Fully Convinced

Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. (Romans 14:5)

What does this really mean? I know what comes up in my mind as a reaction whenever I read this but that many times clouds my ability to perceive clearly what the real meaning is that God wants me to see. I think I know some of the things it doesn't mean but why did Paul write this in this context?

There are two kinds of people, no, three, talked about here. There are people who are critical and fault-finding who tend to look down with contempt on others who have different opinions about certain spiritual issues. Then there are those who are on the receiving end of that activity which, in turn can cause them to either become discouraged or maybe defensive and judgmental themselves. Verse three indicates that these people may judge those who are viewing them with contempt which is pretty much the same thing as what the other group is doing.

The third group are those who learn from this instruction and cease from judging others or viewing them with contempt. They are those who align themselves more closely with the way God perceives reality and live in the context of an ever-present awareness of a coming day of judgment before God. They also live with an attitude of gratitude and thanks no matter what their beliefs are or how they differ from others in the body. They measure everything through the context of remembering that they are individually accountable to God and everything they do, say or even think will someday be fully exposed without anything hidden any longer. They live with God as their master and Lord exclusively and seek to align their lives and hearts to worship and praise Him. They live with a determination to do nothing that might cause someone else to stumble in their walk with God.

I find it interesting what is written here in regard to the judgment day of God. So often people have a terrible sense of foreboding whenever judgment is mentioned and especially the Great Judgment Day. It is most often used to intimidate people into joining a church or to motivate them to repent in fear and comply with a long list of religious rules. But most of that kind of thinking is far more reflective of the false version of judgment than what is really going to happen on judgment day. What I see in verses 10-13 is a far more accurate presentation of true judgment than the distorted concepts promoted by many religions in the world. But it is important to remember that there is no force involved in this outcome.

But what does this have to do with being fully persuaded or convinced in my own mind?

One thing that comes to mind is that being fully convinced would seem to be the very opposite of being double-minded as described in James 1:5-8. And as I look at the surrounding verses in James I notice a similar equalizing of self-perceptions recommended for people who have very different circumstances in this world. How does this feed into the need for me to be fully convinced in my own mind? The more I look at James 1 the more I see applications between these two chapters that may strongly complement each other.

What is it that I am to be fully convinced about? Is it about myself, about others whom I am tempted to judge or view with contempt, or is it my opinions about hot-button issues in which I disagree with others? I know that many people read this text to mean that they need to redouble their efforts to entrench themselves even stronger in their prejudices and religious opinions and amass even more proof that they are “right” so that no one can refute their iron-clad arguments. But is that really what being fully convinced means in this context?

Does this phrase imply that there is more than one way to relate to God or more than one set of beliefs that a person may choose from and still be accepted by God? Now that is a real argument starter for many people I know. That runs head-on into some pretty deeply-entrenched paradigms on both sides that many are completely unwilling to even question. I'm not saying whether this is true or false at this point, but is this really what Paul is trying to say here? Is being fully convinced the same as being deeply entrenched and stubborn? Or is he saying something much more significant that is easy to miss in our rush to use these verses to justify our preferred opinions?

Paul uses, by way of illustration, two hot-button issues that were generators of a lot of heat and arguing in the early Christian churches but which now are so far removed from our thinking that we barely can even understand what he was referring to. As a result we bring our own issues and prejudices to the passage and deduce that he must have been talking about vegetarianism or maybe implying that the seventh-day Sabbath no longer needs to be observed as many like to imply.

But we draw these conclusions partly because we fail to perceive the main point of this passage and because it seems so convenient to weave them into our preferred opinions. These topics were not the real issues Paul was trying to address here but were simply illustrations of situations in which people are affected by potential bitterness and prejudice in their relationships with each other within the body of Christ. Our topics of conflict likely will be something completely different but the problematic attitudes will be identical with those he was addressing in this passage.

