The Learner
Well-Known Member
Romans 14By antics, I refer to the passive aggressive attempts to proselytize using the Sabbath and Sunday issue. Some of the Adventists are so bad, they really do everything in their power try to instill some kind of fear or paranoia in you over it. And it is never really clear why that would be based on the New Testament, the epistles of saint Paul especially. The reason itself comes from Adventist teachings and visions like the Three Angels Messages, the Investigative Judgement, and the Great Controversy.
Peripheral issues in this context refers to what some would term "The Essentials of Faith". That is more of a Protestant Calvinist term and concept, I am more Eastern Christian in official theology at least as far as paradigm goes. I'm talking Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, as well as having a background in Assyrian Church of the East. But I agree with it as far as message board participation and Ecumenicism is concerned.
But basically I would not dogmatize days of worship, per saint Paul's epistles especially two passages in particular that speak about doing so concerning "Sabbaths, new moons and festivals". But Sunday is pretty important to the witness of the ancient church and how they did things so if a group tries to make Sunday into something evil, and claims things via revelation then we do got major problems.
But anyway for the record, I'm OK with groups like Messianic Jews that somehow have a mission to preach to nonbelieving Jews and do things like worship on Saturday etc. I have a friend who is a Messianic rabbi etc. I do however take exception when folks start to bring in all the Conspiracy theory stuff into Church history. Like the Messianics sometimes want to make Anti-Semiticism a grand unifying theory of Church history that has a lot of big problems, most of which down plays or completely ignores a lot of the big problems going on in the ancient Church with heresy, persecution, the tendency of the ancient Christians to want all worship together in the various cities "as one Body of Christ", the changing demographic shifts in Jews and Gentiles, and also anti-gentile sentiments in Judaism itself.
Easy-to-Read Version
Don’t Criticize Others
14 Be willing to accept those who still have doubts about what believers can do. And don’t argue with them about their different ideas. 2 Some people believe they can eat any kind of food,[a] but those who have doubts eat only vegetables. 3 Those who know they can eat any kind of food must not feel that they are better than those who eat only vegetables. And those who eat only vegetables must not decide that those who eat all foods are wrong. God has accepted them. 4 You cannot judge the servants of someone else. Their own master decides if they are doing right or wrong. And the Lord’s servants will be right, because the Lord is able to make them right.
5 Some people might believe that one day is more important than another. And others might believe that every day is the same. Everyone should be sure about their beliefs in their own mind. 6 Those who think one day is more important than other days are doing that for the Lord. And those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the Lord. Yes, they give thanks to God for that food. And those who refuse to eat some foods do that for the Lord. They also give thanks to God.
7 We don’t live or die just for ourselves. 8 If we live, we are living for the Lord. And if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord. 9 That is why Christ died and rose from death to live again—so that he could be Lord over those who have died and those who are living.
10 So why do you judge your brother or sister in Christ? Or why do you think that you are better than they are? We will all stand before God, and he will judge us all. 11 Yes, the Scriptures say,
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘Everyone will bow before me;
everyone will say that I am God.’”
12 So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do.
Don’t Cause Others to Sin
13 So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith. 14 I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The Lord Jesus is the one who convinced me of that. But if someone believes that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person.
15 If you hurt the faith of your brother or sister because of something you eat, you are not really following the way of love. Don’t destroy anyone’s faith by eating something they think is wrong. Christ died for them. 16 Don’t allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil. 17 In God’s kingdom, what we eat and drink is not important. Here is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and joy—all from the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ by living this way is pleasing God, and they will be accepted by others.
19 So let’s try as hard as we can to do what will bring peace. Let’s do whatever will help each other grow stronger in faith. 20 Don’t let the eating of food destroy the work of God. All food is right to eat, but it is wrong for anyone to eat something that hurts the faith of another person. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that hurts the faith of your brother or sister.
22 You should keep your beliefs about these things a secret between yourself and God. It is a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty. 23 But anyone who eats something without being sure it is right is doing wrong. That is because they did not believe it was right. And if you do anything that you believe is not right, it is sin.