Romans 14:13-14:23 - Not to Be a Stumbling Block

Calvin (6/5/02-6/6/02)

14:13: It is not lawful for us, who must be judged, to take the judge's role. We are in no position to judge others, yet we ought to use judgment in our own actions, so as not to cause offense. Footnote: The two words('obstacle' and 'stumbling block') in this passage speak of similar things, yet a difference remains. The weak are to cease from being a blockade to the stronger man's progress. The strong are to be considerate, so that their freedoms do not cause the fall of a weaker brother.
14:14: At one and the same time, Paul makes clear that Christian liberty allows us to partake of all foods as we will, and yet shows how the abuse of that liberty can become sinful. Where doubts remain, action must not be taken. Where the doubtful accompany us, we who have no doubts ought to serve them by abstaining as well. All foods have become clean to us by the blessing of Christ Jesus. Footnote: While this is true, it is not what the passage says. This verse assures the reader that Paul's understanding on this subject is from Christ Jesus, that he speaks from God's own authority. Faith sanctifies all things to us. Where there is unbelief, the object remains defiled. (Tit 1:15 - Everything is pure to the pure, but nothing is pure to the unbeliever, for their mind and conscience remain defiled.)
14:15-14:16: Love is violated when we allow our actions to bring hurt to our brother. Further, we lay the blood of Christ to waste if we choose to have our freedom in eating at the cost of a weak brother's conscience. Footnote: Many have taken this verse as proof that those for whom Christ died can yet know eternal death. This, however, is disproved by far too many scriptures to be accepted. Furthermore, such a conclusion shows a lack of recognition of the context in which the statement is made. He is pointing to the potential contained in unwise flaunting of liberty - the destruction of the soul of a brother. This is not to say that such an outcome will be allowed to occur, but that such an outcome would be the natural outflow. We no more have the power to destroy a soul than we do to save one. We speak of accomplishing these things, yet we know that only God can bring about either end, either by His blessing to life, or His permission to death. That permission is never granted when it comes to His own. (Jn 10:27-29 - My sheep, hear Me and follow Me. I know them and give them eternal life. They will never perish, and none can take them from Me. My Father gave them to Me, and He is greater than all. No one can take them from the Father.) Christ gave us our liberty to be a blessing. Woe to us if we allow our actions to make that blessing a curse. Footnote: The liberty we have is a blessing from Christ, a delivery from the requirements of ceremonial observances. (1Co 10:29 - My freedom is not bound by another's conscience, but by my own.)
14:17: It does not cause us any loss if we abstain from our freedoms, for they are not matters of eternal consequence. What is needful for the kingdom we do not neglect under any circumstances, but to abstain out of love from those things we could, if we so choose, partake of does no harm to God's honor. (1Co 6:13 - Food and the stomach are made for each other, yet both will be put to an end by God. The body is not for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 1Co 8:8 - Food does nothing to make us look better in God's sight, nor does abstinence make us less in His eyes.) When compared to the progress of the gospel, food is worthless. Paul's intent is not to enumerate all the things that are not essential, but to show the nature of the kingdom to be spiritual and not physical. What remains critical is a fully assured heart that knows peace with God, and therefore participates in the joy of the Holy Spirit. If we have peace with God, what more could we desire? Footnote: The context does not allow us to see this as a summary of the spiritual ways of the kingdom. We are discussing what will bring approval not only from God, but also from men, and as such these things must be visible the outworking of the Holy Spirit within. It is our conduct towards our fellows that is in sight. (Gal 5:22-23 - The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control. No law has ever been made against such things.) Peace and joy cannot be joined together except we know ourselves acceptable to God. By showing that God's things are spiritual in nature, Paul makes clear to us that our use or refusal of meats and other such physical concerns cannot hinder God's progress in us.
14:18: When our actions are such that both God and man approve of what we do, the kingdom of God is promoted, and made complete in that instance. Indeed, the world will often judge and condemn us even when our actions are righteous, yet honest judgment cannot but applaud the righteous acts of God's children.
14:19: "In order to promote these two things, concord and edification, all the duties of love ought to be exercised." It is for such exercises that we live, and for living that we eat. It is our human nature to go too far in promoting peace, to overlook things which ought not to be overlooked, to tolerate sin. This is why edification must be joined to efforts at peace. (1Co 10:23 - All things are lawful, but they are not necessarily beneficial or edifying.)
14:20-14:21: There is no offense before God if we reign in our liberties out of consideration for our brother. When we allow liberty to overrule love, we make our liberty sinful. Three degrees of offense are noted, causing a fall, a stumbling, and a weakening. The stumbling comes when the conscience is stirred into doubting. The fall follows when we come to feel alienated from religion.
14:22: Liberty is intended to be a reflection of our understanding before God. It does not require outward display to prove that we live in that liberty. Liberty includes the possibility of voluntarily restrictions upon oneself. To insist on our liberty at the expense of those around us is a perversion of that very liberty. Those who attempt to use this passage to justify ignoring the ceremonies of Christianity - baptism and communion - are also perverting the text, for such matters are not being discussed here. Here then is a rule of general application to God's gifts: those gifts remain pure so long as we use those gifts with a pure and clear conscience. This is not advocating blind ignorance, but a self-control that allows an honest and true appraisal of our actions to come up clean. "There is much difference between insensibility and a right judgment." If good intentions were sufficient excuse, there would be no cause for the Spirit of God to judge. But here, as in all places, ignorance is not excuse.
14:23: Good works cannot proceed from a mind in doubt, for doubt reflects uncertainty as to God's acceptance of our intended act. If this degree of concern is applied to our eating of meat, how much more consideration do our other actions deserve? We ought not to attempt any thing except we do so fully assured of God's approval. There can be no good works where the works do not spring from a clear conscience, a conscious recognition of God's approval. How can it be obedience if we act without that conviction? How can the work be good if it is not done from obedience? Faith, in this place, means that assurance of mind that comes from knowing our choices approved by God's word. If all things apart from such faith are condemned, then whatever God's word does not support is not approved. Yet even this approval is not sufficient, except the mind joyfully rely upon that truth, and cheerfully carry out the work. Depend upon His word, but then also proceed with confidence however He may call us. Footnote: Some manuscripts contain the last three verses of Romans at this point, but their inclusion makes no sense to the context. [This is apparently so conclusively decided that none of the versions today so much as makes note of their existence.]

