1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
(This post was previously posted at my other blog - Biblical Homekeeping)
I have actually been struggling with this concept for a while now. Since I have become more aware of the specifics of what I believe (theologically), I have found myself being uncomfortable and even upset with people who have different opinions than me, on some very non-essential-to-salvation matters. People have also become upset with me for what I believe on certain issues. What I learned today was that if you are a Christian, we are all God's children and we all are trying to serve the Lord to the best of our ability. We each have opinions (some more prominent than others) and we are bound to disagree. What this portion of scripture is telling us is to not purposely pick fights with each other on issues that are not critical. If we do so, we are weak in our faith. We are not trusting God on the matter, we are trying to take it into our own hands and change the way a person thinks. When you really think about it, that is a very large percentage of what we humans talk about!
One illustration that Pastor Randy gave today was of a TV in the home. Some people do not have a TV in the home because television today is full of sin, blasphemy, and destructive behavior and they simply do not want that in their homes. Then there are people who do have TV in their homes, but they are very selective about what they allow their family to watch. It is not our place to judge each other on this issue, because it is a matter of opinion. It is not a sin to have a TV it is not a sin to not have a TV. If a family has a TV in the home, the person without the TV in the home should never assume that the other family is any less Christian. Or even worse, assuming that they are not Christians at all.
I know I am guilty of doing this! I have had this happen many times. I think we all have the tendency to do this while discussing politics, entertainment (books, movies, television), foods, and drinks. What do you think when you see a Christian have a glass of wine or even a beer? What do you think when you hear a Christian talking about certain TV shows or movies? What about Christian democrats? Biblically speaking, it is not a sin to drink wine, watch TV, or call yourself democrat, but they are definitely a few examples of things that make many Christians think, "Uh oh. They are not really saved!"
Having an attitude like this is not healthy, nor is it helpful in any way. You will not help a person by starting a debate over something they so passionately believe to be true. If a person is weak in their faith, God will deal with their heart. It is not up to us to try and change a person's heart, only God can do that. If the person truly is saved and one of His children, the Lord will work to change them according to His Will.
Don't get me wrong, there are definite signs that a person is not saved and there are ways to know if a person is doing something wrong (sinful). If a person is consistently living in sin with no sign of a change, no sign of repentance, and lacking faith in Jesus Christ, they are more than likely not saved. If they are sinning, then it is wrong. If it doesn't line up with the Bible, it is wrong. This is an entirely different issue though.
If a person has an opinion that differs from your own on a moral issue, you must first ask yourself, "Is it a sin or not?" If it is, call them on it. If it is not, leave it alone and let it be. It is an issue of the heart and God is the only one who can change them.
My Personal Reflection:
When I was younger I was 100% against all alcohol consumption and I thought if a person drank alcohol, they couldn't possibly really be Christians, because the Bible says not to get drunk and I could not see why anyone would drink alcohol without the purpose of getting drunk. Just in the past few years have I learned that there are people who drink occasionally and never allow themselves to get drunk. It was around that time that these verses really began to speak to me on the issue. My thoughts on drinking now are very different than they used to be. I understand that it is not a sin to drink, but it is a sin to be drunk. I should never judge Christians who drink occasionally, it is not my place. Could they be weak in their faith? I don't know, I don't really think so, but if they are - God will do a good work in them. I still have not had even a drop of alcohol in my life, but my reasons for staying away from alcohol are not the same as they used to be. Perhaps I will write a blog on it one day :)
-Shaina
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