The Great Divide

Intro

Satan is the author of division. He sests families apart, churches apart, people apart. Division is the beggining of the end for a family, church or nation.

Jesus said:

Mark 3:24 NASB95

24 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

Question:

Can something be sinful if you do it, but not sinful if i do the exact same thing?

Authority

To start this message lets talk about authority.

The bible is the highest authority on all matters of faith and practice.

It is the ultimate authority for the Christian.

What the bible says is Law.

What the bible says on any particular issue leave absolutly no room for personal opinion.

For example:

Exodus 20:14 NASB95

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

Adultry is sinful. Thats final because God said it. My or your opinion on adultry is irrelavent.

Another:

Exodus 20:16 NASB95

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

It is sinful to lie, thats not my opinion, thats what the bible says so there it is sinful to lie.

If the bible calls something a sin, then it is a sin.

So the bible is our highest authority. Simple.

The Conscience

However, here is an intresting and very important issue:

What do we do or say about issues on which the bible is silent, offers no commands or no stipulations?

What do we make or what should we believe on things the bible says nothing about?

Romans 14 is God’s answer to that question and its so important for every christians to understand.

If the Bible, which is your final authority, is silent on a pareticular issue, then God tells us in Roamns 14 that the Christian must fall back on his/her second highest authority.

And what is the Christans second highest authority?

Their Conscience.

Conscience problems

Now this is very intresting and potentually problomatic. I wonder if you can see why?

What is the potentual problem of using our conscience to judge biblically silent issues?

The problem is that many times, our conscience disagrees with other people conscience.

Now, our conscience should all agree on issues about which the bible has made clear. We should all agree that say, fornication is wrong. Manipulations is wrong. muder is wrong.

We should agree on these issues because the bible speaks clealry on them - we must have no opinion on them.

But on issues about which the bible is silent God has given us permission to have an opinion.

Look at the opening verse of Romans 14:

Romans 14:1 NASB95

1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

Lets read a bit more:

Romans 14:1–5 NASB95

1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.

Let me ask tyou more questions:

According to New Testament Scripture:

It is a sin for christians to eat pork?

Is it a sin if a CXhristian refuses to eat pork?

Is it a sin if a Christian considers every day to be holy?

Is it a sin if a Cheristian chooses to dedicate one particular day just to God?

Now you must understand that many Christians have strong personal opinions on these and many other issues where the bible is silent.

The most important thing to remember is:

Romans 14:5 NASB95

5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.

The key word in this verse is “Own”. Your opinion, your conscience must be convinced in YOUR OWN mind. Not in my mind, or your neighbors mind. But you must be convinced in YOUR OWN mind.

Lets read more and it will become clear:

Romans 14:5–6 NASB95

5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

Here is the reality:

What my mind, conscience says on silent issues it often going to be different than what you mind, conscience says on silent issues.

That is not a problem, that is normal, the point God is making is:

Romans 14:10 NASB95

10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

Having a different opinion about something the bible is silent on is perfectly fine. What is not fine is passing judgment on someone because their conviction is different to yours.

Now iasked you earlier is something can be sinful if you do it, but not sinful if i do it.

Well the answewr ro that question is yes. Somthing can be sinful for one person but not another.

Look at Romans 14 verse 14

Romans 14:14 NASB95

14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

lets use pork again because its an easy and common one.

If your conscience, for whatever reason, tells you that eaing pork is wrong,maybe because Jesus cast the demons into pigs, whatever the reason - Your conscience is fully convinced that eating pork is wrong - Then if you eat pork, you violate your own conscience and authority it is unclean.

However, if another persona s conscience does not believe earing pork is wrong, then can eat as much pork as they want and because they are not violating God’s word, or their own conscience it is not unclean or wrong for them to eat.

Romans 14:22 NASB95

22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

Again the key issue is that the person who does not eat must not judge or look down on the person who eats and the person who eats must not judge or look down on the poerson who does not eat.

Romans 14:20 NASB95

20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.

Application

Now why am i talking about this and why do i believe thats its an urgent message?

Because Satan is hard at work causing devision right now.

This new devision is not based on food or drink or days. The great devision we face, which Satan is pushing hard is regarding the CIVID19 vaccination.

There is a deep devision and war brewing bewteen the vaccinated and unvaccinated and i want it to be known now before it even starts that i will not tolerate it here at UFGC.

Here is a question for you:

Does the bible say that getting a vaccination is a sin?

Does the bible say that not getting a vacination is a sin?

The answer to both of these is no, therefore the issue of the vaccination falls safley into the relm of Romans 14.

Which means that each person has to be fully convinced in their own mind, accoring to their conscience and is 100% allowed to have an opinion on the matter.

There are going to be people, like me for example, that see nothing wrong or sinister regarding the vaccination. I have no problem with it. I just had my second dose this week.

But there are also going to be people whos conscience differs from mine. Their conscience will tell them that it is the wrong thing thing to do.

Each of us is “fully convinced in our own mind”.

Each of us has formed an opinion.

Each of us is listening to our conscience.

What matters is that who who are fine with getting a vacination do not judge or look down with contenton those who are not getting vacinated

and

That those who do not agree with the vaccination do not judge or look down with content on those who see nothing wrong with the vacination.

Let me tell you what is not ok:

The vacinated accusing the unvacinated of putting God to the test.

and the unvaccinated telling the vacinated that they should just put their faith in God.

Your job is to be convinced in YOUR OWN MIND, not to convince others.

A good thing about silent issues that the individual is 100% free at any time to change their opinion on these things.

I know many christians who at a time refused to eat certan foods. But over time changed their opinion and conscience and now eat those foods without a second thought.

You are allowed to change your opinion and conscience on silent issues.

You are NOT allowed to fgorce your opinion on others and look dfown on those whos conscience is different.

Conclusion:

Examine your hearts right now.

You are eiuther for vaxination or against it.

If you are for the vaxination then ask youself: How do you see a person who against it? Do you judge them for their opinion?

If you are against the vaxination: How do you see a person who is for vaxination? Do you judge them?

If you do, then know this: You have sinned in the eyes God and need to repent.