November 5, 2021 - Romans 14:14-23

It will soon be forty-five years since I last drank alcohol or smoked a cigarette! When I received Christ as my Savior there was an immediate conviction not to have those substances in my life any longer. Those decisions came easily to me but for many people choices such as those are challenging and often takes time to determine a new lifestyle. Habits which we have ceased can create critical attitudes toward others still participating in them.

Paul was writing to the believers at Rome and encouraging them in their attitudes toward believers whose practices, habits, and lifestyles were different and questionable. The acceptance of meat sacrificed to idols and the participation of individuals in guilds (today’s unions) that worshipped other gods were areas of tension Paul addressed. The family had to eat, and the father had to provide for the family, so these issues were not secondary but of vital importance. The apostle John also addresses similar controversies in the churches of Asia Minor.

Paul states emphatically in verse 14 that nothing is unclean of itself. Yet, it (food) can become unclean to individuals who consider it as contaminated. The word unclean, has the basic meaning of being unholy or in opposition to the Divine. In that sense it is unclean and not to be brought before the Lord in worship. Yet his teachings also are clear that if an individual is struggling with these items, then we (believers) must be respectful and patient with them. Their relationship with the Lord is more important than food or social standing.

Being sensitive to fellow believers can be very difficult at times! Your growth and maturity can bring freedom to go and participate in activities that others cannot join in good conscience. With restaurants and events including alcohol on their menu and language increasingly becoming more foul and vulgar on television and movies, the challenge to be sensitive to fellow believers is relevant. Before inviting someone to an event or out to dinner, seek to understand what are difficult or areas of temptations for them. We do not want to be a stumbling block or be a cause for failure in another believer’s walk with Christ.