Tuesday, July 23, 2024  

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Today's Scripture
Romans 14:13–23

Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (NRSV)

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Reflection

This passage of scripture is tough for me to unpack, because it has been weaponized for years and is the basis for a lot of the so-called “purity culture” that uses scripture to attempt to reinforce patriarchy and control and shame women’s bodies. As with most scripture that is simplified and stripped of context, this obscures the uniqueness of Paul’s message.

Instead of control, Paul’s message is one of humility, love, and community. I get the feeling that Paul is basically saying “Come on everyone, just be cool.” Christ came to unite, but as is the case throughout many of the stories in the Bible, it’s easy for humans to completely miss that and get hung up on things that don’t matter.

I’m not sure we’ve learned much over the years. The history of the church is one of broken human relationships, where we cannot reconcile our differences. Some of these splits are for very good reasons, and some of them ... well, not so much.

Living in community is not easy, because practicing our faith is both individual and communal. Paul says, “Hold the conviction that you have as your own before God,” while at the same time saying, “Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another.” Reconciling these two ideas is radical. But part of being in community is understanding that we do not have a monopoly on knowing God. God is revealed through each and every one of us.

I like to think of this scripture as saying, do not force upon your sibling your understanding of God, but learn from them, as that will give you a fuller picture of God’s grace.

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Prayer
God, help me to embrace your community and learn from those around me with humility and grace.

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Written by Jared Light, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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