Daily Bread Romans 14
Daily Bread Romans 14
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. 22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. 23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
Observation:
Now Paul gets really practical. He realizes that for some Jews eating meat on certain days will be against their conscience because they are so steeped in honoring certain days and ways. So he tells the Romans that, in and of itself, what you eat or drink is not as important as why you do it.
Importantly he outlines that if a believer uses their freedom and it causes another brother or sister to stumble in their faith, then we shouldn’t exercise that freedom. For instance for one person drinking wine or another alcoholic beverage isn’t an issue. They can enjoy it with a clean conscience and provided they don’t over-indulge it wouldn’t be a bad thing for them. But another person who is struggling with alcohol, for them it might not be right to drink. If you are with this person, the Christ-like thing to do is to abstain, so as not to tempt that person.
So we see Paul’s principle is always to use the freedom we have in Christ to serve others, not lord it over them. Sometimes we get caught up in petty arguments over eating and drinking, but as Paul says, the kingdom of God is not about that but about doing the right things and living in the joy and the peace of the Lord.
Application:
Within the Christian faith, some traditions will honor this day or that day, or possibly abstain for certain foods for instance during Lent. Paul teaches us today not to judge others over these types of decisions. For instance in the Catholic tradition sometimes they often don’t eat meat on Fridays. During Lent in my tradition, we encourage people to give up things and add spiritual disciplines. Other traditions might say, “We do this all year round.”
The important thing is to honor whatever brings someone closer to the Lord and helps them to connect with God. One of the beauties of the diversification in the Church is that there are many sizes and shapes, and they all reflect the Body of Christ. One church burns incense, as prayers go up to God. Another has persons praying or praising with the gift of tongues. Others chant liturgies. Some do spontaneous prayers. Some use power point sermon illustrations. Some do question and answer sermons. Some are read from a manuscript. Do you get the point? It is not the method but the message. It is not the worship style, but the leading people of people to encounter the living God in the power of the Holy Spirit! That’s all that matters!
Prayer: God help us not to concentrate on things that don’t matter. Help us to celebrate the diversity in the church and how different people are called to different ways of following and experiencing you. May we always be learning new ways to experience your grace and mercy and not get stuck in ruts that define our spirituality! Come Holy Spirit teach us new ways to enter the Father’s presence through the Son! Amen.
14 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16 Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble. 22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. 23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
Observation:
Now Paul gets really practical. He realizes that for some Jews eating meat on certain days will be against their conscience because they are so steeped in honoring certain days and ways. So he tells the Romans that, in and of itself, what you eat or drink is not as important as why you do it.
Importantly he outlines that if a believer uses their freedom and it causes another brother or sister to stumble in their faith, then we shouldn’t exercise that freedom. For instance for one person drinking wine or another alcoholic beverage isn’t an issue. They can enjoy it with a clean conscience and provided they don’t over-indulge it wouldn’t be a bad thing for them. But another person who is struggling with alcohol, for them it might not be right to drink. If you are with this person, the Christ-like thing to do is to abstain, so as not to tempt that person.
So we see Paul’s principle is always to use the freedom we have in Christ to serve others, not lord it over them. Sometimes we get caught up in petty arguments over eating and drinking, but as Paul says, the kingdom of God is not about that but about doing the right things and living in the joy and the peace of the Lord.
Application:
Within the Christian faith, some traditions will honor this day or that day, or possibly abstain for certain foods for instance during Lent. Paul teaches us today not to judge others over these types of decisions. For instance in the Catholic tradition sometimes they often don’t eat meat on Fridays. During Lent in my tradition, we encourage people to give up things and add spiritual disciplines. Other traditions might say, “We do this all year round.”
The important thing is to honor whatever brings someone closer to the Lord and helps them to connect with God. One of the beauties of the diversification in the Church is that there are many sizes and shapes, and they all reflect the Body of Christ. One church burns incense, as prayers go up to God. Another has persons praying or praising with the gift of tongues. Others chant liturgies. Some do spontaneous prayers. Some use power point sermon illustrations. Some do question and answer sermons. Some are read from a manuscript. Do you get the point? It is not the method but the message. It is not the worship style, but the leading people of people to encounter the living God in the power of the Holy Spirit! That’s all that matters!
Prayer: God help us not to concentrate on things that don’t matter. Help us to celebrate the diversity in the church and how different people are called to different ways of following and experiencing you. May we always be learning new ways to experience your grace and mercy and not get stuck in ruts that define our spirituality! Come Holy Spirit teach us new ways to enter the Father’s presence through the Son! Amen.
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