Somehow I don't believe that being fully convinced of our opinions is necessarily the solution that Paul is recommending here, though many may want to draw that conclusion. Entrenching ourselves deeper into divisive topics of conflict will not likely bring about the unity that Jesus desires for His body on earth and will not prepare us for the judgment day. Again, I am brought back to remember that the far more important issue at stake in the true judgment process is the spirit and attitude that I cherish in my heart and relationships far more than the religious opinions that I cling to. And while my religious beliefs are not unimportant by any means, if my spirit is not right then no amount of factual correctness is going to prepare me to be found on the right side on judgment day.

I still don't have a clear answer about what being fully convinced really means, but that is not necessary right now. I don't want to insist on simplistic or quick answers to all of my questions. It is refreshing to be able to entertain a question and then leave it open for the Spirit to bring various things to my attention over a period of time to enlighten me further and bring resolution and peace. In fact, there are times when I feel a little resentful or maybe cheated whenever someone feels the need to immediately answer every question. It betrays an insecurity on their part. It is far more rewarding to join with others in exploring questions with open minds and hearts than to demand quick answers that many times prove to be faulty in the long run.

Father, continue to reveal to my mind and heart why You had Paul write these words. Show me how this enhances the others things I am learning from this chapter and why it is so important for me to be fully convinced in my mind. Show me what it is that I am to be fully convinced of and help me not to impose my own preferences in the answer. Surround me with Your presence today and fill my mind with Your wisdom and Your disposition. Make me a channel for You today.

(next in series)

Accepted Overcomer

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions

... for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:1, 3-4)

What does it mean to stand? I don't think it is talking about physically standing because there is a great deal more going on in this passage than physical realities. As I understand it, to stand means the opposite of what we call falling which usually implies being overcome by the temptations of sin. So in this context to stand means to overcome the urges to sin.

Having said that, I realize that this opens up something of a Pandora's box or a can of worms. It launches some people right into the sticky arguments of perfectionism and makes other's eyes glaze over with disgust at the excesses of legalism. But if I am honest and am willing to leave behind my prejudice and preconceived notions in my pursuit of reality and truth, the Word is clear that there is going to be a people who are willing to enter fully into God's rest and are going to have an experience described as an overcomer.

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Revelation 12:11)

But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death. (Revelation 12:11 NRSV)

This verse has been one of the key verses bantered about in my church for all of my life and it has great significance for many people. And while I want to disconnect from the legalism that it has often been used to support, I do not want to disconnect from the underlying truth that it reveals. In this verse is one of the most important keys to unlock the mysteries of holiness and salvation. Understood correctly, this verse provides a secret that will enable me to make enormous progress in my Christian development and maturity.

From the verses in Romans 14 it is clear that God is going to work with people who are weak in faith and is able to make them stand up against sin in their life successfully. Those same people may be some whom I am tempted to view with contempt and pass judgment on their opinions according to Paul, but evidently God sees things quite differently with them and so should I. When I link this verse with the one from Revelation, I can begin to see how God is able to make them stand and likewise how I may be able to stand with them as well.

There are two crucial elements present in the lives of those who are seen as overcomers, those who are able to stand before the universe free from the slavery of sin in their hearts. The first element is the blood of the Lamb, whatever that really means. The second is the word of their testimony. The result of the presence of these two powerful ingredients is a disposition that allows them to be so completely free of all fear that even death itself is no longer viewed as a threat that can intimidate them or change their minds and hearts. Implied in this verse is that they are now clinging so tenaciously to something or Someone else that they don't feel the need to cling tightly to their own self-protection. This is exactly the opposite of the theory of evolution, self-preservation and the survival of the fittest.

While I am completely convinced that these two ingredients are able to make me an overcomer who is able to stand in the presence of God without sin, I am not so confident of my complete perception of the real meaning of these most important phrases. I have spent many years wondering about the real truth behind this phrase the blood of the Lamb, and I have felt quite dissatisfied with most explanations circulating about it. In the past few years I feel like I am getting closer to perceiving the real truth about this symbol as I have grown in my understanding of the bigger picture of the real controversy going on that is far more expansive than most every realize. And as my frame of reference has dramatically expanded, so too have my beliefs about the real nature of the blood of Jesus and how it fits into this picture as they have been moving to a completely different perspective.

