SERMON TITLE: How to Disagree (pt 1)
SCRIPTURE: Romans 14:1-12 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 9-14-25
Sermon Discussion Guide
Take notes here
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. And we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul shows how all of the theology that’s found in the first eleven chapters is to play itself out in how we live. Or — at least — how it should influence the way we live.
And — today — we begin another mini-series — as Paul is going to address the same topic for quite a few verses. What topic is that? How to disagree.
Now if you’ve been around Gateway for a few years — you may remember that — when we were in the book of Acts — we also looked at this topic — how to disagree. That was way back in 2020 — a time in history when the world was at peace, everyone was getting along with each other, there were no controversies, and — oh wait — 2020 was the exact opposite of all of that. And unfortunately division — instead of peace — disharmony — instead of getting along — and controversies — instead of truth — all of that — was also happening in the church among God’s people.
But here we are in 2025 — a time in history when the world is at peace, and everyone is getting along with each other, there are no controversies — and — since none of that’s true — including in the church — it’s a great time to return to the topic of how to disagree with each other — for disagreements are sure to come. Yet — for the followers of Jesus — how we disagree with each other is as important as what we disagree about. In fact — there should be an obvious difference between us and those who don’t believe in Jesus in how we disagree. For we follow a Savior who had many disagreements with us and — news flash — I’m sure still has many disagreements with us at this very moment — and yet — he continues to welcome us in fellowship with him even as he reveals to us the error of our ways.
So with that as a guide as to where we’re headed — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter fourteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter fourteen today — looking at verses one through twelve. There Paul writes…
Romans 14:1–12 ESV
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
How to disagree — that’s our topic. Paul starts us off on this journey with a pretty unpopular statement: Some of our disagreements are due to the fact that some of us are weaker than others. I’ll explain what he means by weaker in a moment — but know that Paul’s point runs counter to the egalitarian view of our culture — where everyone’s thoughts, opinions, insights, and so on are equally valid. Paul — inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these words on behalf of God — disagrees with our culture. Not all views — not all beliefs — not all opinions — are equally true and valid.
So here’s what we’re going to do today. Today we’re going to define who the weak and the strong are. Then next time, we’ll look at what we’re not to do — when we find ourselves in a disagreement along with some things that we are to do when we find ourselves in a disagreement. What not to do and what to do will be what we look at next time.
And let me say this early on: Disagreements among us should not surprise us! I mean — look around the room you’re in right now. Here at Gateway we’ve got people of all ages — even a couple of ninety year olds among us. Different generations see things differently.
But it’s not just our physical ages that make us see things differently — we’ve got people of all kinds of spiritual ages. Some of you have believed in Jesus for decades — some for days. Some of us think we believe in Jesus — and don’t as of yet. Your knowledge about Jesus hasn’t become belief in him.
We’ve got all sorts of backgrounds of what our lives were like before we believed in Jesus. Some of us were raised in a Christian home. Some in a non-believing home. Some were raised Catholic. Others Methodist, or Baptist, or Lutheran, and few of us — ironically — were raised Presbyterian.
Some of us came from legalistic type churches and you can’t believe that people wear shorts to Gateway on Sunday. Others of us come from churches that were the opposite of legalistic — you wonder why I don’t wear shorts when I preach.
Some of us are Matt Chandler, John Piper, and Tim Keller fans. Others listen to Steven Furtick, Andy Stanley, and Craig Groeschel sermons. And some of us — I’m sure — really like TD Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Joyce Meyer.
Why do I bring all of this up? Because all of these differences have the potential to create all kinds of problems for us when it comes to unity and being biblical in our disagreements. And this is what Paul is warning us about as he encourages us — in yet another way — to love one another. For how we disagree with each other is an opportunity for us to love each other as we’ve first been loved by Christ.
With that — let’s understand what Paul means when he calls some of the Christians in Rome weak and others strong. We’re back in verse one.
Romans 14:1–2 ESV
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
And skipping to verse five we read…
Romans 14:5–6 ESV
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
And — to clear up a question you may have — “Josh, I saw Paul call some weak, but I didn’t see him call anyone strong” — later on he will say…
Romans 15:1 ESV
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
That’s in the next chapter — which tells you that Paul’s gonna spend a long time on this subject. Apparently division in the church isn’t a new problem — it’s an ancient one. Because our enemy loves nothing more than for God’s people to spend time fighting with one another instead of uniting together to fight him.
