Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 

Romans 14:1-5 

When it comes to salvation, there is only One Savior and His name is Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). But within the church, there are a variety of opinions covering a wide range of topics. These are not issues of sin rather they are simply matters of preference. It is on these things that we should avoid dogma and instead leave room for individuals to make their own decisions regarding such matters. This is the topic of today’s passage.

Paul refers to a group of people within the church as being “weak in faith.” He doesn’t say this as a matter of being degrading or condescending rather he is simply identifying them as they are. These individuals may understand the freedom that they have in Christ but still retain some form of stringent adherence to certain legal demands that they believe to be important. The example used here is that of eating. For some people, all forms of food are “on the table” (no pun intended). But for others, their conscience will not allow them to partake in these foods.

Paul describes these that are “weak in faith” as eating vegetables only. This is possibly referring to the dietary laws that were common among some Jews. These people, having moved into a saving relationship with God through Christ, were still holding on to those legal demands. Although freed from such things, their consciences simply did not allow for them to comfortably eat of certain foods. But Paul is making a larger point in this passage. Born again believers in Jesus should respect the differences that they have with their fellow believers. Consider his point:

The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Those who belong to Christ have been accepted by Him and, because of this reality, we are to accept one another as well. We should not allow trivial matters to divide and separate us (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). He further strengthens this point be asking the question, “Who are you to judge the servant of another?”

As Christians, we are not here to judge one another or to hold in contempt those who have varying degrees of understanding about these types of issues rather we are to be conduits for unity by the power of God’s Spirit within us. If we belong to Jesus, we are not condemned and are a part of the kingdom of God. He has received us and it is because of this that we can have confidence in the day of judgment (1 John 4:17).

But food is not the only thing in which we may disagree. Some of these newly converted Christians would still hold certain days above others. Perhaps this was because of the feasts and celebrations connected to the Jewish calendar. But whatever the case, some believers view certain days above others. For others, freedom in Christ simply means that everyday should be considered an opportunity to serve God and that there need not be any distinction between days.

Paul reminds us that these are decisions that should be left to the individual. “Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” It is our own conviction and conscience that should drive such decisions. And as we choose what we believe about such things, we should hold our liberty with a sense of responsibility for others. In other words, even though we know something to be acceptable, we should refrain from doing such things in the company of someone who struggles with that aspect of life. We should monitor our behavior in such a way as not to damage the faith of another. We do this out of respect and thus fulfill what scripture says:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 

                                                                                                               Philippians 2:3-4 

There are varying degrees of faith in the church. We need to remember that all of us will answer to God. This should propel us to avoid the passing of judgment and move us into a spirit of love and acceptance.