Romans 14:13-23 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Romans 14:13-23. Let’s go!
Romans 14:13-22a (NIV)
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
14 As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
15 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.
16 Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
20 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.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God…
On verses 13-22a: We’ve been learning in Romans 14 that there are certain truths in the Bible that are indisputable and that form the foundation of our faith as Christians. There are other matters where the Bible is not as clear and where Christians are free to have their own opinions and preferences. These are what Paul calls “disputable matters”.
So here’s a question: If you and your brother or sister in Christ disagree on a disputable matter, what should you do? Paul tells us to do two things in Romans 14:13-23:
1. Do not pass judgment on the other person (v13). That is, don’t condemn that person as unspiritual, immature or worldly. It is a disputable matter on which people are entitled to have a different opinion than you. Instead, respect the valid points coming from that person’s perspective because there likely are some.
2. Do not put any stumbling block or obstacle in the other person’s way (v13). What does that look like in practice? To not put a stumbling block in your brother or sister’s way means to take reasonable steps to avoid making that person feel unnecessarily uncomfortable by what you do.
For example, Paul was convinced that because of Jesus no food is unclean in and of itself and that all foods could be eaten (v14a). At the same time, he was sensitive to and respectful of Christians who believed that certain foods should not be eaten. So when having a meal with such Christians, Paul would refrain from eating those foods that would distress his Christian brothers or sisters (v14b-15).
As another example, in the Bible there is no outright prohibition on drinking alcohol (the Bible says “don’t get drunk on wine”, not “don’t drink wine”). Still, some Christians, for personal reasons, refuse to drink alcohol. Perhaps it is because they have been hurt by alcoholism in their family or they do not want to be tempted to lose self-control. If you have dinner with such a Christian, perhaps the respectful, loving thing to do — so as not to put any stumbling block in your brother or sister’s way — is to refrain from purchasing a beer or a glass of wine for that meal. It’s a practical way you can love that person. As Paul says in verse 21, “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”
Now what if you have a church of many people and one person has a strong opinion about a disputable matter? Perhaps they don’t like the style of music. Does “not putting a stumbling block in your brother or sister’s way” mean that the entire church should change the music style just for that one person? No. As Paul says in verse 16, “Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.” It would be unreasonable and selfish for that one person to insist that the majority must change how they approach a disputable matter just for the sake of one person or a small minority. If the music style is such a big issue for that one person such that they cannot worship wholeheartedly at that church and cannot accept others who do, then probably the best thing for that person to do — in order not to put a stumbling block in the way of everyone else — would be for that person to find another church where the music style fits their preferences. As Paul writes in verse 19, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.”
Finally, one last word of advice: when you and your Christian brother and sister are spending time with people who do not know Jesus or who don’t go to church, do not spend any time debating disputable matters. Rather, when it comes to disputable matters, as Paul writes in verse 22, “whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God”.
Once I was with a Christian brother and an unchurched friend together, and for some reason the Christian sister really wanted to talk about whether the second coming of Christ would be “post-millenial” or “pre-millenial”. I tried not to get into this conversation about a disputable matter and instead tried to focus on getting to know our unchurched friend and building our relationship with him. That’s because I believe our focus needs to be on the indisputable mission to reach our unchurched friends with the love of Christ. Let’s not focus on the small disputable matters at the cost of the big, indisputable matters.
Romans 14:22b-23 (NIV)
22 …Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 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.
On verses 22b-23: God did not make us live in self-condemnation and worry about what other people think of what we do. He made us to eat, drink, and live by faith. As you search the Scriptures and seek the Holy Spirit for wisdom on disputable matters, may He give you confidence to live your life for Jesus with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Praise God! May the Lord give you great wisdom to know what is an indisputable matter and what is not. And may you honour God and love people well in how you deal with disputable matters.
