Romans 14:20-21 - 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
Message: Protecting the Work of God
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome
What the Lord is Saying:
It is amazing how much the issue of food has overridden this chapter.
Verse 2 - eats all things versus vegetables only; the focus here was comparing the weak in faith to those with faith (mature) -- we are to accept one another irregardless, not regard with contempt or judge a person God has accepted (verse 3).
Verse 6 - a person eats or does not eat does so for the Lord, giving thanks to the Lord.
Verse 14 - in the Lord Jesus nothing is unclean, but if something thinks something is unclean, then it is to him. So be it.
Verse 17 - the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking; that is not the goal; do not make a minor thing a major thing.
In verse 19, it is clear that my purpose toward my brother is to pursue peace and it is to build that brother up. It is to be concerned about his growth in Christ. My focus is on him, not on myself. I am not living life in order to make myself happy or please myself, but for the purpose of my brother and building him up.
I spoke to a man at the mall last night and he mentioned that he was happy with his life because he had a girl in his life that made him happy. There isn't anything wrong with that, but even that focus and our words are subtle, in that, life is thought to be good because, "I am happy." And yet what Paul is showing us here in these verses is the focus of our lives is not on ourselves, but on others. Even in Romans 12, verse 1 and 2, that began this treatise on living righteousness, our focus is presenting our bodies living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. It is about renewing my mind. 12:3 says, "not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think" and in verse 10, "be devoted to one another in brotherly love."
This is a hard message because I am a selfish creature. I tend to do things in life that are best for me.
Tearing down the work of God
And so, now in verse 20, Paul repeats an idea that he mentioned in verse 17. He says, "do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food." In verse 17 it was, "the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking." Don't nullify God working in a persons life because of the food he is eating or not eating.
I was talking to a friend last night, sharing a book I was reading, and in that book, it mentions speaking in tongues. In Christianity today there are people that believe that gift is still relevant and those that believe it is not a gift that is still in practice today. There are differences. I think what Paul is saying here is don't make those issues larger than life. We can have those differences but don't divide with your brother because of them. I need to make sure my brother believes in the complete substitution of Christ for man by dying and being resurrected, imputing His righteousness to man, believing that one is saved by grace, not works and it is Christ that is working through us to sanctify us. Those are foundational, so why are we dividing then over an issue of speaking in tongues? I think that is what this verse may be saying that I do not want to "tear down the work of God" over food or over tongues.
It is true that all things (food) is unclean. But or however, they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. My friend said something interesting last night. He said that people have a thirst to be right. That is true. But, we must be careful that in that thirst we are not hurting the faith of another.
Do not do anything to make your brother to stumble
In order to not tear down the work of God in a person's life, we therefore do not do anything to make our brother stumble. It is like I think we need to agree that before we discuss an issue of disagreement that there is agreement that we are not going to divide over this issue. Can we agree that we can discuss and have differences and still be brother and sister in Christ?
The problem people often have is taking indifferent matters and making it the standard for all people.
Promise: Respect people's difference. Don't make them bigger than they are. Focus not on the difference, but Christ working in the person's life.
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