TEST FOR THE LAW BEING WRITTEN ON YOUR HEART
Old/First Covenant religionists assume that God’s laws are written on their hearts because they willingly and eagerly engage in religious activities that they find prescribed or suggested in the Bible. And they assume that God’s laws are written on their hearts because they vigorously avoid participation in activities that the Bible prohibits. It can be said, therefore, that their righteousness is based on activities that they do or do not do.

Since all these prescribed and prohibited activities all involve the flesh (i.e. the physical body, the mind, and emotions), it can be said that they are all works of the flesh (i.e. the doing of prescribed activities and not doing of prohibited activities). And, since the doing and not doing of certain activities can be observed by others, it can again be said that the righteousness of religious people who do the prescribed activities and do not do the prohibited activities is based on things that can be seen (i.e. they can be seen doing the prescribed activities and can be seen not doing the prohibited activities).

The point here is that none of this doing, or not doing, of certain activities is not a matter of faith because faith is the substance of things that are not seen. And if the doing, or not doing, of certain activities are not matters of faith, they are based on religious laws made by men. It follows, therefore, that the doing, or not doing, of certain activities are not based on God’s spiritual laws which are written on the hearts of New Covenant disciples.

These are very important distinctions to make because whatever is not of faith is sin as we read in the following verses:

Romans 14:13-23: 13 Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

COMMENTARY: Each religion has its own doctrines about the things can can be done and not be done to achieve righteousness. And all religions look at the doctrinal practices of other religions and find them to be in error in one way or another because the doctrines of those religion are different. In Biblical language, each religion “judges” the doctrines of those other religions against the standard of their own doctrines.

This verse says that the act of judging other religions based on the things that others (i.e. brothers) do or do not do is wrong because the standards of righteousness by which one religion compares itself are based on religious laws — not on God’s spiritual laws. In God’s view, setting up standards of righteousness that are different from God’s spiritual laws causes people to stumble.

14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean.

COMMENTARY: This verse basically says that all religious standards of righteousness based on activities that are prescribed or prohibited are neither clean or unclean (i.e. righteous or unrighteous). They are all dependent on what people think/believe — not on what God says.

15 If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let your good be spoken of as evil.

COMMENTARY: God uses the specific example of clean and unclean foods to make the general point about all religious activities. In other words, we should not promote or advertise our preferred religious doctrines of right and wrong is not the loving thing to do.

When we practice our religion in view of other religions, we set those religions up for making judgements (i.e. comparisons) in which they will find our chosen (i.e. good) doctrines to be wrong (i.e. unclean) compared to theirs. And having made those comparisons, those other religions will criticize us (i.e. speak evil) for our unrighteousness religious beliefs and practices.

17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; 18 he who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

COMMENTARY: Old/First Covenant religions do the kinds of things mentioned in verses 13 through 16. By comparison, New Covenant disciples understand that the Kingdom of God is not controlled by doctrines of religious do’s and don’ts which are symbolically represented as rules about eating and drinking such as”eat this” and “don’t eat that”.

Rather, New Covenant righteousness is based on righteousness that accrues to people in whom God’s spiritual laws are written on the heart. New Covenant disciples understand that God who looks at the heart is not impressed with religious activity. They do not try to follow religious rules of any kind — including rules about going to church, giving tithes, or prayer.

19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building.

COMMENTARY: The open practice of religion that leads to making judgments of one religion by another religion promotes strife and discord between religions — not peace. Thus the only way to pursue peace is to avoid public practice of religion. But, because most religionists depend on the affirmations of their religiosity by co-religionists, totally private, non-public practice of religion is not likely.

All religions think other religions are foolish because they do not believe and practice as they do. There may not be open hostility, but there is always a kind of uneasiness between religions that compete for the hearts and minds of people who are tempted to prefer one religion over another.

Religious competition does not promote peace or mutual up-building. The open practice of religion (e.g. observing clean or unclean foods, styles of worship, etc.) actually destroys God’s work by creating diversions that cause people to stumble when they are tempted to choose one religion over another. No matter which religion they choose, they fall for religion just like Adam and Eve fell when they choose to eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats;

COMMENTARY: Food here symbolizes all kind of religious activity. It is evil soulish food, not good spiritual food.

When we consider that this reference to food actually points to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, we can understand how food (i.e. religion) destroys the work of God. Elevating food (i.e. religion) destroys the works of God because the public practice of religion has an attractive, seductive, enticing, intoxicating, effect that draws people to religion and away from God. God symbolically calls all of these effects “lusts of the world of religion” (i.e. flesh).

People fall into the sin of religion when they taste it (i.e. practice it) and discover how it fuels and satisfies their pride and fulfills their life in so many ways.

The reason people fall into the sin of religion is that they observe others practicing it and enjoying it in what appears to be a loving, accepting community. This environment is very attractive to people who are otherwise lost and lonely because they do not know God. Religion promises to be a quick, easy fix for all their problems, but it is all deception.

21 it is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves.

COMMENTARY: At first glance verse 21 seems to approve religious practices regarding clean and unclean foods. When we read the whole of verse 21, however, we see that freedom to “not eat meat or drink wine” exists only in the context of not making your brother stumble.

Given that eating and drinking are specific examples of the general principle of not engaging in any religious practices, we see here a strong exhortation to resist and reject any and all types of religion because all religion causes people to stumble and fall with respect to God’s standard of righteousness which is faith.

People who have true faith are able to eat and drink anything because they understand that in God’s view all foods are clean and that spiritual uncleanness originates in the heart of man. They understand that when God talks about clean and unclean food he is talking about clean spiritual food and evil soulish food. Therefore they have no reason to make judgments about the natural food that they eat.

Certain religious people (e.g. Jews, Muslims, and Messianic Christians, etc.), on the other hand, always make legal judgments (i.e. decisions) about the food that they and others eat. When they, or others they observe, eat what they consider to be clean (i.e. kosher) food, they count those who eat clean foods to be righteous because they are following the letter of the written law. The faith they profess to have is fake faith because it is based on what they read in in the Bible and what they see others doing — not on what they hear God say.

23 But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

COMMENTARY: Choosing to eat, or not eat, certain food is fake faith because the choice is not based on hearing God’s spoken voice. Rather, the faith they profess to have is fake faith because it is based on what they read in in the Bible and what they see others doing — not on what they hear God say. This choice defines sin.