Ever sit through a lecture about a standard of faith that you find ridiculous because, well, in your opinion, it is? Yeah, me too, and I’m a pastor! Paul writes this wonderful little piece to the Christians in Rome who were obtrusive with their faith and shaming themselves and others based on a faith logic and opinion that was ridiculous. I encourage you to read Romans 14 in context and get a grasp of what’s going on here, but the gist is this: people who claimed to be followers of Jesus started making a big deal about small matters of faith with other followers of Christ and it escalated into something inappropriately irrational. They were arguing about vegan and non vegan options at the time, but I’m sure the argument expanded well beyond that.
The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. (Romans 14:22 ESV)
Paul concludes that your faith should not make me stumble in my faith– that is to say that your standards are not my standards; and vice versa, my standards are not your standards of faith, so therefore don’t take our respective faiths and be obtrusive to each other with it because it’s silly to do so. Now, just to clarify because I know some of you will take this and say that then there is no reason to share the gospel because it is a personal faith that should not be obtrused upon other people, but let’s get this clear– Paul is talking about faith in Jesus Christ as savior and all the things that happen and you do as a result of believing Jesus as your savior. He is not talking about people with no faith in Jesus Christ as their savior. They should indeed hear the gospel and come to faith (that’s up to God and that person, not you). When there are two people of faith in Jesus, they should not become embattled in the practices of each other’s faith, but should be encouraged by one another’s faith and the things that he or she does in faith. Also as a note, if you do nothing with your faith, that is no faith, it’s fantasizing. Faith does things, just not obtrusively to other people.
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