But back to the weak and the strong. Paul starts off his thought with a command: to welcome those who are weak in faith. A few observations about the weak. First, those who are weak — are weak in faith. Meaning — they are believers! And the weakness of their faith doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re brand new Christians — for Scripture warns that you can be a Christian for a very long time and still not have matured very much spiritually. And this is what Paul seems to be suggesting when he calls these Christians weak in faith: They’re Christians whose faith hasn’t matured very much.
And Paul gives us some examples of what this looked like in the church in Rome. Apparently these Christians — who were weak in faith — held some sort of belief that eating meat was unholy. The weak person — Paul says — eats only vegetables. This isn’t a knock on you if you’re a vegetarian for health reasons — because the weakness isn’t about their diet — it’s about their spiritual view of the diet.
Which may make you wonder, “What’s the big deal about meat for these people?” If you know your Old Testament, what to eat and not eat was a really big deal for the Jewish people — go read the book of Leviticus if you don’t believe me. What you ate — or didn’t eat — was a matter of holiness for the Jewish people. And — in the church in Rome — there were many Jews who’d come to believe in Jesus — just as there were many Gentiles — or non-Jews — who’d also come to believe in Jesus. And within this diverse group — there was disagreement over what a person could eat while still being faithful to Jesus.
Now — to keep these weak Christians from getting a bad reputation — you should know that they weren’t legalists. You can be weak in faith — have an incorrect view of something — and not be a legalist. Paul’s quick to call out legalists when the situation is called for — but here he doesn’t treat the weak Christians as legalists. Why not?
To answer our question let’s look at an example of how he does respond to people who are legalists. To the Christians living in the area of Galatia, he writes…
Galatians 1:6–9 NLT
6 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News 7 but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. 8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. 9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
But what exactly was Paul reacting to? He makes it clear later when he writes…
Galatians 3:1–3 NLT
1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
The legalism that Paul rejects — is the belief that our works — what we do — make us right with God. In the Galatian church there was division around many works — circumcision, as an example — that some in the church believed had to be done — in addition to believing the gospel — in order for a person to be saved and made right with God. And Paul totally and completely rejects such legalism. He calls it a false gospel. He says things like, “Who cast an evil spell on you” and “Let anyone who preaches such things be cursed.” Paul doesn’t hold back when it comes to legalism. As one person said, “Jesus plus nothing equals everything.” For as soon as we try to add anything to Jesus — and what he accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection — we lose everything. Because the gospel — the Good News of salvation — is about what Christ has done to save his people.
So back to these weak Christians in Rome. Instead of the forceful language that he uses against the legalists in Galatia — Paul is gentle with the weak Christians in Rome. This tells us that Paul doesn’t view them as legalists. Which tells us that they weren’t saying, “To be right with God you must believe in Jesus and not eat meat.” Whatever questions, concerns, and beliefs they had about eating meat — though mistaken — didn’t mean they were being legalistic.
But — you may wonder — why do I say that the weak Christians were mistaken? Because of what we read elsewhere in Scripture. For example…
Mark 7:14–19 NLT
14 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.” 17 Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18 “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19 Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)
And Paul agrees with Jesus — for he taught the same thing.
1 Corinthians 8:8 NLT
8 It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.
Again — though the weak Christians were mistaken in their beliefs about food — they were not taking their beliefs to the realm of legalism — where eating or not eating was a sign that a person was a true Christian or not.
But guess what? Though they weren’t being legalistic — their mistaken beliefs were still causing division in the church! Yet eating or not eating meat wasn’t their only mistaken belief.
Apparently these weak Christians also held a view where certain days were “better” — or more “sacred” — than others. This may have had something to do with the Sabbath — Saturday — being the day for worship — versus the Lord’s Day — or Sunday — but we’re not exactly sure — Paul doesn’t give us enough details. He just lets us know that this was also a point of division in the church.
And — again — Paul makes it clear that these weak Christians weren’t being legalists about their view of these special days — even though they were mistaken in their views about the special days.
Now at this point — it’s completely understandable if you’re thinking, “What does eating or not eating meat and this or that special day have anything to do with me?”
Though meat and special days aren’t causes for division in the church today — there are many beliefs that Christians hold that do cause division in the church. And — to stay in line with Paul’s thinking — these are mistaken beliefs by Christians who are weak in the faith. They’re not legalists — that’s a different topic — but they do have mistaken beliefs that are causing division in the church.
Here at Gateway — we call this the difference between essentials and non-essentials. This isn’t something we came up with — this is how our denomination articulates the idea — which isn’t even unique to our denomination — but is an idea that goes back centuries.
