How do we reconcile Romans 14:13-23:
13Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.[c] 22The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
in a world where so many people are grieved by so much... As we think about our nation's past and the civil war. Yet not let what is good be spoken of as evil as it says in verse 16. When I see men like Robert E. Lee who is considered "evil" in many eyes, yet taught his slaves to read and freed them, giving them worth and dignity ... While Lincoln whom we revere said "I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, —that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race" in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
Both of whom did amazing things for our country either in the engineering or battlefields or from the public office. So the thing it seems is someone can do the right things for the wrong reasons, and be considered a good person in the eyes of men; yet someone can do the wrong things for the right reasons and be considered bad by man. Which I guess is the reason we can find peace and justice in the fact and hope that God judges the heart and man judges the outward appearances.
