Day 212

2 Chronicles 29:1-36; Romans 14:1-23; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 20:12

AS BELIEVERS, WE often hear phrases like “unity in the body.” We tend to believe that if and when everyone who believes in Jesus finally gets on the same page and we are all like-minded, we will have unity, and powerful things will happen. The problem is that we are more likely describing uniformity rather than unity.

The idea that we can find unity in uniformity is counterproductive and segregates us into theological camps where we battle one another over who controls the truth about what we believe. This is the issue the apostle Paul dealt with in our reading from Romans today.

“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong,” Paul wrote (Romans 14:1). He then gave examples that reveal some of the ways the early believers were segregating themselves. The first was about which foods could and could not be eaten. The second was about which days were to be celebrated as holy. From these examples, we can extrapolate to the many ways we continue segregating ourselves.

Paul brilliantly addressed these postures in a way that shatters our constructs and forces us to face our tendency to judge:

Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

For Paul, the Master is the only legitimate judge, and we’re wasting our time attempting to usurp His authority so we can be right. Rather, we should keep our eyes on our own lives and be led by the Holy Spirit about what we can and cannot do and how we should live. We each have a different story to tell, and we each have different strengths and weaknesses. Uniformity will not bring us into unity by force.

“Why do you condemn another believer?” Paul asked. “Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. . . . So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall” (Romans 14:10, 13).

If we would take Paul’s advice, we would find that we have the freedom to walk with God personally and that God will give our journey guidance, dignity, and grace. We don’t have to define ourselves by what someone else thinks. Rather, we can be who we are as the Master transforms us. However, we cannot allow this reality to cultivate pride. We must be aware that our freedoms may cause others to stumble on their journeys. As Paul put it:

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

We each have a story to tell —and we will stand before God as individuals. However, we can’t ignore that our lives affect others. Unity will not come when we have all become clones. The body of Christ is as wide and diverse as the human race. Unity will come when we agree on the essentials of our faith and offer abundant grace in our differences. Or as Paul admonished,

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

MEDITATION:

Ears to hear and eyes to see —both are gifts from the LORD.