Have you ever been in a disagreement with someone and at some point you realized that while you may have been having a heated argument, what you were arguing about was actually not that important?  I know there have been times in my life where this was the case.  Let’s look at what Paul has to say about disagreements over “faith” matters in Romans 14 together today.

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 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. 4 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. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Paul reminds us not to dispute matters that are of our own convictions.  When he says to accept the one whose faith is weak he is speaking to both sides.  When we become so convinced of something that we begin to look down on the “other” side we need to pause and remember these words.  If someone is teaching something that goes against Scripture that is something different but I find that many of our disagreements do not fit into this category.  We argue over politics or worship preferences, or any number of things that may be important to us.  Paul says to stick to our convictions if we feel strongly, but reminds us not to look down on the other side or even enter into arguments with them.  We should be a people who when the world looks at us the very first thing they think is that we are a people who love like Jesus loved.  I pray that might be the case in each and every one of our lives!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave