Romans 14:3 KJV
Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him
which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
This chapter describes so
intensely what I think is historically the
Baptist conviction, that of individual soul liberty; each man has a right to
worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience. Verse three is the
key to the success of this conviction; we must neither despise nor judge those
with whom we disagree.
My observation has been that
those who believe they have liberty in Christ tend to be hateful toward those
they view as legalistic (because they choose to separate from things they
consider to be worldly). On the other hand, those who believe in separation tend
to be judgmental toward those they see as worldly. I am personally in favor of
the separatist position. As such I have more than a few times felt the scorn of
the more liberal brother. I will also confess that more often than I wish was
true I have been judgmental toward the liberal Christian.
I am not advocating dropping our
convictions; Paul said each man as should be fully persuaded in his own mind.
What I am saying is that the despising and the judging needs to be done away.
There is no room for it in our Christian growth. Let the separatist separate
and let the liberal progress, but let's each refuse hostility against the
other.
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