This article will be studied during the week of August 3 through 9th.

Respect the decisions of others.

Theme text. Do not pass judgment on differing opinions. Romans 14.1.

Song 113. Our Possession of Peace. Focus. How to show respect for fellow believers when they make decisions that we do not agree with.

Paragraphs 1 and 2 question, why do our personal decisions sometimes differ from those of other Christians?

Have you ever felt unfairly judged because of a decision you made?

Have you ever judged a fellow Christian on the basis of a decision he made?

The footnote reads, this information also applies to sisters.

No doubt most of us could answer yes to both questions.

We should not be surprised that at times our decisions differ from those of other faithful Christians.

Why? Because we are unique. Each of us has his or her own viewpoint. Our thinking is influenced by our

culture, family background, and personal experiences. But we should not allow our differing opinions

to threaten the peace and unity of the congregation. Paragraph three question.

What might cause us to judge a fellow Christian for a decision he has made?

When a fellow Christian makes a decision that we disagree with, we might feel the need to convince

him to change his mind, or we might voice our concerns to others.

Likely we have good motives.

We love our brothers and sisters, and we want what is best for them. So we do not want to see them make a decision that they will later regret or that could damage them spiritually.

Paragraphs 4 and 5 question,

what should we do if a fellow Christian decides to do something that differs from what we

would have done?

Should we discuss our concerns with our brother if we disagree with his decision?

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