December 9 Romans 12-16 Don't Get Hung Up Over Disputable Matters

Romans 14:1-15:13 is about not dividing over "disputable matters." Systematic theological study of the Bible can catalog beliefs into three categories. They are:

1. Dogma: basics of the Christian faith that bind us together as one faith - inerrancy of the Bible, Christ alone, faith alone, etc.
2. Doctrine: those items of the faith that Christians committed to the truth of Scripture (dogma) see differently - who is baptized and when, when baptism in the Spirit occurs, end times, etc.
3. Opinion or disputable matters: those applications of Scripture that are directly addressed in the Bible - abstaining completely from alcohol, trick or treating, etc.

It takes a mature Christian to be able to live with these distinctions and to appropriately put beliefs in the right category. If someone has a strong belief about a disputable matter, then it is sin for them to transgress that belief; but it is not sin for another who doesn't hold to that belief. We shouldn't try to make the other person transgress their belief system. Paul urges us to not divide over disputable matters.