Romans 14: Welcoming those with different conscientious convictions as a display of the gospel
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Jews and Gentiles in the Roman Church - repeated point of Paul in Romans: The gospel is about reconciling both Jews AND Gentiles to God
The church was planted by Jewish Christians
All Jews, including Jewish Christians were expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius and returned approximately a decade later - c. AD 41 - 52
In that time, the church in Rome shifted from being primarily Jewish Christians to primarily Gentile Christians, and Jews would have returned from their expulsion to a very different church community than the one they had left
The church would have had issues - kosher foods, Jewish customs vs. Gentile customs, cultural differences, and Paul in part in Romans is addressing this
Key question: how do Christians who have different cultural views and opinions live in harmony with one another around Jesus?
This question is still critical among Christians today
There are many different points of potential tension in the church today
Generational differences
The church has changed over time, has it not?
Do these changes at times bring with them the possibility of tension?
Cultural differences
Our world and society is increasingly globalized, meaning we have increasing intersection of various cultures, all of which come with different preconceived habits, values, opinions and convictions
Biblical interpretation differences
There are many issues of biblical interpretation that have more than one rationally and biblically valid interpretation
How do we live together with unity and harmony amid all of these differences?
Christians today are viewed as some of the most divided, vicious people - particularly to each other
Christians often act no better than anyone else in the polarized state of our country
Christians often
How do we do better?
Libtard
Snowflake
SJW
Triggered’s
Here are some examples of things liberal Christians call people who disagree with them
Birther
Conspiritard
Deplorable
Fascist
Basement dweller
The world views Christians as a group massively divided over a lot of different issues, and it’s partly true that often, we are no better than the rest of our culture at living in harmony and unity despite diversity
We should be the people MOST ABLE to live in harmony, because our unity is based not on any one or set of our opinions, but rather on the work of Jesus Christ to redeem us and our faith in him
Dr. Gerry Breshears, professor at Western Seminary, offers a helpful way of distinguishing between different levels of certainty and importance in various issues.
Die for - the issues which identify who is a Christian and who is not; to not affirm these things is to place yourself outside the bounds of orthodox Christianity and right belief in Jesus
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead
Divide for - issues that make fellowship among a church difficult
I. Christians have diverse convictions of conscience
I. Christians have diverse convictions of conscience
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. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:1-
A new category of thought - differing weight of various convictions
We have varying levels of certainty and importance in our beliefs - not all beliefs are equally weighty or even clear
Dr. Gerry Breshears, professor at Western Seminary, 4 D’s
Die for - I will die on this hill, and tell you that you are not a Christian if you do not affirm these things
Resurrection of Jesus
Sinlessness of Jesus - there is a pastor in Portland that said that Jesus was racist against non Jews and had to overcome that “sin”
Divide for - I will tell you that you cannot teach in our church if you will not affirm these things
Deity of Jesus
Divide for - I will tell you that you cannot teach in our church if you will not affirm these things
Divide for - I will not say you are not a Christian because of these things, but we will struggle to find overall unity based on what we see as serious theological flaws or pragmatic concerns
asdf
Church government model - are we governed by an outside denominational leadership, or is every church autonomous?
We have to be careful with this one:
We should not have too many things in this category, or else we have gone beyond the essence of the gospel and wandered into legalism, but we cannot have too few things in this category, or we are a church of no convictions
In addition, we must be careful about what we mean by “divide” - we don’t mean we never associate with people, but rather that we limit the leadership and membership of our church to those that hold the same convictions in this area
Debate for - I will tell you that I think you are wrong but will still stand alongside you in regular Christian fellowship
Eschatology, creation,
Decide - I will decide this for myself and you can decide it for yourself, and I will receive you the same either way
creates a category of thought for us, things that are not clearly taught one way or the other in Scripture but that we nonetheless have strong convictions about
Bible tra
Paul terms the person who feels bound by conscience in these “decide” issues the “weak in faith”
On these issues of “decide”
This does not mean weak in a negative insult kind of way, as if they have small faith or a worse faith or an inferior faith
It means they are bound by conscience to a certain behavior or attitude, or an aversion to a certain behavior or attitude, even though they are justified by faith in Christ
Paul giv
Christians come to Jesus with a lifetime of formed opinions, habits, and attitudes that don’t just disappear from their convictions
For example, Jews who came to Jesus in faith still cared about eating kosher
Another example, some Gentiles who came to faith in Jesus were so disgusted by the carnal indulgence of the pagan world that they turned to a highly disciplined ascetic lifestyle where they sought to deny all pleasures of the physical body, including eating meat
This is not wrong or bad, but it is a conviction of conscience that not everyone shares, and is one that is not expressly given or commanded in Scripture
It’s very difficult to shake off sensibilities that we have held all of our lives, even if it can be demonstrated from scripture that these things, in light of the gospel, are unnecessary
For example, my family has opened Christmas presents ON Christmas day since at least 1988 and I to this day hold it to be almost criminal to open all of your presents on Christmas Eve.