I have always felt uneasy with the almost magical nature that seems to be attributed to this concept of the blood of Jesus typically promoted in religion. While I will not deny that His blood has incredible power to transform lives and deliver people from the power of sin and death, the real reason for this has been obscured by the simplistic formulas that many people propose. This symbol, I am coming to believe, works in our hearts much differently than has been typically taught and can only be properly perceived by adopting a radically different perspective on what is really going on in the great war between Christ and Satan. When the context is clarified then the ingredients within that context suddenly take on a whole new meaning and much greater power.

Without the time to explain this fully, I will try to simplify it greatly by saying that when we begin to see that the real issues at stake in the battle with sin are about God's reputation instead of our personal comfort and security, then everything involved in this battle takes on a whole new meaning. When we cease to view God as the problem that must be solved by appeasing His supposed wrath and begin to perceive that it is our hearts that are full of wrath and rebellion against the ways of love; when we begin to glimpse the fact that we are the ones who are terribly deceived and confused about reality and that God is doing everything imaginable to attract us back into intimacy with His heart of power and life and love where we can thrive and be fully alive. Then we will begin to view the real purpose of the cross and the blood of Jesus radically different than ever before.

In Romans Paul declares that God has accepted the ones whom He enables to stand. Don't read that wrongly! God's acceptance is not based on the fact that they are able to stand but He produces that ability to stand. The cause and effect order are extremely crucial to get right or else we become vulnerable to the subtle perversions of Satan's lies about God and about us. When I begin to grasp with my heart the reality that God unconditionally loves me, is crazy about me, is doing everything possible to attract me back into perfect harmony with Him so that I can live and thrive in the presence of His enormous power and passion, then I will begin to perceive the reasons for Jesus' death differently than I thought before and I will be spontaneously empowered to overcome sin as I give my personal testimony to the truth about God and His work in my life.

It just occurred to me that maybe I have come across the counterfeit of true testimony. Passing judgment and criticizing others is the counterfeit of being a true witness and testifying to the real truth about God. In relating to others, especially within the church, I have the option of viewing them with contempt or viewing them through the eyes of Jesus and sharing the testimony of how He is transforming my life through the ongoing revelations of His love to my heart.

God, remove from me all desire to judge and criticize others. Fill me with Your passion, with Your perspective, with Your desire to lift up and encourage and to save. Make me a cleaner channel of Your powerful, life-changing love today.

(next in series)

Another Master

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4)

I just noticed something very interesting in this verse that I don't yet know quite how to relate to or some of the possible implications. The way this is worded strongly implies the potential possibility to assume that the person I may be judging has a different Master than I do. That is denoted in the word another. But at the same time this conflicts with the belief that in the body we all serve the same Master. But in this verse Paul says that the other person I am tempted to judge as inferior to me has their own Master and that Master is the Lord Himself. So where does that leave the identity of the master that I claim to be serving?

Maybe this is a strong warning shot across the bow so to speak. Paul is not explicitly stating that I am serving the wrong master whenever I find myself criticizing others, but this certainly leaves the door wide open to that possibility. And that makes sense too, for Paul himself is not into judging the way he is warning us about so he will not engage in judging what master I am serving whenever I view others with contempt. He is letting me figure that out for myself.

Jesus stated unequivocally that He did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save us. (John 3:17) So if I engage in any kind of false judging which involves contempt or criticism of another person then I am not being motivated by the Spirit of Jesus. And if that is true, then what spirit is motivating me whenever I find myself finding fault in others?

What I am seeing in this chapter is addressing this problem that I struggle with in my relationship to the local church in particular as well as my generational issues that have affected very many of my relationships all of my life. Counterfeit judgment is a problem that suffocates the work of the Spirit of Jesus in the body of Christ and limits His ability to work in and through us efficiently to demonstrate the truth of God's glory through His body on earth. I want to become completely free from these contaminating influences that are rooted and thrive in my flesh. But this must involve much more than simple intellectual acknowledgment and understanding of what the problem or solution is but has to involve absorbing the essence of this truth at the heart level.

