{"id":96031,"date":"2026-06-10T16:30:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T21:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=96031"},"modified":"2026-06-10T16:30:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T21:30:55","slug":"how-to-handle-romans-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-to-handle-romans-14\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Handle Romans 14"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p>by Hugh DeLong<\/p>\nIn studying this chapter, the tendency\u00a0that appears to me is to drag\u00a0<strong>all\u00a0<\/strong>disagreements among\u00a0disciples into this context, including things specifically condemned by the scriptures.<br \/>\nYet, there are plain declarations in <strong>other<\/strong> scriptures that put boundaries on our understanding of the limits, at least some of them, on the application of Paul&#8217;s teaching here. In your study of this text, consider:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Romans 16:17-18<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; &#8220;<em>Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the teaching you have learned; avoid<\/em> (ekklinete) <em>them<\/em>.&#8221; The teaching in question is the apostolic deposit received, not personal scruple. The motive Paul identifies: such people serve their own appetites and use smooth speech to deceive the naive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>I Corinthians 5:9-13<\/strong> &#8211; Paul distinguishes between immoral people in the world (with whom normal contact is unavoidable and expected) versus a professing brother who is sexually immoral, greedy, idolatrous, slanderous, a drunkard, or swindler, and who refuses correction. The latter calls for exclusion from table fellowship. The purpose, notably, is redemptive (I Corinthians 5:5 &#8211; &#8220;<em>that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord<\/em>&#8220;).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Galatians 1:6-9<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Paul invokes the anathema (let him be accursed) on anyone &#8211; including himself or an angel &#8211; who preaches a gospel different from the one delivered. The severity is unparalleled in his letters. The issue: the sufficiency of Christ&#8217;s atoning work versus the addition of Torah works for justification. This is not a matter of conscience; it is the gospel itself.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Titus 3:10<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; The <em>hairetikon anthropon<\/em> (factious\/divisive person) is to be warned once, then twice, then &#8220;have nothing more to do with&#8221; (<em>paraitou<\/em>). After two warnings, the person has demonstrated self-condemnation. This applies to divisiveness as a pattern of conduct threatening the community.<\/li>\n<li><strong>II Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Disorderly conduct (here, idleness and refusal to work) warrants withdrawal of normal association, but Paul explicitly says not to treat such a person as an enemy &#8211; &#8220;<em>warn him as a brother<\/em>.&#8221; The separation is meant to produce shame leading to repentance, not permanent excommunication.<\/li>\n<li><strong>I Timothy 6:3-5<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; Those who teach otherwise (<em>heterodidaskalei<\/em>) and do not consent to sound words are described as conceited, knowing nothing, and diseased with controversies. The implied response is withdrawal.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Matthew 18:15-17<\/strong>\u00a0&#8211; The graduated discipline process: private confrontation, then two or three witnesses, then the assembly, and finally treatment as <em>&#8220;a Gentile and a tax collector<\/em>&#8221; &#8211; which in context means exclusion from the covenant community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Hugh DeLong In studying this chapter, the tendency\u00a0that appears to me is to drag\u00a0all\u00a0disagreements among\u00a0disciples into this context, including things specifically condemned by the scriptures. Yet, there are plain declarations in other scriptures that put boundaries on our understanding of the limits, at least some of them, on the application of Paul&#8217;s teaching here.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1200,120],"class_list":["post-96031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-disagreements","tag-romans"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":96031,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? Answer: Registering for the draft is a government law that does not violate any teaching of God. \"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1296,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-boy-girl-relationships-not-advisable-at-a-young-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":96031,"position":1},"title":"Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age Answer: Youth is a time of impatient desires. They want the things available to adults, but adulthood seems so far away. The typical teenage boy enters puberty around the age of 11. The typical teenage girl enters puberty around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37138,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-lost-the-surprise-somewhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":96031,"position":2},"title":"We Lost the Surprise Somewhere","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I remember watching Mayberry RFD and related shows most of my childhood. Poor ignorant Gomer Pyle who worked as an auto mechanic was a notable character. But I can still recall my shock when I found out that Jim Nabors, who played Gomer, could sing --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Gomer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32196,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-take-out-insurance\/","url_meta":{"origin":96031,"position":3},"title":"Is it a sin to take out insurance?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it a sin to take out medical insurance or legal insurance? Are we rather expected to put our faith in the Lord to take care of those things? Answer: We were taught to pray, \"Give us this day our daily bread\" (Matthew 6:11), but God still commands us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-book-of-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":96031,"position":4},"title":"The Book of My Life","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 19:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Each week the paper publishes its list of top selling books \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes the books are biographies, fictional stories, or fiction placed in historical settings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They hope that others will also purchase the books, if for no other reason than curiosity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many author\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-passages-that-refer-to-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":96031,"position":5},"title":"Are there passages that refer to THE Lord&#8217;s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have been studying the Lord's supper issues and one of our main concerns is about a second offering in which only a few partake, for the reasons you listed in your article (not doing it together). We have been questioning the idea of everyone taking it a second\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96031"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96034,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96031\/revisions\/96034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}