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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what He approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Romans 14:22-23
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
We all have convictions, firmly held beliefs or opinions on life matters, matters that come in many different contexts within our society.
Today, differing views can be held on matters like politics, social justice and equity, navigating the COVID pandemic, climate change, voting rights, gun control, and immigration reform. And of course, one can even find disagreements within any one given church about any number of internal (and sometimes external) issues.
So given that we all have our positions on items of social and spiritual debate, it’s no surprise that God’s word would step into the fray and help us better learn how to properly develop our convictions. Look again at the closing verses of Romans, chapter 14:
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what He approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Romans 14:22-23
You’ll recall that the main problem within the Roman church that Paul addresses in this chapter is the conflict that existed between people over dietary restrictions. Some believers thought it was inappropriate to eat meat and so they ate only vegetables. Other believers held the view that any and all food was permissible.
Now if they had simply held to their convictions and respected one another, Paul wouldn’t have had to write the way he did in this chapter. But that’s not what happened. Each side stubbornly held onto their viewpoint and looked down on the other side. In other words, different opinions led to a schism between believers and this was certainly counter to the unity God expected His people to exercise.
And so Paul provides a solution, one that not only was applicable more than 2,000 years ago but remains true today. This solution allowed someone to hold onto their convictions but instead of clashing heads with other over differing perspectives, a person was to keep their beliefs between themselves and God.
Why?
Because when we share our convictions with God, He tests them as to whether or not they are aligned with His standards. If not, then He will help us adjust and reform our schools of thought so they model His. And then when we share our stances with others, we aren’t really sharing our stances but the Lord’s, and frankly, that’s all that really matters, right?
In the end translation, when it comes to matters of public debate, the only side that counts is God’s side. For His posture on the issues of the day will be the only one that is perfectly right, holy, and divine.
The nearer you draw to God in your life, the more your life will look like His and you will become more and more as you were created, in His own image, full of His convictions, not your own.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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