As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
While it is easy for one’s religious faith to deteriorate into a set of rules to obey, the gospel of Christ sets us free from slavery to both sinful living and to stifling moralism. As the spirit transforms us inwardly against the outward forms of the world we will form personal convictions regarding how to exercise our freedom in Christ. At first we may be tentative in our faith because we haven’t been trained by the scriptures to identify good and evil. However, the more we train our mind according to principles found in the word of God, the more confident we should become in living out our freedom in Christ.
Some people, because of their personal background or level of maturity in Christ, may choose to abstain from certain activities so that they do not stumble. For example, a person who had a drinking problem before coming to Christ might decide that it is best for him to abstain from alcohol completely while another Christian might not feel that total abstention is necessary for himself. One person might choose to participate in religious festivals such as Passover, Christmas or Easter, while another may feel they are unnecessary to observe. In Paul’s day, some held to a special diet for religious reasons, while others did not. The main concern in this passage is that while it is important for us to develop our own convictions before God regarding certain lifestyle convictions, we should not judge others by these personal convictions, but allow them to live before God in the way that they feel to be proper for them.
Finally, we should use our freedom in Christ to serve others in love. Those who are able to live with more freedom should take care that they do not cause others to stumble in their faith by violating their more restrictive conscience. Alternatively, those with more restrictive consciences should understand that their personal restrictions are for their own sake and not to be applied to others. This allows us to live in harmony with one another even while holding different convictions regarding lifestyle choices.
- Why is it necessary for each Christian to develop their own lifestyle convictions? What role does the word of God and other Christians play in helping form those convictions?
- What are some sorts of lifestyle convictions that Christians may form different conviction about?
- What does it mean to be strong or weak in the faith? How do we become strong in the faith according to this passage?
- What responsibilities do we have toward others who are stronger or weaker in the faith than we ourselves are?
- What does it mean to welcome others in the faith who share different lifestyle convictions? What would be the opposite of welcoming?
- How is welcoming or not welcoming others of differing convictions related to the gospel of Christ? [We’ll be exploring this question in much more depth as we study the letter to the Galatians.]
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