Romans 14

The earliest reference to the prefiguration of the One True Church of God is the ark that God commanded Noah to build. (Genesis 6)

So what do we see in the ark when God shut the one and only door, and when the windows of heaven started to pour water on the face of the earth?

Beside the eight humans, we also see many different kinds of animals in the ark.

Imagine having to survive more than 300 days with people of different characters and on top of that, to endure the noises and the stench of animals.

What have all these got to do with today’s chapter?

Bible Passage: Romans 14

Throughout the whole Bible, there are many places that we can see God’s emphasis on One-ness in His plans for man.

In the Old Testament, God commanded Noah to build only ONE ark; God only chose the nation of Israel to be His people; God commanded David to build only ONE Temple for His Name and for His people to worship Him.

In the New Testament, Apostle Paul expounded that there is ONE body and ONE Spirit, we were all called in ONE hope, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

‘ONE’ also has the significance of unity; and when unity is concerned, there need to be true love and harmony in the Lord.

In Noah’s ark, the people on board had to exercise mutual understandings and tolerance within that confined area, if not, life would not be easy. And besides having to deal with human shortcomings, there were also animals to tolerate.

I remember once a preacher spoke on the ark being the prefiguration of the One True Church of the Last Days, and he mentioned that the situation of the True Church today can be like that of the situation on the ark.

There are many different characteristics among the different people and animals on the ark, likewise, in the Church of God, we are bound to meet many people with different characteristics.

Therefore, Apostle Paul exhorts us to exercise tolerance, not to pass judgments and not to despise our brethren whom we may have deemed as being weak. But all the more, we must try to understand them and to help them.

And as for ourselves, we must be aware of our own actions, to be aware that we are not causing these weaker brethren to stumble and fall. Ultimately, we all have to face God and to give an account of what we had or had not done.

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.

Romans 14: 10 (ESV)

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Romans 14: 13 (ESV)

It is indeed an extremely great blessing to be called into the true fold of God, so let us not quarrel and fight over minor issues in church, or to despise and pass judgments on our brethren whom God had accepted. Instead, we should spend our time in treasuring the graces of God and to treasure the fellowship with the elects of God.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

Psalms 133 (ESV)

Our journey towards heaven is not going to be a smooth one, therefore in the Body of Christ, we must hold each others’ hands, watch each others back, and to exhort each other to excel in our faith, lest any of us fall behind.

May God give us a heart of humility and love, so that we can look beyond the shortcomings of each and every brother and sister whom Christ had died for, and to fix our eyes on Jesus; and then we shall be able to march together as ONE towards the Land that God had prepared for us.

Shalom.