Sunday, July 14, 2013

Romans 14


Source: www.foundationsforfreedom.net/References/NT/Pauline/Romans/Romans14/Romans14_01-6_Conflict-intro.html

Rome was a "melting pot" of cultures, languages, moral values, traditions, nationalities and religions. In particular, the Rome church body consisted of both Jewish converts (still practicing Judaism but recognizing Jesus as the Messiah) and Gentiles with entirely different backgrounds, morals and traditions. Additionally, Romans was written before the "middle wall of partition" (Ephesians 2:14) between the Jew and the Gentile be livers had been broken down. The problems of Romans 14 are preeminently Jewish and are practically unknown in the church today. But, the principles remain and the points of contention between groups of Christians have changed to other areas.

It was understood that the death of Christ was the fulfillment of the ceremonial law and that the requirement to sacrifice an animal in order to obtain forgiveness had become obsolete. But even Peter struggled with the question of eating the meat of certain animal that the Mosaic Law had declared unclean. In Acts 10, we read that when he received a vision in which he was ordered to kill and eat animals that were not kosher, he answered: “ Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.” And when the first Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) adopted a motion which was sent to the churches of mostly Gentile believers, they advised them to “abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from sexual immorality, and from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals.” Sexual immorality in that context pertained primarily to participating in pagan temple rites.

The main point to get across from this whole introduction is how to deal with Christians with whom we disagree.  Again, it is not about sin, it is about debatable issues.  It is about seeing other Christians whose relationship with God is different from ours.

Charles Swindoll paraphrases the main points of Romans 14 in his book The Grace Awakening: "Nothing that is not specifically designated as evil in Scripture is evil -- but rather a matter of one's personal preference or taste. So let it be. Even if you personally would not do what another is doing, let it be. And you who feel the freedom to do so, don't flaunt it or mock those who disagree. We are in the construction business, not destruction. And let's all remember that God's big-picture kingdom plan is not being shaped by small things like what one person prefers over another, but by large things, like righteousness and peace and joy."

My wife distinguishes these differences as those that are minor and those which are a "hill to die on".

Wiersbe, W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books: "Romans 14:1-15:7 deals with the problem of questionable things in the Christian life and what to do when sincere Christians disagree about personal practices. Paul recognizes that in each local church there are mature believers (“We that are strong,” Romans 15:1) as well as immature (“him that is weak in faith,” Romans 14:1), and that these two groups may disagree on how the Christian is to live. The Jewish Christians might want to cling to special holy days and OT dietary laws, while the Gentile believers might turn their Christian liberty into license and offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. Many Christians have the false notion that extreme legalism (observing days and diets) shows strong faith, but Paul states that just the opposite is true! It is the Christian that is mature in the faith who recognizes the truths found in Colossians 2:18-23."
Colossians 2:18-23: Don't let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial. And don't let anyone say you must worship angels, even though they say they have had visions about this. These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud. But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as, "Don't handle, don't eat, don't touch." Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person's evil thoughts and desires.

To put this into more contemporary Christian disagreements, here are just a few areas of disagreement amongst Christians, sometimes vehemently:

  • Drinking alcohol (wine versus beer versus "strong drink").
  • Smoking, "chewing".
  • Going to the movie theater
  • Playing cards
  • Dancing
  • Women wearing "inappropriate" clothing - pants instead of skirts, wearing caps instead of hats, plunging necklines, short skirts, mini-skirts, bathing suites, bikinis, etc.
    • What is "modest" dress? 1 Timothy 2:9: And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes.
  • Women wearing short hair versus long hair
  • Women wearing cosmetics
  • Head covering for women
  • Men and women wearing jewelry (including wedding rings)
  • Long hair on men
  • Men wearing beards
  • Women in Ministry
  • Mixed swimming
  • Wearing zippers instead of buttons
  • Going to church on Saturday versus Sunday or not at all
  • Observing religious and other holidays (Christmas, Easter, New Years, Halloween)
  • Observing Jewish festivals: Pentecost, Passover, etc.
  • Which version of the Bible is the "correct" version?
  • Speaking in "unknown" tongues
  • Healing
  • "Rock" music and Christian rock music
  • Writing notes in the Bible
  • Divorce & remarriage
  • Eating meat, particularly foods forbidden in the Old Testament
  • Premarital sex
  • Kissing before marriage or in public
  • Homosexuality
  • Birth control
  • Sex education
  • Holding hands before marriage
  • Public schools versus Christian schools versus home schools
  • Communion - with or without wine; for today or not?
  • Mode of Baptism or no water baptism
  • Home church versus church buildings
  • Music in church services
  • Piano in the church (this question actually split a denomination)
  • Guitars, drums, etc. in church
  • Singing hymns in church or only Psalms or no singing at all
  • Tithing
  • Baptists versus Catholics versus other denominations
  • Dispensations
  • Predestination
  • Can you lose your salvation?
  • What "works" are required for salvation?
  • Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, amillenialism
  • Calvinism versus Arminianism
  • The "Lost Ten Tribes"
  • Replacement Theology
  • Legalism versus freedom
  • What parts of the law, including the Ten Commandments, in the Old Testament are we to still observe, if at all?
  • Evolution

