A Scripture for Usenet Users/Lurkers

[* irenic *]

I read this passage from St. Paul in my devotions recently and was
suitably convicted by it. Excerpts:

Rom 14:1 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the
way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something
you don't agree with--even when it seems that they are strong on opinions
but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to
deal with. Treat them gently...

Rom 14:4 Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or
interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or
manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help...

Rom 14:8 It's God we are answerable to--all the way from life to death and
everything in between--not each other.

Rom 14:9 That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he
could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us
from the petty tyrannies of each other.

Rom 14:10 So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And
where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves
you looking pretty silly--or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up
kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical
and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one
bit...

Rom 14:13 Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you
need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else,
making life more difficult than it already is...

Rom 14:18 Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll
kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your
worth to the people around you.

Rom 14:19 So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each
other. Help others with encouraging words;

Rom 14:20 don't drag them down by finding fault. ...

Rom 14:22 Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on
others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent.

Rom 14:23 But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways
inconsistent with what you believe--some days trying to impose your opinions
on others, other days just trying to please them--then you know that you're
out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe,
then it's wrong.

'The Message': translation by scholar-pastor Dr. Eugene Peterson.

[Matthew Johnson]

Post by * irenic *
I read this passage from St. Paul in my devotions recently and was

But your 'excerpts' make it quite clear that you did NOT read these in Paul. You
read them in an intensely dishonest, tendentious translation of Paul.

Post by * irenic *
Rom 14:1 Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the
way you do.

That is NOT what it says! It says not "who don't see things the way you do", but
"who are weak in faith". But this is not the same at all!

There are several more examples of the translator's dishonesty, but I see no
point in going over all of them.

[snip]