Justice, Law, History
Serving a Just God
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)
Romans 14:13-23 The Message13-14 Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more complicated than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it. 15-16 If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don’t eat, you’re no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning! 17-18 God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you. 19-21 So let’s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault. You’re certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God’s work among you, are you? I said it before, and I’ll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don’t eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love. 22-23 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong. For ReflectionChristian congregations are not 100% homogeneous. But, generally, our communal beliefs and values are similar. Individual beliefs and values, not so much. They are more nuanced. Some are more liberal in their interpretation of how to practice the Gospel. Some are more conservative. But, as Paul has put it, neither conservative nor liberal has it 100% right.
Experience and learning over time change us. Our Christian attitudes, beliefs, and values today are subject to change. Doubt is not the enemy of Christianity. Complacency is. As diverse as we might be, if we engage each other in mutual respect and love, we may learn from each other, grow deeper into Grace, and find peace and joy in the differences that no longer divide us into tribal blindness. PrayPray and let the Holy Spirit guide your life. Pray and find compassionate ways to accept each other as a child of God despite our differences. Pray and celebrate the diversity among us as a strength.
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