Romans 13:13-14: Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

(1) *Accept Christians who are **weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.

  • *Accept: (proslambano from prós = to, toward + lambáno = to take) means literally to take to or toward. Proslambano can mean to accept the presence of a person with friendliness, to welcome, to receive hospitably, to receive into one’s home or circle of acquaintances. The idea is to receive as one would welcome one into one's home, with the additional idea of doing so with kindness. The Amplified Version renders Romans 14:1 as "welcome him [into your fellowship]" while Wuest has "be giving a cordial welcome".
  • **weak:
    • David Guzik: There are many reasons why a Christian might be weak.
      • They may be a babe in Christ (babies are weak)
      • They may be sick or diseased (by legalism)
      • They may be malnourished (by lack of good teaching)
      • They may lack exercise (needing exhortation)
    • Josephus says that some of the Jews at Rome lived on fruits exclusively, from fear of eating something unclean.
    • They probably were the same class of Jewish Christians as are spoken of in 1Corinthians 8 as over-scrupulous about eating of things that had been offered in sacrifice to idols.
    • This is not one whose faith is weak but one who sincerely believes certain religious behavior to be required by God when it is not.
    • Undoubtedly these weak ones did not see themselves as weaker. It's likely they thought they were the strong ones, and the meat-eaters were the weak ones. Legalism has a way of making us think that we are strong and those who don't keep the rules the way we do are weak.
  • Ray Stedman notes that The NIV is misleading here by translating it as: "Accept him whose faith is weak." This command to the stronger brother has nothing to do with the strength or weakness of the other individual's faith. Therefore, the mark of understanding truth is freedom; it is liberty. That is why Paul calls the person who understands truth clearly one who is strong in the faith, while those who do not understand it clearly are weak in the faith. They do not understand the delivering character of truth. ("On Trying to Change Others")
  • The stronger (more knowledgeable) faith, for example, perceives that certain meats, formally “unclean” under the Mosaic economy (Leviticus 11), are no longer forbidden to those in Christ and that he no longer needs to observe the Jewish feasts and days.

(2) For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.

  • Those who conscientiously refrain from eating “unclean” meats were not to be condemned. Even though their knowledge was incomplete, they meant well, and their efforts, though misguided, were designed towards bringing glory to God. Similarly, the man who refused to labor on the Sabbath - even though that restriction was abolished in Christ (Ephesians 2:13ff; Colossians 2:14-17) was doing so with the purest of motives — to honor his Creator (v. 6).
  • Some believed that there was nothing wrong with eating meat that had been offered to an idol because they knew that the idols were worthless. Others carefully checked the source of their meat or gave up eating meat altogether. The problem was especially serious for Christians who had once been involved in idol worship. For them, being reminded of their former days was too much temptation. It weakened their newfound faith. Likewise, for some Christians who had once worshiped God on the required Jewish holy days, it caused them to feel empty and unfaithful if they didn't dedicate those days to God.
  • Paul’s first example of “weak in faith” is someone who is a vegetarian. It is best to explain this illustration historically: At that time, most meat that was sold in the marketplace was animals sacrificed to pagan gods.  The “leftovers” of the animals were then sold in the marketplace. Given that, many Christians of that day would not eat such meat because it was offered to idols. There is also the issue of the meat being “kosher” for Jewish-Christians.  There were certain types of animals that were forbidden to be eaten by Jews and animals must only be slaughtered a certain way (removal of the blood).  Paul might also have that in mind for the case of Jewish converts to Christianity.
  • Because some Christian saw nothing wrong in this meat and others saw much wrong in it, this was a burning issue among believers in Paul's day.

(3) Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won't. And those who won't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.

