Romans 14

Verse 23 "everything that does not come from faith is sin."

In chapter 14 Paul talks about different things people do out of faith. Some people abstain from eating meat and some people hold certain days to be more holy than others. For some, these rituals make very little sense, but to the person doing them they are sacred. We should not judge what others do out of faith.

And then he says "everything that does not come from faith is sin."

I have to disagree with Paul for the second day in a row.

First, the folks at the Westboro Baptist Church that like to protest at military funerals, they believe they are doing this out of faith. Should the rest of us christians just say nothing because they are doing it out of faith? Nope. We should speak up against them when they are out of line.

Second, how can everything that does not come from faith be a sin? Jesus and Moses gave us the law, we have a pretty good grasp on what is and what isn't a sin, with a few gray areas. But now Paul is taking it too far. (Are sports a sin? They don't come from faith.)

However, I think Paul is making a good point. He is encouraging the reader to make every decision based on faith. Imagine what it would look like to bring our faith into everything we do. What would our meals look like if we made food decision based on our faith? Would we eat as much when others have so little? How about our trash, would we be as wasteful?

Worth thinking about... while I eat a burger.