what romans 14 means

[dobieman0488]

we shouildnt cause others to stumble

so therefore if one believer's thinks ANYTHING is a sin, it's sinful for any christian to do it so we dont cause anyone to stumble.

 

[DoctorJosh]

we shouildnt cause others to stumble

so therefore if one believer's thinks ANYTHING is a sin, it's sinful for any christian to do it so we dont cause anyone to stumble.

The Laws of God are not a catch 22. The Ten Commandments are the Laws, thus Jesus put forth answers to correct anyone who didn't understand those Laws and give more detail about them. Such as Adultery, Marriage, Love they neighbor also meant not stoning them to death since this broke another Commandment. Pretty easy to understand stuff. Just stick with what Jesus said and the Ten Commandments and you will find all your answers to what is sin and what is not sin.

God Bless.

 

[Thankful For Grace]

Dear dobieman,

Romans 14 teaches that we should so love each other as believers that we will willingly abstain from something that would cause our brother or brothers to stumble if we know our actions would be a stumbling block.

It is not meant to constrain us, but to instruct us to be very tender with the faith of others.

Here is a modern day example: If you are with brothers and sisters who believe that a glass of wine is a sin, and you feel that it is fine for you to drink a glass of wine, do not drink it in front of your brother or sister in Christ out of love for them and respect for their beliefs. If you are with a brother or sister who does not eat certain meat because they feel it is unscriptural, even though you know from the NT that it is fine to eat all meats--abstain for the sake of your brother or sister's faith.

This applies to all areas of life, not just food and drink. Whatever would cause an individual brother or sister to sin, make a choice to abstain from that activity in their presence, even if you have peace about it before God in your own life.

It is an act of God's Love for your fellow Christians, and as we mature as Christians, these small sacrifices become very easy to do.

Blessings to you,

tfg

we shouildnt cause others to stumble

so therefore if one believer's thinks ANYTHING is a sin, it's sinful for any christian to do it so we dont cause anyone to stumble.

 

[bsd31]

we shouildnt cause others to stumble

so therefore if one believer's thinks ANYTHING is a sin, it's sinful for any christian to do it so we dont cause anyone to stumble.

Just while in the presence of that Christian, or ever? If my drinking a glass of whiskey will cause you to stumble I won't do it in front of you but when you're not there it won't cause you to stumble... Right?

 

[Autumnleaf]

Just while in the presence of that Christian, or ever? If my drinking a glass of whiskey will cause you to stumble I won't do it in front of you but when you're not there it won't cause you to stumble... Right?

Right.

 

[Hiroyuki]

we shouildnt cause others to stumble

so therefore if one believer's thinks ANYTHING is a sin, it's sinful for any christian to do it so we dont cause anyone to stumble.

The Pharisees though what Jesus did was sinful, so obviously not.

Paul also said, "I don't judge myself and don't mind how others judge me" which is the right attitude to have.


You can try to not offend, but you shouldn't do wrong to do so. Like when Peter and James went with the circumcision crowd and Paul rebuked them for that.


And, Paul said, "There is now no condemnation in Christ."


Jesus said, "If you do not condemn, you will not be condemned".



Be merciful when considering the trespasses others do, forgiving them - textbook error or not - and know God forgives you.

We often have to do things that are good but can hurt others.



Just a fact of life.

When Jesus had to go away, it probably ripped up his mom, Mary Mag., the apostles and others -- it did. But He had to do it.

 

[heron]

It's funny how we read that verse and think of drinking, smoking, eating the meat sacrificed to idols. But look at all the conversations on the forum that cause people to stumble -- jabs and competition.

How many of us have had a day where our blood was boiling for hours, just because of something a stranger said online?

 

[Peripatetic]

Romans 14 is always a good reminder that the definition of sin is not as black and white as some Christians would have you believe. It certainly does open up a door that the same action may be sin for one person but not for another.

