Romans 14:5-8 :: The Weaker Brother or Sister, Part Two

Romans 14:5-8 (The Message and TNIV)

Paul uses a second example today to emphasize his point that we are to "welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do" (v1).  Yesterday, he used the example of eating food and abstaining food, and today he uses the Sabbath day as an example.  He is arguing for the Sabbath Principle, not the Sabbath Day.  For the Jewish readers of Romans, Paul seems again to be placing the one who adheres to the rules into the "weaker" category.  There is simply something in Christ that frees us from the confines of rule-based living.  Each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience (v5).  What is important about the Sabbath Principle is that each person keeps a holy day (any day) for God's sake; if you eat meat, you eat it to the glory of God and thank Him for it, and if you are a vegetarian, that too is for God's glory.  We are not to insist on our own way in matters like this - we are answerable to God (v8).

It is notable that both the dietary and daily restrictions for the Jewish readers were not negotiable.  These were clear-cut standards that God called his people to, yet Paul points these out as negotiable under the new covenant because of Christ.  Are there areas in our lives that we would deem non-negotiable that Paul might use in an argument for freedom today?