Romans 14:14-15,20-23

As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food [or nothing] is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.... Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

God says that the food is not unclean and Paul agrees: “nothing is unclean in itself.” What makes something unclean? Motive and conscience, not the food itself. When a person considers something to be unclean, then to him it is unclean! If in my heart and conscience I consider something to be wrong, then I must not do it. In time I may need to rethink and relearn some things in light of God’s Word and I will discover that what I thought was wrong was not wrong at all! Is Paul saying that the conscience determines what is clean and unclean? No. He’s saying that our freedom is to be used lovingly for the good of our brethren. Some Christians believe that it is wrong for them to eat certain things and others believe it is right for them to eat those things. And Paul is addressing how we love each other in that situation. Let’s make sure we understand that truth is not becoming subjective here!

“If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.” There’s nothing I can add to what Paul says here. He has just told us repeatedly from chapter 12 on to act in love, and here he says that if a fellow Christian is distressed because of your food choices (or your actions), then you are acting in an unloving way. Then he uses the word, “destroy,” and it’s strong. It’s a command not to cause your brother to sin by doing something you perceive as permissible and he perceives as sinful in his presence. God in Christ loved this brother so much that He made the greatest sacrifice to save him from eternal destruction. In light of Calvary’s cross, should we not make a small sacrifice (giving up some pork chops) for our brother’s temporal welfare? Christ sacrificed everything so that this brother would not be destroyed eternally. Can I not sacrifice a glass of wine so that my brother will not be ruined in his earthly Christian walk? Do you see how important the edification of believers is to God? Compare 1 Corinthians 8.

1 Corinthians 8:1 says, “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” In other words, knowledge says, “I know that I am free to eat this meat because God has said so in 1 Timothy 4:3-6,” and love says, “I will lay aside my right to eat this meat for the sake of my weaker brother. I don’t want my actions to be a problem for him.” That’s what Christian freedom is for – to build up the Body of Christ, and not to break it down or destroy it.

From v20-23, God is in the process of justifying the wicked and sanctifying the justified. Even though all things are permissible, we would be sinning if we did something or ate something that causes our brother to stumble. For the weaker brother, and actually for all believers, we must be convinced that what we are doing is right. Whatever is done without conviction that it is right is sinful. Here is the summary: The voice of conscience must not be ignored. As we grow in the knowledge of the Word of God, our conscience may need to be corrected. Recall – “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If we are involved in the decision-making process, and we’re sure what to do, and it’s grounded in the Word of God, then we ought to do it. If we’re not sure that it’s okay, we mustn’t do it.