Romans 14
New Hope Daily SOAP: Romans 14
Pastor Vicki Harrison
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Romans 14:1-4, Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
It is unclear exactly who Paul is speaking of in this chapter. Who were the "weak" and "strong" Christians in Rome? It's possible that the weak Christians were Jewish believers who still felt strongly about dietary restrictions connected to faith but that has not been verified. What is clear is that Paul doesn't judge either group but merely comes down on the side of unity.
The Christian church is one that includes all kinds of people, from all walks of life, from countless cultural traditions, with all kinds of personalities and dispositions. We are brothers and sisters and we are all part of God's family. But just like other normal human families, these differences can lead to conflict and disagreement. Paul's writing in this chapter demonstrates that these disagreements, over what we might describe as seemingly minor stuff, have been around since the beginning of the church. Paul is saying to accept one another and try to not judge one another for those differences of opinion.
An example: Many of you remember our mission trips to the Dominican Republic. The church in the DR has very different ideas about what's acceptable and not acceptable for Christians than we do in the United States. In many of their churches, women sit on one side and men on the other. Alcohol is forbidden, as is dancing outside of church. I have some pretty strong opinions about all of these things. But Paul is saying not to get too caught up in these disagreements. Accept your brother or sister with the different view and don't fall into judgment. What's most important is what unites us.
Let's pray...Lord Jesus, we struggle with judgment. We judge the people around us, we judge Christians from other traditions, and we judge the brothers and sisters in our own church! Forgive us, Lord. Help us to see people as you see them. Help us love people as you love them. In Your Name, Amen.