Matthew Henry (6/7/02-6/8/02)

14:13: Rather than judging the weakness of others, we ought to properly judge our own reaction to their weakness. If we are becoming an obstacle to their growth in our reaction, how are we acting from love? If we insist on flaunting our liberties in spite of the deeply felt spiritual concerns of those around us, we are bringing them grief in their spirit. (Mt 18:6 - If you cause one of these little believers to stumble, better for you that you were thrown into the sea with weights about your neck. Mt 18:10 - Make certain that you do not despise these young believers, for they have an angel in heaven who constantly sees the face of My Father.) Worse still, should our example lead them to join us, even though they continue to think our actions wrong, we are responsible for leading them into sin, and it will be laid to our charge. (1Co 8:9-11 - Don't allow your liberty to become a cause for the weak to fall. If they see you dining in a false temple, how can it but cause their weak conscience to do likewise? If this occurs, he who is weak has been ruined by your knowledge - he for whose sake Christ died.)
14:14: If we proceed to do what we think is sinful, even though others tell us it is not, it remains sin to us. Paul states his clear and absolute understanding on the issue. Knowing full well that the Old Testament Law had forbidden certain meats so as to make the separation of God's people more tangible (Lev 11:44 - I am the LORD. Consecrate yourselves to holiness, for I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by the swarming things of the earth. Dt 14:2-3 - You are holy to the LORD. He has chosen you as a people for His own possession. Of all the peoples on the earth, He has chosen you. You shall not, considering this, eat anything detestable. Ac 10:14 - Peter declared to the Lord that he had never eaten an unholy or unclean thing.), knowing that these conditions were a result of the cursing of the ground at the fall of Adam, knowing that the forbidden and accursed foods were a reminder of how God might have treated all of creation; yet he knew that these restrictions were at an end, for the new creation had come. (Tit 1:15 - To the pure, everything is pure. To those defiled by unbelief, nothing can be pure, because their mind and conscience are defiled.) Christ, in removing the curse, has removed the need for restrictions. It is not just Peter's vision that establishes this, but a firm understanding of the gospel, and of the implications of Christ's death. For one who is not convinced, however, the act would remain sinful. It is not the thing, but the understanding behind its use that determines. The very order of nature insists that our actions ought to accord with our understanding. To do otherwise must be a willful act. If our understanding says a thing is evil, and yet we do it, how can this be otherwise than to willfully pursue evil? Sin is the willful purpose of the mind, not the particular means used to fulfill that purpose. Be careful here. While it is entirely possible for a man to make a good thing evil in his own regard, it is impossible for man to make an evil thing good by his use. (Mt 15:5-6 - You claim that if you have dedicated your goods to God, you need not honor your parents by supporting them. In this, you act against God's word on the basis of your own traditions. Ac 26:9 - I thought that I must take hostile actions against the name of Jesus. Jn 16:2 - They will ban you from the synagogues, thinking that killing you would be a service to God.)
14:15: If your lawful deeds bring trouble to the heart of your brother, who does not know them to be lawful, his weakness is not to blame. You, as the stronger in faith, have a duty to act from the love you ought also to know more fully, and restrain your own liberties for his benefit. Is not your defective love a greater concern than his incomplete understanding? (1Co 12:31 - As much as you should desire the greater gifts, I now speak of an even more excellent way. 1Co 8:1-3 - Concerning this matter of sacrificed meats, we know our knowledge is complete, yet knowledge makes for arrogance, whereas love edifies. If you think you know anything, you have yet to know as you ought to. But if you love God, you are known by Him.) True love will be more concerned with their purity than our own liberty. Christ died to save even those still weak in understanding. If we allow our actions to serve as a temptation to sin for them, we are leading them down the path of destruction. "The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water; we are not sure that it will stop anywhere on this side of eternal destruction." Our love for Christ demands that we also love the work He does. If He was willing to lay aside His life for their salvation, how dare we not to set aside our liberty in such a small thing to preserve what He has begun? The meat and the liberty may be yours, but the one whom you choose to offend by that liberty is Christ's. As your choice to offend this brother is but carrying out the devil's work, you have chosen to offend Christ in your choice. It may well be that the elect chosen of Christ will not perish (Jn 6:39 - This is the will of Him who sent Me, that I lose nothing that He has given Me, but raise it all up on the last day.). It may well be, but your attempts to destroy His work are not furthering that cause. (1Co 8:10-11 - If one weak in conscience sees that you eat in an idolatrous place, will this not tempt them to do likewise? Through your knowledge, then, you are destroying one for whom Christ died.)
14:16: We should take great care over our actions, so that neither Christianity in general, nor our own liberties, be given a bad name by our example. We may not be able to govern loose tongues, but we can do our utmost not to give those tongues occasion to wag. (1Ti 4:12 - Let nobody look down upon you for your youthfulness, but rather give them cause to respect you by your speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.) Better to deny yourself than to allow your rightful liberty to destroy your reputation. (Ecc 10:1 - Dead flies make the best perfume stink. So is a little foolishness to great wisdom and honor.) No matter how minor and how good the issue, mismanagement can make of it a major cause for reproach. Even the best of prayer, preaching and teaching may become a cause for reproach, when the timing is bad, or things are poorly expressed. Certainly, those who speak evil of it are sinning in doing so, but it is foolish for us to give them cause.
14:17: Since such matters as are being discussed here have no bearing on true religion, why should we expend our energies in pursuing our opinions about them? Christianity is concerned with the kingdom of God, and that kingdom's rule over us. The gospel is even moreso a matter of God's kingdom, coming after the legal dispensation. (Mt 3:2 - Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mt 4:17 - From that time, Jesus preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.") Christianity, unlike the Jewish religion, offers no rules in regard to meats and drinks. (Heb 9:10 - The Laws are matters of food and drink, washings, and bodily regulation. They were put in place until reformation should come. Lev 11:2 - Tell Israel that there is a specific list of animals that they may eat. Col 2:21-22 - The Law forbade handling, tasting, and touching various things, which would all perish with their use. These are but teachings and commands of men. 1Ti 4:4 - Everything God created is good, so there is nothing that need be rejected if it is received gratefully from Him. Gal 5:6 - In Christ neither circumcision nor its absence are meaningful, only faith working through love, Gal 6:15 - only the new creation. 1Co 7:19 - What matters is keeping God's commands.) Our opinions on these and like matters will do nothing to commend us to God. His question, when we stand before Him, will be, "Who feared Me and did righteous deeds, and who did not?" To become focused on these secondary concerns is destructive to true Christianity. What is essential is: righteousness, peace, and joy. Righteousness is our greatest concern towards God, the proper fruit of sanctification. Peace is our concern towards our brothers, in which we follow Christ, the peace-maker. Joy is our concern towards ourselves, the proper heart of a life blessed by the Holy Spirit. Peace and joy, however, require a foundation of righteousness. (Isa 32:17 - The work of righteousness is peace. The service of righteousness is quiet confidence forever.)
14:18: It is in these three things - righteousness, peace, and joy - that Christ is served. If His will is our rule, these are the things we will spend our zeal on. It is only our regard for Christ that makes any deed good. Christianity is, in the end, nothing but the serving of Christ. Serve well Him Who became a servant for your sake. If you are accepted by Him, if your works are pleasing in His sight, you know peace, and you can eat joyfully "Those are most pleasing to God that are best pleased with Him." Every man of wisdom will approve of those whom God has approved. How can they not be, for sanctification is nothing but aligning our mind with God's. With our mind in agreement with His mind, how can we not approve what He approves? The approval of man is not worthless, but God's approval comes first. If He approves, the world will eventually be brought to agree with Him. In all matters, we must walk in the best understanding we have from God. We cannot walk for another, nor can they require us to walk as they do. We may not condemn, but neither can we be forced to conform. We mustn't act in opposition to our own conscience. Act only from full persuasion. Other people's opinions and practices cannot be our rule.
14:19: To seek peace and edification summarizes the whole of our duty to our brother. Wishing for peace, and shouting about peace will not make peace, but more likely destroy it. Liberty in matters of no consequence, compassion for other views, and zeal reserved for the great things of God, those things which all agree upon, are things that bring peace. Humility and love are the springs from which peace arises. Where peace is established, we are able to edify one another, for quarrels and contention are gone. Many are the ways of edification: wise counsel, reproof, example, and instruction. With these we build up not only our brother, but ourselves as well. No man is strong enough to require no further teaching. No man is too weak to offer instruction to others.
14:20: We are called to work together with God, not to undermine His efforts. Grace and peace are the work of God, the beginning of a good work. (Php 1:6 - I am confident that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until Christ returns.) He for whom Christ died is a work of God. (Eph 2:10 - We are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works, works God prepared for us to do beforehand, so that we might do them. 1Co 3:9 - We are co-workers with God. You are God's field, His building.) We must deny ourselves rather than obstruct growth, whether it be our own or another's. How can we consider the possible destruction of a soul for the simple cause of satisfying our appetite? Abuse of liberty is sin. "Lawful things may be done unlawfully." This is not to suggest that the weak are fully off the hook for their own offenses, for their judgmental ways are also a breach of love's rule, which is not easily provoked, and thinks the best of others. However, Paul focuses on the strong because they ought be able to take the correction better.
14:21: Where things may be lawful, but are not necessary to us, we must deny ourselves in preference to our weaker brother. This is good in God's sight. (1Co 8:13 - If food is an issue to my brother, I will never eat meat again, for I would not be the cause of his stumbling.) In all like matters, this must be the rule for the strong: to be strong enough to curtail their freedoms so as to prevent the potential extinguishing of another's flame of righteousness.
14:22: To act against conscience is sinful, for if we will do so in an instance where our conscience happens to be wrong, we will just as gladly do so when our conscience is correct. Thus, we are happy when we restrict our actions in accord with our conscience. All too often we allow our actions to be led by a sense of pleasure, or by a desire to conform with those around us, even knowing that in our own mind our actions are wrong. Conscience will condemn us when we do so, which cannot but disturb our joy. How happy, though, is the one who controls his actions and his words so that he never need condemn himself. (1Jn 3:21 - If our heart does not condemn us, we know confidence in God's sight.) The faith spoken of here is not faith unto salvation, which we ought boldly to display, but knowledge in regard to our Christian liberty. Enjoy the liberties you know in privacy, so as not to trouble those who don't yet know that liberty. We mustn't contradict our own knowledge in this, yet we often do well to conceal it in the interest of doing more good than harm. We mustn't allow the rules we know ourselves to live under to be dictated to others who don't share our understanding. Clearness about these doubtful concerns free us from jealousy and suspicion. (Gal 6:4 - Let us each examine ourselves, then any boasting we may be able to do will be with regard to ourselves, and not in comparisons to others.) We will doubtless find plenty to be occupied with when we bring ourselves to the Word for testing of our ways. Paul was certain of his liberty in these matters, yet he would not use that liberty to the offence of others. "In things necessary let there be unity, in things unnecessary let there be liberty, and in both let there be charity." Let us be content to know our conscience clear in God's sight.
14:23: Even when we are certain that an act is not sinful, if we are uncertain that it is lawful we ought to abstain from acting. To act from faith, one must be fully persuaded. (Php 3:15-16 - Let us have this attitude, and if our attitude is different, God will reveal that to us. Continue living by the standard you have attained to.) As far as faith has taken us, thus far we may go and no farther. (Heb 11:6 - Without faith it is impossible to please God. If we are His, we must believe that He exists, and rewards those who seek Him.) Our best religious acts will remain worthless if they are not acts coming from faith, pursued in belief that we thus pursue the will of Christ for the glory of Christ in the righteousness of Christ.

