The Weak and the Strong

1Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4Who 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.

5One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6Whoever 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. 7For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written:

“ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘every knee will bow before me;

every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”

12So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14I 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. 15If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do 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. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

I’ve always had a curiosity and maybe one of the Catholics on here can enlighten me. Why is Jesus on the cross in Catholic Churches and in Protestant Churches its just the cross?

As I mentioned at page 1, I listed some practices in the Catholic faith that some of my other Christian friends don't approve/agree with, that give them pause to consider Catholics as Christians.

Anyone who is Christian who believes this, ask yourselves, is your church/faith perfect?
Is it not run by men/people who make judgments and decisions that "might" be questionable?
Is any church/faith/organization perfect?

No! Why? Because man/woman is not perfect.

I really appreciate all responses, and I'll go back and read over and over, but I've come away knowing what I already knew.
Catholics are not perfect, but neither is any person looking in his/her mirror.
However, Catholics are Christians, they same as the rest of those other Christians who believe, follow and love God and Jesus Christ.

I cannot wait to be beside them one day in Heaven! IN65/joe

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Bigbob- I assume you understand the context of that scripture? 1st century Christians were essentially a sect of Judaism and many of them still held onto their Jewish practices. Paul was asking for people to show grace in these instances. They were all in agreement on the identity of Christ. The weak wanted to continue to rely on religious practices as well, but they affirmed who Jesus Christ was, they believed in scripture alone.

I assume the answer would be a question. Where is Jesus today? Many want to “recrucify” him everyday as they don’t accept the finished work of the cross.

For the Catholics is to show that Christ died for us, for Protestants its a symbol of the risen Lord. Our church uses both.

Paul's letters to the Romans. Great reference for this topic!

Yes, I'm aware. I also believe it applies to this thread.

What's the deal with transsubstantiation? From what I understand it's a very literal thing, not metaphorical body and blood. Why is it significant that it's a literal transformation?

Some basic math allows you to fairly accurately estimate the number of humans who have ever lived. It's somewhere between 110-120 billion people. It's also fairly easy to estimate the number of people who have ever lived that were 1. Jewish before Christ, or 2. Christian after his death. You wind up with something like 15-20% of the people who have ever lived. The other 90-100 billion people didn't believe in the Jewish/Christian God. So... One certainly hopes that God makes some exceptions for a man's heart or the fires of hell have souls stacked high and deep.

Catholics believe it changes into the body and blood. Luther believed it just is and is a miracle we can't understand. Most other denominations think it just represents.
That's the reason Catholics and Lutherans (and perhaps others) practice closed Communion.

I guess I'm asking more about the why. So it literally turns into the body and blood of Jesus, why is it important to then consume it? It would be a miracle with or without the consumption right?

No, not literary, but yes. In, with and under is the term used. As to why...

26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.28This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.29I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

This may help. Catholics have seven sacraments, we have two.

sacraments

Regarding a few points by other forum members on previous pages.

Many non-church goers have a notion that Christians/church-goers go to church, become parts of an "organized religion," simple to "make themselves feel better about themselves."
That is not true at all.
People who attend an organized "church/spiritual/Christian/whatever" gathering, go to worship in their faith, and to have "community" with like-minded people.

It's like a bunch of fishing dudes going daily to a fishing forum.

Also and again, maybe some Catholics do this, but many do not, and I do NOT worship Mother Mary or the Pope.
I honor them and respect them, but for this current pope, I do not. I think he's a leftist.

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