There are several verses of this type in Paul's letter to the church in Rome. He is writing to a community which he has never met, so he needs to lay the foundation for his teachings and his understanding of what God is calling us to believe. He has been concerned that among the assembled there may be differences of thought and practice. "How am I to ensure that I won't offend or harm another?" The answer to that is for all things to proceed from faith.
Actions and words expose what is important to us. They allow others to see what is at the core of our lives. When we get to that level, it is likely that there will be great differences. How do we continue to share and be open and honest without our deeply held convictions becoming an offense to the other? By acting out of faith. By sharing and speaking and acting in accordance with the assurances we have that God loves us and that God is with us. By remembering that for Jesus the most important matter of all was care for the least among us.
In a world where religious convictions are sometimes shunned and condemned, it is important that we speak up and act out. But we do so, not in order to give offense, but in order to make known that which has sustained us. We act in accordance to faith, not out of some sense of authority. We share; we are not in the business of overpowering.
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