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Pastor Lud Golz
Pastor Lud Golz

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  Home | Transcript Archive | October | October 29, 2020

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.  (Romans 15:2)

It is important to understand what Paul's focus is in Romans 14:1-15:13.  He is not here primarily concerned with doctrine.  He is talking about how to cultivate and maintain relational health in the fellowship of believers, the church. 

The first 11 chapters of Romans were primarily doctrinal.  Concerning what Paul taught in those chapters there is no room for compromise.  Even in chapters 12 and 13 his teaching, though general, is normative.  As he begins chapter 14 he makes it clear he is talking about disputable matters. 

What you eat or don't eat is personal and disputable, not normative.  You make your choices as unto God.  Even if you differ with your brother on these disputable matters you should accept each other in love, not judge each other.  What you need to focus on is not hurting or destroying your fellow believer by insisting that you are right.  This suggests that we are vulnerable and can be disillusioned and distressed by other's actions.  We are called to encourage each other and find ways to build each other up. 

Demanding conformity in disputable matters is controlling and manipulative, and could even be abusive.  We should be committed to promoting peace between fellow believers.  And in our encouragement we should always be concerned about edifying each other.  God created us with the capacity to grow and mature, but we also were created in such a way that we feel the pain, rejection and criticism of others. 

Pray that God would help us to grow together in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

 

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