In a world screaming tolerance and Christian’s being labeled as intolerant, (even amongst each other), it becomes necessary to understand what is important to stand upon and what is merely a matter of conscience. Our lives should reflect the love of Christ for the world and one another. The Bible spells out, in great detail, those things on which we cannot compromise, but when we let our convictions about personal freedoms become our Gospel truth, we hurt the body of Christ and our witness to the world.
Romans 14 addresses issues which Paul labels as “doubtful things”, yet the Christian community for over two thousand years, has struggled to live this out effectively in love. We are all guilty of failing the “love one another test” in this area, as we pass judgement on fellow believers whose God-given convictions are different than ours. Our pride becomes our “spiritualometer” as we look at other Christians and gauge ourselves against them, rather than against Jesus Christ, supposing that our lives match the image of Jesus better because we don’t do such and such.
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess[b] to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
What does it mean then to be weak in faith? David Guzik states:
“Receive the one who is weak in the faith: These are words to take seriously. Paul warns us to not make spiritual maturity a requirement for fellowship. We should distinguish between someone who is weak and someone who is rebellious. 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)
The church is to be a place of love, fellowship and growth, a place where God is worshiped in spirit and in truth. When we require those who enter, to look like our version of Christianity, we are missing out on the very opportunity to disciple and build the body of Christ. None of us has arrived. None of us has attained spiritual maturity. It is not instantaneous nor final, but is an ongoing process of growing into Christ-likeness.
“We proclaim him, teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect [mature] in Christ” (Col. 1:28). God’s purpose is to produce disciples who reflect the perfect humanity of His Son, people who are able to react to the exigencies and trials of life in an adult and not in a childish manner—meeting adult situations with adult reactions. In short, God’s purpose is to produce people who fulfill their humanity and become what God designed for them,” writes J. Oswald Sanders.
So how does bickering over non-essentials draw us closer to Christ and demonstrate love for our fellow believer? If God has given one the freedom to “eat meat or drink”, then do so, but not at the expense of stumbling one’s brother. If I know my personal conviction is not held by another, but I choose my freedom over their well-being, how is that love?
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things(1 Corinthians 13: 4-7).
We will all bow before Jesus Christ one day, in perfect worship and love, and we will answer only for ourselves. So why do we focus so much on the “doubtful things” we see in others? Certainly this is not how Jesus behaved as He ministered on this earth. He did not have an expectation of immediate spiritual maturity when He chose His disciples. He did not require a sin-free lifestyle when He told Zacchaeus He was heading to eat at his house. He did not expect the woman at the well to just add spiritual water and presto she would be perfected in an instant. He walked with His followers and showed them how to love the Father and live for Him.
We in the church must stand for the Truth found in the Word. There are absolutes that God calls sin and we must not waiver on these things, but too often our personal agendas and convictions splinter the body of Christ over “doubtful things”, giving the world a reason to cry hypocrisy.
C.S. Lewis states, “… the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.”
When we bicker over the non-essentials, we are not drawing men to Christ. When we judge others by our standard of “godliness”, we are despising our brother, according to Paul. When one’s personal freedom steps on another fellow believer, causing them to stumble, we are not loving as Christ loved us. He died for that person, just as He died for us. Be the bigger person, die to self, and love your fellow man as Christ loved you.