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REFLECTION
“Who do you think you are?” is the theme for our reflection. “Who do you think you are?” means the questioner is implying that the person to whom the question is addressed has exceeded their authority, and interfered in something which was not their business. It is also a way of telling someone through the use of rhetorical question that he or she does not have the right or the authority to be rude, arrogant or judgmental. We shall reflect on the fact that we do not need to be judgemental but exercise tolerance concerning the convictions and expression of faith by other people.

Beloved in the Lord, a person with a strong faith believes that everything created by God is good for consumption. However, Paul describes others with the phrase “weak faith” because those who consume everything consider those who do not eat everything as having a “weak faith”. Pauls teaches us that it is not our business to look down on others because we percieve them to have a weak faith based on preference of food to honour God. God is the soveriegn judge to determine who is right or wrong in matters of outward demonstration of faith and not we who consider ourselves as having a strong faith. It is for this purpose Paul wrote, “ Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Romans 14:1-4) Those with “weak faith” also believe that they must avoid some types of food or practices because it defiles them and makes them unworthy of the Lord. Paul reminds us that God is the final judge when it comes to our convictions and expression of faith. No one should condemn or despise the other based on their beliefs and spiritual convictions. For example, the fact that I do not eat pork does not mean that a person who eats pork is impure. It also does not mean that the one who does not eat pork has a “weak faith.” We are greatly admonished by Jesus, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (Matthew 7:1)

Beloved in the Lord, we must learn to tolerate one another and not be judgemental in our approach to people who express their faith and convictions differently from ours. We come from different racial, ethnic and tribal backgrounds. Many who became Christians have certain practices they wish to uphold in honouring God. Although we all believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, how we express our faith may be different. We are not to judge, look down on or despise others because they do not practice or uphold our doctrines or beliefs concerning food, days of worship or worship style. It is for this reason Paul wrote to the Roman Church to admonish them “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:5-6).

It is important to note that the differences in our religious practices and beliefs as churches or Christian denominations or even among individual Christians are irrelevant when it comes to our salvation in Jesus Christ. These are only internal convictions and external expression of faith concerning how we feel about honouring God. The most important fact that unites us is accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord Saviour and being led by the Holy Spirit to live a life that pleases God. Irrespective of how we demonstrate or manifest our faith, the sovereignty of the Lord over our lives is paramount. In other words, for those who share Christ in common irrespective of the differences in our practice or demonstration our faith, Jesus continues to reign in our lives whether we dead or alive. It is for this reason that Paul admonished the Romans “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. (Romans 14:7-9) Again, Paul continued to appeal to them to please the soveriegn Lord rather than judging others and placing an impediment on their way, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. ” (Romans 14:17-22). No matter our peripheral convictions and beliefs about food, days of worship and dressings, the most important fact is our salvation and relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to salvation, the differences in our beliefs concerning food, day of worship, dressing and other issues cannot save us. These extra or peripheral religious practices or convictions are relevant to the extent that they enable us to honour God. With this understanding, different denominations or Churches can work together in the spirit of ecumenism since we all share Jesus Christ in common as our Lord and Saviour. Ecumenism is the promotion of unity among Churches in world, irrespective of their doctrinal differences and practices. Our individual convictions and doctrines must not divide us or prevent us from working together to fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. We must learn to tolerate one another by allowing our mutual salvation in Jesus Christ to enable us to work together in fulfilling God’s mission on earth. Christianity stands for peaceful coexistence, tolerance and love devoid of any form of judgemental sentiments. Dear friend, if we have the conviction that someone is lost according to their beliefs we must not engage in quarrelsome arguments, Paul admonishes us through his letter to Timothy, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. 2 (Timothy 2:23-26)

In summary,Romans 14 teaches Christians to welcome and not judge each other over disputable matters, like food choices and observance of certain days, because God has accepted both strong and weak believers. While those with weak faith abstain from certain things, those with stronger faith have freedom in Christ but should not use their liberty to cause a weaker brother to stumble or destroy the person for whom Christ died. The goal for believers is to pursue peace and mutual upbuilding, remembering that each person answers to God and that the Kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, not secondary rules. Shalom.

PRAYER
Holy Spirit grant us discerning minds and hearts to live at peace with all without being judgemental. Help us to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus over our lives so that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. Amen.