This is the 12th and final week of our Romans series. And if I did my math right, it’s taken about three months to go through this. And that’s with skipping a chapter here and there, and not really delving deeply into the chapters that we did study.
Speaking of skipping chapters, last week, we looked at Chapter 14 and this week I’m going to skip Chapter 15 and go to Chapter 16. So if you have your Bibles, please turn with me there and we’ll look at verses 17-20.
As you’re turning there, let me fill in the gap between the end of Chapter 14 and where we start today. Chapter 15 continues where Chapter 14 left off. Paul begins Chapter 15 by saying that we who are strong in our faith ought to bear with the weak or new Christians; and that we ought to be kind to our neighbor and not be self-seeking. Paul talks about accepting one another, meaning that the Kingdom of God is not reserved specifically for the Jews, but also for the non-Jew, also called the Gentiles.
And then Paul begins to wind down his letter and tells the church of his intentions to visit Rome; and at the beginning of Chapter 16, he tells the Roman church to greet a wide variety of people that he names specifically.
Scripture: So that’s the gist from where we left off last week. So let’s go to our verses this morning, starting with verse 17.
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
When I read this at first, I thought Paul was talking about those who were preaching a false gospel, or preaching a watered-down gospel, or mixing the gospel with paganism––which was common back then and unfortunately, is creeping in a little bit now.
But the more I read it, the more I saw that he was talking about something different. He was talking about “those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way.”
Now that can include those who preach a false gospel, certainly. But it seems as if what Paul means here is not the false gospel itself, but the people who intentionally try to cause division or pull you away.
We, in the United States, have not had this problem until about the past 25 years or so, when everything began to get politicized. Remember, it began with a television show here or there that would make a jab at those of us with more conservative Christian beliefs? We tolerated it, maybe not inside, but on the outside.
Then it got to more of a campaign of sorts on television. Entertainers would start saying political things when they went up to accept an award or in an interview or whatever. Practically every single stand-up comedian would start making political jokes. Christian shows would start talking about politics. News began to go from reporting what happened to take sides, and it seems to have become a game. But it’s tearing us apart. Over the past 30 years, the evening news has gone from banal to baneful. In other words, from boring to destructive. Some say that we are in a Cold Civil War, and the two sides of the media are to blame for their opposing reporting of the same subject. I think the Kyle Rittenhouse case is a perfect example.
Maybe this sermon is in God’s timing because of that.
But The Lord says (not just Paul, but The Lord) “to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.”
Let’s take a look at that. Notice Paul says (or The Lord says) specifically “those who cause divisions.” I mentioned the news media and the entertainment industry. They’re more or less institutions; but do you know people personally who do this?
I’ve learned the hard way how to keep the balance between having an intelligent discussion, standing up for what I believe in, and just keeping my mouth shut. I have learned that it’s best to just keep my mouth shut. That doesn’t help develop a relationship very well, but at least it keeps the relationship peaceful.
I’ve learned this when it comes to social media too. I’d post something on social media that I thought was either informational or lighthearted and satirical; and it only caused division. I have sworn not to post anything political on social media, but I have found a few loopholes in my own oath. In fact, later on I’ll reference an article I found, and I posted it on social media, and I immediately got a comment that kind of jabbed at me a bit. I didn’t intend for that kind of comment, but it happened.
Lifehopeandtruth.com says “There are more than 50 proverbs related to communication. These proverbs have a consistent theme: “Brief, thoughtful communication is better for us and others than lax, unguarded communication.” In other words, sometimes we need to just shut up. When we see our foot flying toward our mouth, remember there’s a proverb for that.”
Here are a few:
- Proverbs 10:19: “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”
- Proverbs 13:3: “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”
- Proverbs 17:28: “Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.”
And James Chapter 3 is dedicated to taming the tongue. Verses 9 and 10 say, “9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
And that’s another point. Not just the political divisiveness that we have today, but just simple gossip. I mentioned last week how I need to be aware of the kind of example I make of myself as a Christian and as a pastor. If I walk out of a grocery store or a minimart with a six-pack of beer, it’s not just ‘what will people think’ but ‘what will people say?’ It’ll fly all over Dansville. I don’t need that. I don’t want something like that to ruin my witness.
Christians are not perfect. Christians will not only judge, but they’ll gossip. They’ll unintentionally cause division.
Romans 16:17 also says that one of the ways in which some people who cause division will do so is by “[putting] obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.”
Sometimes, people will drop a political or religious bear trap to try and catch you in it. In my opinion, I think it’s a dirty trick. Let’s say, they’re right about something. But the way they present it might be to make you look foolish or to give you a question they know you can’t answer or maybe it’s just the tone in their voice.
Remember, the Pharisees tried trapping Jesus all the time. Of course, Jesus always had an answer, and Peter tells us we should be prepared to give an answer. But that doesn’t mean we always do have an answer to everything. Many times, these divisive people have an upper hand because they’re the ones pushing their opinions and so it’s like they’ve come prepared to fight and you’re not prepared because you didn’t know there was going to be a pop quiz, and besides, you’re not there for that.
