We can agree to disagree—in love. 

在爱中求同存异。

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace.Romans 14:19 

所以，我们务要追求和睦的事与彼此建立德行的事。-罗马书14章19节

I remember hearing my dad talk about how difficult it was to walk away from unending arguments over differing interpretations of the Bible. By contrast he recalled how good it was when both sides agreed to disagree.

我记得父亲曾经说过，对圣经持有不同见解的争论，总是无止无休，难以平息。相比之下，他也记得当双方能求同存异的美好。

But is it really possible to set aside irreconcilable differences when so much seems to be at stake? That’s one of the questions the apostle Paul answers in his New Testament letter to the Romans. Writing to readers caught in social, political, and religious conflict, he suggests ways of finding common ground even under the most polarized conditions (14:5–6).

但在有利害关系的事情上，我们是否真的可以忽视无法解决的分歧呢？这正是使徒保罗在罗马书中所解答的一个问题。当时这些信徒正陷入社会、政治和宗教的冲突中，保罗写信提醒他们，即使大家的观点南辕北辙，也要努力找到共同点（14章5-6节）。

According to Paul, the way to agree to disagree is to recall that each of us will answer to the Lord not only for our opinions but also for how we treat one another in our differences (v. 10).

根据保罗的教导，求同存异的方法，就是我们都当谨记，将来我们每个人都要向上帝交帐，我们不仅要为自己所做的批评负责，也要为自己如何对待彼此的差异而受审判（10节）。

Conditions of conflict can actually become occasions to remember that there are some things more important than our own ideas—even more than our interpretations of the Bible. All of us will answer for whether we have loved one another, and even our enemies, as Christ loved us.

事实上，意见相左或有冲突的情况也提醒了我们，有些事比坚持自己的想法还重要，甚至比我们如何阐释圣经更为重要。将来有一天，我们都要向上帝陈明，我们是否彼此相爱，甚至是否爱我们的仇敌，如同基督爱我们一样。

Now that I think of it, I remember that my dad used to talk about how good it is not just to agree to disagree but to do so with mutual love and respect. 

现在回想起来，我记得父亲总是说，不仅要求同存异，更美好的是，在彼此相爱和互相尊重中求同存异。

Father, please enable us to be patient and kind with those who don’t agree with us about anything or everything.

天父啊，在这世上我们难免会遭人反对，求祢让我们能以耐心和爱心，包容那些不认同我们的人。

Romans 14:1-13    NIV

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

罗马书 14:1-13

14 信心软弱的，你们要接纳，但不要辩论所疑惑的事。 2 有人信百物都可吃，但那软弱的只吃蔬菜。 3 吃的人不可轻看不吃的人，不吃的人不可论断吃的人，因为神已经收纳他了。 4 你是谁，竟论断别人的仆人呢？他或站住，或跌倒，自有他的主人在；而且他也必要站住，因为主能使他站住。 5 有人看这日比那日强，有人看日日都是一样，只是各人心里要意见坚定。 6 守日的人是为主守的；吃的人是为主吃的，因他感谢神；不吃的人是为主不吃的，也感谢神。7 我们没有一个人为自己活，也没有一个人为自己死。 8 我们若活着，是为主而活；若死了，是为主而死。所以，我们或活或死，总是主的人。 9 因此基督死了，又活了，为要做死人并活人的主。 10 你这个人，为什么论断弟兄呢？又为什么轻看弟兄呢？因我们都要站在神的台前。 11 经上写着：“主说：‘我凭着我的永生起誓：万膝必向我跪拜，万口必向我承认。’” 12 这样看来，我们各人必要将自己的事在神面前说明。13 所以，我们不可再彼此论断，宁可定意谁也不给弟兄放下绊脚跌人之物。

整理：于姊妹