ROMANS 14
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. – Romans 14:1-4
ROMANS 14 ON JUDGING ONE ANOTHER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As you serve the Lord Jesus Christ, be accepting of others
You are all different and yet all made in God’s image
Who are you to judge someone else different from you?
Didn’t God make you all equal with diverse functions?
Welcome those who are weak in their faith
Do not create divisions among the body of Christ.
In our world today, we want our voices heard. We want to be seen and respected. The prevalence of social media has propagated a culture of voicing out our own opinions and being judgmental and critical of others. We have been far from accepting and respecting those who look different from us. We like to control what makes us uncomfortable and try to mold others in the image that we would like them to be. We judge what we don’t understand. This is clearly the work of the devil: to divide us and to put down those who do not meet our standards. We forget that it is God’s standard alone that matters. He created us after all. We have clearly violated a lot of boundaries when we do not understand God’s character. He alone is the judge. He gave us his laws so we can hold each other accountable to keep watch on ourselves and one another so we don’t fall into the tactics of the devil to deceive us and create division among us, especially in the communion of saints. In his first letter to the Corinthian (vs.12-13) church, Paul says this: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the churchwhom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
REFLECTION
- How is the word “judge” twisted by the world system?
- What did Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 regarding judgment?
