Romans 14:2-4 - Partaking and Abstaining

Romans 14:2-4 - ² One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. ³ The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Message: Disagreements in the Body

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

Romans 12 and 13 dealt with man's responsibility and now in Romans 14 I begin talk on Christian Liberty or how I am to conduct ourselves on matters that the Bible s not clear on. Yesterday, I looked at the differences that normally arise from people at different maturity levels in their faith and the disagreements that can arise. 

Disagreements are normal and it is interesting that Paul when talking about principles speaks of disagreements or differences in conviction that arise among people in the Body. I think this a very hard lesson in the Church today because I see that there are different denominations or many different non-denominations that have differences in points of emphasis. Many churches are looking at the same Bible and have the same basic view of salvation and yet conduct their churches in different manners. I think the big danger in a church is the belief that they are better than other churches and to be a true Christian then people must worship or do church in the way that they see it should be done. Obviously, I think people need to be sensitive to falsehood, but it is amazing that this often results in separation.  

I think we really must be careful in this because people can alienate non-believers with their disagreements. I can do this often. I think I just need to be careful in this, that I don't make a new believer think that there is only one church they should attend -- my church. 

Today's passage is a prime example as it deals with people with 2 different convictions - meat eaters and vegetable only eaters. The concern that erupts is not just that people have these differences, but that God only accepts people that have the right application to the right conviction. I think what concerns God is our heart attitude.

Promise:  From TableTalk, - taking time to understand one another can go a long way in helping to not judge one another inappropriately.