No place for condemnation: "Conversations with other believers"
Romans 14:10 “So Why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”
Paul spends most of chapter 14 writing to the Romans about their relationship with other believers. Paul uses two examples (probably classic examples during that time period) around the consumption of food and worship days to talk about this treatment of other believers. It is obvious in the text that there are already different views among believers about living out the faith and the text seems to suggest that there is the condemnation of believers happening in the midst of the Romans. The argument of “they are wrong, we are right” has already begun. Paul addresses the issue and reminds the Romans that it is God’s job to judge and we will all stand before God in judgment. I can sense in the text that evil is already getting the church off track from its mission. Satan is turning the church into her own navel and critiquing each other instead of loving the world to heaven.
In an odd way it is encouraging to me this morning to know that the humanity in Romans is the same humanity that surrounds me today. I find myself looking at the Church today and it seems that we are so busy condemning each other that we have no time to join God in loving the world to heaven. I am as guilty as anyone. I love a good argument over theology and doctrine but what is interesting to me is that at the end of every single argument I’ve ever had neither person (myself or the one I’m arguing with) has changed their mind. I wonder what would happen if all the energy we pour into proving we are right and someone else is wrong; I wonder what would happen if we put that energy into joining God in loving the world to heaven. I wonder what would happen if we allowed God to do the judging and we just concentrated on being faithful to the mission of God. My hunch is that we would find more in common with other believers and that many more would come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Lord, forgive me for allowing evil to get me side tracked from the mission. Forgive me for looking down on other believers because they may have a different belief than I on certain issues. Lord, give me the grace to look for the common ground in other believers and to go from there. Lord, may my conversations with other believers not be around why I’m right and they are wrong but may my conversations be about joining together in the mission of you in the world. Give me this grace today! Amen!
Judgment is for God; my job is to give everything I have to the mission!
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