I'm Not a Judge - Day 218 Month 8-5 Week 32-1
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
2 Samuel 16:1-17:14, Proverbs 15:23-33, Ezekiel 20:33-49, Romans 14
I’m Not a Judge
Pre 1992, Ontario, Canada had Sunday closing laws. Sunday was regarded as a day of rest, a Sabbath, and most retail shops were required to be closed. As someone who was a Jesus follower, I felt it was only right that the stores were closed and figured anyone who worked on Sunday was very ungodly. That being said, I had no problem going to a restaurant after church and being waited on by someone who was working on Sunday.
As a child, I would regularly go to the variety store at the end of my street. Whether it was to get a jug of milk for my mother or to get an ice cream treat, I’d visit that store. The storekeeper was a smoker. He seemed to always have a cigarette being smoked. I judged him as being ungodly, only to find out later that he was a Jesus follower.
When I got to drinking age, I took up drinking beer. I’d also enjoy a good glass of wine, but I enjoyed my beer. At the time, the older Jesus followers I knew were dead set against drinking alcoholic beverages. Alcohol was considered “of the devil,” even though alcohol was consumed throughout the Bible. We are warned against drinking alcohol to excess, and there are other biblical reasons someone might choose not to drink, including personal conscience, concern for others, and specific circumstances.
In some Christian traditions, people continue to follow the food laws of the Old Testament and choose not to eat some foods.
In Romans 14, the Apostle Paul is telling people not to judge others by what they eat, but more broadly, he’s telling them not to judge other Jesus followers because they don’t necessarily follow the same rules you do. However, he also tells us not to do things that will cause someone else to stumble. In other words, if I am sitting with someone who struggles with alcohol and I decide to have an alcoholic drink, that may be a situation where the person could be tempted. If that’s the case, I won’t have an alcoholic beverage.
Paul says, “Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles” (Romans 14:20,21).
This is not a licence to live immorally. Christian freedom does not mean freedom to sin. It means freedom in matters where Scripture gives room for conscience, while still requiring love toward others. What it comes down to is this: don’t use your freedom in a way that could cause another believer to stumble, but also don’t judge someone who does or eats something different because you have a personal conviction not to do or eat the same thing.
Have a great day!
Steve
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