites us together in Christ. This can’t be practiced by self-reliance, but only through dependence upon the enlightenment, endurance, encouragement, and enablement of the scriptures and the indwelling Spirit within us. We see this truth in great detail in Eph. 3:14-4:16. The practice of our liberty must always and only be for the good or growth of the church and the glory of Jesus Christ. Period.

            As we bring this section to a close, we must be reminded and have this driven into our hearts that it is the gospel and grace of Jesus that gives us life, liberty, unity, and hope for our good and His glory. The foundation and formation of all practical Christian living is seen fully in the gospel, grace, and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must ask ourselves when it comes to the exercising of our personal liberty, are we living for our good and glory or the good of others and glory of Christ? Are we in harmony with the church? By prayer and making Christ preeminent we may practically live in the life, liberty, unity, and hope that Christ has provided for us through the gospel of grace. We must also search our hearts to see what fills our minds and mouths. What is our mission in life? Liberated living is bound to the gospel, grace, and glory of Jesus Christ. May He be magnified as we exercise our liberty in Christ for the good of others and glory of Jesus Christ throughout eternity.