Is Your Opinion Worth Fighting For?

Romans 14:1-4; 20-23
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

I bring this scripture up because it is apparent that passing judgment on others based on opinion is rampant in the church (how could such a virus exist in the Body of Christ?) We have one standard to judge, and that's the Bible (2 Tim 3:16-17). And even the Bible as our guide we need to be checking ourselves first (Mt. 7:3-5); and afterwards we need to be restoring and not judging (Romans 15:1-2; we'll go over this more in depth in a couple of days).

Do you remember the debt that you owe to others in Christ? That's right - love. How do we show love for the brothers if we are quarreling over opinions?