Written ~ 12-02-2023
Romans 14:20-23
20 Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.
22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.
23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people were given many instructions for how they were to honor the Lord. In the Book of Leviticus you can find the lengthy and specific listing of all foods that were honorable (clean) and those that were not allowable (unclean). In the New Testament there were many who adhered to the law given to Moses by God and the old covenant. But when Jesus came, He brought a new covenant, He made what was unclean, clean. The rules changed, meats that would have been considered unlawful to eat were now ok to eat. In our passage for today, Paul is talking to believers who may not have been sensitive to those around them who still adhered to the law of Moses. Verse 4:19 ends by saying, “…try to build each other up…” Then verse 4:20 begins with “…Don’t tear apart the work of God…”
One of the ways Paul was noticing a tearing down of the work they were doing for the Lord was the way these believers presented themselves around the dinner table. Let’s see if I can explain this so we can understand this a little better. Imagine for a moment that you were having a dinner party, one of your guests is highly allergic to dairy or peanuts for example… and you knew this fact, but all of the dishes you served consisted of both those ingredients. You and your other guests don’t have a problem with what’s being served and dig in, but the guest who cannot consume the food that’s being served is completely left out. What our verses are talking about is different because they are specifically talking about a deep religious belief as to what food or drink can be consumed, but can you see how it would cause a wedge between people if there isn’t a sensitivity to how your beliefs and another’s belief may differ?
In verse 14:22 it says,
22 You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.
If you feel there is absolutely nothing wrong with what you are doing and you have COMPLETE peace with the Lord with those actions, then as this verse states, you are blessed. In context, these verses are talking about the food and drink a person feels is right or wrong to consume. But do you think this verse can apply to everything else in our lives? Think about the beginning of verse 14:22, “…you may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God…” Our actions play a huge part in how the world sees Jesus. If you truly believe your actions line up with what you read in the Word of God and you have complete peace with the Lord to continue in those actions, then, you don’t need to feel guilty.
Let’s move on to verse 14:23,
23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
I want to highlight, “…but if you have doubts…” How many of us continue in a particular action that we may not have complete peace with the Lord about, we push down that little voice that says we shouldn’t be doing what we are doing. Maybe because it’s a selfish desire that you don’t want to give up, no matter who it hurts. Look at the next part of verse 14:23, “…you are sinning if you go ahead and do it…”
Have you ever felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit? He is pointing out something in your life that is not giving complete honor and glory to the Lord and you are ignoring those prompts. Continue reading verse 14:23, “…you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions.” Each of us have different convictions in many diverse areas, it doesn’t matter if I think something is wrong and you don’t, what matters is if the Holy Spirit is repeatedly pointing something out to you and you do not respond. The rest of verse 14:23 says, “If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”
Let’s go back to the dinner party where you are serving dishes that one of your guests cannot eat because of severe allergies. Who is at fault for preparing foods that cannot be consumed by your guest? It certainly is not the guest. You are at fault for not being sensitive to that person’s needs. You were not right in preparing foods that didn’t satisfy the hunger of each guest. “If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”
So, what if we use verse 14:23 to blanket our entire life… Try to visualize how many actions we willingly do each and every day without much thought. Are we sinning with blatancy because we choose to ignore our convictions? Do we consciously do things that cause another believer to stumble and fall into sin because we are not being mindful of their convictions? What about the non-believer? What are they seeing when they watch you? Are you walking honorably in your convictions? Or do you push those convictions aside and do what your sinful nature wants you to do?
These can be some tough questions. Remember, we need to have confidence when we approach the throne of God. If we are not walking honorably in the convictions the Holy Spirit is laying on our hearts, it may be that we just cower at the feet of Jesus.
It’s a lot to think about, but I hope as we continue to study the Word of God, we will all gain knowledge and wisdom through the powerful words of the Lord.
~AMEN~