Free Bible Commentary
“Romans 14:13-23”
Categories: Romans“Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this — not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.”
---End of Scripture verses---
Even though the “strong” and the “weak” brethren in a congregation should not “judge” one another when it comes to matters of personal “judgment” or “indifference,” we still should exercise very good judgment in our dealings with each other. Today’s reading is directed specifically to the “strong” — to those who have a good understanding of what God allows us to do and what He forbids us to do. Even though the strong brother has the right to “eat all things” (verse 2), and to regard “every day alike” (verse 5), that doesn’t mean he can exercise that right with God’s approval in every situation.
Today Paul encourages strong Christians to forgo their God-given rights, and the specific example he uses is the eating of clean and unclean animal meat. Paul said, “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself” (verse 14). But Paul, as a “strong” Christian in possession of the ability of proper spiritual discernment, understood that his weak brethren were more important that his tasty food. He knew it was more important to “walk in love” than to “hurt his brother” (verse 15).
He knew that if he exercised his right to eat what was once considered “unclean food” in the presence of a weak brother, his example could encourage his brother who “thinks anything to be unclean” to “stumble” and violate his own conscience by eating it to. This would be the equivalent of putting “an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way” (verse 13). The words “obstacle” and “stumbling block” are similar in meaning and refer to anything that would help to cause a brother or sister in Christ to “fall” into sin and spiritual condemnation.
The goal of each member of a spiritual family in Christ should be to build each other up and not tear each other down (verses 19-20). Paul says we must “determine” or really “make up our minds” to do this (verse 13). If we are going to exercise our rights to eat something or do anything that might be “offensive” to other Christians then we should do so privately, as our “own conviction before God” (verse 22). Please understand that Paul is not talking about merely offending someone’s “sensibilities” or hurting their “feelings” here. Obviously we should never do something like that intentionally either, but Paul is specifically talking about things that have the potential to influence our brethren to sin and cause them real spiritual harm. We want to lift our brethren in Christ up and not contribute to their spiritual downfall!
Please read Romans 15:1-21 for tomorrow.
Hope you all have a blessed Saturday!
- Louie Taylor
