"It doesn't do any good to be stricter than God!"

Our study through Romans has brought us to a famous section in chapters 14-15 on how to deal with disagreements between Christians. Some Christians understand that they are free in Christ to do all sorts of things. Some feel bound by their conscience to restrict themselves. This makes for clashes.

For those who want to dive deeper into this issue, the Pastoral Team recommends the book Conscience: What It Is, How To Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ. This book will help you understand what your conscience is, why God has given it to you, and how to relate to other Christians whose consciences are different than yours.

Below is a sampling of some of the best quotes from the book:

"A church that thinks it has gotten beyond last generation’s debates over music and wine will find that this generation’s debates over recycling and child discipline are just as divisive."

"The conscience is your consciousness of what you believe is right and wrong."

"Only the cross can fill that ever-widening gap between your consciousness of what you ought to be and your actual obedience."

"Feeding excuses to your conscience is like feeding sleeping pills to a watchdog."

"A regular diet of Scripture will strengthen a weak conscience or restrain an overactive one."