by Pastor Rich Carlson

This chapter is a challenging one on the topic of passing judgment on those who live (or eat) differently than I do. The chapter contains the argument against those who look down on people who eat meat or other such "disputable matters." It even goes so far as to say that people with "weak faith, eat only vegetables" (Romans 14:2)! It contrasts people who consider one day more sacred than another with those who consider every day alike (14:5).

Here are some of the issues as I saw them:

• I should not look down on others because they differ from me (see 14:3).
• I should not live just for myself, I belong to the Lord (14:7, 8).
• Everyone has to stand before God for what they believe (14:4, 10, 12).
• It is not so much about judgment as it is about being a stumbling block (14:13).

Here are some of the solutions I saw:

•  "Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind" (14:5).
•  "Stop passing judgment on one another" (14:13).
•  "Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (14:19).
•  Keep personal convictions between you and God (14:22)

As I wrestled with this chapter, this was a main point that helped me: Don’t be condemned by what you approve (14:22). There appears to be a fine line between "judgment" and "approval." Both sound to me like they have their issues. Sometimes I think that in the name of not being judgmental, I have stood for nothing and accepted anything and everything. Being judgmental and condemning toward others is not good, but apparently neither is approving of everything. There is a difference between being judgmental and exercising good judgment. 

Our post-modern culture tries to convince me that everything is somewhere between "it’s relative" and "it’s okay if it feels okay." I disagree. I have to take a stand for what I believe and live by my convictions. And, I can stand for something without squashing you down and condemning you if you don’t believe the same way as I do. Standing up for my convictions does not make me better than anyone else or more deserving of God’s love, but it does make me more responsible for my actions and attitudes in life.

As I see it, my confrontation with evil, is not of the I-am-right-and-you-are-wrong-and-I’ll-prove-it nature, but is rather a witness, of what I have been discovering in God’s word and in my experience that gives me focus, joy, and peace.

Rich Carlson is campus chaplain at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. “God Is Faithful” is adapted from the email devotionals he writes regularly for the Union College family. Rich enjoys filling his life with God, his family, and especially his five grandchildren.