We can be “weak” with regard to some issues and topics and “strong” with regard to others
To be clear, in this context to have the “weak faith” is to have rules that you believe you must follow that are not clearly given in Scripture - this is ok, but it can be very bad
To elevate our personal convictions to a place of deciding who is and is not a Christian is to wander from the gospel into legalism
Example issues
Roman Church
2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Meat - some people eat everything, some only vegetables
Possible tension sources:
Kosher meat vs. non kosher
Meat sacrificed to idols
Gentile Christians who were so disgusted by the carnal indulgence of their former life that they opted for an ascetic lifestyle where they denied the appetites of the body, including eating meat
Wine - one person drinks, another doesn’t
Special days - one person thinks certain days are special, another doesn’t
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
Possible tension sources:
Sabbath?
Sabbath
Religious festivals and feast days?
Observing feast and festival days, either Jewish or pagan
Today’s Church
Schooling - home school vs. public school vs. Christian school
Certain policy views on political topics
Entertainment - Harry Potter?
Alcohol
Music tastes
Bible translations
Great question for your life group this week: What convictions do you hold that are not commanded by Scripture but nonetheless important for you? Do NOT argue about these things, but use this as a way to get to know people and learn about our diversity.
Relationship of the weak and the strong
This does not mean weak in a negative insult kind of way, as if they have small faith or a worse faith
Paul says that we should welcome the “weak,” and not just so that we can quarrel over opinions
It means they are bound by conscience to a certain behavior or attitude, or an aversion to a certain behavior or attitude, even though they are justified by faith in Christ
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Christians come to Jesus with a lifetime of formed opinions, habits, and attitudes that don’t just disappear from their convictions
For example, Jews who came to Jesus in faith still cared about eating kosher
This is not wrong or bad, but it is a conviction of conscience that not everyone shares
Paul says we have to WELCOME the person who has this kind of “weak” faith, different convictions
“The verb means more than “allow to remain in the membership”; it has the notion of welcome, of taking to oneself and so taking into friendship. The weak are not to be made to feel that they are barely tolerated and seen as second-class members. They are to be received with warmth and true fellowship. Christian love demands no less.” - Leon Morris
“The verb means more than “allow to remain in the membership”; it has the notion of welcome, of taking to oneself and so taking into friendship. The weak are not to be made to feel that they are barely tolerated and seen as second-class members. They are to be received with warmth and true fellowship. Christian love demands no less.” - Leon Morris
In essence, you don’t get to look at your Christian brother or sister who is bound by a conviction of conscience that you don’t have and judge them as having an inferior faith or being a second class citizen of the kingdom
It is possible to waste way too much time debating peripheral issues rather than working toward a unified and effective gospel witness
Paul also says that the weak must not pass judgment on the strong
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.
In essence, you don’t get to look at your Christian brother or sister who doesn’t follow all of your convictions of conscience and tell them that they are in sin and not following Jesus.
Both parties must actually welcome one another
Meat
Possible tension sources:
Kosher meat vs. non kosher
Meat sacrificed to idols
Gentile Christians who were so disgusted by the carnal indulgence of their former life that they opted for an ascetic lifestyle where they denied the appetites of the body, including eating meat
Wine
II. We must welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us
II. We must welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us
Special days
Possible tension sources:
Sabbath
Observing feast and festival days, either Jewish or pagan
Paul is creating for us a category of thought and helping us sort through the importance and weight of different convictions
We have varying levels of certainty and importance in our beliefs - not all beliefs are equally weighty or even clear
Die for - I will tell you that you are not a Christian if you do not affirm these things
There are certain things that are hills we will die on, things that we believe to not affirm
Because people feel strongly about their convictions
Resurrection of Jesus
Divide for - I will tell you that you cannot teach in our church if you will not affirm these things
asdf
Debate for - I will tell you that you are wrong but will still stand alongside you in leadership over these things
Decide - I will decide this for myself and you can decide it for yourself, and I will receive you the same either way
We have to walk a careful balance between:
creates a category of thought for us, things that are not clearly taught one way or the other in Scripture but that we nonetheless have strong convictions about
Making everything an issue of sin and obedience where the Bible doesn’t say it
Not talking about anything as an issue of sin or obedience for fear of wrongfully judging someone
Because people feel strongly about their convictions
But we must also hold our convictions, strong and important though they may be, with charity and humility toward others
Application: In essence, we have to have wise discernment, to tell the difference between various levels of certainty and importance in
Issues of obedience to Jesus, salvation, kingdom, gospel witness and mission
Issues of personal conviction, strong feelings, but not necessarily biblically mandated
Issues in the church today
Schooling
Home school vs. public school vs. Christian school
We must be very hesitant to pass a judgment on a brother or sister that God has not passed - in other words, that brother or sister who does not share your personal convictions that aren’t clearly settled in Scripture?