The good news is that God does not cease being my true Master whenever I slip into a spirit of fault-finding and negative thinking about others. While He is clearly not the one providing the motivation for the kinds of activities I am engaged in, He also does not abandon me but provides even more grace to give me opportunity to see His kindness and repent and be transformed. Even while I am in the midst of the very act of fault-finding in others the Holy Spirit is present to convict me of my complicity in damaging the work of God in their hearts.

Most of the time my flesh is very eager to construct justification for the criticism that I am eager to dish out. I can label it “calling sin by its right name” or “standing in defense of the truth” or any other number of very appealing justifications. But whenever I feel the need to justify myself it is very likely that there is something inside of me desiring to hide from the light of the Spirit. What I am saying about others may be ever so true and may even have the support of many around me, but if it is motivated by a self-justifying spirit within my own heart then no matter how “right” I may be, in the eyes of heaven I am not in harmony with God's work and God's ways.

This verse tells me very bluntly that those that I find myself judging and condemning are in fact people who can stand in spite of my withering effects because the Lord is able to make him stand. That is very good news if I am on the receiving end of contempt and criticism, but what does it say about me when I am on the giving end? I really do want to have this truth embedded firmly into my character, not just learned by my mind as something important to share with others. I want to reflect the true Spirit of Jesus in my life and that means that I need to stop all judgment that I do of others around me no matter how right I may be or faulty they may be. God is able to make them stand and that person is accountable to Him – totally – not to me.

As I meditate and ponder on this I start to perceive that whenever I view others with self-righteous contempt I am really secretly trying to become their master myself in place of God. I want to control them. Wow! What an indictment. Of course, I never admit that my spirit of criticism is self-righteous contempt because that would be too obvious for even my own mind to get away with in the presence of my conscience. So my wrong spirit has to be first dressed up in righteous self-justification and my image has to be polished to look like I am really working to promote God's cause in my efforts to clean up sin in the church or help others see their faults so they can improve their lives. But this is all self-deception which lies at the heart of all contempt and judging and pervades nearly every relationship that I can think of. It is simply inherent in the way the sinful flesh operates all the time.

The previous verse tells me something very important that I need to remember whenever I am tempted to view myself better than someone else. It says that God has accepted this person that I am criticizing. But inherent in the very spirit that I am engaging in I am not accepting them. That means that I am not in harmony with the Spirit of God so I must be synchronizing with a counterfeit spirit that is divisive. Again, no matter how “right” I may be or how much proof I can produce to justify my comments about them, I am out of sync with the Spirit of God and am thus working against what His Spirit is trying to accomplish in that other person's life.

Interestingly, in the very midst of writing this I was in the middle of a situation where this was being demonstrated. I was tempted very much to criticize the other person and find fault with what they were saying about others in a spirit of self-justification, but the Holy Spirit was prompting me to listen more to Him and to think clearly about what I am looking at here in relation to what was happening. It is a time of heart education as much as mind education which is the most important part of my mentoring process under God. So I chose to just listen and not comment on what was being said and asked God to give me the perception of heaven as to what was really going on.

Lord, I ask You to be my mentor and inspiration today. I know there is going to be many temptations to judge others and secretly view them with contempt from a self-righteous spirit. But You are the only example of real righteousness and I want to only be a reflector of Your love and grace. Please fill me with Your Spirit and keep me in Your will and ways today for Your name's sake. Thank-you for accepting me and for accepting those around me in Your embrace and affirmation. Give me the eyes and heart of heaven as I meet Your servants today and keep me from viewing them through my prejudices. You are the only One who can make us stand, and when we stand in You we also will find that we stand together with each other even though we perceive things differently. Glorify Your name in my life today and help me keep my focus on Your face.

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