THE GOSPEL MESSENGER--April 1901 

In Romans xiv, 13, the Apostle says to the brethren, "Let us not therefore judge one another anymore; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way."

It seems evident from these words that brethren had been judging and condemning one another by a standard of their own tradition and not by the word of Christ. When we introduce a standard of judgement on our own, such as not plainly authorized by the word of Christ, and make it a test of soundness in the faith, and a test of our fellowship to all who do not conform to our standard of judging, we thereby put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in our brother’s way. He is not strengthened in the faith of Christ by conforming to such tests, but falls from his own steadfastness in the faith and is made weak in the faith and order of the gospel.

When we judge one another as to soundness in the doctrine and order of the gospel, by mere human tests of judgement, one brother has one standard of judgement and another has another. Their tests for judging do not agree with one another. One brother esteems one day for a particular branch of service of God above another. He cannot commune with his brethren and partake of the emblems of the spilt blood and broken body of Christ except on one particular day of the week, and even then he must wait until the afternoon, else he cannot give God thanks, because he is weak in the faith of the gospel and esteems that particular day and hour above all other days for partaking of the bread and wine and for giving God thanks. So it happens in this particular he neither eats nor gives God thanks oftener than once in three and six months, and then he must wait till his clock strikes 12. Else he might eat the bread and drink the wine and be found giving God thanks a little too early in the day.

Now, to my mind, all this seems like the bigotry and superstition of early religious training, without regard to pure gospel teaching. It savors of great weakness in the faith of the gospel of Christ. It shows forth the influence of the traditions of men and how persons can be led along, step by step, under such influence until they get so superstitious in esteeming one day above the other that they dare not commence any piece of work about their farm or other business on Friday or Saturday. O, these are dreadful unlucky days in these estimation, and if they should commence a piece of work on Friday, something dreadful would befall them.

Now it is evident, if brethren make these human standards of judgement tests of fellowship for each other there must be confusion and distress in the church, and such things will become stumbling-blocks in our brethren’s way, and thereby an occasion, or excuse will be to the cause of truth, making them weak in their love and fellowship for each other, as well as weak in their faith and understanding of pure gospel truth. Christ is not a stumbling-block to any but those disobedient one who follow traditions of men. Let us not, therefore, assume the right or authority in judging one another by any other rule than the word of Christ. Do not introduce any new tests of fellowship not clearly established by the word of the Lord, and all will soon be peace and love among brethren. Human standards of judgement will always corrupt the minds of brethren and lead them away from a proper respect for the rights and authority of the church of Christ. Each member is the servant of Christ as well as the servant of the church. "Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?" Who art thou that declarest non-fellowship with any church investigation?---M.