19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak. 22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. ~ Romans 14:19-23
Today, we close out our study of Romans 14 where we discover more instruction regarding the growth of our faith or our hearts ability to interact with the God of the Bible. This chapter is set in the context of Romans 12-16 which is all predicated upon the first command in Romans 12:1 which reads: "I urge you therefore, brothers and sisters in the Lord, by the mercies of God, that you present your whole lives a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense."
In today’s passage, we are given a microcosm of life. Most in this world have been distracted from what life is really about. We think life is about that which makes us happy, but this is too myopic. In these verses, the Apostle shouts that peace among believers in Christ is one of the most important things in this life. Peace is not just the absence of a storm, but rest in the middle of the storm. The Scriptures remind us that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." This reminder serves to convince us that the more troubled things are in our lives, the more present God makes Himself among us. And, it is in these moments that the God of peace delivers the peace of God to the wearied soul best.
It is the Spirit of God who produces peace in any group of believers, and it is so special we must not flaunt our freedoms in such a way as to upset the full expression of God among us. The strong brother mentioned in context, should enjoy his liberties in Christ, however he mustn't if it interferes with the wholesome peace that God desires to bring to a given group of believers. God's peace is one of those things when we experience it, it tunes our souls to real reality. When the harmony is threatened in any group of believers, God expects the strong among us to bear that burden and to not insist on their personal rights. And, when the stronger brother insists on his rights at the expense of the weaker brother, he threatens the work of God among the group and through that group.
In v.21 of today's passage we read, "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak."
It is not wrong for the strong brother, who understands that he has been made acceptable before the God of the Bible solely through the finished work of Christ on the cross, to enjoy the liberty that Christ earned for him. All things are to be considered sacred, even the things of the world that sin has distorted, but it is not good for the strong believer in the faith to do anything by which his weaker brother is caused to momentarily "stumble" in his faith. The actions of the strong brother is meant to be a means by which the weaker brother is helped to get to the place where he becomes strong. In this case the prevailing peace of God is more important than the strong brother's freedom in Christ.
In v.22-23 of today's passage we read, "22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin."
In addition to accentuating the peace of God among believers in this passage, the Apostle accentuates our faith in the God of the Bible. The Apostle admonishes us to let God and His Word be the basis for our faith, and nothing else. We must be sure that what we are doing is not couched in selfishness because pride has always been the vein through which the enemy subverts the purposes of God among us. We must be defined by God and not ourselves.
When we get to this place of security and maturity in the grace and mercy of God through Christ, the watching world begins to take note as to whether we are substantive or not. When we embrace the posture of the servant, it is obvious that our faith has founding a resting place that is real and worth investing in. It is truly the peace of God in the soul of a man that enables him to give up his rights in order to win others to Christ. True freedom in Christ continues to lead us away from the self life to the life of servanthood.
The result to all of this is to help the weak understand the reason for our freedom. They will see the essence of the issue here which will always be our faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Faith means believing as true what God has said. We must not only base our freedoms in the Word of God, we must base our faith in it as well. When we get to this point of being defined by Him, then we will experience true freedom. Most believe that freedom is the ability to do what we want when we want. This is not true. True freedom is to the ability to choose to operate according to how we were made to operate by the God of the Bible.
As a result, those observing will begin to see the heart of the gospel which is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. This type of life is not contrived as it is among the religious. These three gifts are the basis for our freedom in all areas of life. We are not free if we have simply won a theological fight with another believer. That is not freedom or victory of any real kind. Real freedom is the right to give up our rights, for the good of others. This is the posture of the servant of Christ.
Sadly, according to v.23 the one who doubts God and is weak in his faith in the God of the Bible is stunted because he thinks he would be condemned if he eats certain foods or drinks certain drinks or he does not observe the Sabbath. He lacks strong faith and stabilizing peace. The ultimate goal of God in his life is peace between the strong and the weak because it provides a group of believers a profound testimony to this lost and dying world.
Thomas Merton said it well when he penned these words: "Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience."
