Saturday, June 4, 2011

Who I am to Judge?

3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Romans 14:3-4

Christians tend to splinter off into groups over personal convictions. Now I believe that there are some paths that people can choose that do lead to separation from the group. If someone denies Christ or preaches heresy, then the Christian body has the duty of standing against it. But there are some practices that the Scriptures leave up to personal conviction. That is, a person must be lead of God and his own conscience in certain matters upon which the Scripture is silent. We cannot make those matters qualifications for Christian fellowship. They ultimately answer to God. As Paul asks, “who are we to judge someone else’s servant?”

I will aspire to not judge others over matters of personal conviction. I will keep my own convictions with all of my effort, but I will not become judgmental of those who do not see the matter the same way that I do.

Lord, help me to not set myself up as anyone’s judge. Help me to stand for truth and at the same time allow variances in other’s convictions and preferences in matters where You have been silent.

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