Hold the Vegetables

In Romans 14:1 we read, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters." One of the things missed in this verse is who it is that has weak faith. Given the context of the passage, the one who has weak faith is a person who eats only vegetables. While most of us don't argue about whether or not we should eat only vegetables, we have had experience with those of weak faith trying to put us under their bondage. Yes, it is bondage to believe that you should only eat vegetables given all the foods at your disposal to eat. However, while it may not be vegetables, the subjects that take the place of vegetables are things like baptism, church attendance, tithing/giving, asking forgiveness, and prophecy. This list is not all-inclusive, but you get the point. Just like the person who believes that eating anything other than vegetables is a sin, so it is with those who believe you have to share their views about these other subjects. They end up causing division in the church because those who do not agree with them are treated worse than unbelievers. For example:

If you believe that a Christian is not subject to living under the law, those that do will say things like, "Talk about easy believism and I am not saying that is a good thing." This is nothing more than one Christian putting down another in a self-righteous quip. This leads to offending another Christian who believes differently. The response to this comment was, "You are very obsessed with the Law. God isn't ... Hell is full of Law keepers and commandment keepers, while no one who is born again will ever go to hell." Both individuals believe they are preaching the truth. The problem is that neither one of them is acting in love. They are sacrificing their fellow Christian on the altar of beliefs because winning the argument is more important than keeping the peace. No doubt they have forgotten the warning of Paul who said, "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15)." How would these individuals answer the question that Paul asked?

"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 14:4)." All we see here is Christians judging each other over disputable matters. It all starts with being obsessed with the law. When you believe another Christian is obligated to believe or behave as you do or else they are worthy of condemnation then you are the one worthy of judgment. Scripture is clear that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)." But, we condemn each other to the point where fellowship and unity are lost. We tend to treat each other the way in which we believe God is treating us. So, if we believe we are under the law then we believe that we are under the "ministry that brought condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9)." Therefore, it makes sense that people who believe we are under the law will condemn those who believe in things like eternal security. They fear God will condemn them for their lack of obedience and their fear turns into condemnation for those who disagree.

When we were children we were told to eat our vegetables because they were healthy for us. Unfortunately, the poor taste of vegetables combined with our natural rebellion as children led to numerous conflicts with our parents. However, as you age and care more about your health, you realize the value of eating vegetables. This change of heart is what changed your mind about vegetables. When you encounter people who don't see things as you do, the memory of how you came to like vegetables motivates your behavior toward them. You don't condemn them for not eating vegetables, you give them the reason why you enjoy vegetables and trust this information will persuade them. When it comes to preaching the Gospel, what is the best tactic? Do you tell unbelievers they are going to hell for not accepting Jesus Christ or what persuaded you to accept the Lord? If sharing the Gospel with unbelievers is treated with grace, why can't we treat each other with that grace when it comes to disputable matters?

It is not how we Bleed, but what we Believe

There is a popular Christian song out called, "Bleed the Same." The song opens with these Lyrics:

"We all bleed the same
We're more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We're divided"

While the sentiment of this song is appreciated, it is short-sited and, for a Christian to ask, "Tell me why we're divided?" makes me wonder what they understand about the faith. As the song continues, we are presented with examples of the division going on in the world. It speaks of headlines talking about, "Another innocent life taken in the name of hatred." This appears to be referencing the various crimes in the world from terrorists attacks, to people being gunned down within the inner cities, by the police or in mass shootings, etc. Next, the song asks, "Are you left? Are you right? Pointing fingers, taking sides..." Obviously, this is referring to the political divide in the country that exists between the political parties, their supporters as well as the media reporting on the politics. It is true that we all "bleed the same." However, the answer to why we are divided is because we don't all "believe the same." All you have to do is look at what people believe to discover what motivates their actions. A terrorist said this when talking about his motivation: “Allah is our objective, the Quran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, Jihad is our way, and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations.” Just before he shot his female victims, a mass shooter in Canada told his victims, "I am fighting feminism." When it comes to politics, the rhetoric is glorified in campaign slogans like, "Make America Great Again," or "Change we can believe in." When you add in the volatility that can be found with the supporters on either side of the political spectrum, you will start hearing terms like, "Alt-Right" and "Looney Left" thrown around. It is endless. Jesus Christ said, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man ...  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:11,17-19)." When we see people murdering others in the name of their god, it is because of what they believe in their heart about their god that is motivating them. When someone decides to go on a shooting rampage because they feel they are attacking feminism, it is because of what they believe in their heart that is motivating them. When people are supporting one political party over the other and using slogans and derogatory terms against their, perceived, enemies, it is because of what they believe in their heart that is motivating them.

In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul was addressing the men of Athens when he said, "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring (Acts 17:26-28)." When Paul says that God has made from "one blood" every nation of men, he is saying that all mankind is the descendant of the first man, Adam. So, it is true that in one sense, we do all "bleed the same" because of our common ancestor. But, because of sin, we are all born into this world spiritually dead to God. And while we are groping to seek the Lord, in order to rectify our need for Him, we end up believing in all sorts of things that the world offers through sin; false religion, gender issues, political identities, etc. When we put our faith in these worldly substitutes we end up living, moving and having our being in them instead of in the Lord. The end result is a divisiveness that keeps us all separated from each other and may even lead some to violent extremes in order to enforce their beliefs on others. Even if you don't believe in any of these topics mentioned, when you are living your life apart from Christ, your cause is still fulfilling the desires of your own flesh. This pursuit ends up with you defiling yourself with evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, bearing false witness, blasphemies and many more sins. Nobody is spared. It is all evidence that what you truly need is a change of heart and that change of heart can only come through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The desires we all have in our heart, that we try to fulfill with things from the world, were put there by God. However, they were put there by Him because He is the only one that can fulfill those desires. That only comes when the Holy Spirit of God, originally lost when Adam sinned, is restored to you upon your receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior. The moment you do, the life of God is restored to you; raising you from the dead spiritually. It is then and only then that we will all "believe the same" and become "united" instead of "divided." That is why the Apostle Paul would also write, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)." We may all bleed the same, but what is more important is that we believe the same about Jesus Christ, His shed blood for our sins, and His resurrected life for our salvation. We are more beautiful when we all come together through our shared faith in Jesus Christ.