“Bearing with one another”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Saturday, February 12, 2022
Romans 14:1-23 (Forward, p. 14) CEV p. 1185
Looking back at the life of the early church, some readers are under the illusion that everyone in the church was of one mind, with scarcely any disagreements or differences of opinion. They fail to notice the unrest concerning what ‘appeared’ to be discrimination against the Greek speaking widows in the Jerusalem church (Acts 6), or the dispute over the Gentile mission and what should be expected of Gentile converts (Acts 15:3-35) or the falling out between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36-41), that almost came to blows.
Today’s passage from Romans deals with disagreements as well. Now, to us, these particular disagreements may ‘seem’ to be pretty minor, pretty inconsequential, but apparently, to those who held these varying views, they were pretty important. That is why Paul saw fit to deal with them.
Basically, there are just two issues here, namely that of diet and what foods are ‘acceptable’ and what are not, and of how we worship God (or what day or days we set apart to do so). (Note, however, this: neither of these are key or crucial beliefs or activities.) Some people hold to it that they should only eat vegetables, while others feel that any food is quite okay. And some believers chose to set apart just day each week as important, whereas others think that all are the same, namely that they can worship and honour God anytime. So, what does Paul advise? He advises his readers not to criticize or judge each other for their privately held opinion or belief. After all, this other person isn’t responsible to you, but to the Lord. Each person is free to make his or her own opinion, because, after all, he or she must one day answer to the Lord. So, in other words, just leave it be.
However, Paul does mention one other factor, one factor that mitigates or tempers that freedom. If your action, or your viewpoint, is negatively affecting another believer, then, for that other believer’s sake, quit. It is wrong to cause problems for each other by what you say or do or believe, and certainly, if it negatively affects their own faith in God. Yes, your beliefs, your actions, are generally just between yourself and God—but not where they begin to impact others. For the love of others, and God, we should desist where they do so. After all, we are called to serve each other and live in peace with each other. Amen.
Forward notes: “Let all be fully convinced in their own minds…Those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God” (verses 5b, 6b).
“My church is full of people from all kinds of different Christian traditions, which means that we have many lively theological debates about … well, almost everything. We (mostly) agree on the core principles of our faith, but we don’t all have the same view of Scripture, we vary in how much we draw on tradition, and many of us have a postmodern skepticism of reason. We’re not even in unanimous agreement about whether we should celebrate birthdays or pray for the dead.
“This can make for some stressful committee meetings, but Paul reminds us that this kind of diversity in beliefs and practices is actually good. As long as we remember that our ultimate commitment is to Jesus Christ, worshipping alongside others who practice their faith differently can help us not to hold too tightly to our own traditions. What matters is not whether we choose to eat or abstain, but how our choices help us give honour and thanks to God.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Think of someone with whom you often disagree. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for that person and for diversity in beliefs and practices.”