Adam Clarke (6/9/02)

14:13: Judging others is not loving them. Further, it is a dangerous act, as our judgments tend to be rash and poorly reasoned, unlike those of God, whose right judgment is. Our efforts ought to be spent in promoting each other's spiritual progress, not in creating hindrances for each other. The Gospel, not matters of foods and ceremonies, is what our salvation depends on.
14:14: Paul finally states the true nature of these matters, having worked hard to show the foolishness of contention over them. Here, he indicates divine inspiration as to the fact that all things are clean, but he is quick to qualify that statement with the fact that the purest act is yet sinful if done by one who believes it to be so. If they will act counter to conscience there, what will stop them in other, more important cases? Conscience mustn't be taken lightly, but must needs be won over by persuasion when it is incorrect. Whatever opinion the conscience holds, it ought be respected, for it is held with respect to God.
14:15: If we act in ways that our brother believes to be sinful, this cannot but bring grief to his heart. If we do so knowingly and willfully, claiming our liberty as the higher right, how then do we claim to love our neighbor as ourself? What if your insistence on your 'rights' causes this brother to lose his faith? Christ died for him, and would you be the cause of his loss? No injury is worse than that done to the soul. How will you not be held criminally responsible before God? In this verse, we find proof that the soul of the man for whom Christ dies may yet be destroyed.
14:16: We mustn't use our liberty in such a way that the Gospel is maligned for our actions. Prudence is needful for our good acts to be done in the right time and manner, so that our good intentions not produce more evil than good.
14:17: The kingdom of God refers to the true religion He established, which was created to be the instrument by which the heavenly kingdom's earthly counterpart is established. (Mt 3:2 - Repent! The kingdom of heaven is at hand.) Such outward matters as have been discussed are not a concern to this true religion, which is concerned with pardon for sin, and holiness for life, a life regulated by a sense of God's mercy. Only from such a sense can real happiness come, and it is part of the work of the Holy Spirit to make us mindful of that mercy. Of these things is heaven's counterpart made on earth: sinless righteousness, undisturbed peace, and joy devoid of all mental agony or distress.
14:18: If these three things are found in our service, then we have not only the form of godliness, but also the power, the essence. Thus, our acts of service are found to be acceptable to God, which acts men cannot but also approve. Religion may be persecuted, but the righteous man will still be held in honor.
14:19: Rather than pursue arguments over these inconsequential things, we should strive to promote peace and unity by our mutual edification, and exhortation to piety.
14:20: Such matters are no reason to hinder God's work in another. We ought not to let our choices be a cause of offense to those of a different viewpoint. There is no impure food for the Christian, yet if we either choose foods we believe to be impure, or we choose foods we know our companion considers impure, we choose evil. Such conduct will not be pleasing to God.
14:21: Gospel principles require that we not only willingly abstain for the benefit of our brother, but that we also willingly set aside life itself, it that becomes necessary. If in any way we bring an indecisiveness to our brother's walk, we are causing him to stumble. If we become the trigger by which the trap of apostasy is sprung on such a one, so much the worse for us. Our insistence on our liberties may also cause our brother's conscience to become weaker - more judgmental over such distinctions - rather than stronger. Note that only a few manuscripts mention all three issues: stumbling, falling, and weakening. However, many translations hold on to them - although the latter two are generally noted as of doubtful origin.
14:22: Faith, in this instance, is a matter of full persuasion and clear conscience. This having, we should hold to it. (Mt 25:29 - Those who have will be given more unto abundance. Those who have not will lose even what little they have.) A clear conscience can only dwell in one whose conduct acts in no way contrary to conscience. Take heed lest your passions lead you into that which your conscience forbids. Better to obey conscience, even where its restrictions are incorrect than to violate moral sense and know self-condemnation.
14:23: If we proceed when we believe it would be wrong to do so, we are condemned, for we do what we believe God has forbidden. If we proceed in such an instance, it can only be that we have not controlled our appetites, which fails of the self-denial which the Gospel of Christ demands. The thought of this verse is expanded to show that all acts taken outside of faith in Christ Jesus remain sinful. The best of deeds remains sinful in God's sight when it is not done from a heart obedient to Christ. Without that foundation, it must continue to have a root of sin. Without faith, we cannot please God. "Everything is wrong where this principle is lacking." There remains some issue as to whether the verses presently at Ro 16:25-27 belong there, or here at the end of chapter 14. Mr. Clarke concludes that they fit better at this location. The power to establish, noted in that passage, corresponds well as the curative to the doubting mentioned here at the end of chapter 14. However, commentary on that passage will be held until its current place at the end of the letter.

