This passage from Romans 14:22-23 reads as follows:
The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
When I have read this passage in the past my first thought has been the literal one with regard to food and maybe some other
behavior and too often I have looked at it with regards to others, (yes I can be self- righteous) but listen to these words when read in the Message paraphrase:
Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others. You’re fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. But if you’re not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe—some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them—then you know that you’re out of line. If the way you live isn’t consistent with what you believe, then it’s wrong.
The book of Romans gives us such practical guidelines for living our lives for Christ. Getting along with one another, especially fellow believers and not just our Baptist friends, is a very important part of our daily walk. Once again I am reminded that it is up to me to get along with others and grow in my faith and not someone else. So let’s check ourselves and make sure that what we believe and say we believe is lived out in the moment to moment living of our lives.
Singing His Praises!
Mark