Foot Washing – Required or Not? Romans 14 In Romans 14 Paul starts out by telling us (Christians) not to be arguing over “disputable matters”. Well what does this mean? These are non-salvation doctrine. It’s easier to say what can’t be argued than what can be argued. We have to hear the word, believe it, confess Christ is the savior, repent our sins, be baptized in water and the spirt and walk in the faith. The walking in the faith is where things get muddled up and the arguments begin or is it? Many of the Christian religious sects start their separation back at baptism. Some denominations sprinkle, other pour, while others fully immerse in water. I believe in full immersion. Whether or not you should immediately receive the gift of the Holy Spirit after baptism or if you can get it before baptism is also a matter of dissension but we all agree we get it with our conversion into Christ. Then we disagree as to what the gifts of the Holy Spirit are and whether they still apply in 2014. I believe Paul listed them quite clearly in 1 Corinthians 12 and believe they are still applicable today. No one disagrees that if you are in the spirit that you receive the fruits of the spirt listed in Galatians 5. Jesus didn’t complicate matters -- he gave us only two laws – love God and love our neighbor and he told his disciples to preach the word and baptize. Our interpretations of the letters left to us by Paul, James, Jude, Peter and John is where the arguments begin. Paul said about these matters that if one feels that it’s okay do to something and feels no shame then it is not a sin to him; but if you feel guilty doing something you shouldn’t do it… it is a sin to you. In the time Paul lived everyone was arguing whether eating meat that had been offered in a sacrifice and sold in the markets was wrong or not. Paul clearly said if you think it is wrong then it’s wrong for you. How does this apply today? Many churches have their own customs which they justify in their interpretation of the scriptures – I’m going to use foot washing for an example. I could use something else but I’d be stirring the pot. Some churches have foot washing once a year around Easter as part of their Easter celebration and some churches have the Lord’s Supper only once a year as part of this same celebration. Other churches have no foot washing ever and have Lord’s Supper every Sunday, every service, or monthly. This is what I have to say about it… if your church elders say we’re doing a foot washing – you better be there. They are your leaders. If your church elders say we’re doing the Lord’s Supper only on Easter – then you better be there to partake. Your church elders call the shots at your church. If you don’t like what they want to do… move on to another church. That’s what Paul said in verses 4-6 “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” Paul wraps up in verse 14 and there can only be one interpretation for what he means. “I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself; but if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person, it is unclean.” If your church does this or that or doesn’t do “this or that” then those that believe “this” is right and “that” is wrong then it is what it is. BUT don’t aggravate those that believe differently from you because if they go against what they believe to be right because of you then it’s your fault if the fall way from the Lord. (Paul says this in verses 20-21.) “ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 14:19:50 +0000
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