This Chapter Would Save Us Some Time
Romans 14:1-4, 12 CSB
1 Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don't argue about disputed matters. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge another's household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Having been active in the Body of Christ for close to fifty years, I have noticed that we waste a lot of time. The wasted time is all about the judging and criticizing that we do to one another. Social media has not helped. If anything, it has added to the opportunities to pass judgment. Now we not only have to deal with keyboard warriors, but we also encounter keyboard judges.
I wish I could say this is a recent phenomenon of our media-driven era, but evidently, Paul was dealing with the same self-proclaimed judges in the church at Rome. Paul spoke to the church about welcoming someone who was weak in the faith, but not in order to argue about disputed matters. The disputed matters Paul was referring to involved foods. Some believed that they could eat anything they wanted. They were not concerned at all with eating meat or only eating certain kinds of meat. And in the other corner were the vegetarians. Paul mentions these people were weak in their faith, so this wasn't a healthy life choice; this was a matter of their conscience. Then Paul straightened out both groups. The carnivores are not to look down on the vegetarians. And the vegetarians are not to judge the meat eaters. Really? Is this an issue?
Evidently, it was a big enough issue for the Holy Spirit to prompt Paul to address the errors. With all the amazing doctrinal truth contained in the book of Romans and Paul was having to spend time separating the steak from the salad crowd to make sure everyone plays nicely. Verse four has been one of my go to verses when it comes to dealing with Christians, particularly other preachers. Paul asks, "Who are we to judge another's servant? To His own Lord, he stands or falls, and the Lord is able to make him stand." This is such an important rule of thumb. Whose servant are we judging? Who is their Lord? Who are we to determine whether they stand or fall; the Lord can make them stand.
I think over the years, people have figured out that I am not jumping on the judgment train. They will ask me about certain ministers, and my answer is pretty much the same. They are not my servants. They do not report to me. I am not their judge. That role is way above my pay grade. I have a lot to do, keeping up with the areas where I do have authority. I don't have the time, talents, or temperament to get involved in judging other preachers. But what about the ones who are wrong? Not my job. If I don't like what they have to say, I am perfectly content with letting their Lord sort things out. And I don'twatch or listen to them.
Verse twelve puts a bow on this whole judging thing. Each one of us will give account of himself to God. I have to give account for what God has assigned me to do. And He never assigned to me the role of judge. Are we to judge teaching as to whether it lines up with Scripture? Absolutely. But I am not qualified to judge another's heart. Paul goes on in the chapter to encourage the church at Rome to focus their efforts on making sure they do not cause their brothers and sisters to stumble. In essence, be a blessing, not a judge. Walk in love with your fellow believers and pass the steak sauce or the salad dressing. We will sort out the rest in heaven.