Entertainment: Harry Potter
Diet
Alcohol
Harry Potter
Game of Thrones
Alcohol
God has welcomed him on the basis of justifying him by faith (main theme of Romans)
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.
The Lord is able to make him stand, and he stands or falls before God, not you
God has welcomed us in Christ by justifying us by faith
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Each person gives an account of himself to God, not to you
God is able to make us stand
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
On matters of personal conviction of conscience, we do not pass judgment on each other.
That accounting will be done on the basis of the finished work of Jesus upon the cross
None of us live or die to ourselves
Each person gives an account of himself to God
Therefore, we should not presume to pass a judgment on the master’s servant which the master himself has not passed
Transition: On matters of personal convictions of conscience, we must not judge each other, but rather welcome one another. And this is not simply a begrudging tolerance of people who have different ideas than we do, but rather a pursuit genuine unity of Christian fellowship and friendship.
II. We glorify God by pursuing unity amid our diversity
II. We glorify God by pursuing unity amid our diversity
God is not honored by a group of Christians quarreling and bickering over peripheral issues that are not settled in Scripture. He is glorified by a people who come together to worship him in unity in order to have a unified gospel witness. Paul gives us three practical ideas on how to do this in the context of our community wrestling with convictions of conscience.
1. On matters of personal conviction of conscience, we resolve never to cause a brother or sister to stumble
1. On matters of personal conviction of conscience, we resolve never to cause a brother or sister to stumble
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 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. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 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. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Nothing is in itself unclean, but it is unclean to the person who thinks it is - alcohol
In other words, things are not intrinsically evil or wicked, but they can be used for evil and a person can have a conviction that they should avoid things, in which case that thing is unclean FOR THAT PERSON.
The Bible does not teach that alcohol is evil, but it does teach that getting drunk is a sin because it means yielding control to a substance rather than to the Holy Spirit.
A person believing something to be dishonoring to God cannot in good conscience do that thing.
Therefore, a person can sin by going against their conscience and thereby willingly doing something they believe is dishonoring to God, showing that their desire to honor God in that moment is not as strong as their desire to fit in or indulge.
Therefore, a person can cause a brother to sin if they do something in their presence or lead them to do something they are convinced in their heart is wrong.
This is the meaning of Paul’s later words in when he says, “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
It is possible to, for the sake of our rights, destroy the work of God by grieving the conscience of another person, by forcing them to either
Application: Keep your faith to yourself
NOT faith in Jesus for salvation; this is to be shared, as it is a plain command of Jesus to evangelize
Rather, the faith you have that you are fine to act in freedom in ways that you know are offensive or harmful to others
For example, not drinking in the presence of an alcoholic
It IS ok and healthy to discuss these convictions in a respectful and loving way, for the building up of God’s people
We don’t want to be hiding ourselves from each other in the name of unity, but rather holding up unity as a core value even as we honestly share with one another our thoughts, convictions, and opinions.
uncomfortably confront a brother on something they believe to be wrong, or
tacitly condone their actions by saying nothing, which they feel wrong about
Drinking alcohol in the house of a person who has a conviction that it is wrong for them dishonors and disrespects them
If what we do grieves another person, we are no longer walking in love
The kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
2. We pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding
2. We pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding
It is good to temporarily set aside my rights and freedom in order to build up my brother
It is good to refrain from certain actions in certain circumstances to avoid dishonoring your brother or causing him to be grieved
It is good to keep my personal convictions of conscience between myself and God
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 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. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Everything is clean (you are not bound by someone else’s personal conviction) but it is nonetheless wrong to make another stumble by asserting your rights
Not that I literally never talk about this, because we should pursue transparent honesty and sharing with one another
Not in dishonesty, secrecy, or lack of integrity
It is good to refrain from practicing your rights in certain contexts to avoid causing your brother to stumble
The kingdom is not about eating and drinking - we do not need alcohol for the kingdom of Jesus - are our personal convictions of conscience mission critical to the kingdom of Jesus?
It is good to share honestly with each other about our convictions
This is not meant to be a comprehensive restraint, but rather a circumstantial restraint
Meaning, Paul is not calling people to “never eat meat,” but rather to refrain from eating meat in a context where it might legitimately grieve and cause a brother to stumble.
