Romans 14.19b-Paul Commands The Strong To Continue Being Diligent To Practice Those Things, Which Produce Edification, Which Benefits The Body
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday April 15, 2010
Romans: Romans 14:19b-Paul Commands The Strong To Unite With Him In Continuing To Be Diligent To Practice Those Things, Which Produce Edification Which Benefits The Body
Lesson # 487
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 14:19.
Last evening we began a study of Romans 14:19 by noting the first command that appears in this passage in which Paul commands the strong to unite with him in continuing to make it a habit of being diligent to practice those things, which produce peace between themselves and the weak.
This evening we will complete the verse by noting the second command in which Paul commands the strong to unite with him in continuing to make it a habit of practicing those things, which produce the edification of the weak, which is for the benefit of the body of Christ as a corporate unit.
Romans 14:19, “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
After the conjunction kai, “and” is the accusative neuter plural form of the definite article ho (ὁ() (owe), which is not translated by the NASB since the translators considered the word to be redundant to translate into English.
The word means “those things” and refers to the teaching of the Word of God and Christian fellowship, which involves the concepts of relationship, partnership, companionship and stewardship.
“The building up” is the articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun oikodome (οἰκοδομή) (ee-koe-thoe-mee), which means “edification” and is used in a figurative sense for the building up of the body of Christ in the sense of promoting and developing its spiritual health, strength and esteem.
To “edify” is to instruct or improve spiritually (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition).
This is accomplished through the teaching of the Word of God.
In Romans 1:11-12, Paul speaks of building up the faith of the Roman believers through the exercise of his communication gift.
The believer can derive encouragement from the Word of God according to Romans 15:4-5 and by assembling with other believers to hear the Word of God as it is taught by the pastor-teacher according to Hebrews 10:23-25.
Believers are commanded to encourage the discouraged (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
The Scriptures teach that the believer receives encouragement from the communication of doctrine by the pastor-teacher (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; 3:1-2; Colossians 4:7-8; 2 Timothy 4:1-2).
The intercessory prayers of other believers can be a source of encouragement (Colossians 2:1-2).
The noun oikodome appears in Ephesians 4:12 and 16 in a figurative sense for the building up of the body of Christ through the function of the four great communication gifts that the Lord Jesus distributed through the Holy Spirit to individual male members of the body of Christ.
In Ephesians 4:11-16, the apostle Paul writes concerning the purpose of the four communication gifts and teaches that they are designed to communicate the Word of God, which produces spiritual growth.
This edification that Paul speaks of in Romans 14:19 is also accomplished through the horizontal aspect of Christian fellowship.
Fellowship means being a part of a group, a body of people and is opposed to isolation, solitude, loneliness, and our present-day independent kind of individualism.
Fellowship means having or sharing with others certain things in common such as interest, goals, feelings, beliefs, activities, labor, privileges and responsibilities, experiences, and concerns.
Fellowship can mean a partnership that involves working together and caring for one another as a company of people, like a company of soldiers or members of a family.
Fellowship has two directions: (1) Vertical: God (2) Horizontal: Royal family of God (Mark 12:28-31)
Christian Fellowship denotes the following concepts: (1) Relationship with Christ: We are all permanently united together by the common (eternal) life that we share as a result of regeneration and the Baptism of the Spirit (Acts 2:42; 1 C. 1:9; 1 Jn. 1:3). (2) Partnership: We are to work together for a common purpose to obtain common objectives for the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ (cf. Phil 1:27; Phlp. 1:5; Gal. 2:9; Heb. 1:9). (3) Companionship: We are to communicate with one another and have fellowship with one another sharing with one another the things (viewpoint and thinking) of Christ (Acts. 2:42; Heb. 10:25; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Thess. 5:11; Rom. 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Thess 5:11; Phlm. 6). (4) Stewardship: We must recognize that all we have belongs to the Lord and has been given to us as trusts from God to invest for His purposes. Believers need to be willing to share their material possessions for the promotion of the gospel and to help those in need. Good stewardship stems from recognizing our relationship to Jesus Christ, but it also means recognizing our partnership in Christ’s enterprise on earth. (Rom. 12:13; 15:27; Gal. 6:6; Phil. 4:15; Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:4; 9:13; Heb. 13:16; 1 Tim. 6:18).
Oikodome in Romans 14:19 emphasizes the concept of companionship, which involves assembling in smaller groups (Matt. 18:20), meeting together one-on-one (1 Thess. 5:11) and sharing and communicating truth together and building up one another (Rom. 1:11-12; Col. 3:15-16).
It also involves sharing together in worship, i.e., the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 10:16) the singing of hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), prayer (Acts 2:42; 12; Phlp. 1:19) and the ministry of the Word (Luke 19:47-48; Acts 20:20; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Pet. 4:10-11).
It involves the singing of hymns, psalms and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:15-16) and worship involves praying together (Acts 1:1-14; 2:1; 4:13-37; 12:1-17).
Companionship with other believers involves the ministry of the Word (Acts 17:10-11; 19:8-10; 20:17-21).
Companionship with other believers involves sharing together as partners in the needs, burdens, concerns, joys, and blessings for the purpose of encouragement, comfort, challenge or exhortation, praise, prayer and physical help according to the needs and ability (cf. Phil. 1:5 with 1:19; and 2:4 with 1:27; also 4:3; Rom. 12:15; and 1 Thess. 5:11,14,15; Heb. 10:33).
Oikodome in Romans 14:19 emphasizes the concept of stewardship, which is four areas: (1) The stewardship of time—redeeming it for eternity. (2) The stewardship of talents—identifying and developing our spiritual gifts and natural talents for the blessing of others and for God’s glory. (3) The stewardship of God’s truth—multiplying ourselves through evangelism and discipleship. (4) The stewardship of our treasures—laying up treasures in heaven through financial faithfulness.
In Romans 14:19, the noun oikodome functions as a genitive of product indicating that the edification of the weak is the “product” of the weak being instructed in the Word of God by the strong regarding the weak’s freedom in Christ as well as the strong having fellowship with the weak.
So with this word Paul is saying let us continue making it a habit of being diligent to practice those things, “which produce edification.”
“Of one another” denotes that there is to be a mutual exchange between the weak and the strong in that the strong are to edify the weak through teaching of the Word of God and having fellowship with them, which in turn strengthens the body of Christ as whole, which both the weak and strong compose.
So though Paul wants the strong to edify the weak, this word emphasizes that this edification helps both the weak and the strong in that it strengthens spiritually the body of Christ as a corporate unit.