  • The issue of eating meat that is sacrificed to idols is no longer relevant in our day, but the principle of discernment still is. We could make a long list of supposed Christian taboos that dominate the daily life of sincere believers in Christ, but in doing so we might leave out some that would offend one person and not the other. The solution Paul offers is abstaining from judgment.
  • Offending Christians who were steeped in Judaism was a very sensitive issue in Paul’s day. This may no longer be the case today, but the principle that our attitude toward others must be governed by loving concern about the salvation of their souls is still valid
  • Less than a year earlier, Paul had written to the believers at Corinth about eating patterns. Read 1co08 to better understand the problems here.
  • Matthew 7:3-5: And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.
  • Mark 7:19: "Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you see that what you eat won't defile you? Food doesn't come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then comes out again." (By saying this, he showed that every kind of food is acceptable.)
  • Acts 10:14: "Never, Lord," Peter declared. "I have never in all my life eaten anything forbidden by our Jewish laws. "
  • 1 Corinthians 8: Now let's talk about food that has been sacrificed to idols. You think that everyone should agree with your perfect knowledge. While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for. So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God and no other. According to some people, there are many so-called gods and many lords, both in heaven and on earth. But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life. However, not all Christians realize this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't miss out on anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do. But you must be careful with this freedom of yours. Do not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble. You see, this is what can happen: Weak Christians who think it is wrong to eat this food will see you eating in the temple of an idol. You know there's nothing wrong with it, but they will be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been dedicated to the idol. So because of your superior knowledge, a weak Christian, for whom Christ died, will be destroyed. And you are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong. If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live -- for I don't want to make another Christian stumble.
  • Colossians 2:16-17: So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.
  • 1 Timothy 4:1-5: Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons. These teachers are hypocrites and liars. They pretend to be religious, but their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

(4) Who are you to condemn God's servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord's power will help them do as they should.

  • In his commentary entitled "The Daily Study Bible: The Letter to the Romans", William Barclay writes, "Paul lays down a great principle. No man has any right to criticize another man's servant. The servant is answerable to his master alone. Now all men are the servants of God. It is not open to us to criticize them, still less to condemn them. That right belongs to God alone. It is not in our judgment that a man stands or falls but in his. And, Paul goes on, if a man is honestly living out his principles as he sees them, God can make him able to stand."

(5) In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. Each person should have a personal conviction about this matter.

  • The conscience is not the final arbiter of right and wrong (Proverbs 14:12). It must be educated. Yet, in its proper place, it is a prized gift from God, and the Christian must guard against it becoming hardened.
    • Proverbs 14:12: There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
  • Having a personal conviction speaks about what that person has come to believe through understanding the scriptures. It is not simply speaking about adopting the values of those around you.
  • One’s conscience has also been affected by the fall. It needs to be renewed by the Holy Spirit working through the scriptures.

(6) Those who have a special day for worshiping the Lord are trying to honor him. Those who eat all kinds of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who won't eat everything also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.

  • Converts from Judaism had come out of a system of ceremonies. Because Christ had fulfilled what these had pointed forward to, certain ceremonies no longer applied. In any case, it seems that the ceremonies were not the most important part of the gospel, and people were allowed to grow in Christ gradually. Even today, many disagree which "ceremonies" are to be observed, if any.
  • Both convictions are motivated by a sincere desire to please, serve God.
  • Galatians 4:8-11: Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. And now that you have found God (or should I say, now that God has found you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual powers of this world? You are trying to find favor with God by what you do or don't do on certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you. I am afraid that all my hard work for you was worth nothing.
  • Colossians 2:16-17: So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.

(7) For we are not our own masters when we live or when we die.

(8) While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die, we go to be with the Lord. So in life and in death, we belong to the Lord.

(9) Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died.

  • Matthew 22:32: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead."

(10) So why do you condemn another Christian? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.

  • 1 Samuel 16:7: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions."
  • 1 Corinthians 2:11: No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit.
  • 1 Corinthians 3:12-15: Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.
  • The judgment seat of Christ: “This is the bema seat, equivalent to the judge’s seat in the Olympic Games. After each game, the winners came before the judge’s seat to receive crowns for first, second and third places. Likewise, the Christian’s works will be tested by fire, and he’ll be rewarded for those which remain . . . The judgment seat of Christ is only concerned with a Christian’s rewards and position in the kingdom, not with his salvation.” (Smith)
  • The judgment seat was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

(11) For the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow to me and every tongue will confess allegiance to God.'"