Barnes' Notes (6/10/02-6/11/02)

14:13: We will all stand as equals before God's tribunal, so it's no good trying to pass ourselves off as judges now. If we must declare our opinions, let them be that we ought not to act so as to injure the cause of Christ. Use your bad habit for good, rather than using your good liberty for bad. The stumbling block is a common image of that which causes one to sin, wherein sin is seen as the resulting fall. (Mt 5:29 - If your eye causes you to stumble, remove it. Better to lose one part of the body then to lose the whole body to hell.) Neither by example nor by harsh attitude are we to provoke our brother to sin. Adherence to this simple rule - to live so as to promote peace - would do more than just about anything else to further the unity and purity of the church.
14:14: Certainly, the Gentiles are correct in their view of the food issue, yet it would be better on their part to take their fellow Christian's concerns into account, rather than risk losing them through offense. Paul is not suggesting that he has had a personal chat with Jesus about this issue, but that according to the knowledge he had received from Christ, this answer was fitting. The gospel clearly abolished the rites of the Mosaic order. In Jewish thought, that which was allowed to all peoples must, by its very nature be impure. Thus, common and impure became synonymous to them, both referring to what is forbidden by Mosaic law. A man in error as to the opinions of his conscience would be in violation were he to act in opposition to his conscience.
14:15: Knowing that our brother's concerns are founded on poor understanding, how shall we react? We ought to act with recognition of and acceptance of his weakness in that area. Were we to act as we know we could, we would be bringing real pain to that man's conscience. Matters such as these are not worth such high cost. Our walk describes our actions. (Mk 7:5 - Why don't Your disciples walk in our traditions? Instead, they have eaten bread with impure hands. Ac 21:21 - They have been told that you are teaching the Jews to forsake Moses, to set aside circumcising their children, and to stop walking according to the customs. Ro 6:4 - We have been buried with Him through baptism, so that we might walk in newness of life, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the Father. Ro 8:1 - There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Ro 8:4 - The requirements of the Law are fulfilled in us, for we walk not agreeably to the flesh, but in accord with the Spirit.) If we insist on our freedoms in spite of the consciences of those around us, we have violated love's law, the highest law for the Christian. That law requires that we would give up our own comfort if that would make our brother happy. (1Co 13:5 - Love is not precocious. It never seeks its own, and will not be provoked. Love keeps no account of wrongs. 1Co 10:24 - No man should seek his own good, but rather ought seek what will benefit his neighbor. 1Co 10:28-29 - If you are informed that the meat came from idols, don't eat it. This do out of respect for the conscience of him who told you. Not that his conscience stands as judge over you, yet you ought to be concerned for his well being. Php 2:4 - Don't be concerned with your own interests, but look out for others as well. Php 2:21 - They are all seeking their own interests, rather than those of Christ Jesus.) Destruction speaks of ruin and corruption. (Mt 10:39 - He who finds life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Mk 10:41 - Upon hearing this, the other disciples were angry with James and John. Lk 15:4 - Who among you would not leave his ninety-nine sheep in their pasture to pursue the one that is lost? Jn 6:27 - Don't work for food, which will perish. Work rather for food which endures, for the eternal life which the Son of Man gives, for God has set His seal upon Him for this very thing. Mt 10:6 - Go to the lost sheep of Israel. Mt 9:17 - Men don't put new wine into old wineskins, for they would burst and be ruined, and the wine be lost. No, new wine goes into new wineskins, so that both are preserved. Mt 10:28 - Don't fear those that can only kill the body. Rather, fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Mt 18:14 - It is not the Father's will that even one of these little ones perish. Jn 3:15 - Whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. Ro 2:12 - All have sinned. They who sinned without the Law will perish without the Law. Those who sinned under the Law will be judged according to that Law. 1Co 8:11 - Through your knowledge you are working to the ruin of your weak brother, a brother for whom Christ died.) If you act upon your freedoms in this case, your weaker brother will either be tempted to join you counter to his own conscience - thus weakening the controls God places within him, or cause him such anger as may convince him to set aside Christianity entirely. Paul clearly believes that all Christians will be saved, (Ro 8:30-31 - Whom He predestined, He called, justified, and glorified. Knowing this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?) yet he also understood that God uses various means to bring about salvation. Thus, he clearly warns us to do nothing that would endanger another's salvation, for we know not whether we may be the sole means put to use in that instance. (Heb 6:4-6 - Those who have once known heavenly gifts and joined to the Holy Spirit, tasting the good word of God and knowing things to come; if they then fall away, a new repentance is not possible, for they have once more crucified the Son of God, and publicly shamed Him. Heb 2:1 - Knowing this, we must be all the more attentive to what we were taught, lest we drift from it.) We dare not act so as to threaten the salvation of those for whom Christ died. The text at hand cannot be used as a proof of Christ's universal sufficiency or offer. It is true that He is sufficient for all, and all may take that offer, but that is not taught here. (2Co 5:14-15 - The love of Christ controls us. He died for all, and therefore all died. 1Jn 2:2 - He is the propitiation not just for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world. 2Pe 2:1 - False prophets came, as they will again, to introduce destructive heresies, denying the One who bought them, and thereby bringing destruction upon themselves.) Christ's power is not being discussed here, but rather the criminal nature of such actions as might tend toward the ruin of our brother. How dare we, through simple gratification of our hungers, insist on actions that would ruin one for whom Christ died?
14:16: You may be right in your opinions, but even so, you ought not use your correctness to injure others. If we allow our liberty to become a source of contention, we give cause for those outside the church to deride Christianity. How much better would things be in the church if we would learn to yield our unimportant correctness to the good of peace and true religion?
14:17: (Mt 3:2 - Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.) It is not matters of ceremony that make that kingdom distinct. Moses never declared a particular drink to be either prohibited or recommended, although there were restrictions placed on the Nazarite. Doubtless, by the time of the Pharisees, some such distinctions had been concocted. (Col 2:16 - Let no man judge your food or drink, nor your observance of days. 1Co 8:8 - Food does nothing to commend us to God. We are neither the better nor the worse for eating or abstaining. 1Co 4:20 - The kingdom of God is not a matter of words, but of power.) Righteousness - virtue and integrity - is what makes the kingdom distinct. If we are caught up in the ceremonies and outward forms, we will find we have not time left for pursuing true righteousness. (Tit 2:12 - God instructs us to deny ungodliness and worldliness, so as to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this age. Ro 8:13 - If you live by the flesh, you must die. But if you are putting bodily deeds to death by the Spirit, you will live. 1Pe 2:11 - I urge you - who are aliens and strangers to this life - to abstain from the lusts of the flesh, for they war with your soul. 1Jn 2:29 - If we know Him to be righteous, then we also know that everyone that pursues righteousness is born of Him. 1Jn 3:10 - It is obvious whose child you are, whether God's or the devil's. The one who does not pursue righteousness, who does not love his brother, is not of God. 1Jn 3:7 - Don't be deceived. Those who practice righteousness are righteous just as He is righteous. 1Co 15:34 - Be sober-minded and stop sinning, for there are those around you with no knowledge of God. This is to your shame. 2Co 3:9 - If the ministry of condemnation has glory, the ministry of righteousness has far more. 2Co 6:7 - We excel in truth, in God's power, by weapons of righteousness for both right and left hand. 2Co 6:14 - Do not join with unbelievers, for there can be no partnership between righteousness and lawlessness, between light and darkness. Eph 5:9 - The fruit of light is found in goodness, righteousness, and truth. Eph 6:14 - Stand firm, girded with truth, and armored in righteousness. 1Ti 6:11 - Man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 1Pe 2:24 - He bore our sins bodily on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds we are healed. Eph 4:24 - Put on the new self, created in the likeness of God, in righteousness and holiness of truth.) The righteous man, leading a holy life, is a Christian. He seeks only to do as God wills towards both God and man. He does not depend on the righteousness of his actions for salvation, but considers such actions evidence of that which the Lord Jesus has made him. (Php 3:8-9 - I count everything as loss when compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For Him I have suffered the loss of all things, but I count them as rubbish if by their loss I may gain Christ. I wish to be found in Him, not with any righteousness of my own such as the Law could produce, but solely that righteousness which is through faith in Christ, which comes from God on the basis of faith. 1Co 1:30 - By His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.) Peace, in this passage, is not referring to the state of mind that comes of knowing Christ, but of a unity among brethren that is free of discord. This peace is of far greater import than correctness of views over the minutia of observances. (1Co 7:15 - If the nonbeliever leaves, let him go. The one remaining is not bound in that case, for God calls us to peace. 