Whose responsible?
Mar 2
Romans 14:1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
Romans 14 is filled with a lot of situations which Paul discusses and in which there are two sides to the coin. And when these situations concern brothers or sisters in Christ, then it comes down to who is responsible or who is the more mature Christian. For example in the above statement, Paul says we must accept those who are weak in the faith, and we must do so unconditionally, without judging them. This is a matter of being humble. The proud person will think they are better than the weaker one. But God resists the proud. So it up to you who is stronger in the faith to accept him who is weaker, even if what they are doing is grey or questionable or not according to your conviction. Note this is not about sinning. If a brother is clearly sinning (eg stealing etc) that is different, as we then need to restore him and make sure he stops and that means brining it to the light.
Vs 5 says: Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
and then later Paul says
vs 22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Let each man be convicted and convinced in his own mind. As Christians we so often don’t really maker up our minds about something and so we are wishy washy, being tossed by the waves and blown by the wind. That ought not to be so. Whatever we do must come from a conviction, where we are convinced fully that what we are doing is right. But if someone else thinks differently (eg about keeping the Sabbath or about what he or she east) then do not judge them for it.
15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.
On the issue of food, which is the main reason for this chapter, Paul says that if what you do is distressing your brother, then you are not acting in love. So if you know someone will be offended or their faith will be weakened by your actions, and you do it anyway, you are sinning and not acting in love, even though you may be convinced that you are right in what you do. So this is again, reminding us that showing love is not just about doing right, it is about being sensitive to those around us, on controversial issues.