So then, let us stop judging one another. Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make one another stumble or fall into sin. Romans 14:13, GNT

 

Throughout history, followers of Christ have always had differing beliefs. We often struggle with the idea of allowing God to transform our minds completely and cling to our stereotypical ways of thinking and believing. As we continue to lay our foundations, we tend to build walls that are so high that we exclude all other ideas and isolate people who think differently from us. We fail to leave room for large doors and windows, and in doing so, rob ourselves of the joy that comes with meeting other believers with different perspectives.

 

When Paul wrote this letter to the Romans around 55 AD, the church in Rome was facing some challenges. There were two groups within the congregation: the strong believers and those considered weak in faith. The strong believers looked down on the weak, while the weak judged the strong. In his letter, Paul offered guidelines on how to address the situation.

 

In Romans 14:1, we read, “Welcome those who are weak in faith.” In Romans 14:3, Paul advises: “Those who will eat anything are not to despise those who do'nt.” We can expand this idea to cultivate acceptance across denominational boundaries and different interpretations of Scripture. The belief that one group alone possesses the truth was the very reason that Paul provided these guidelines – to encourage mutual acceptance among believers.

 

In today’s verse, we read, “let us stop judging one another.” Romans 14:19 states, “So then, we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another.” When a house is being built, the builders cannot be in constant disagreement about the construction process; otherwise, the finished product may turn out strange. The same principle applies to the church as the body of Christ.

 

As builders of the church, we should never give the world a reason to mock or ridicule what they may see as an unusual building. We must always strive to show respect for one another and work together in harmony to build the body of Christ.

 

Prayer: Dear Lord, please forgive us when we look at other people and perceive them as strangers because they differ from us. Please help us avoid looking down on people who are different, think differently and even believe differently from us. Amen.