1Co 14:33 - God is not God of confusion, but of peace, as is seen in all the churches of the saints. Gal 5:22-23 - The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Eph 4:3 - Be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in bonds of peace. 1Th 5:13 - Your love for them is great because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 2Ti 2:22 - Flee from lust, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all who call on the Lord in purity. Jas 3:18 - The seed of righteousness is sown in peace by those who pursue peace. Mt 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons of God. Eph 4:31-32 - Put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, and malice. Be kind to each other, tender-hearted and forgiving, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Col 3:8 - Put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech. Jn 13:34-35 - I command you to love one another even as I have loved you. By this all men will know you to be My disciples, if you love each other. Jn 17:21-23 - May they be as one, even as You and I, Father are one. Thus will the world believe that You sent Me. I have given to them of that glory You gave to Me so that they can be one, just as We are. With Me in them, and You in Me, they may know perfect unity, and through this the world will know that You sent Me, and love them just as You love Me. Ps 122:6 - Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Ps 37:11 - The humble will inherit the land, and be delighted by its abundance.) Those who seek out causes for dissension over unimportant matters show that they have no connection with the Prince of peace. They dishonor religion, and impede its progress. Where there is unity in the body, the mind will know joy. (Ro 5:1-5 - Being justified by faith, we are at peace with God through Christ. Through Him we have been introduced by faith into this grace, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. But there's more! We also rejoice in trials, knowing that those trials bring about perseverance, which in turn proves our character. And in that proven character, we find cause to hope, knowing our hope will not be disappointed, because God's love has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.)
14:18: If we seek out righteousness, peace, and joy, we are but doing as Christ commands. Thus, we honor Him. Since Christ only commands what is honorable of us, such actions will also be esteemed among men. They may not love what we represent, yet they will know that it is a life such as men ought to lead.
14:19: This exhortation to live harmoniously is the natural conclusion of Paul's argument. If we will take our focus off of our personal passions and opinions, and pursue instead the great matters of religion - holiness, evangelism, teaching, charitable works - much of the dissention in the Church would be done away with. Pursue those things which will benefit our brothers, such as teaching and sound counsel. To edify, is to build as one does a house, adding to the construction every ornament that might be advantageous to the house. Thus, in Christianity, the term speaks of all which will promote the objective of Christ to strengthen and empower Christians to be overcomers, and to put an end to ignorance. (Ac 9:31 - The church throughout Israel was at peace, being built up; and continuing in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it grew continually. 1Co 8:1 - We know all that need be known regarding idolatrous sacrifices, but knowledge alone makes us arrogant. Love added to knowledge edifies. 1Co 14:4 - Speaking in tongues only edifies yourself, but prophecy edifies the church. Eph 2:20-22 - The Church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. In Him, the whole is fit together as a holy temple to the Lord. You are also being built up as a dwelling for God's Spirit, by His power. Isa 28:16 - I lay in Zion a tested and costly cornerstone as the firm foundation. He who believes will not be disturbed, Ro 9:33 - or disappointed.) Combined, the Church is a single temple for God's glory, united in that one object, and pursuing every means to bring that glory to Him. As such, we all work to see that each of us is fully equipped to function in our proper place to the adorning of His temple.
14:20: The correctness of your opinion is not sufficient cause for leading another into sin. Here is a new argument for charitable behavior begun. Where the last verse spoke of building the house, the wording here speaks of tearing down the house that is built, destroying the temple that God is putting up. "The work of God is what God does." As it is God who renews the heart and the life, each Christian is a work of God. (1Co 3:9 - We are God's co-workers. You are God's field, His building. Eph 2:10 - We are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works which God has prepared for us to do. 2Co 5:17 - Any man who is in Christ is a new creature, in whom the old things are dead, and new things have come to life.) Any piety in us is the result of God's working in us by His Spirit. The Levitical law is indeed non-binding for us, but that leaves the law of love. Pure things can become evil by their use, if their use brings grief to our brother, driving him from the church and into sin. If our actions are sinful in his eyes, and yet we pursue our course, we are tempting him to cross his own conscience.
14:21: Far better if we join our brother in his abstinence, understanding that his motive is to honor God. Wine was generally accepted in Jewish society, although the Nazarites were required to abstain (Nu 6:3 - He is to abstain from wine and any other strong drink, not even using vinegar, whatever it be made from. No, and neither will he drink grape juice or eat grapes.) As wine was often poured out to the pagan gods, this may well have led many Jews to avoid its use altogether. In the atmosphere of temperance that is prevalent among the church at present, this ought also be our guide. The unlawfulness of wine may not be proven, although we could argue that the nature of present day wine so differs from that of Jesus' time as to be more in the category of strong drink, yet where temperance is the rule, ought not we comply even though we feel at liberty to partake? The desire for peace and the law of love should give us sufficient cause to deny ourselves whatever we must so as to maintain the unity of the church, and keep it free of scandal. Why should we act in a fashion that might cause those who don't know the freedom we do to do as we do anyway? How can we allow our example to lead them into sin? (Ro 11:11 - They did not stumble so as to fall. Their sins have become a cause for salvation coming to the Gentiles, but it has come so as to make them jealous.) If we lead others to oppose their own conscience, we invite them to instability. Let us all begin to act in this fashion: promoting peace, and avoiding offense to our brothers, and see what an impact it has on the lives around us!
14:22: If your belief is that such doubtful matters are acceptable, fine, but don't insist that others must share your belief and your liberties. In your private times, do as you please in these matters, but don't push your choices on the body at large. If your views are correct, God will know your sincerity and approve of you. He will not be offended, but your brother who disapproves will be. Therefore, take your liberty in the sight of those who will not be offended. Your conscience knows this is the right course to take, and will only be happy if you act accordingly. (1Jn 3:21 - If our heart knows no condemnation, then we have confidence in the sight of God.) Many men will act in opposition to their conscience, but happiness requires that we not do so. It is not safe to pursue a course of which we remain doubtful, such a course should be abandoned immediately. Much of our activity must cause us to have doubts - our employments, our amusements. In each of these cases, we ought to ask how our actions serve to imitate Christ, or honor Him.
14:23: If our earnest belief is that such liberties are not given the Christian, it would be most damning for us to pursue those liberties anyway. Damnation is not fully a future event, it includes the thought of present condemnation. In this instance, it is not necessary to see the verse indicating that such acts will inevitably lead one to hell. (1Co 11:29 - He who eats and drinks, without properly judging his flesh, does so to his own condemnation.) If our convictions are not absolute on a matter, than that matter is sinful for us to pursue. This verse is not addressing the nature of the actions of the non-Christian. True though it is that the best acts of the unbeliever remain sinful, that is not the point at hand. Here, the discussion is with the faithful, with the believer, and it is their actions and choices that are under the glass. If you are doubtful as to the correctness of an action, don't do it. That is the rule. If you allow yourself to do what you don't know to be right, you are sinning, which your conscience will confirm to you. This does not assure that what we think to be right will always be sinless. (Jn 16:2 - They will chase you from the synagogue, and even kill you, thinking that they serve God in doing it. Ac 26:9 - I thought that I must act with great hostility towards the name of Jesus. Ac 3:17 - I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did. 1Co 2:8 - None of the rulers have understood this wisdom, else they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. Lk 11:50-51 - The blood of the prophets, all of them slain since the world began, will be laid at the charge of this generation, from Abel to Zechariah who was slain between the altar and the Holy of Holies, it will all be laid to this generation. Ac 2:23 - This Man was delivered up according to God's plan and knowledge when you nailed Him to the cross by the hands of godless men, and killed Him. Ac 2:37 - When they heard this, they were heartbroken, and begged of Peter and the apostles to know what they should do.) This chapter has given us a clear view of charity. We may indeed hold different opinions, yet if we will follow the law of love, these differences will not sprout into contention and strife. "Amid all such differences, the great question is, whether there is true love to the Lord Jesus." Where that love is true, there is no cause to judge. Ever we should seek means to aid every effort toward holiness, to build up every spark of holy faith.

