“Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” — Romans 14:13-14 NASB
Romans 14 is often looked at by Fundamentalists, Baptists, and many other protestant denominations as the “Christian Liberty Chapter.” I disagree with that a bit, that’s not what I think this chapter is about. Maybe I have a wrong understanding of what they mean by “Christian Liberty”, I’m not sure. But here’s my understanding of this chapter.
Paul wrote here about the conscience and not crossing it. He does all but ask the question “why do you believe what you believe?” We all have reasons why we believe what we do. Different passages of scripture say different things and we prioritize them as we see fit, which we should.
But what do we do when we come across another fellow Christian who has slightly different views and opinions? How do we handle the disagreement? What things are okay to disagree on and what things aren’t?
My Aunt came up to Maine for a visit last October, and she expressed that she was finding things about her church that she doesn’t like. My father, her brother, is a wise and smart man and he asked her a question. “Are the things you disagree on mere opinions, or are they doctrinal issues?” He got her thinking in a different way about the disagreements. I don’t know what the disagreements are about, but she told me that she thought about it again, and it really is just opinions. Their disagreement is on the little things. They still agree on the big stuff such as salvation and how to live a Godly Christian life.
Naturally, as you go through life, you’re going to meet people you disagree with. We all do, and maybe you might disagree with me on this thing or that thing. That’s okay. We can still grow together in Christ, as long as we agree on the big and important matters.
In the church in Rome, at the time of Paul’s letter, the believers were arguing over silly and stupid things. The biggest and probably the most common argument was the question of eating meat that had been offered to idols.
Some Christians saw that as sacrilegious and as blasphemy against God. “How can you eat a steak that has been used in idolatrous worship?”
Others said that it wasn’t a big deal at all. “They set it in front of a piece of wood and did some weird dance next to it. So what? The wood is just wood and the dance really did nothing except maybe help them lose a pound. It still tastes good, and it’s a lot less expensive than at the market.”
So what did Paul instruct them to do? “Let them believe and serve the Lord the way they believe is right. That’s their conscience. But those of us who don’t see a problem with the meat offered to idols, don’t you dare give it to those who don’t eat it. Don’t even eat in front of them, because you may cause them to stumble in their faith.
A good friend of mine told me once that she has no issue with women wearing pants, so long as they’re modest and not overly revealing. However, she knows that other women in her church don’t think women should ever wear pants. Now, what these ladies do in their own homes is their own business, but my friend has decided that when she goes to church for anything, she changes into a nice and modest skirt. The others in the church with stricter consciences see the nice skirt, no red flags are raised, and the ladies can easily come together and enjoy Christian fellowship over the many things they do agree on.
That’s just one example of things modern day Christians are known to fight over. Quit fighting and learn to enjoy the fellowship of other Christians who have their faith and trust in God and God alone, just like you do.
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