There are people, whether religious or not, that will try and trap you. They may think they are doing the right thing by trying to sway you to their side, but they’re not. They’re just causing division.
I’ve talked a lot about how Progressive Christianity has infiltrated a lot of churches. And I think that many Christians have been swayed to that from a conservative upbringing because somebody has put an obstacle in their way––perhaps questions they can’t answer, or challenging them with certain Biblical passages or theology that’s hard to answer, or maybe the obstacle has been there all along like growing up in a legalistic environment. And in order to find the answers or to get away from the “legalistic PTSD,” they go in a different direction because it makes sense in their own minds, rather than finding the time-tested theologically accepted answers.
Remember how I said we have been infiltrated by the news media and entertainment industry and sports stars? We have opinions everywhere, and unfortunately, it seems as if the ones that are right in our faces are one-sided. You have to kind of search a little bit if you want to find something more conservative. Not that it’s hidden, but you have to know where to look.
Over time, our minds gravitate toward things we hear. It doesn’t matter whether or not it’s right; we begin to lean into the logic of what we get told constantly. It begins to make sense, and we don’t have the wherewithal to combat those things that are contrary to the teaching we have learned. In other words, many people grow up only learning a strict adherence to the gospel, not a reason for the hope you have within you, as Peter commands.
Evelyn is at an age where she’s beginning to ask questions and good ones. How do we know that this is real? How do we know that Christianity isn’t made up? How can we prove it if there isn’t any historical evidence? Where’s the scientific evidence for God?
I think we all kind of go through those questions when we hit that age. Evelyn has taken to reading a lot. She really enjoys reading fiction, and she wants to major in English and business in college so she can own a bookstore and coffee shop.
A lot of teenagers, when they have questions like that, either never ask, or they don’t know where to go to have them answered. Then, when they do go off to college, a lot of professors teach that God is dead; God cannot be proven by science, and that religion is part of the evolutionary process of our subconscious.
But I said to Evelyn, I have books on my shelf if you want to read them that will answer all of your questions. It’s just a matter of how thick you want your book or books. We need to not only be grounded in the Word, but we need to know that there are answers to those questions that either we may have, or answers to those traps people try to lay in front of us because they’ve bought into their professors or whomever they’ve listened to. Maybe they’ve even listened to a pastor who has deconstructed evangelical Christianity and now teaches progressive Christianity.
What does Progressive Christianity progress toward? It essentially progresses through deconstructing the Bible, so it sets certain passages aside because those passages don’t make sense to certain people––passages about Hell and judgment and homosexuality and so on.
It even gives you a whole different gospel and a whole different reason why Jesus died on the cross if you progress far enough into its teaching. I mentioned a few weeks ago about a pastor who completely butchered John 3:16.
And if you keep progressing in this manner, it progresses toward agnosticism. Some progressive Christians have swung the pendulum all the way to atheism because they’ve deconstructed the Bible to the point where they just don’t believe anything it says anymore except for “the nice stuff.” Some of them remain pastors, even as atheists or agnostics.
There was recently an article published in The Gospel Coalition website titled, “Three surprises from New Research on Progressive and Conservative Christians.” This is the one I mentioned that I shared on Facebook.
Those three surprises are:
1. Progressive Christians are more likely to establish their identity through politics, while conservative Christians find their identity in theology.
For example, progressive Christians emphasize political values relating to social justice issues as to determine who is part of their in-group; they tend to be less concerned about theological agreement. Conservative Christians, however, do not put strong emphasis on political agreement in order to determine if you are one of them—their major concern is whether you agree with them on core theological points
2. Conservative Christians are more likely than progressive Christians to defy political orthodoxy.
In other words, Conservative Christians will disagree with Conservative politics more than Liberal Christians will disagree with Liberal politics.
3. Progressive Christians are more likely to seek converts among conservative Christians than among non-Christians.
In other words, Progressives are not as interested in evangelizing to the unsaved and bringing people into the Kingdom but converting Conservative Christians to their ideology.
The article goes on to say, Most progressive Christians do not base their religion on strict obedience to the Bible, nor do they feel a strong need to encourage others to accept their interpretation of the Bible or even to accept a Christian faith. The core of their religion is built upon a value set of inclusiveness, tolerance, and social justice. Christianity is just one of many paths to achieving a society of inclusion and justice for the marginalized. It is not necessarily a superior path. . . . (191)
The people most needing “conversion,” then, are not unbelievers but conservative Christians, which may explain why so many progressive Christians try to persuade their conservative counterparts to adopt their political ideology. Conservatives, not unbelievers, are their potential converts.
Now, why am I saying this? Because we may expect to be challenged by atheists and agnostics. But we need to be aware that The Church itself, or a form of Christianity itself, is among the people in our day and age, which causes division and puts obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.