  • Paul quoted Isaiah 45:23: I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name."
  • Philippians 2:10: so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

(12) Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God.

(13) So don't condemn each other anymore. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not put an *obstacle in another Christian's path.

  • *obstacle: stumbling block in the KJV. A “stumbling-block” literally means anything laid in a man’s path, over which he may fall.

(14) I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong.

(15) And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

  • Another classic debate issue is Christians drinking alcohol. Some Christians think having a drink is acceptable and others do not. Getting drunk is considered sinful behavior.  (Ephesians 5:18.) Therefore, the classic debate issue is “Can a Christian have a glass of wine with dinner?”  The application here is even if we think it is ok, we should not drink in the presence of another Christian if they think it is wrong. On such issues, it is best to keep on the safe side. Make an attempt to withhold our “rights” to do things that could cause other people to stumble in their faith.
    • Ephesians 5:18: Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.
  • Greathouse via Coffman wrote that the real danger was in influencing the weak brother to do what he regarded as sinful in violation of his conscience.

(16) Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is all right.

(17) For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

(18) If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too.

(19) So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

  • Christians must follow after things that make for peace; we must strive to build up one another, not the reverse. All of this, of course, is to be accomplished in an atmosphere of loyalty to the truth.
  • Christians are to be constructors, not destructors!

(20) Don't tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble.

  • Paul is back to his favorite illustration:  food. His point is if eating or not eating certain food groups causes other people to stumble, then we should give up our rights.
  • The danger is in trying to “fix” people, we are turning people off to Jesus. Unfortunately, the history of the Christian church has seen lots of people walk away because they can’t stand to be around certain people in the church. The “sin police” have caused many people to walk away from God.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:27-33: If someone who isn't a Christian asks you home for dinner, go ahead; accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you and don't ask any questions about it. Your conscience should not be bothered by this. But suppose someone warns you that this meat has been offered to an idol. Don't eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person. Now, why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God. Don't give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. That is the plan I follow, too. I try to please everyone in everything I do. I don't just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them so they may be saved.

(21) Don't eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble.

(22) You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right.

(23) But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn't eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

  • A clear conscience does not make a wrong act right, but a violated conscience can make a right act (in terms of its basic nature) wrong for that individual.
  • The motto of the Christian should be “compassion without compromise.”

Romans 15:1-7: We who are *strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.” Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

*strong: The stronger (more knowledgeable) faith, for example, perceives that certain meats, formally “unclean” under the Mosaic economy (Leviticus 11), are no longer forbidden to those in Christ. These saints understand that certain “days,” formerly esteemed as “holy,” henceforth are not to be viewed as such under the law of Christ. The “strong” Christian must exercise patience so as to understand that the “weak” have not reached the level of knowledge that is possessed by the more mature (vv. 2-3). Therefore the strong must extend compassion and longsuffering, allowing the weak time to grow, thus reaching a level of comprehension wherein he can move forward in Christ without violating his conscience (vv. 5-6, 13, 15-16).

Paul warned "strong" brethren (mature Christians who were doctrinally accurate) not to drive weaker brethren away from the truth (or church). All Christians need to realize that when disagreements occur, we do not "make points" with God simply by "proving the other person wrong." While seeking the truth on a disputed issue, we must also make every effort to avoid "giving offense" to those with whom we disagree. Interestingly, Romans 15:1 indicates that God puts greater responsibility on "the strong" for maintaining unity than he does on "the weak" (those who don't yet realize they are incorrect on a particular doctrine or issue).

Here's a poem an instructor I used to work with frequently mentioned in his training classes entitled "Wreckers or Builders":

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”
And I tho’t to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?

NOTES:

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Bible studies are held in Oakbay subdivision in Noblesville, Indiana. In-person Sunday studies have been eliminated because of COVID-19 concerns. Wednesday studies at 7:00 pm led by Don Terry via Zoom - presently studying the Book of Acts from a dispensationalist viewpoint. Bi-monthly Wednesday’s women’s studies at 7:00 pm led by Carolyn Terry via Zoom - presently studying Paul’s second letter to Timothy - and his last writing. You can see several of our present and past studies but we covered many other subjects before starting this blog. The goal of these studies is to bring each of us to know Christ better (epignosis) and then to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 3:14 and to hear Jesus’ “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”. Dedicated to the memory of Don & Carolyn Terry’s daughter, DJ (Dorothy Jean) Terry, who went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ in 1999 at 20 years old.