Almost any action that you can mention could be sinful or not sinful depending on the context and motivation of the action. Some are obvious sins on the surface, but have many contexts to consider. The basic commandment is "don't kill", but there are many contexts: Murder (1st and 2nd degree), accidental killing, war, self-defense, capital punishment, mercy killing, abortion, etc. Even these contexts have shades of gray. We might say that killing in war time is not sinful, but there are soldiers who dislike killing but do it out of duty, and others who enjoy it in a sadistic way. Everyone has their own interpretation of what is and what is not sinful killing.

Other actions are obviously not sins on the surface, but have contexts that can be sinful. For example, donating money to the church would seem to be a good act. However, the biblical account of Ananias and Sapphira shows that it can be sinful when deceit is present. Also, Jesus spoke out against the self-righteous public giving of some Pharisees.

In other words, the act of giving money is sinful depending on their motivations and what is in their heart. Similarly, the act of killing in war time may or may not be sinful depending on the heart and mind of the soldier.

Be careful now! This type of thinking could quickly turn into relativism. That is not what I'm describing. Relativism says that there is more than one truth, and each person can have a different one. What I am saying is that there is only one truth, but it is so complex, multi-faceted, and nuanced that no human being could ever completely know it. Each action must be combined with motivation, a mindset, and circumstances to determine whether it is or is not sin. It's one amazing divine formula that is beyond comprehension. So what does this mean for us? It means:

1. We must completely rely on the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is and what is not sinful in our own lives. This is a big part of our sanctification process, but we need to remember that ours may not be the same as that of another.

2. We must be very careful when judging the actions of others. We shouldn't use a black and white definition of sin without regard to the other facets. We should humbly remember that we don't know the whole divine formula for sin, and should approach our brothers and sisters lovingly if they need correction... not with self-righteous judgment that relies on partial truths or imperfect interpretations.

3. Remembering that almost any action could be sinful for one person but not another, we need to be careful not to do what makes another stumble (as you quoted form Romans 14). When in doubt... if it's borderline... err on the side of caution and don't do something that could lead someone else to sin even if it isn't for you. Alcohol is the most often used example, but there are plenty of others.

 

[wayfaring man]

Pretty much every point has a counterpoint - and taken together they convey a check + a balance effect upon the formation of doctrine.

So while we are to be considerate of others and their beliefs / perspectives , as mentioned in Romans 14... we are also not bound by that law in such a way that our liberty in Christ is extinguished by the conscience of another / others .

...For why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? <---> 1st Corinthians 10:29

Also the converse side of "give no offence" is "take no offense".

Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: <-----> 1st Corinthians 10:32

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. <-----> Psalm 119:165

So, while there is a general duty to strive to be unoffensive - there is also good cause for being one who is not easily offended.

Furthermore, if The Lord specifically instructs us to do something, and some are offended thereby, following what The Lord has instructed would take precedence over avoiding being considered an offence. ( Yet it's not just what we do , but how , when , where , why , before whom , etc.)

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. <-----> Acts 5:27-29

wm

 

[WannaWitness]

The way I see it, Romans 14 should serve as encouragement for us as believers to accept one another, despite differing convictions in one thing or another -- realizing that one thing that might be wrong to one person might not be to another, depending on each individual's understanding of Scripture. It uses eating meat as an example, but I don't think this is the only thing that can be applied here. The first verse mentions "doubtful things", which covers a variety of issues such as Bible translations, music styles, clothing, politics, the use of playing cards/dice, and other things in which opinions will differ. It also goes on to talk about not being a stumbling block to another believer who has a different conviction -- like if someone is having a "game day" at their house, and stipulate that they don't believe in playing cards, don't offend them by bringing a deck to their home, even if you yourself see nothing wrong.

There are also a few people who might tend to think that Romans 14 is being used to justify living in deliberate sin. Yes, I believe that there are some who use the Scripture in this manner, and I don't agree with condoning wrong lifestyles in any way, shape, or form. But there are also many people who don't use Romans 14 in this manner, merely believing that it shows that all Christians are different, with different opinions on how to serve our God to the best of each individual's ability. And if we are doing that, we are on the right track. After all, as different and diverse as we are, we should all come to realize that God is our common bond, and that when we get to heaven, none of the petty matters will make a bit of difference anymore.

Anyway, that's that.