Wycliffe (6/12/02)

14:13: The call is to stop condemning, to actively seek not to put any obstacle in our brother's way as they seek holiness.
14:14: Paul agrees with the strong, that nothing is unclean. However, he qualifies that with the understanding that it remains unclean to those who believe it to be so.
14:15: Given the impact these things might have on our brother, we mustn't allow our understanding to become a cause of grief to him, for it could lead him to depart faith, to his eternal ruin.
14:16: Christian liberty is one of the good things of faith, but this good thing should not be used in ways that lead to blaspheming by those around us.
14:17-14:19: The kingdom of God is a present reality, defined by righteous lives which lead to peace, unity, and joy. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to so live. (Ro 8:9 - You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Holy Spirit indwells you. If you do not have Christ's Spirit, you are not His.) Believers ought to set aside conflicts and pursue peace and mutual building up instead.
14:20-14:21: Who is it that works evil by their eating, the strong or the weak? In this context, it appears that the strong are being addressed, whose actions could further weaken the weak, and lead them into sin.
14:22-14:23: We must have conviction about our standards of behavior, assurance that we are right. Without that assurance, our conscience may condemn us for no good reason. Our efforts ought to be towards giving our conscience a sound basis by which to judge, and to help others to also establish that sound basis. In the process, we must willingly avoid anything that prevents others from becoming established in this sound standard, or otherwise causes them to break fellowship.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (6/12/02)

