Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

I have been struggling over this for days now. I have a preference. It is mine, I am fully persuaded in my mind. The fact that I am fully persuaded one way or another does not give me the right to impose my preference upon you.

I want to talk about it, without talking about it. Not about my preference but on my past insistence upon making an issue about it. I placed my preference above fellowship and that wasn’t right. I allowed the fact that others chose the alternative as an opportunity to allow it to affect my attitude. In that I was wrong.

I still have that preference and it is mine to own. What I struggle with in fellowship is being sincere in my joy for others who hold a different position. They are not wrong and neither am I. What we must agree upon is not the issue but that we are the Lord’s and it doesn’t matter to Him nor does He show a preference.

Romans 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

We both give thanks to God. We do it together regardless of the day, its importance, or its lack. The real issue is the fellowship we can enjoy because we both belong to the Lord.

Romans 14:7-8 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

In that we agree and can celebrate every day.

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Why is it OK to call a fool a fool in the Old Testament but not in the New Testament?

Translations are tricky. These are two different words and two different meanings. On the face of it they sound the same but if you get back to the origins, there is a great difference.

The Hebrew word for fool in Psalm 14 speaks to behavior, meaning foolishness. The Greek word for fool in Matthew 5 means godless.

While Psalm 14 was referring to the action and thoughts of others, Jesus was speaking to believers about our thoughts and actions. Anger without cause and the resentful outburst Raca are emotional and we should know that a pricking of the conscience is coming. The Holy Spirit will chasten our behavior.

Calling another person godless is likened to blasphemy. It is God who saves. If we are to imply to anyone that they are beyond salvation, we are setting ourselves up not just as a judge but one who can determine salvation. This is not within our ability or responsibility.

The bible does not contradict itself. If you think it does, then look for the differences. Its there.