The essentials of the faith are made explicit in a document that our denomination cleverly titled “The Essential of Our Faith.” The essentials are what all members of Gateway are required to agree to — they’re what unite us together as a faith family — even when we disagree over other matters. What are the essentials?
I’m about to read them — but first — if you’re a member of Gateway — would you please stand up right now — if you’re able — that goes for folks at our North Main Campus too. Friends in Bucyrus — you’re part of the EPC and have the same essentials of the faith — so you can stand as well if you’re a member of the faith family there in Bucyrus. I know that standing during a sermon is different — but I thought we’d take the opportunity to reaffirm what we believe as a sign of our unity — as members of this faith family — around the essentials. At the end I’ll ask you to respond by affirming that this is what you believe as a member of Gateway Church and First Pres Bucyrus.
Here are the essentials. I’ll read them and cue you when to say “I do.”
We believe that…All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.
We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To him be all honor, glory and praise forever!
Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through his miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and his virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day, he arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, he now is our High Priest and Mediator.
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, he gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption
Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits his righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifying them in his sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.
Jesus Christ will come again to the earth — personally, visibly, and bodily — to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
As members of Gateway Church and First Pres Bucyrus, do you reaffirm your belief in the essentials of our faith? If so, say “I do.” You can be seated.
Two quick responses to what we just did. First, if you’re a member and — for some reason you weren’t comfortable saying “I do” just then — maybe because something’s changed in your beliefs — please reach out to your shepherding elder. My recommendation would be to do so today. We’d love to have a conversation with you about the essentials and what you believe. And — second — if you’re not a member of Gateway and you just felt left out or uncomfortable because you felt singled out — know that becoming a member is pretty simple around here. Maybe the discomfort you just felt will be God’s way of leading you towards a commitment to this faith family — at least that’s my hope for you. So stop by the Resource Center at your campus for more information on becoming a member.
My prayer for us — as a faith family — and I hope this is your prayer for us as well — is that our being united on the essentials will keep us united when we disagree on non-essential matters. Now — for sure — non-essential doesn’t mean non-important. But if we’re united on the most important doctrines — on the essentials — why would we allow non-essential doctrines divide us? For — when we divide and go our separate ways over non-essentials — we demonstrate that the essentials aren’t actually our essentials — whatever we’ve divided over was more important. Otherwise why would we go our separate ways?
Since this topic is going to go on for a few weeks — I think that’s enough for today. Some important questions to consider for all of us. However, I thought I might end with an example of why I’m so proud of you all when it comes to disagreeing.
If you’re newer to Gateway — and haven’t attended one of our baptism services — something different you’ll quickly notice about us is that you’ll see families who bring their children up for infant baptism while others bring their children up for child dedication. In many churches, it’s infant baptism or child dedication — almost like it’s one v one — infant baptism versus child dedication — because everyone knows that a church practices one or the other — but not both.
Now long before I came to Gateway — which we’re at the nine and half year mark for anyone keeping count — but way before my time — the practice at Gateway was to offer both infant baptism and child dedication. Why? Because baptizing or dedicating our children is a non-essential — and we have people coming from all kinds of church backgrounds with various traditions. But more importantly — we’ve got people in our faith family who’ve come to different conclusions on this important — but not essential — doctrine — and have done so with their Bibles open.
So in order to do our best to welcome each other — we practice both around here. And what I love most — is how we celebrate with families — regardless if they’re baptizing or dedicating their child. Because we’re a congregation that’s thankful and supportive of families who are committed to raising their children up to know and love Jesus — because that’s essential.
Thank you — Gateway — for honoring the Lord. And for welcoming one another — even in our differences — or I should say — especially in our differences. Let’s pray.
Father, thank you for your goodness, kindness, and graciousness towards us. For there’s much that we believe and do that you disagree with. And yet you welcome us anyway into your family and — even more amazingly — into your eternal presence.
Spirit, you are the Spirit of unity and you desire unity among us. Unite us — we pray. Knit our hearts together. Produce within each of us a spirit of hospitality — so that we become the most welcoming people that others know.
And — Jesus — us being welcomed into your family and into your Father’s presence is possible because of what you did — in love — for us. You lived for us. Died for us. And defeated death for us — and for our unity. May we fight hard — as we live under your Word to us and by the power of the Holy Spirit in us — to display the unity that you’ve made possible. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
BENEDICTION
May you go welcoming each other as God has welcomed you into his family. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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