Romans 14

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:5-8 NIV If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Romans 14:15-23 NIV

Unity among all believers is one of God’s greatest desires for His people around the world.  When Jesus prayed specifically for us, this is what He asked God for: “My prayer is not for them [the disciples] alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that you have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one— I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as you have loved Me” (John 17:20-23).  All Christians believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died on the cross for the redemption and salvation of all mankind, and that He was resurrected.  These are the basic, fundamental beliefs that unite Christian believers worldwide.  It seems straightforward and simple, but the unfortunate thing is that there are only a few truths that unite believers, while there are hundreds or thousands of other issues that have led to disunity over the past 2000 years.  This disunity stems from different interpretations of the Bible and from differing opinions about matters that are not clearly addressed in God’s Word.  Some common disagreements amongst Christians are: end-times prophecy, gifts of the Spirit, baptism, tithing, cultural issues, and church organization. It is a fact that there is only one accurate interpretation of everything in the Bible.  However, a human being’s ability to discern that one interpretation can be faulty. Two godly people can see the same issue differently. Most church denominations have arisen because of these contrasting interpretations.  In Romans 14, Paul addresses the concept that we should not argue and stumble over the non-essential elements of the Christian faith.  He describes that there are some issues that are not worth quarreling over.  We need to practice grace in accepting the sincerely held convictions of other believers.  Doing this consistently would eliminate much of the dissension that weakens the reputation and strength of the body of Christ.  Certainly it is our duty to study God’s Word and express what we believe it teaches: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  But we must do so with humility and love, giving grace to other believers who see things differently.  We must remember that our Father places much more importance on showing love than on being “right” and following rules.  When interacting with others who are of a different Christian denomination, be sure to focus on core beliefs that are shared instead of bringing up the differences.  After all, we are going to be at peace together with each other for eternity, so why not start now?