Obviously, Paul knows that the meat eater is going to eat meat (14:6) and is saying that it’s good to not eat in certain circumstances
If you
There is a guard here against what some have called the “tyranny of the weak,” meaning the attempt of some in the community to enforce their opinions on others by claiming to be grieved or to be caused to stumble; that is an inappropriate application of Paul’s command
This doesn’t mean to never drink alcohol, but rather to wise judge whether your drinking will cause offense and stumbling to a brother or sister in Christ.
The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God
But it is good to keep my conduct that flows out of my personal convictions to myself if I know it will offend my brother, and it is good to regard these things as private matters of obedience rather than public commands
Not faith in Jesus for salvation, but the faith that directs your actions based on what you think is acceptable or not acceptable to you
Not to say we never discuss these things, but that we rather never force these things upon others in a public sphere
Good question to ask in your life group this week: What ideas do you have or approve of that you think other Christians might be offended by?
Not meaning never discuss these topics, but rather not to force them on each other
In essence, Paul is saying that the exercise of your personal convictions is a private matter that you cannot force on the rest of the community in either direction - it actually goes both ways
Blessed is the man who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves - and where the Bible doesn’t give a clear teaching against something, you can approve it without fear of judgment from God, but you cannot force your conviction on someone else.
There is a guard here against what some have called the “tyranny of the weak,” meaning the attempt of some in the community to enforce their opinions on others by claiming to be grieved or to be caused to stumble; that is an inappropriate application of Paul’s command
If you believe something is ok (again, a issue, not a settled biblical issue), then you are free to do that thing
If you do not believe it’s ok, you are not free, because
If you think alcohol is wrong, don’t drink it, and refrain for the glory of God, but do not force others to conform to your opinion
If you think alcohol is fine, drink responsibly giving thanks to God, but do not force others to conform to your opinion, and take care of where you are drinking
2. We seek to build up one another rather than tear down
2. We seek to build up one another rather than tear down
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
If you fancy yourself a Christian who is “strong in faith,” you have an obligation to “bear with the failings of the weak” rather than to please yourself.
Again, this means truly loving people who have convictions that you do not share; the context around this text in Romans makes clear that genuine love is what is at stake here
Your obligation to adapt and adjust yourself around people is rooted in the gospel itself
Jesus did not please himself, but bore the reproach of others.
He didn’t advocate for the unrestrained use of his rights, but gave himself sacrificially for us
Therefore, we should give of ourselves sacrificially for each other, even our opinions and our convictions
By quoting the OT (), Paul is saying that the OT scriptures were given as a way to point us toward Jesus in order that we might be encouraged and given endurance to live a life patterned after Jesus
Your aim should be to build up your brothers and sisters for their good, not win an argument about a peripheral issue
Paul quotes to once again make the point that the OT scriptures were written so that we may understand who Jesus is and how to live our lives based around him
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3. We welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us
3. We welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us
5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
The vision of the community here is that we live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together we may with one voice glorify God.
Our differences should give way to our worship together as God’s people
We have to set down our
We are called to welcome each other as, in the same manner as, Christ has welcomed us
Your brother or sister is acceptable before God based not on the quality of their personal convictions of conscience, but on the finished work of Jesus upon the cross, where he has offered himself as a sacrifice in the place of sinners.
You do not get to render a judgment on others that God has not rendered upon them, and you do not get to reject people who God has accepted
If God has accepted people based on faith, what right do we have to reject them based on their opinions about personal convictions?
Conclusion: This is not easy, because we feel strongly about our convictions and we are slow to let them go
We must welcome one another in the same way that we have been welcomed by Jesus
This is not easy, because we feel strongly about our convictions and we are slow to let them go
This is not easy, because we feel strongly about our convictions and we are slow to let them go
Why does Paul say “may the God of endurance and encouragement” grant you to live in such harmony? Because pursuing unity with people who think differently than I do takes hard work, endurance, and encouragement!
The easy path
To write people off, keep them at arms length, and criticize their opinions than it is to welcome them into your home and do life with them
To just love people that already agree with me and share all of my conviction
To surround myself with people who won’t voice disagreement with me on anything
To default to trying to win an argument rather than build up the community of faith in love
The hard path
To listen well to people with whom you disagree
To welcome those with different convictions into your life
To affirm and build up the body of Christ even when it is populated by people who think differently than you
To worship God with passion and joy alongside someone with whom you passionately disagree about convictions of conscience
This is why it takes encouragement and endurance
The continued encouragement of the gospel, that we are called to gospel unity because we are gospel people
We are accepted by God on the basis of Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection
We are welcomed by God on the basis of our faith in Jesus, not on our conscience
We are called to welcome on another in the same way
Prayer and transition to communion