An alarm clock that doesn’t go off when it should is bad news, but one that goes off when it shouldn’t is a problem as well.”
Pastor Colin Smith
How many times have you heard the advice, “Follow your conscience”? Sounds reasonable, but what if conscience isn’t the ultimate judge of right and wrong? Pastor Colin talks about the reasons why. You may listen to his message here: Conscience, Part 2. Have a great week! 🙂
"Think of conscience like an alarm clock. A good alarm clock stays quiet when you should be asleep, and it makes a noise when you need to wake up!" ~ Pastor Colin Smith
My past three posts have been about unity in diversity within the church. How we as believers need to find the balance of heeding our consciences while giving grace to those around us who differ in the gray, nonessential areas of the Gospel.
The question arises: Can we always trust our conscience? Is it possible, like a broken alarm clock, for our conscience to get off kilter? Or, as in my case too many times, the alarm clock sounds, but I snooze through it? Does it really matter when we go against or “over-rule” our own conscience?
Colin Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church and president of Unlocking the Bible. He is the author of several books. His preaching ministry is shared around the world through Unlocking the Bible.
From his Regeneration series, Pastor Colin talks about what happens when we ignore our conscience warning. You may listen to his message here: Conscience, Part 1.
Have a wonderful week!
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 15:5
You may read Romans 15:1-13 here: Bible Gateway. This section wraps up Paul’s talk from chapter 14 and highlights the last principle in this series for promoting unity in the church.
Paul identifies himself as a strong Christian as he encourages the “strong” to bear with the failings of the “weak.” To help others mature in the faith, he exhorts the “strong” to build his neighbor up. How? He cites Jesus as our greatest example of self-denial for the sake of others.
Paul also reminds his readers that all of Scripture—although written in the past—is still alive and relevant today, meeting our deepest needs (1 Cor. 10:11; Rom. 4:23-24).
Paul prayed for unity among the Roman Jews and Gentiles as they followed Christ so they would glorify God with one heart and voice.
Shepherd’s Notes comments on the remainder of this section: “In support of the universal scope of God’s redemptive work through Christ His Son, Paul cited four Old Testament Scriptures . . . . Christ’s acceptance of both Jewish and Gentile believers, played out in the universal scope of His redemptive work, is to be the measure of their acceptance of one another.”
Self-denial doesn’t mean we are to be people-pleasers (see Galatians 1:10), but rather set aside our self-pleasing actions and/or willfulness in order to build others up. If Christ—God’s Son—prioritized others above His own comforts and desires, how much more should we?
God communicates hope and encouragement through His Word, the Bible. We can live in unity when we read God’s Word with a receptive heart, focus on Christ, and genuinely accept each other.
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” – Romans 14:13
You may read Romans 14:13-22 here: Bible Gateway.
With the Roman believers in disagreement about eating meat and observance of special days, Paul laid out three principles to encourage peaceful relationships.
Last week highlighted the first principle: Judgment is God’s right, not man’s (vs. 1-12) . . . . Next principle please:
(Biblesurprise.com)
Paul directs his advice to mature believers. He warns them to beware of placing obstacles—or occasion to sin—before the weaker Christian.
Although the old rules about ceremonial foods were dismissed by Jesus (Matthew 15:10-11; 16-20), Paul addressed the issue of those who felt compelled to follow Judaism’s regulations: Anyone who violates their conscience, and doesn’t act in faith, has sinned (vs. 23).
Shepherd’s Notes comments: “God has called us to a life of faith. Trust is the willingness to put all of life before God for His approval. Any doubt about the rightness of an action removes it from the category of what is acceptable. This principle is of special help to the Christian in what is sometimes called the ‘gray area.’ If it is gray to you, it is wrong—not in itself, but in the eyes of the one who considers it inappropriate.”
Paul warned mature believers to take into account their influential actions. Those who encouraged others to violate their conscience “no longer walked in love” (vs. 15).
Although we live in a different time and culture than the early Roman Christians, we still vary in our convictions today. It’s important to continually monitor our behavior and its effects on other believers, even if we don’t feel convicted in a “gray area”. Although we don’t have to give up our freedom in Christ, if God convicts another believer differently we should avoid exercising that action in his/her presence. Mutual respect and love mark Christ’s true disciples.
What steps can believers take to ensure peace when differences arise? How does focusing our minds on Christ help promote unity?
Unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, charity in all things.” –
(shereadstruth.com)
You may read this passage here: Romans 14:1-12.
Paul’s writing to the early Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome certainly reflects this belief. Although God was—and is—“able”, effort from every believer would be needed. In an arena immersed in vast cultural and societal differences Paul offered some guidelines to help bring about this seemingly impossible task: unity in diversity.
“Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand,” (vs. 4). Paul made it clear: Observing or not observing special days and/or food laws—the early church’s main divisive issues—wasn’t sin to God, so long as one’s conscience was clear. Rather, the flaunting and flouting of other believers’ convictions was the culprit. Convictions vary. God has accepted both the “weak” and “strong” servant by grace. Equal desire to honor God may be found in both the observer and nonobserver of special days and food laws (vs. 6).
Shepherd’s Notes comments: “This has been understood in the sense of John Donne’s statement, ‘No man is an island.’ Paul’s statement, however, was not a sociological observation regarding the oneness of the human race. What he said is that all believers live out their lives accountable to God. Decisions about such matters as special days and eating meat are not made in isolation, but in accordance with the will of God as understood by the individual.”
Judgment belongs to God alone. And we will all stand before the judgment seat of God (vs. 10-12; 2 Cor. 5:10). Individuals should act according to their own conviction in trivial gray areas that are unclear in the Bible, without passing judgment on those with different convictions. We can—and should—rub shoulders with other believers without judging in these areas. If something offends a brother or sister, then we should abstain from that activity in their presence.
Are there strained relationships in your church? How might this principle help bring the unity God desires?
kdmanestreet 