Itching for an Argument

Scripture Reading: Romans 14:1-23

Not every question has an answer. Not every problem has a solution. There are issues on which Christians of good faith can disagree. Some positions we take are mere opinions, and our brothers and sisters are at liberty to hold a different opinion, and that doesn’t make them less spiritual. These are some of the arguments Paul is making in Romans 14. In this context, the issues were about what was acceptable to eat and whether certain days should be marked for special observance.

Disagreements were turning into quarrels, and quarrels were turning into judgementalism, and judgementalism led them to despise one another. They were spending a lot of energy and spiritual capital “quarreling over opinions” (14:1). None of this led to good outcomes. Paul exhorts us to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (14:19).

In today’s hypercritical culture we are encouraged to be a critic of everything said and done. We can end up carrying that spirit over into our church life and our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We forget that they aren’t performing for us. They are doing what they do and making the decisions they make in an honest effort to honor the Lord (14:6). So, when it comes to these matters over which we don’t see eye to eye, leave the evaluations to the Lord.