Like I said, the Pharisees were the religious people of the New Testament era who put pressure on Jesus to conform. They didn’t want to listen, and they couldn’t see the Messiah when he was right in front of their eyes. There comes a time when it’s best to just keep an arm’s length from them. Paul isn’t saying not to love them, but to try to avoid them. Avoiding them might lead to a happier life, and a better relationship with them if you keep them at an arm’s length.
Now, Paul goes on to talk about those who deceive for their own pleasures. And I think he’s talking about charlatans here. For the sake of time, I’m not going to go into that, but if you are wise, you can turn on your TV and find them preaching on Sunday mornings. Turn the TV off and come to church instead.
Paul ends this by saying, “19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
So he’s not chastising them, but warning them. He’s giving them specific instructions, and clarifying that they’ve been good. They have a good reputation. But don’t ruin your reputation, and don’t be deceived for your own sake.
This is good advice. We can have a good reputation, we can be on track, we can be walking with the Lord, then our foot slips. And instead of getting back up again, instead of taking Christ’s hand, we say ‘no thank you.’ and Jesus, being a gentleman, respects our request and goes away.
Then we’re left to either get up on our own or take the hand of someone else.
Paul, the pastor/teacher/evangelist that he is, has a heart or a burden for his people and wants only what’s best for them. So he says, “but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.”
In other words, it is better to know good than it is to know evil. Do you remember when you were young and life seemed so much better when we were more innocent? Then we got older and found things we shouldn’t have, and we were like magnets to it and…what happened?
It’s better to not know evil and to be innocent. I remember as a kid, not knowing certain meanings of certain words when everyone else seemed to; not understanding the meaning of certain off-color jokes. Kids would make fun of me, but then I saw when they got to be teenagers, the kind of life they lived and how they just seemed to be going downhill. Innocence versus evil. Where does it lead?
I remember when I was about 8 years old or so, our next-door neighbor’s grandson taped a song off the radio––you remember those days before iTunes––and he thought that it had a swear word in it. So he asked his mom if it was “that B-word.” And she said no, the singer was saying something else. Now, the neighbor’s grandson acted like that “B” word was naughty. I never heard of a naughty “B” word. I listened to the song and couldn’t understand what the singer was singing. And so I agreed with his mother.
Now, if my mother knew that I even knew what that “B” word was, and asked her if that singer was singing it, she’d have a fit. But the other mom? Didn’t seem upset at all. It’s how I was raised. Stay innocent. My family didn’t use words like that. They didn’t tell certain jokes.
I might have gotten picked on when I was a kid for being a goody-two-shoes, but in the end, I think I was happier and had a better life overall. I didn’t get dragged into drugs and alcohol like they did. I didn’t want to know evil. I didn’t want to know the meaning of dirty jokes or all the swear words before I was 10 years old. I was busy being a kid and enjoying life. Do you remember learning that stuff? Something happened to your freedom. When you lose innocence, you lose a piece of your soul. I recognized it when it happened and I didn’t want it. I wanted to lean towards Christianity because I saw that too, and I saw which path led to joy and peace and which path didn’t.
Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. Like I said before, we’re bombarded with stuff on TV and on the radio. It’s hard to be innocent anymore. It’s why we have to be careful about what we feed our spirit.
Paul ends this on a positive note with verse 20, and I would like to do the same. “20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
In other words, as Precept Austin Commentary puts it:
I know that, even with your faithful obedience, you will need a daily supply of God’s grace to direct and strengthen you. You need His wisdom to give you wisdom to recognize false teachers. You need His grace to give you comfort and patience when you are attacked by Satan’s emissaries.
A Puritan by the name of Thomas Brooks said:
Christ, our champion, has already won the field, and will shortly set our feet upon the necks of our spiritual enemies. Satan is a foiled adversary. Christ has led him captive, and triumphed over him upon the cross. Christ has already overcome him, and put weapons into your hands, that you may overcome him also and set your feet upon his neck. Though Satan be a roaring lion, yet Christ, who is the lion of the tribe of Judah, will make Satan fly and fall before you. Let Satan do his worst, yet you shall have the honor and the happiness to triumph over him. Cheer up, you precious sons of Zion, for the certainty and sweetness of victory will abundantly recompense you for all the pains you have taken in making resistance against Satan’s temptations. The broken horns of Satan shall be trumpets of our triumph and the coronets of our joy.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the wisdom and teaching in the Book of Romans. As we close this series today, may your words remain with us. They are there, and they always have been. They always will be. Please draw us back to these words of yours often. May we glean from them every time we read them.
Lord, I pray that you would keep us from evil. Restore our innocence again, and help us to refrain from places that preach and teach evil. Help us to change the channel, help us to be repulsed by things that are in opposition to you; whether it’s entertainment, news media, or those whom we know personally who try to lead us in a different direction.
Keep us in line with you, your mind, and your word. Keep us on the path with you in the direction in which we are supposed to go. Put those blinders on us so that we may not be distracted and go in a different direction, but stay on the path of obedience and truth.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on First Baptist Church of Watkins Glen
Featured Image byImage by M W from Pixabay
