Romans 14:15-16 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.
The chapter continues on the topic of relationships and the harm that judging others for their different convictions on minor issues can harm others. We have to be discerning in this chapter of the timeless truths and the time bound application. There is a place for discernment and judging the actions of others in the church if those actions are clearly a violation of God’s directions for love and holiness. Paul does that many times in his letters. He is not writing here about sins but minor disagreements that are not classified as sins because they are morally neutral. The specific issue here is food. Some people today choose to be vegans or to abstain from certain foods or drinks, or to indulge in certain foods. Paul may have in mind here the kosher foods that Jews ate and those in the church, possibly even Jews such as himself, who believed that all food was clean to eat since God created all things. God is holy and that which is meant for God’s glory and when presented to God in prayer and thanksgiving likewise becomes holy.
The critical issue here is love. If our eating of certain food causes another person to feel uncomfortable and especially to experience temptation, then we should not eat that food, at least in the presence of that person. We love that person too much to cause any hurt or possible moral laps. We must build other people up and not cause them to fall. Christ died for that person, so we must not diminish Christ’s sacrifice by our claim to freedom. Love supersedes our freedom. Our freedom can become a snare to us and to other people.
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