It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. –Romans 14:21
We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbour for his good to build him up. –Romans 15:1-2
Around the time that this book was written, there was a lot of confusion as to what kinds of food were considered clean and which were not. There were a lot of dietary laws in the Jewish custom based on laws from the Old Testament where God declared some foods unclean (Leveticus 11). Many Jews avidly followed these laws, but there were some Christians that Paul described as ‘strong’ who freely ate all things because they believe that Christ declared all foods clean (see Matthew 15:11).
Peter, one of the 12 apostles, was a Jew that devotedly followed the Jewish customs. In Acts 10, we read that he fell into a trance, and out of heaven came a large sheet containing all kinds of animals, both clean and ‘unclean’. A voice came to him saying, “Kill and eat.” Peter responded saying, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” Then the voice replied to him saying, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” After this experience, Peter’s conscience permitted him to eat anything and mingle with Gentiles, whom he also considered to be unclean until after his vision (see Acts 10:34)
You also might have had experiences or gotten insight from the Lord concerning matters where there is no clear guidance in Scripture, but Paul is urging you in the above verses not to flaunt your Christian freedom and by so doing cause your brethren to stumble. There are some Christians that choose not to watch television, listen to certain music, eat certain foods, etc and there are Christians that do not feel any conviction concerning anythose things. Does that mean that the one group is better than the other? Absolutely not! Does that mean that both groups cannot coexist? Absolutely not! However, it does mean that each person from whatever group ought to endeavour to look out for his/her brethren’s best interest.
If I listen to secular music, and I know that my friend does not feel comfortable with it, whenever s/he is around, it would be good for me to perhaps listen to Christian music so as to accommodate him/her. If I had a party and knew that a fellow Christian who would attend did not eat pork, it would not hurt to try to serve some chicken. Do you get my drift? The whole point of all of my jabber is as Paul writes in Romans 15:12, each of us should please his neoghbour for his good to build him up. Let us decide today that we will not look down on anyone because of what their faith permits them to do or not do concerning those things on which Scripture does not give clear guidance.
I leave you with the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 10:23-24,31-33 “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others…So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God –even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
Grace and peace be with you.
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