¹ Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

Connecting to the strife referred to in Romans 13:13, we turn to one of the primary culprits for conflict between Christians: judging one another. One need not be part of the Christian community for long before recognizing this as a major issue. How do we think of and treat those who live out their Christian commitment differently than we do? The conversation (whether real or imagined) goes like this. Person 1: “As a Christian you shouldn’t do that (fill in whatever comes to mind that you think is a worldly, non-Christian thing to do).” Person 2: “You are judging me—you shouldn’t judge me. Furthermore, you are hypocritical because you do this other thing.”

Paul addresses this head on, and while revealing his perspective on the specific issues he brings up for illustration purposes, he does not take sides on who is right or wrong. Rather, he takes the discussion to a higher level. And that is the point we must take away from this passage. We must resist the temptation of one-upmanship in the areas of righteousness and Christian living. Paul explicitly outlined for us in Romans 13:13-14 some general principles, but at what point does enjoyment of the sensual experiences of life (touch, smell, sight, hearing, taste) cross the line into “sensuality” (Rom 13:13)? Or enjoying a dinner party with friends cross into “carousing”? What to one Christian might seem like making “provisions for the flesh” may be to another Christian simply enjoying life with God’s blessings.

The Jewish Talmud was an effort to apply the Torah (Law of Moses) to the specifics of life. The rabbis understood that the Law was a broad outline that had to be applied to the particulars of everyday life, and many of these teachings were put together to form the Talmud. For example, no work was to be performed on the Sabbath according the Law. But what about preparing meals, or walking to a friend’s house? When do these things cross the line into “work?” These things are all addressed in the Talmud, even the conflicting views of the rabbis.

So also in the Christian life and community, applications need to be made, and even the best teachers and preachers among us will not always agree. Paul frames the discussion to his readers as seeing the one with whom you disagree as being weak in faith, not as someone on whom to pass judgment. At the root of this should be a genuine concern for one another’s faith, not an attempt to manipulate or force people to comply with our own views.

Lord, help me not to see other people as my projects of righteousness.