HOLIER THAN THOU?
Romans 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
Disputable matters! Boy, with today’s presidential candidates there seems to be plenty for both of them. But as Paul points out there were plenty in the early church, and there are still many in today’s church too. People are in dispute about women being pastors, contemporary music in church, how the church appears and same sex people in the clergy and leadership. These and many more things challenge the loyalty among Christians. This is one of the reasons for the discontent that causes so much church hopping today.
Where do we draw the line so to speak? Few churches seemed to have caused Paul so such frustration as the Corinthians, although the Galatians seemed close behind at times. Even with the Romans, Paul warns them of division in their church. He talks about accepting the weak in faith and disputable matters, but also stresses the importance of uncompromising on the gospel he preached regarding Jesus. In this chapter Paul reminds them that everyone will be judged by God, but God will enable us all to stand. In other words he will intercede for the mature and immature alike.
Some Christians accepted the eating of all meat implying meat sacrificed to idols. Some avoided all meat in fear of eating meat sacrificed to idols. Many struggled with circumcision the same way. Some of the Christians came from a Jewish background, and felt that a Christian must obey all the laws of God in order to be saved. Others came from a background of idol, and they saw no need to obey Jewish law or tradition. For many it became not just a matter of conduct, but spiritual superiority. Some did not see all Christians as being on the same spiritual level of salvation. This of course leads to pride and a cass mentality in the church, and we know that this is not right.
Division among Christians in the same church, denominations or as a whole is not good for the individuals or the Body of Christ that Jesus died for. Paul points this out in I Corinthians 1:10-12, and then finishes by saying is Christ divided? In other words Christians are related to Jesus and it is he that died for us, and we should undivided loyalty and devotion to him. It was more than financial support for him although this was a very deep hurt in his ministry. Other pastors had drawn away Christians that Paul must have helped become believers in Jesus. In doing so they had also changed what Paul had preached to them. Many were returning to Jewish beliefs and customs. They were turning from salvation by faith in the grace of Jesus’ atonement, to works righteousness by obeying the law. But as we see in I Corinthians 5, Paul tells them to expel the immoral brother. A Christian had married his father’s wife, and Paul says that the church was even proud of it. Paul points out that while everything is permissible not everything is beneficial. What is Paul getting at is how the church should relate to one another?
I believe the answer is in the undivided devotion to Jesus. We should live and relate to other brothers and sisters in Christ as they are brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus died for all of us. There is not one Christian that deserves to be forgiven or allowed to go to heaven on their own merit. There is no room for spiritual pride in the Body of Christ! We all have come as beggars seeking mercy from the Lord.
What we do need to remember is that like any good relationship built on love and respect, there needs to be correction as well as encouragement at times. Somethings are just not good for a Christian to do. It is not good for that person or the church that they are associated with. This is why Paul points out that all things must be done in love for one another. Putting Jesus first in our life also means we must put our brothers and sisters in Christ before ourselves too. Paul even points out that if eating meat from idol sacrifice upsets someone, he will not eat it for the sake of their conscious. How we treat and relate to our brothers and sisters in Christ reflects on our relationship with Jesus, and Jesus recognizes this. This is why he said that if we give a cup of cold water to one of his, it will not go unrewarded. While we need to be concerned about our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to remember that Jesus loves them, and he is the perfect one to correct them and minister to them. It will be Jesus that intercedes for them on Judgment Day. Jesus is more than able to make us stand no matter how mature or Christ-like our life was.
What we need to do is make sure that we keep our eyes on Jesus and have an undivided heart for him!
Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus for your patience with us. Please forgive us for not being all you hoped we would be. Please help us to daily love you more, and seek to be more like you with ever increasing likeness. We ask this in your holy name.
