Major on the Majors, and Minor on the Minors

Romans 14:1-12

Scripture: Romans 14:1-12 (ESV) “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who does not eat, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Devotion

Imagine walking into a bustling church luncheon where everyone has brought a plate of food to share. There are all these tables lined up with an assortment of choices. Some sizzling hot and spicy, others cool and refreshing, desserts decadent and sweet, and sides crisp and savory. Each person has brought their specialty, their family’s traditional recipe, or their latest culinary experiment. As everyone gathers around, plates in hand, there’s no squabble over why someone chose tofu over turkey or apple pie over chocolate cake. Instead, there’s a celebration of variety, each dish adding to the colorful spread. That is what the community of faith is supposed to be like. While it is true that Scripture gives us lots of instructions as to how we can and should worship God, it doesn’t give us rules to follow. The Christian community is supposed to be diverse in how we live out our faith. There are non-negotiables, but there are also many many things the Bible just doesn’t seem to care all that much about.

The problem is, we often fall into the trap of majoring on these minor things. How easily we get caught up in judging others over minor differences! This is especially in matters of personal conviction, where we are so convinced we are right, that we see those who disagree with us as sinners. But beware, your conviction might actually just be personal preference. In Romans 14, Paul tackles this issue head-on, urging us to focus not on winning arguments or proving our righteousness, but on living in unity.

Paul uses the example of dietary choices and observance of special days to illustrate how diverse the practices of faith can be among believers. Some may eat everything, others eat only vegetables. Some honor certain days, others treat all days the same. The key is not what choice is made, but the intent behind it: are these acts done in honor of the Lord? When we judge or despise others for their choices in these “disputable matters”, we venture into dangerous territory. It leads to division in the church and can ultimately derail a community of faith. Paul reminds us that each believer answers to God, not to each other. God is the only one capable of truly judging our hearts and actions.

The call to action here is clear: welcome each other, and respect each other’s convictions. This isn’t about agreeing on everything, and in fact in a well functioning church there are many things that shouldn’t be tolerated. But on these disputable matters, we need to value unity more than making others conform to our personal preferences.

Because often our most deeply held convictions are actually just that: personal preferences…

Prayer