Unity: The Beauty of Being One - Table Talk Episode 59

Hello friends! This week Andrew Wild sits with special guest Lee Fielder as they discuss the recent sermon on Unity in the Church from our sermon series, “Church Matters.”

The associated sermon can be found here -    • Sunday Worship Service for October 26, 2025  

The desire of this Table Talk was to provide clarity on additional questions that might have surfaced by the Oct 26, 2025 sermon on Romans 14. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul makes an argument for individual Christian liberty on disputable matters. While several examples were provided for what constitutes a disputable matter, I (Pastor Andrew Wild) received several questions on what constitutes the essentials that can’t be left to individual conscience. A helpful articulation of the essential beliefs of the Christian faith can be found under the beliefs section of our website. http://riveroakschurch.org/who-we-are... To the best of my knowledge, there is not a chapter in the Bible that provides an exhaustive list of the essential behaviors (or ethical practices) for followers of Jesus. Passages like 1 Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, and Rev 22:15 are informative but not intended to be exhaustive. We can applaud the one who is curious if such a list exists because they recognize God is concerned with how we live. This is the point of 1 Cor 7:19: “For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.” So what are the commandments of God? This would include the ethical teachings of Jesus, the moral precepts of the Mosaic law, and the moral commands found in the New Testament. One might wonder, “how come this list isn’t neatly summarized somewhere in the New Testament?” It seems the apostles who interpreted and applied Jesus’ teaching where more concerned with helping believers understand the basis for Christian ethics than providing lists. As image bearers, we are to be imitators of God (1 Pet 1:14-16). Christians don’t practice falsehood, because lying is inconsistent with God’s moral character. Christians are to be faithful in their marriage relationships because God is faithful in all his covenant commitments. Perhaps a list of essential behaviors doesn’t exist, because human tendency could be to turn it into a self-salvation strategy. Like the rich young ruler, we might be tempted to think, “all of these I have kept.” Instead, the New Testament is more focused on encouraging believers to live out their new identity in Christ. Rather than focusing on an external code of conduct we are exhorted to:
· Walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16)
· Be led by the Spirit (Gal 5:18)
· Live by the Spirit (Gal 5:25)
· Walk as children…try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (Eph 5:8-10)