Romans 14

Koinonia Ministries

In matters of conscience and opinion within the Christian faith, we must welcome and not quarrel with one another. The stronger brother must not despise the weaker, nor the weaker judge the stronger. The Lord stands as judge of all and can persevere His people. Whether therefore we eat, drink, observe days or abstain from doing so, we must do all to the honor of the Lord with thankfulness to Him. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, everything about our life and death belongs to Him and is not for our own glory. Each person must stand on His own before God. Turning particularly to the strong, we must be sure that our actions do not cause severe, eternal stumbling to the weaker brother. While we may be correct in our position, if the weak cannot engage with a clean conscience, it is sin for them. Liberty is good, but if it (like legalism) becomes what is most important, we have missed the point. A right relationship with God, right relationships with others, and right relationship within ourselves is what defines the kingdom, pleases God through Christ, and wins the hearts of our fellow Christians. We must not, then, shove our convictions on others to their harm, but rather, we must be satisfactorily convinced that our behavior is proper between us and God.