“Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not ridicule 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. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall …for the Lord is able to make them stand.” (Romans 14:1-4)
In the military there are Christians under an assortment of labels: Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, etc. The believer will find that not all Christians observe the same practices. Some Christians have no qualms with drinking alcoholic beverages or smoking. Other Christians abstain from these. Some Christians refrain from celebrations like Halloween. Others see no problem with them. Some Christians closely adhere to all the observances of the Christian Year (e.g. Lent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, Pentecost, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and numerous feasts). Other believers have no idea what the “Christian Year” is. Most Christians worship on Sunday, but some worship on Saturday.
Which Christians are right? According to Paul the apostle, they can all be right. This is because each Christian has their own personal relationship with God. Each has Jesus as their immediate supervisor and divine Master and they answer directly to Him. That’s right. Regardless if others pass judgment on the believer for the things he or she practices – or fails to practice – they are all ultimately answerable to Jesus Christ alone. Now this only applies to matters that are disputed among churches. It does not apply to practices which are clearly commanded – or condemned – in Scripture.
But there’s another side to this issue. You see, love for our fellow believers should temper this freedom we have in Christ. If what I believe to be acceptable is reprehensible to my fellow Christian, then I need to be discreet in exercising my Christian freedom. I do not want to hurt their relationship with God. In Paul’s day, the big issue among Christians concerned the eating of meats which had been previously offered to pagan gods. To the Christian whose faith was strong – who knew that no other gods exist besides the Almighty – eating such meats was no problem. To the Christian whose faith is weak – who saw these gods as real and enemies of Christ – it was a sin to eat such meats. For those who were stronger in faith, the temptation was to ridicule the weaker Christian for observing such silly rules. For the one who was weaker in faith, the temptation was to condemn those they saw as participating in idolatry. Thus, both the strong and the weak in faith became guilty of sin.
REFLECTION
- Are you critical of other Christians who practice things you condemn?
- Is it possible that while you condemn them, they ridicule you?
- This is not how Christ taught us. He commanded us to love one another.
