QT 12/31/2024 Rom 14:1-6, Understanding convictions

Romans 14:1–6 (ESV) —

1 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.

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

 

NOTE: The passage is really about convictions, in the cases above, the issue is food (Edenic diet vs non-Edenic diet), and special days (Sabbath, Sunday, Feasts, etc.,). The formula is such:

 

1. One person believes "A" while the other person believes "B"
2. Let no one despise (look down upon) the person who does "A" or pass judgment on the person who does "B"
3. God is each person's master and we will stand before him
4. I would add, in every case, one ought to be able to give honor to the Lord in the activity and give thanks to the Lord in the activity.

 

I suppose if the activity does not honor the Lord or give thanks to the Lord, those are warning signs to the individual (not to others) that maybe they should review their convictions. If a habit that you justify, based on convictions, does not bring you closer to God but rather, farther away from God, that is probably a good sign that it is not a good activity, and that you are using the idea of conviction to justify an activity that you know God would not approve.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I justify any activities or beliefs that really do not honor God nor give him thanks?
2. Do I judge others for their activities or beliefs because they are not the same as mine in cases where the scriptures are not absolutely clear?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to see my own activities through this prism. Help me to reevaluate anything I am doing that does not bring you honor and thanks.