Conviction, noun: a firmly held opinion or belief.
Dismissal, noun: the act of treating something (or someone) as unworthy or serious consideration; rejection.
Folks in the early churches ran headlong into some conflicts among convictions and found themselves "quarreling over opinions" (vs 1) and passing judgement on each other (vs 10). The specific issues in our congregations today are different from Paul's day and the Roman church but we still quarrel over opinions and convictions and pass judgment, in dismissive ways, on each other.
Lutheran pastor Mary Hinkle Shore suggests that, in this reading from Romans, Paul gives three reasons to refrain from dismissing our brothers and sisters who think and act differently from us. One, they are "seeking by their actions to honor the Lord Jesus Christ; two, Jesus died and rose again "in order to create community across the most fundamental of differences: Jew/Greek, slave/free, dead/living!", and three, "God is judge of all of us, and one judge is enough." This raises questions for me. Aware of my own limitations in understanding and acting - what are concrete ways in which I can extend graciousness to my brothers and sisters with whom I disagree? For example, how can I enter into humble and generous interactions with them?
Recognizing that the other is seeking to honour Jesus; that Jesus compels us to create community across fundamental differences; and that God is the judge, not me, is not the same as saying everything goes and that, as Hinkle Shore says, "all behaviour is equally ethical". There is room for critical thinking but the challenge is to avoid dismissing our brothers and sisters as fools, or at least very misguided, and treating them as if they are without worth. As you reflect on this passage, ask God how God might be inviting you to respond.
- Marilyn Malton
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