FLAUNTING YOUR FAITH

“Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.”

(Rom. 14:22)

A CONSTANT REMINDER

I’ve made it a habit through these many years to read certain chapters or portions of the Bible, on a regular basis. For example: 1 Cor. 13, on what true biblical love is; Deut. 8, lest I forget what He brought me from and to; also 1 Thess. 4, keeping my eyes on the sky; Psa. 23, my Shepherd's care of me, etc.

ROMANS CHAPTER FOURTEEN

This chapter (and the first few verses in the following chapter) deals with questionable things in the saint’s life— those shady areas, if you please. It deals with diets (verse 2), days (verse 5), and drink (verse 21). Within this chapter you can apply its principle teachings to other doubtful areas in your Christian life.

A FAITH UNSEEN

James challenges believers of his day to shew him their faith, but in our main text there is to be an unseen faith that only God sees. Taking the context, it shows this is not a contradiction of terms but rather shows if we have faith to do certain things other brethren cannot, we are not to flaunt it. We are to keep it to ourselves lest we offend and hinder our weak brother or sister.

A TWO-SIDED SAYING

There is a little tract entitled, “Others May, You Cannot” but the flip side of this is, “You May, Others Cannot.” This hidden faith to do certain things others cannot, because of their weak conscience , is not hypocritical but scriptural. Temperament, upbringing, early erroneous Christian teaching, along with other things, hinder many from enjoying the glorious liberty they have in Christ. We must not cause them to stumble over our freedom.

A QUOTABLE QUOTE

My son Andrew has a saying, “Only God has the right to define sin.” I find it simultaneously both amazing and disgusting to hear preachers and Christians calling things sin that God has not so labeled as such. Bible teachers tell us the Jews added 613 laws to the Ten Commandments. For those who like to add their long list of sins to God’s short one, I would give serious thought to the wise man’s advice, “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Prov. 30:6

“Found among miserable Christians is a group who cannot tolerate anyone who does not meet their criteria of man-made rules.”

(rds)