Not Causing Others to Stumble

Readings:
Esther 7
Romans 14:13-23

Focus:
Romans 14:20b: "Everything is pure in itself, but it is wrong to eat if by eating you cause another to stumble."

Paul continues his discussion of what some people believe is okay to eat and others don't. The discussion is applicable to other areas, such as whether or not a person should drink wine, or see certain movies, etc. Paul declares that anything is pure in itself to eat.

But, Paul says, if there are other Christians whose conscience tells them that such things should not be eaten, etc., and they see another Christian eating them, they may be led astray into eating such things too. Yet they will be doing wrong, because they will be violating their consciences. So, Paul says, if we know that other people, with weaker consciences, will see us doing things that they feel are wrong, we should abstain from doing them! Why? Out of love for our brothers and sisters.

Again, this does not apply to things such as cruelty, theft, sexual sin, unkindness, etc. Those things are always wrong. But where there can be true disagreement, we can behave according to our varying beliefs, and we also must show deference to the beliefs of our brothers and sisters by not offending their consciences when they are watching. We do this out of love for them and out of love for God.