Believers have long debated social issues and church doctrine. Many of the present day grievances Christians express towards one another have been addressed in the antiquated pages of the Bible. If your specific concern isn’t found there, for example, the angst of pornography, there is at least one scripture or biblical story that will provide an infallible pattern to follow.
Out of the 27 books of the New Testament, 13 of them come from a single contributor. Some even try to add the book of Hebrews to his repertoire, theoretically making his catalog a whopping 14 books. Not only do his letters potentially account for over half of the new testament, but half of the book of Acts is about his missionary work.
He said follow me as I follow Christ, so let’s follow the Apostle Paul’s example on handling “disputable matters.”
The Law of Liberty and Love.
In Romans 14 Paul tackled brewing disputes over factors that really weren’t fundamental for salvation. In the early church contentions over lawful foods and holy days were common, the church in Rome came with no exemption and needed the counsel of God to dance through this tricky topic.
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Some commentaries suggest the acceptance of non-kosher foods was the problem while others specify the issue stemmed from believers eating or abstaining from meat that may have been sacrificed to idols. Whatever the case may be, this wasn’t essential to their salvation then and isn’t essential to our relationship with God now. What you eat and what day you worship on doesn’t allow you special access to Go
d, neither is salvation obtained or maintained by our commitment to these things, thus making them “disputable matters.”
These are conundrums, individual responses to these problematic and perplexing questions may vary. Criticisms over these nonessential affairs can spur unnecessary qualms, causing some to be offended and ultimately experience spiritual decay.
Two Factors Fueled this Dialogue.
- Believers with Weaker Consciences – those who couldn’t eat “unlawful” foods without feeling condemnation and held a strict observance to the Sabbath.
- Believers with Stronger Consciences – those who embraced complete liberty by eating as they desired and accepting all days as holy to God.
If we believe our relationship with God is dependent upon what we eat or drink, then our faith is a bit weak. Should stronger faith believers use this to justify forcing their weaker believing counterparts to accept this view??? No. The one that is stronger should bear with the failings of the lesser and not to gratify himself, but to strengthen the other (Romans 15:1).
Whether weak or strong in our faith, we shouldn’t hold others in contempt or condemn them as “sinners,” especially over matters that aren’t harmful to their relationships with God.
Knowledge Can Make One Arrogant.
At times, our understanding, our mastery, and our insights can inflate our egos or act as incubators for religious pride. Paul writes:
Now about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge [concerning this]. Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].
1 Corinthians 8:1 Amplified Bible
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Ultimately, this self-righteous behavior is an operation of legalism. Legalism holds the basis that our relationship with God is earned with our behavior. It occurs when one places priority and value in what they have to offer God. It is most often displayed through unfruitful religious exercises.
In Romans 14, what prompted the weak and the strong believers to snub their noses at each other? Legalism. Religious pride caused opposing groups to look at the other and say I’m doing it better than you because I can eat or because I can abstain from eating.
Presently, legalism has slithered into many assemblies and problematically is being taught, much of which I believe and hope is inadvertent. To combat this, we must know and understand what we believe. In our understanding, we should then maintain God’s approach and sincerely accept all into our places of fellowship, refuge, and solace, as He has so freely accepted us. The same God that has changed and continuously shapes you to be like Him has not lost His power. He is able to transform those you openly embrace.
Avoid Inconsequential Matters.
Paul suggested avoiding “defiled foods” in front of weaker faith believers out of love for them. From this text we can conclude, when facing matters of secondary importance it’s fairly simple to avoid vexing current and even future members of God’s tribe with our opinions.
By doing this, you escape the penalty for causing one that Christ died for to be hurt and stumble. (Romans 14:15). When we truly love others as Christ loves us and as we grow in that love, we will become more aware of the wellbeing of others and this unselfish love will become second nature to us.
Declarations.
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In selfless love, I will learn how to refrain from initiating and instigating arguments.
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In maturity, I will learn how to allow my freedom to liberate others, not dig ditches for them to fall in.
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In humility, I will learn to accept the knowledge I’ve been entrusted with, without boastfully operating in self-righteousness.
PRAYER
Father, I thank You for allowing us to see and recognize how important all people are to You. Saturate our hearts in the compassion of Christ and grant us Your wisdom to govern this gift. Reveal any areas legalism that may be hiding in my life, as we see from the text legalism doesn’t just say what you can and cannot do, but legalism also causes us to look down on others for not being like us. Forever, allow me to rely on Your sheer goodness, grace, and mercy in this relationship You have called me to and allowed me to have with You. You’re a Good, Good Father and I want to truly help others see that.
In Jesus Name, Amen!
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Therefore let no one judge you in regard to food and drink or in regard to [the observance of] a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. Such things are only a shadow of what is to come and they have only symbolic value; but the substance [the reality of what is foreshadowed] belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17 Amplified Bible
We who are powerful need to be patient with the weakness of those who don’t have power, and not please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good in order to build them up.
Romans 15:1-2 Common English Bible
Featured Image Photo Credit: Flickr/phil marley
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