The Power to Change, Part 4: A matter of opinion

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:01]Hi, I'm John from Widows and thank you for joining me for today's devotion on this Tuesday the 5th of May 2026. A full PDF including study resources is available from our website widows.org.za/devotions.

[00:00:16]This is part four of a series called the power to change. Part one was on 24 March and focused on sin looking at some of the things that we can do through the power that God gives us to overcome sin in our lives. Part two was in 14 April and looked at some of the implications of Jesus's command that our yes be yes and our no be no. Part three was actually my sermon of 26th April and looked at things like gossip and slander. What they are, how to deal with them and what to do instead. Today we are looking at how to deal with differences of opinion. We definitely need wisdom for that. So before we continue, let's pray.

[00:00:54]Lord God, you know that the exercise of the freedom you give us can so easily lead to difference. Yet you call us to unity in Christ. Thank you that you don't just leave it there, but you also give us the tools we need to achieve this. Help us to keep our hearts and minds open to you and to your guidance, oh God. Amen.

[00:01:16]When dealing with disputes, we need to be sure of what kind they are because our reaction, how we deal with it, should be different for different kinds.

[00:01:25]It stands to reason that not every disagreement is because of sin. And the process Jesus outlined in Matthew 18 is to resolve matters if you have been sinned against.

[00:01:38]Today we are looking at Romans 14, which speaks mostly about opinions and how those can easily slide into sin. Verse one puts it well. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

[00:01:55]In the NIV, it is rendered without quarreling over disputable matters.

[00:02:00]The Greek word used is dialogismos from which we get our word dialogue. So it is not addressing sin but matters which we can discuss in order to get the other person's point of view. in their opinion.

[00:02:16]There are many things which are no more than a matter of opinion and as we know opinions differ. They can become a problem when lines are drawn in the sand and we start to quarrel over them inflating their importance.

[00:02:30]As a very simple example, taste of musical styles.

[00:02:34]One of the musical styles I enjoy is jazz and I really struggle with rap.

[00:02:40]Still, it's just an opinion. The concept of beauty being in the eye of the beholder comes to mind and styles of visual art is a good example where it ranges from photo realism to incernable blobs of color. Someone will pay a lot of money for it.

[00:02:58]The thing is that in matters of opinion it helps to have dialogue. At the very least you will get to understand the other person better and who knows you may even change your opinion. An important point though is that our opinions of people should not be shaped by their opinions about disputable matters. My view of you as a person should not be impacted by your opinion of a sports club or of a kind of food.

[00:03:25]Imagine this. I don't like you because you like Brussels sprouts and you don't like me because I like tomatoes. Now, while that is a contrived example, Romans 14 uses food to explain this very thing.

[00:03:39]In those times, meat was used as a sacrifice to idols in pagan temples.

[00:03:45]A portion of the meat was sacrificed and the rest was either eaten by the priests or if not sold to the market. Since sacrifices could not be of bad meat, only good meat was used in sacrifice.

[00:03:56]But of course, there was a great deal of good meat which never ended up being sacrificed.

[00:04:01]Why this is important is that Christians who had come from that culture would not want to associate with pagan sacrifices any longer and in some cases felt that their faith was not strong enough to deal with the knowledge that the meat that they were eating might have been involved in pagan sacrifice rituals.

[00:04:17]Their solution was simply to avoid eating meat sold in the market since they did not know what had happened to it on the way to the market.

[00:04:25]The problem is with that becoming judgmentalism where those who withheld started looking down on those who did not. But there was another problem.

[00:04:34]Those who ate any meat could in the exercise of their freedom end up causing a new convert to c fall back into their pagan lifestyle. We see this in verse 20 which reads, "Do not for the sake of food destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.

[00:04:56]On the other hand, verse 16 says, "Therefore, do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil." So, we are not meant to walk on eggshells all the time just in case someone else is impacted negatively, in case someone takes offense.

[00:05:14]This is balanced by verse 22b which says, "Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves."

[00:05:23]There are things of which we should not approve, but we should not allow others to speak of as evil that which we know is good.

[00:05:33]How we react to each other in our expression of where we are in our faith journey is put well in verse three. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.

[00:05:50]So remember that word in verse one, we should dialogue on these things.

[00:05:56]The train of thought continues in chapter 15 where verse one verses 1 and two tell us, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

[00:06:09]Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.

[00:06:15]The aim is thus building each other up in our knowledge of the Lord and not to please ourselves. Those whose faith is not that strong should not stay in that position but should grow helped by those who are building them up in the faith.

[00:06:29]And that is not going to happen if we despise or pass judgment on one another.

[00:06:36]Nobody is perfect is often the defense given when someone points out a fault.

[00:06:41]There's also the joke in church circles.

[00:06:43]If you find the perfect church, don't join it because if you do, it won't be perfect any longer.

[00:06:48]We all have faults. What's important is not to hold those faults against each other, but to be open to having our faults pointed out in love as part of being built up so that we can grow.

[00:07:02]I want to close with two points on another scripture.

[00:07:06]It is well known that those closest to us can hurt us the most. How could he or she say that about me? Often our reaction is an overreaction which in itself can cause hurt to the other party. It is far better to seek understanding to ask is this what you meant because if so it really hurts.

[00:07:29]>> [snorts] >> When handled well, that will be the beginning of reconciliation and a closer relationship.

[00:07:36]If handled badly, it can lead to a breaking down of relationship with much pain.

[00:07:42]I recently read an article by Timothy Del Rimple, president and CEO of Christianity Today, and this excerpt stood out.

[00:07:51]The problem is not when the Christian is in the conflict. The problem is when the conflict is in the Christian. Our engagement with one another and with society should follow the pattern of Christ and not the culture.

[00:08:07]There is much in that and I encourage you to meditate on it in the light of what we have looked at today. But let us conclude with scripture and with prayer.

[00:08:15]May we model ourselves on this from 2 Timothy 2:es 24- 26.

[00:08:22]And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.

[00:08:44]Let us pray.

[00:08:46]Lord God, your word makes it abundantly clear that your desire is for us to live in peace with one another. Please help us, oh Lord, to learn from your word about how to do this and so doing to bring you praise and glory. Amen.