By Jay McCluskey
Pastor, North Cleveland Baptist Church, Cleveland
Focal Passage: Romans 14:1-4, 13-19
My father tells a sermon illustration about a man who did not know the meaning of the word “ancestor.” When someone told this man that he had “ancestors” he thought it was some disease or parasite. Consequently, he would swear that he DID NOT have “ancestors” (though certainly he did).
The topic of Romans 14 is another word which may cause an initial aversion: “scruples.” You initially might think that you do not have “scruples.” But like we all have “ancestors,” we also all have “scruples.”
The dictionary defines scruples as “a feeling of doubt or hesitation with regard to the propriety of a course of action.” In other words, a scruple is a sense of conviction or preference about how things should be done. Everyone possesses persuasions about the better way to cook, clean, do construction, drive a stick shift, and countless other items.
One of the places scruples show up is in church. Of course there are items upon which it is essential all Christians be “on the same page.” These include the sovereignty of God, the sufficiency of grace, the inspiration of Scripture, and the divinity of Jesus. [Read more…]
