Romans Part 6: RESPONSESample

Unity Over Division

There was a problem brewing in Rome. A group in the church, mostly legalistic/weak believers, wanted to adhere to the Old Testament ceremonial laws. The weak believers were judging the stronger believers who were enjoying the new freedoms they found through the grace of Christ Jesus. The stronger believers were contemptuous of the weaker believers. There was an internal division happening in the church and Paul had to address it.

As we grow in Christ, our closeness with Him leads to personal convictions. So many of us, myself included, might look at someone else who is partaking in "the thing" that we no longer want in our lives. We tend to point our internal finger at that person or feel that we are better than they are because we know it is wrong and they don't. We must recognize that what we are experiencing is a personal conviction and belongs to us, not necessarily to our brother in Christ.

Do not allow personal convictions to cause division among your fellow brothers in the church.

If I feel that the Lord doesn't want me to drink coffee for a season, it doesn't mean I must give up coffee, too. I personally believe that I should not get a tattoo, but if you feel like you want a tattoo, that is between you and the Lord.

The bottom line is we need to know how to handle personal convictions about things such as alcohol use, television, the Sabbath, sarcasm, how we dress, etc. without allowing them to cause division.

-Stacy Tennesen