Romans 14:1-3 And receive him who is weak in the faith, but not to judgments of your thoughts. For indeed one believes to eat all things; but being weak, another eats vegetables. Do not let him who eats despise him who does not eat; and do not let him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him.
Romans 14 and 15 are seldom talked about in church. At least I've not heard these texts repeated during a church service, yet one of the best ways to get along in society, or even to get along in our own church or our own family is to be able to accept each person as they are. People were not designed to fit into one mold. We all are different and have different ways of thinking and doing things. This is especially true when you have people from a variety of differing cultures.
Nowhere in Romans 14 and 15 do I see God giving permission to break His laws. What I do see is God saying that people will view things differently, interpret things differently and therefore do things differently. Whatever the difference is, the people still need to be loved and accepted. Acceptance is not the same as condoning or excusing something that is Biblically wrong. Acceptance is loving the person where they're at in their life. It is loving the person, not their actions. Acceptance is not being kind to a person so they can be hit over the head with Biblical truths. If we're living our lives for God, in the way He wants us to, people will see the Biblical truths in our lives. They won't need it pushed on them.
There is not much that is more hurtful or lonely than to not be accepted for being different or for thinking differently. Nothing will turn a person away more quickly than to not be accepted for who they are. It's even more hurtful when ignorant and rash judgments are made about a person who doesn't fit into our pattern or way of thinking. People are so quick to form opinions and that's where rejection starts to happen.
Kevin and I are opposites, but the opposites work well together. He is shy around people who are not his friends or family. I'm outgoing, and come from a family who likes to joke around and tease so I also will tease others. But at Kevin's family reunions, or when his friends get together, we switch places. He becomes the talkative one, and I clam up. When it come to finances, he's good with numbers, I'm not so good. He can remember the prices of a whole basket full of groceries. I would have to write every single item down and then spend several minutes trying to add them up. So when we're shopping, I hand him the money, and start picking out items. He tells me when we've reached our limit. Both areas have caused people to make harsh judgments or give us strange reactions. When Kevin and I were only about two or three months into our marriage, two men in our church decided that Kevin was henpecked because he didn't talk much and I did all the talking. I was called by one of the men and told of their opinion. When I suggest he get to know Kevin, he said he didn't have time. I was hurt and angry that these men were talking about me in this manner and that they had come to this conclusion. The other difference I mentioned brings strange reactions from shop owners when they see us shopping and hear me asking my husband if we can buy something. They give Kevin a nervous or frightened look. They don't understand that what we're doing works well for us and our budget.
If we are to get along with others and live as Christ did, we will accept others just as they are, without forming opinions about them. If we honestly love them, we will take the time to get to know them. We might find out things are not really as they first looked. Everyone is created by God and dearly loved by God. As His children, we should love each other, warts and all.