14:13: If we like judging so much, we ought to pass the judgment on ourselves that we would no longer be a cause of stumbling to our brother.
14:14: As regards food matters, Paul speaks with Christ's own authority. (1Co 2:16 - Who has known God's thoughts, so as to instruct Him? Ah, but we have the mind of Christ. Ac 10:15 - Again, the voice came, telling Peter that he was not to think unholy that which God had cleansed.) Ritual distinctions have been abolished under the Gospel. However, those who feel them still applicable really should abide by them, lest they sin by their willfulness.
14:15: How can we willingly risk our brother's eternal damnation over something as inconsequential as what we eat? Is not even the least of our brothers worth far more than a morsel of food? (1Co 8:11 - Through your knowledge you ruin the weak, though he is a brother for whom Christ willingly died.) Whatever leads a man to break with his own conscience is also leading him into the destruction of his soul. Whoever would help such a process along is guilty of working evil.
14:16: Though our liberty be true and good, we cannot allow it to become a reason for others to speak evil of that good thing because of its bad effect on those around us.
14:17: The kingdom of God, the Christian community, a people renewed through subjection to God (1Co 4:20 - a kingdom of power, not mere words), is concerned with great matters, not with trivialities. Righteousness is a kingdom concern, declaring our proper standing before God. (Mt 6:33 - Seek His kingdom and His righteousness first, and the rest of your needs will be seen to.) Peace is a kingdom concern, reflecting the unity we have with our brothers. (Eph 4:3 - Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit in bonds of peace. Col 1:4 - We have heard of your faith in Christ and your love for the saints. Col 1:15 - He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of creation.) Joy is a kingdom concern, addressing our self respect. The joy we ought to find in ourselves is the joy of the Holy Spirit who inspires us to joyfulness. (Ro 8:15 - You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fear, but a spirit of adoption as sons, knowing which we can call our Father "Daddy." Gal 5:25 - If you live by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit. Jude 20 - You should build yourself up on holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.)
14:18: If our service is marked by this righteousness, peace, and joy, then our service is to Christ. Paul's free movement of thought between God and Christ is a clear indication that he understood Christ as divinity. (2Co 8:21 - We hold what is honorable in high regard not only in God's sight, but also in that of men.) Men cannot but approve such things as God delights in. (Pr 3:4 - Doing these things, you will find favor and reputation in the eyes of God and man. Lk 2:52 - Jesus continually grew in wisdom and stature, finding favor with God and man. Ac 2:47 - They were praising God, and found favor with the people. And the Lord added daily to the number being saved. Ac 19:20 - The word of the Lord was growing rapidly, and prevailing.)
14:19: Our focus ought to be on unity and mutual growth.
14:20: If we insist on violating our brother's conscience by our actions, we act so as to destroy God's work. (1Jn 3:15 - Everyone that hates his brother is a murderer, and eternal life is not in him.) Rituals are ended, but if we cause sin in our brother by ignoring the rituals, we sin.
14:21: We must be cautious not to be overly free with our liberties when such liberties would have a negative effect on a weaker brother with us. The best that can come of that situation is that our brother would continue to be weak, unsure in himself what is right or wrong in the situation. The worst is that he could be led to ignore his beliefs in more critical issues, and bring damnation on himself.
14:22: We are not speaking of mere opinions here, but strong convictions with regard to the will of God. If you are certain of God's will in the matter, then remain in His will. This is not to suggest that we cannot discuss such issues when there is disagreement, but there is no cause to be overly zealous for such a minor point. Agreeing to disagree is acceptable and right in this instance. To do otherwise is to endanger the love we ought to have. Our happiness lies in never pursuing a course about which we have doubts, but only allowing ourselves such acts as we are certain are not sinful.
14:23: (Ro 13:2 - The one who resists the authorities is resisting something God-ordained. If they would oppose His will, they bring condemnation upon themselves.) "Whatever is not from faith is sin." This is critical to Christian life. From this chapter, we ought to be clear that there are matters of truth that are not essential to belief, that are insufficient cause for division. The only criteria for fellowship is acceptance with God. We dare not reject whom God has received. If we will remain focused on Christ as the sole object of our life and death, the minor differences we have with our brother will be totally overwhelmed by this common focus of ours. Those who take this chapter as permission to set aside the Sabbath day, be it the first or last day of the week that they consider the Sabbath, do not look at the issue thoroughly. If Christ's sole purpose with regard to the Sabbath was to abolish it, why the declaration of His lordship over the day? Clearly, the observance of that particular holy day is more than a weakness of conscience. Knowing we will all stand before one Judge should serve well to keep us from rash judgments of each other. Christ's divinity is declared over and over in this chapter in various ways. We are called to forbearance, not indifference, to truth and error. We may tolerate weakness due to erroneous understanding in those we fellowship with, but we mustn't come to think that such distinctions between truth and error are meaningless. They are not. Every violation of conscience is a push toward perdition. Believers in perseverance, in permanence of salvation, think it needful to explain away these passages of Paul's, and those who don't accept that doctrine consider Paul's statements as proof positive that the doctrine is wrong, but both parties miss the mark. The question they see is unrelated to the statements at hand. It is a clear principle of Christianity that a violation of conscience is but a step on the path to destruction. The only distinction lies in the completeness of the act. Paul does not claim that such total destruction does come, but only that it would be a natural consequence of such actions. If we wish to learn of the permanence or non-permanence of our salvation, we must seek elsewhere for answers. Zeal over minor points of truth are a miserable substitute for concern over the uniting essential realities of Christian life. Peace is precious to the brotherhood, and, as it stands as a testimony to the surrounding community, is too important for us to allow minor matters to disturb it. The lawfulness of an action is not sufficient cause to allow the action. We must also consider whether that action is beneficial to the present circumstance, to our brother's conscience and soul. (Ge 4:9b - "Am I my brother's keeper?") The Christian cannot ask this question, except his answer be, "Yes. I am." Where one choice is clearly sinless, and the other choice is questionable, choose the former and remain safe. Christian ethics, like no other, are able to steer our course with just a few great principles: liberty, love, and confidence.

New Thoughts (6/13/02-6/15/02)

Righteousness, peace, and joy; these are the things that are to have our attention. These are the things that God seeks from His children, the things He longs to see developing in His children. In Christ, He has declared that we are righteous. What does that mean? What should it say about us? Righteousness is the very essence of that which is just or righteous. It is, in this regard, a part of what makes God God. He cannot be unrighteous and remain who He is. He seeks the same from us. He works in us to make of us a people who cannot be unrighteous, a people in whom righteousness is so integral to our being that to be unrighteous would be to not be. Righteousness, that which God is creating in us, is the state of being what one should be. It is God's working upon us to return us to our proper state, the state we share with Him through Adam before the fall, the state we will again share with Him through Christ after rebirth.

Peace is a natural outflow from the state of righteousness, for peace is found in fearing nothing from God as well as being fully content with our lot in this life. It is a state of undisturbed well-being, which we cannot know if we still have reason to fear God. What Christ has done for us, the price He paid, and the call He has placed upon our lives, has assured our salvation, and this assurance should remove our fear of God's punishment; not our reverence, not our holy awe of Him, but our fear. What Christ has done for us is the basis of our peace, for He is our peace. The question remains, however: do we believe Him? If peace is not our portion in this Christian life, it can only be that we either do not yet believe that Christ died for us personally, or do not believe that His death is sufficient to turn God's wrath, to satisfy His righteousness. This is not the voice of faith. Faith is certain and assured of what God has done for us in Christ. Faith hears the truth from the Holy Spirit and knows it to be true, against all the arguments our fleshly minds may bring.

