Romans 14:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: 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.

NASB: For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer walking in accordance with love. Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died.

CSB: For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died.

NLT: And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

KJV: But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

NKJV: Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.

Paul has described a scenario that was likely happening frequently in the early church. One group understood that in Christ they had been freed from following the law, so they freely enjoyed eating meat that may not have been kosher to eat under the law. The second group could not yet allow themselves to step outside the restrictions of the law. They may even have agreed, in principle, that it was allowed; it just felt wrong to them for Christians to do such a thing. Paul wrote in the previous verse that if they felt that way, it would in truth be wrong for them to violate their conscience.

Now Paul turns to those who are enjoying their freedom in Christ at the spiritual expense of Christians who believe it to be wrong. Paul says, abruptly, that a believer can't flaunt his or her freedom while claiming to love their fellow Christian. More dramatically, he says we must not, for the sake of food, destroy someone for whom Christ died.

In other words, Christians with a faith strong enough to allow them to eat meat and participate in other disputed activities must not demand their freedoms at the expense of their siblings in Christ. Even if they believe—or know for sure (Romans 14:14)—that the other person's conviction is wrong. In doing so, they may lead the one whose faith is weak to violate his conscience. Such a choice would be a sin.

This teaching may sound hard to us in a culture that values personal freedom so dearly. Paul has already made it abundantly clear in Romans 12 and 13, however, that the culture of the church is meant to be one in which Christians set themselves aside for the good of the Lord and of each other. At the same time, the idea of a "stumbling block" (Romans 14:13) is not meant to give more-legalistic Christians a leash to control the behavior of others. Paul's comments here are directed at the more-spiritually-assured person, but context makes it clear that they aren't meant to enable others to take on the role of judge (Romans 14:10; Colossians 2:16–23).

Romans 14:13–23 instructs strong-faith Christians who understand that all food and drink is clean for those who are in Christ to be willing to set aside indulging their freedom for the sake of weaker-faith Christians. Those who cannot partake in good conscience—even though they are free in Christ to do so—should not do so. To violate their conviction is sin. It is also wrong for strong-faith Christians to tempt weaker-faith brothers and sisters into sin by insisting on exercising their own right to eat and drink those things.

In Romans 14, Paul tackles the question of how Christians with different convictions about disputable matters should treat each other in the church. Strong-faith Christians who feel free to eat and drink what was formerly forbidden under the law of Moses should not flaunt their freedoms in front of weaker-faith Christians who are not convinced it is right to participate in those things. Neither group should judge the other. Those strong in their faith should rather yield than lead those weaker in faith to violate their conscience, which is a sin.

Paul turns from the black-and-white instructions about light and darkness in Romans 13 to the issue of disputable matters with the potential to divide the church. Paul instructs those who feel free to participate in activities formally forbidden under the law not to flaunt their freedom in front of those who, by conscience, still believe those actions to be wrong. Those strong-faith Christians should be willing to set aside their freedom to keep from leading their weaker brothers and sisters into sin by violating their convictions. Paul addresses this topic with additional comments in 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.