Do You Show Respect to Others?
Romans 14:1-12
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me,” Aretha Franklin belts out in the wildly successful, soulful tune by that title. The focus of that song is on the demand she makes for her man to give her the respect she is due.
In Romans 14, Paul lifts up a more significant emphasis on respect. Instead of demanding that others respect us, followers of Christ are called to respect and honor other people. Paul’s focus is more on giving respect rather than demanding it from others, especially within the body of Christ.
Doesn’t God respect them? The early church was composed of people united by what was most important – salvation through faith in Christ. But they were also a diverse people with different backgrounds, traditions, and opinions. As is often the case, even today, those differences led to conflict in areas that weren’t foundational or critical to faith in Christ.
One issue that caused conflict within the early Christian community related to what was appropriate to eat. Many believers with a Jewish background held to a strict dietary regimen based on the Hebrew laws. Other early believers had strong opinions about avoiding meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Still others felt that they were free to eat all that God had provided, as was revealed to Peter in a divine vision (Acts 10:13-15).
Paul called for diverse people to respect the perspective of others on those matters, while emphasizing their common desire to honor the Lord with their convictions. Why respect and accept the view of another believer in matters like this? Paul’s answer: “Because God has accepted him” (v. 3).
Didn’t Christ die for them? Another potentially divisive issue in the early church related to the observance of certain Jewish festivals and the Sabbath day. Were the new believers still to give priority to those observances, as many of them had before they came to Christ?
In these matters, once again, Paul says, “Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind” (v. 5). But Paul makes it clear that those convictions are to be rooted in our relationship with Christ. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).
Aren’t they family? We need to remember that fellow church members are our brothers and sisters. There’s no place for criticism or condescending attitudes toward others in the family of God.
Aren’t we accountable to God? When we are tempted to judge or criticize others, we need to recognize that “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (v. 12). As such, we must love and respect others, especially those in the body of Christ, as God desires. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to him.
Owens– Lessons in the ETB series for the fall quarter are being written by Ken Owens, director of the collegiate ministry group for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.