The shortest Psalm.
Praise the LORD, all nations!
Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD! Verses 1-2
Romans 14:6-10,13
I truly love Peterson's translation of this passage. It is concerned with things that are what he calls "debatable matters." Basically, it says that we answer to God, not to each other. It is not up to me to decide what is right or wrong for you. If I like meat and you only eat vegetables, that is ok. That is our personal prerogative. And we have no business trying to force our own way on each other. He closes the passage this way: Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. And to that, I say, "Huzzah!!"
Why do we insist on our own way on "debatable matters?" That's a tough question. I guess we all have the need to feel that we are "right" about things. But it really boils down to selfishness and pride.
Have you ever paid attention to what kind of tone and words we use when we are criticizing someone that we think is wrong in a matter? We can get pretty darned condescending. And who among us likes it when someone is condescending toward us? What facial expressions do we use? What kind of hand and arm gestures?
Here's the bottom line. Feeling morally superior to someone because one refrains from a certain practice and the other one doesn't is silly. It's wrong. Heh. Am I doing that here? I don't think so. Because I'm as guilty as the next guy sometimes. We need to go back to that whole "golden rule" thing. "Do unto others," you know. Do you like it when someone is condescending to you? I don't. So we need to consider that before we act in the same way towards someone else.
To me, the phrase that sticks out most in the passage is this: "It's God we are answerable to--all the way from life to death and everything in between--not each other."
So there you go. If I do something you don't agree with and it doesn't directly violate a Biblical principle, it's not your place to criticize me. And likewise, I have no grounds to criticize you. We both answer to God and God alone.
So excuse me while I go watch an R rated movie, have a beer and play the lottery.
Just kidding. But that's kind of the point. I once heard a preacher say from the pulpit, "I condemn any Christian who watches an R-rated movie." FROM THE PULPIT!!
Fortunately for everyone, he is no longer a pastor.
We are not to condemn each other. We are to lift each other up.
Grace and peace, friends.