Thursday, July 1, 2010

Mutual Edi-FICTION?


Romans 14:19 that says “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification” … This verse, in its context, deals with varying measures of faith, moral conviction and cultural practices.

It seems Paul dealt a great deal with followers bickering back and forth with each other and in a sense
“running to daddy” when they had issues. In Paul’s letter to the Roman church and both letters to the church in Corinth, he confronts the legalistic tendencies of faith, and identifies that the follower, individually, has been bought by Christ (1Cor 6). In doing so he chastens the believers in Rome and in Corinth, to not hold men accountable to their own convictions, but leave the conviction and convicting to God. (Romans 14:22)

It seems to be a common thing now to want to debate convictions based upon theologies and doctrines … I know I’m right there in the midst … but before all of that there’s this comedic analogy that Christ uses about a tree in the eye of the guy pointing out the dirt in his friends eye … Can’t you see Christ talking to the disciples about this ignorant man pointing fervantly at another man who’s rubbing his saw dust infected eyes. Christ then picking up a tree stump, holding it to his face and mockingly saying
 “why do you point out the saw dust in your brothers eye, when you have a stump in your own!” … it’s easy to be the finger pointer, but I think whatever differences believers have needs, first, to first go through a filter of GENUINE thought, to “make peace and find mutual edification”.

There will always be differences in the Christian World view, but always the same foundation! No matter what the convictions: drinking, movies, cussing, smoking, music, sabbath …
“keep these things to yourself and God” (R.14:22) and also in our differences “make EVERY EFFORT to do what leads to PEACE and MUTUAL EDIFICATION

Until Next Time,
KPK

2 comments:

  1. Xcellent post Kris....I always like to refer to this earlier example in Romans 14, when something is not sin or an issue for me, but to another it is sin. I may not drink a glass of wine, if I know, in your convictions, you think it is wrong. Instead of ''debating'' about it, I politely refrain,(some may with EVERY EFFORT) as I don't want to be a stumbling block for them.(keep the peace;0) We could go around and around and around.....

    Rom 14:12-14
    ****So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

    13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

    14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

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