Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Romans 14 before reading the devotional below.
Not everyone has the same conscience. According to the Bible, specifically this chapter, that’s okay. There is not one set of religious rules we all must follow in order to earn our way to God. That way of thinking is the exact opposite of the Gospel. Paul has spent a large amount of this letter to the Romans explaining how the law was not intended to save us, but rather to demonstrate our need for salvation. In today’s chapter, we see that some will have convictions for themselves that are different from the convictions of others. Following your own convictions and being respectful of others are the keys to healthy spiritual community.
Why is Paul taking so much time to talk about food? What does it matter what we eat? Does Jesus care? For a group of Jews and Gentiles trying to get along and figure out how to follow Jesus, food was a huge deal. Jews had all kinds of laws about what they could and could not eat. (At our house we often say that Jesus came so that we could eat bacon…). Some Jewish followers of Jesus wanted to maintain their Jewish customs, and that was perfectly fine as long as they were not relying on that to make them right with God. They also did not need to impose those customs onto the Gentiles in their midst.
Here’s your freedom for today: sometimes it’s better just to focus on yourself. You don’t need to compare yourself to someone else or decide what they ought to do. Whether it is what to eat or what to wear or what music to listen to, you should follow the convictions that the Holy Spirit places on your heart. Some will be more conservative than others — and we don’t have to be the ones to judge or compare with others. Paul wants to get across one point in this chapter: be sensitive. Don’t let the convictions of others stress you out or make you think you need to follow more rules, and don’t let your own convictions make you a know-it-all on the best way to be a good Christian. Just follow Jesus and let others do the same. God can work out all the working out that needs to be done.