 

[Peripatetic]

The way I see it, Romans 14 should serve as encouragement for us as believers to accept one another, despite differing convictions in one thing or another -- realizing that one thing that might be wrong to one person might not be to another, depending on each individual's understanding of Scripture. It uses eating meat as an example, but I don't think this is the only thing that can be applied here. The first verse mentions "doubtful things", which covers a variety of issues such as Bible translations, music styles, clothing, politics, the use of playing cards/dice, and other things in which opinions will differ. It also goes on to talk about not being a stumbling block to another believer who has a different conviction -- like if someone is having a "game day" at their house, and stipulate that they don't believe in playing cards, don't offend them by bringing a deck to their home, even if you yourself see nothing wrong.

There are also a few people who might tend to think that Romans 14 is being used to justify living in deliberate sin. Yes, I believe that there are some who use the Scripture in this manner, and I don't agree with condoning wrong lifestyles in any way, shape, or form. But there are also many people who don't use Romans 14 in this manner, merely believing that it shows that all Christians are different, with different opinions on how to serve our God to the best of each individual's ability. And if we are doing that, we are on the right track. After all, as different and diverse as we are, we should all come to realize that God is our common bond, and that when we get to heaven, none of the petty matters will make a bit of difference anymore.

Anyway, that's that.

Very well said!

 

[Johnnz]

These verses are often very misused. The two issues Paul mentioned were food and holy days. Both refer to deeply ingrained Jewish beliefs from the OT. The gentile Christians were unfamiliar with those customs. Hence there was some conflict over these issues in the new community when they met together. Paul addressed similar problems in 1 Cor 8 where he gave much the same advice - unity not conflict was the goal.

To use Paul's instructions on specific matters to restrict someone on any topic we happen to disapprove of is to misuse scripture. Those were really big issues back then, rooted in centuries of culture, not merely minor one. What is more, Paul himself was not bound by any such restrictions, knowing his freedom in Christ. But he was prepared to make a temporary concession within a specific context until any immature believers had grown into the true freedoms of the Gospel. The weak weren't always to stay weak.

John
NZ

 

[Mister_Al]

Lets say that I have a friend that is a new Christian and believes eating meat sacrificed to an idol is a sin. And, lets say that I know it really isn't a sin. Now, if I try to get my friend to sit down with me and eat of some meat that he knows was sacrificed to an idol, his conscience is going to convict him of sin because he believes it to be a sin.

Whether it really is, or isn't, a sin isn't what's important here. But, how my friend perceives it is important because to him I'll be trying to get him to commit a sin even though to God he isn't doing anything wrong. But, I should respect him enough to not put him in a situation that causes him to be grieved like that. Also, he would think that I was willfully sinning if he saw me eat of the the meat and may question my judgment in other matters in the future.

After my friend grows in understanding and knows that eating meat sacrificed to an idol isn't a sin, then I would be able to ask him to eat of it with me without any problems.


Alan

 

[WannaWitness]

Very well said!

Thanks. Although debates (yes, they're okay in moderation) on some of these issues are sometimes amusing, there comes a time that I grow a little weary when it turns into "oneupmanship" (let's-race-to-see-who's-holier) and bloody arguing between believers over different convictions. It's just not right for Christians to condemn each other just because they don't see things exactly the same. That's when I like to pull this Scripture out, in an effort to mediate. However, sometimes I feel as though these efforts are in vain.

Have a great day.

 

[kylef]

"If anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean." - Romans 14:14

What you feel as sinful another person may not. For example, one Christian might enjoy going out with a few friends for a couple of drinks, when another reads the Bible more literally and won't take any alcohol whatsoever based on their belief. There's nothing wrong with either. However, if the non-drinking Christian was invited out by the other, from reading Romans 14, it would be courteous and correct for that Christian not to drink.

"So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves." - Romans 14:22

 

[Johnnz]

We need to understand that in both Romans and 1 Corinthians Paul was talking about behaviours when Christians were meeting together, as that's where the most of the conflicts had arisen. Paul was not writing about what what each person was free to do elsewhere.

John
NZ