Paul’s point in writing to the Romans is to introduce himself and his gospel, and to address some of the divisions in the Roman church between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians.

His message in today’s reading? Don’t let this stuff divide you—as important as it is, it’s not as important and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I wonder what contemporary debates might fall into that category today?

Today’s Scripture: Romans 14:13-23

****Don’t forget—last Romans Bible study is this Wednesday, 6-7 PM.****

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.

So, there were Jewish Christians who felt that faithfulness required them to continue to obey the Jewish kosher laws. Paul—Jewish by background—has come to understand that in Jesus all the food laws that separated Israel from the nations have been fulfilled.

BUT

Paul also knows that there is nothing wrong with the Jewish Christian practice of continuing to keep kosher, and he doesn’t want those Christians who do NOT keep kosher to scandalize the Jewish Christians by eating food in front of them that the Jewish Christians would consider unclean.

16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

So, Paul tells the Roman Christians who do NOT keep kosher that if they mess with someone’s faith, they are doing wrong. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God is more important than what you eat or drink.

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

Try really really really hard not to let these things come between you and another Christian!

23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

What does this verse mean? I found this helpful:

In contrast to the Christian who acts from conviction is the weak Christian “who has doubts” or “who wavers.” The doubts of such Christians arise from the fact that they do not have a strong enough faith to believe that they can ignore the ritual elements of the OT law. Doubters such as this, Paul says, are “condemned” when they eat. This is not simply a subjective self-condemnation; as the reference to it later in the verse makes clear, Paul refers to God’s disapproval of such an act. Condemnation comes not because of the eating itself; as Paul has already explained (vv. 14, 20), eating anything one wants is quite all right for the believer. Rather, what brings God’s condemnation is eating when one does not have the faith to believe that it is right to do it. This, Paul claims, is “sin.” Why? Because, Paul goes on to explain, “everything that is not out of faith is sin.” Paul here asserts a general theological principle. But it is necessary to describe accurately just what that principle is….Paul claims that any act that does not arise from a conviction rooted in one’s faith in Christ is sinful. For a Christian not a single decision and action can be good which he does not think he can justify on the ground of his Christian conviction and his liberty before God in Christ. Violation of the dictates of the conscience, even when the conscience does not conform perfectly with God’s will, is sinful. And we must remember that Paul cites this theological point to buttress his exhortation of the strong. The strong, he is suggesting, should not force the weak to eat meat, or drink wine, or ignore the Sabbath, when the weak are not yet convinced that their faith in Christ allows them to do so. For to do so would be to force them into sin, to put a stumbling block in their way (see vv. 13, 20-21). First, their faith must be strengthened, their consciences enlightened; and then they can follow the strong in exercising Christian liberty together.

—Douglass Moo

I think one area in our lives where Paul’s words are relevant are with regard to pandemic responses—let’s not let whether that person wears a mask or doesn’t wear a mask divide us one from the other. Let people do what they think is the right course of action, and bear with them until they come to see otherwise. The people that are behaving in a way that you think is dead wrong probably think the same about you. You very well may be right, but don’t let that fact divide you from other Christians, if it can possibly be helped.