“Whom we answer to?”
Meditation – Thursday, May 22, 2025
Romans 14: 1-12 (Forward, p. 24) CEV p. 1185
It has long been a problem when certain individuals, groups or institutions set themselves up to decide and dictate what is right or wrong, what is acceptable and what is not—yes, even when they do so based on moral or theological grounds as stemming from the Scriptures. The problem is that none of us are infallible and all of us inclined to be biased in some way or another. The bias may stem from any number of sources, from our upbringing, our culture, our church background, our theological or political beliefs, or our own personal preferences or comfort zones, and sadly, these may warp or influence incorrectly even the way we read and interpret the Scriptures. And so, we can judge or criticize others when it is not our ‘place’ to do so.
The apostle Paul addresses this phenomenon in light of two things (food and holy days), but it could well apply to a whole bunch of other things. (I find it particularly ‘interesting’ that he categorizes those who are especially scrupulous about certain things as being ‘weaker’ in their faith, whereas our society often thinks of them in an entirely opposite way. It sees those that disavow eating meat, for instance, as being somehow ‘better’ or more noble than the riffraff who will eat just anything!) Now, here it must be said that Paul is not weighing in on matters where there is a clear and obvious Biblical injunction and saying that it doesn’t matter with regards to these. (But even here, the injunctions are not always clear or unmistakable, for instance, with the place of alcoholic beverages in the life of a believer.)
What Paul takes great pains to point out, is that our fellow believers ultimately owe their allegiance to God and to God alone. They are God’s servants, not ours, and so it is ultimately to God alone that they must answer and give account. And so, accordingly, it is best for us to welcome them, to just ‘let them be’ and not be critical of them in whatever choices they might make. God is fully able to direct them in their choices, and He,
not us, will ultimately hold them responsible. It takes a great weight off our shoulders: we don’t have to ‘play God’, seeing as someone else, namely God, already has that job. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (verse 7-8).
“This snippet from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans is commonly heard as part of the opening anthems at funerals. I have found great solace in these words as I have read them in procession while burying beloved parishioners. I have found equal solace in hearing those words at the burial of family members.
“Given that association, it might be surprising to learn in context how these verses speak to the ways we relate to one another in life. The reminder that we ultimately belong not to ourselves but to God is as important in life as in the shadow of death. In moments of grief, these words are a comfort. In the midst of life, they call us out of ourselves and into conscious awareness of our interconnectedness—our necessary connection with God and the web of relationships that we have and are responsible for by virtue of our membership in the community of disciples.”
Moving Forward: “Imagine these words said at the birth of a child, a confirmation, or a wedding. Does the setting change the meaning for you?”