seat of authority, ethics part 13

There is one seat of authority over all, even Christians . . . even regarding matters of ethics or conviction.

In Romans xiv.6-9, Paul launches into other matters of conviction. Again, the backdrop is a debate with the Judaizers, a rogue group attempting to make all Gentile Christians conform to Jewish Law and tradition (verse 6). There is always fuel for discussions on matters of conviction though, i.e. personal preferences, group norms, etc.

Paul ties people together from various sides of the discussion by stating we have a responsibility to make choices, “in honour of the Lord” (repeated in verse 6, NRSV).

“To do something as unto the Lord is to do it as serving him. If one cannot serve the Lord (for whatever reason) in doing the activity, he should refrain.”[1]

Paul seems to go to an extreme, making one think these things are a matter of life and death (verses 7-9). Indeed wars have been fought and people have died because of “Christian” differences. However, Origen believes Paul is referring to baptism.

“Here ‘death’ refers to the death which we die when we are buried with Christ in baptism, and ‘life’ is the life we live in Christ, having died to sin and become strangers to this world.”[2]

Baptism then can be a reminder to us of our separation from our sinful lifestyles, and a deterrent.

A good compass in making ethical choices is whether or not we can invite God into the decision.
Do we invite God into our moral choices?
Does God influence our convictions and ethics?

Paul uses strong language in verses 10-11.
Why do we judge?
Why do we look down on each other?
The language suggests that we view each other as nothing (verse 10).

After all, we are brothers. Paul is not just diffusing the arguments.

Paul basically says we are taking the place of God. We are judging, when it is Christ’s place to do so. He reminds us that all Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ (verse 10).

In the times, a magistrate would have a raised platform from which to make a judgement, a judgement seat, one word in the Greek – bema.

The judgment seat of Christ has been called the Bema Seat, and it is for Christians, not sinners. The nature of the judgment is not always well articulated in history, but there is a Bema Seat nonetheless.

“The judgment seat of God is the same thing as the judgment seat of Christ, to which Paul refers when writing to the Corinthians.”[3]

This courtroom will be no great showroom of magnificent Christians. John Chrysostom explains the Bema Seat pointing us, “to the terror of the judgment to come.”[4]

God is the one who will weigh out our convictions and the way we look at others because of them.

We will answer for ourselves. In verse 11, we’re reminded that no one else will speak for us on that day because, “every knee shall bow . . . every tongue shall confess” (KJV). Remember, this verse is in the context of Christian judgment, the Bema Seat.

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans xiv.12, NRSV

Viewed alone, verse 12 implies that we are each personally responsible to God for our lives, convictions, etc. However, seeing verse 12 as the fitting end to Paul’s statements in verses 10-11, the meaning is richer.

There is a place for judgment within the scope of church authority. Paul is not speaking of this. He is speaking of an infectious attitude. We are not to judge. We cannot judge. If we do, we face judgment.

Paul pauses amid the arguments he is addressing. He wants us to beware of the judgment seat of Christ. We all will stand at the Bema Seat.

There may be debate about what we will be judged for at the Bema Seat. However, Paul makes it clear we will face some type of judgment call from Christ if we are judging each other perniciously.

This in effect summarizes Paul’s whole discussion in Romans 14. We all have to answer to our Lord for our convictions, our personal ethics if you will. We also will answer to our Lord if we prematurely judge others for their convictions.

John Chrysostom has a parting shot for legalists, fundamentalists, and all who compare to the Judaizers.

“Be careful when you see the Master sitting on his judgment seat, and do not make schisms or divisions in the church by breaking away from grace and running back to the law. For the law belongs to Christ as well.”[5]

notes:

[1] John S. Feinberg and Paul D. Feinberg, Ethics for a Brave New World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993) p. 44.
[2] Origen, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans.LIV
[3] Origen, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans.XII; see also 2 Corinthians v.10
[4] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans.xxv.13
[5] Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans.xxv.22