When our peace has been established by faith, by the testimony of Scripture, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, what can be our reaction except joy? How can we not rejoice to know that our God, who had and has every reason to destroy us has chosen instead to satisfy the demands of His righteousness by His own action, has been so determined to have mercy upon His creation that He took the punishment that is our due upon Himself! How can we not know the calm delight that comes of having as our constant companion none other than the Holy Spirit, and Him ever speaking to our soul, ever encouraging, ever teaching!

Knowing that these are the outflowing of His work within us, how can we not be determined to know these fruits? How can we think to spend our energy on any lesser matter? If we are truly His, if we have truly committed ourselves to His ways, if His will is indeed the rule of our lives, and not just the claim of our lips, we will indeed pursue these things, for they are indeed His will for us. If we will pursue these things, we will doubtless find that happiness is also our lot, for happiness is defined as being indwelt by God and fully satisfied, satisfied by God rather than our present circumstance. Happiness, this contentment and peace, this joyful resting in the knowledge of our salvation, dwells in those who have taken Romans 8:28 to heart, who understand that all things are arranged by God to the spiritual benefit of those who have acceded to His will.

Notice, now, that our happiness flows from a base of having submitted to His will, from actively pursuing the righteousness He desires in us. This displays the great problem of sin, for sin is nothing but our pursuing of our own will and purposes. We like to look at the actions taken, the things done, and point to them as being sinful, or more rarely, righteous. But it is not the things, it is not the deeds, that determine. No thing is unclean. No work is righteous in itself. The best actions of man, if they are done without a heart to God, remain sinful actions, because they are willful actions taken in pursuit of our personal interests without a care for whether God happens to agree or disagree.

This is an ever-present danger, not only for the unbeliever, but also for the Christian. The unbeliever cannot help but sin in his actions, for there is no love of Christ in his heart. But the Christian is not safe to do as he pleases. To do as he pleases is no better in his case, than in the other. Many of us, if not all of us, will get caught up at some point in this walk in efforts to do righteous works. Our nature will continue to turn us back to seeking some way to show God our worth, to take our eyes off of our total lack of worth. We want to have something to recommend ourselves other than Christ. We want to have some redeeming quality in ourselves, when Christ alone redeems us.

When we allow this mindset to creep in, the problems begin. First, as our attention is focused on doing, we are certain to begin insisting that those around us ought also to be doing, we are certain to fall into judging them by our standards. Secondly, we put ourselves in danger of being ruled by what other people think we should be doing. If our concern is the appearance of righteousness, the outward show of holiness, the only way we have of judging our success is by the opinions of others. If we are going to determine our worth by their opinions, then their practices will become our rule, and this is not the rule we have been called to follow. This is the trap that the politician has fallen into in recent times, allowing opinion poles to lead him, when he is supposed to be leading. Opinion replaces character, and the result is as empty and worthless as a corn husk.

The worst danger that befalls us in this mindset, though, is that we get so caught up in observing this rule and that rule, of ensuring that every form and observance has been properly done, that no time is left in our lives to pursue true righteousness. In an effort to show the wonderful state of our soul, we starve it to death. We get so caught up in religion that we no longer hear the Shepherd's voice. We're so busy that God no longer directs us, and thinking ourselves wise, we become fools of the worst kind.

There's another side to this, though. God has not left us free to lounge about and leave all that righteousness stuff up to Him. Indeed, it is only through His working in us that we can be righteous and acceptable, it is His both to will and to work in us. However, we remain responsible participants in the process, if for no other reason than that to be such responsible participants is His will for us. Do we need a greater reason? Not really, but consider the reasons He declares to us. After all, He created us. He knows how much we like to understand the why of things, and He has not left us completely uninformed.

1Peter 2:12 declares the foremost reason for us to behave, especially among unbelievers. The reason? So that their testimony - the witness of unbelief regarding our ways and our deeds - will bring glory to God when He comes. Every knee and every tongue will confess. God has designed it such that our actions in this time will give them cause to glorify Him in that time. What were we created for? To glorify God, and enjoy Him forever. Why ought we to actively pursue righteous lives? To glorify God - not only by our own lives and actions, but by the way His children are described by those that meet them. Nothing gladdens a parent's heart more than a good report about their children, about how those children behave when Mom and Dad are away. God is no different. He loves to hear the good report of how His kids have been behaving themselves on this journey.

Look also at the impact of failing at this righteous life. 1Corinthians 15:34 is Paul's admonishment to the church in sin. Stop it! Think about what you are doing! You are placed in the midst of a culture that does not know God, and rather than telling them about it, you've been pursuing your own lusts and vices. You haven't even given them a clue that God is there, that He wants something better. Shame on you! Stop your sinning and become that testimony, that peculiar people, that God made you to be. Get on with the work He called you to, you've had more than enough time to satisfy you flesh. It's time to satisfy the Spirit.

Jesus did not have a lot of patience for hypocrisy when He came to Jerusalem. He was thoroughly unimpressed with the outward show that left the heart behind. In fact, He spoke of such people as pretty tombs, looking nice but filled with death just the same. When He speaks to His church through John, He gives warning to those who have the form of righteousness, but not the reality. It's the same issue, all act and no essence. Paul gives us some pretty strong and straightforward suggestions for living the reality. Galatians 5:25 puts it in simplest form: If you live by the Spirit, walk by the Spirit. If you claim to be Spirit filled, then be Spirit led. If you say you are a Christian, live like Christ.

The Christian life brings great liberty to us. In Christ we know that things are not an issue. We needn't be terribly concerned as to whether God will be offended by this thing or that. There's not a huge textbook of rituals and requirements to be memorized and followed. There's not some playbook that we need to commit to memory. There's one rule, really. Love your God and your neighbor. Within that one rule, we are free to pursue obedience in whatever fashion works for us. Within that one rule. With liberty come responsibility. This is understood almost universally. For the Christian, love is the guide that keeps us responsible in our liberty. If we know the full extent of our freedom, we know also that we don't need to pursue every possible action just because we can. True liberty doesn't need to prove itself by outward display. If we are truly free, as indeed we are in Christ, we are free to restrain ourselves as well. Love for our brother should be reason enough for us to hold back. If we are committed to pursuing God's will, if we are seeking righteousness, peace, and joy in Him, then we must be submitted to the Law of love, God's law for us. And if we are submitted indeed to God and His law, our concern for our brother's well-being, our desire for him to join us and walk with us on the road of righteousness, must bound our desire to do that which we know is not sinful whenever his knowledge differs.

"Am I my brother's keeper?" Ever and again, we ask this when others try to make us in some way responsible. Ever and again, we try to duck out from under any responsibility for any soul other than our own. Ever and again, it is the wrong answer. As Christians, as obedient subjects of Christ the King, we cannot answer this question with anything other than a "Yes." Love demands that we look out for our brother's interests, even when he may not appreciate it. Love demands that we be concerned about the sin not only in our own lives, but also in our brother's. Love demands that we do all that is in our power to keep each other on the road to righteousness, on the narrow path that leads to life. May the testimony of the world in that last day be that we have pursued love's demands wholeheartedly.