Dealing with our differences is never easy. Walking with Jesus while also walking with other brothers and sisters in Christ can feel complicated at times. While we strive for unity, we also have a diversity of maturity, convictions, and experiences. The same was true for the church in Rome that Paul was writing to. Even more so, perhaps, because of the deep cultural divides that existed then and there.
Today we are considering the whole chapter of Romans 14. Please read it in your Bible, since I won’t reprint the whole chapter in this article.
Paul begins, “Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about disputed matters.” (Romans 14:1, CSB) The door to fellowship should be open wide. This brings up all kinds of questions. In Paul’s time, the disputes were over diet and days. In some instances, those disputes remain. The dividing lines were whether to eat meat or go vegan, elevate some days above others, or treat all days as sacred. Paul placed these in the realm of personal conviction rather than common conviction.
We should share the conviction that certain thoughts and deeds are sin. Murder, adultery, stealing, coveting what others have, among others. We also share a common conviction that God is and that Jesus died to save sinners. But we also have a near-infinite variety of personal convictions. The Holy Spirit convicts us of these things. Some differences include certain foods, alcohol, media consumption, religious habits, degree of separation from the world, child discipline, and celebrating holidays. But there are also a basketful of doctrinal differences where convictions and faith may vary. Disputes over communion, baptisms, meeting days, continuation or cessation of spiritual gifts, various disciplines, Bible versions, sovereignty and free will, worship styles, and prayer styles are a few examples.
The principle for dealing with all of this is found in two verses. “Who are you to judge another’s household servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand, because the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4, CSB) and “So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.” (Romans 14:19, CSB)
In my recent move to retirement, I’ve often said one phrase: “Not my worry.” Where I used to carry the responsibility for a whole host of decisions, those now belong to another. When I look at other believers, whether in close fellowship or in the church across town, and see differences in personal conviction and agreement on common convictions, those differences are not my worry. Instead, “let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.”
Building up others sometimes requires personal sacrifice. “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean. For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died.” (Romans 14:14–15, CSB)
Paul explains, “Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:22–23, CSB)
Romans Applied. The tricky part is discerning the lines. We are so sure that we are right and that everyone else must share the same conviction. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Obviously, anything that breaks core Christian belief is a hard no. But beyond that depends on the relationship. We don’t test visitors to our churches; we welcome them. We don’t, however, invite someone to leadership without greater agreement on personal and doctrinal convictions.
Much of this is dependent on our own faith. If someone else’s convictions shake us, our faith is not very strong yet. That’s not said in judgment. It helps us determine our lines. Let’s use something fictional to make the point. Let’s say that I have a conviction that apples are trouble and may lead to sin. Yet other believers in Christ have a neutral position on apples, or even encourage their consumption. We agree that this is a minor dispute. If my faith in Christ is shaken by attending an outreach event in an apple orchard, or if being there is a sin, I must not go. But if my faith in Christ is stronger and exposure to the apples in the orchard wouldn’t lead to sin, then going is fine. But in neither case do I judge others and their convictions about apples. This is the dividing line – everything that is not of faith is sin.
This brings us back to a basic application. We must be honest with ourselves. Is our conviction from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word? Am I using this conviction in a way that harms others instead of building up? Are there times I should be silent in my personal conviction? Am I falsely using a personal conviction to allow sin in my life? Do I judge others’ faith and salvation in light of that personal conviction? How can I promote peace and build up others in the most holy faith?
- Romans Applied – Dealing With Differences - September 23, 2026
- Romans Applied – Debt of Love - September 16, 2026
- Romans Applied – Debt of Honor - September 9, 2026
