Destroying Your Brother Over Matters of Opinion Shows You Don't Love Him

Thinking about Romans 14:14-15

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I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 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. (Romans 14:14-15)

After warning Christians not to be a “cause to fall” in their brother’s path, Paul turns his attention to the underlying issue - did they really love their brethren, the ones Jesus died for?

Are foods “clean” or “unclean?”

First, Paul spoke to the “weak” - the ones who were deeply conscientious about eating certain kinds of food.

“I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus” emphasized the certainty Paul had on this subject and his authority as an apostle given to him by the Lord Himself. In this discussion about “opinions” and “scruples,” what Paul is about to say is no mere opinion.

He wanted the weak to understand the principle that nothing, including food, is unclean in itself. Having been a practicing Jew, he well knew the distinctions made in the Torah between different types of food and animals that could and could not be eaten (Leviticus 11:1-23; Deuteronomy 14:3-20). Paul was essentially reversing Old Testament teaching because he had been convinced in the Lord Jesus that such distinctions were no longer warranted. In Christ, he had found liberty and the removal of the Law’s burdensome restrictions. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 506

What Paul says must be kept within the context of eating foods that were “clean” or “unclean” under the Law of Moses. Certainly, Paul doesn’t mean that nothing whatsoever is “unclean” or “evil” - just go read Romans 1:18-32 and you will read a long list of sinful things.

The matter of conscience.

While it was perfectly alright to eat any kind of meat, not everyone’s conscience allowed them to do this. Some - probably Jewish Christians who had been taught their whole life that certain foods were “unclean” - still had an issue with eating certain foods.

Paul allows these brethren to maintain this matter of conscience.

The decision to eat certain foods and to avoid others was a matter of conscience. Paul did not impose his views on any Christians who had this concern, although he disagreed with the theological basis and ethical implications of such a position. Neither should the Law-free Christians press their arguments. - Pollard, Truth for Today Commentary, 508

While Paul taught the truth on this issue - “Eating any kind of meat is fine” - he also allowed his brethren to hold to their conscience on this matter. He then cautions the “stronger brethren” to be mindful of the “weaker.”

Don’t destroy your brethren over this matter.

It seems the Christians who had no problems eating any kind of meat were abusing their freedom in Christ to “run over” their more conscientious brethren.

Perhaps at meals when the Christians were gathered together, these “stronger” brethren would bring meat they knew their “weaker” brethren wouldn’t eat. In this way, they were “grieving” or “hurting” their brethren over food - and perhaps even “destroying” their brethren over this issue.

Paul reminded the “stronger” brethren that by acting in this way, they were not walking in love - which means they were failing to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1-2). He commanded them not to destroy with food “the one for whom Christ died.”

So the meat-eater has been proven right. God has finally delivered the all-important word: “Yes, you are right. It’s all right to eat meats.” Now where are we? Will you for food preference destroy one Christ loves? What will a man give in exchange for his brother’s soul? The right to certain foods? - McGuiggan, Romans, 393-394

Paul calls on the “strong” not to be selfish but to consider their brethren in love as Christ demonstrated His love for them in His death (Romans 5:6-9).

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Let’s bring this forward to us today and consider an issue that tends to have a lot of opinions and emotions on each side - the issue of “What should a Christian wear to worship?”

So long as what a person wears meets God's standard of being “modest” (1 Timothy 2:8-10), then a person has the freedom to wear whatever they choose. That would be the “law” God has laid down on this issue. Some choose to dress up more, some dress a bit more casually. As long as both are modest, both are pleasing to God.

Some feel strongly about this subject - their conscience would bother them if they didn’t dress up to a certain extent. While these brethren must not make their matter of conscience “law” for others, those who don’t share in this matter of conscience need to be mindful of their brethren. Perhaps they should even dress up a bit more than they would prefer for the sake of their weaker brethren’s conscience.

As Christians, we are called to “walk in love” toward one another as Christ has loved us. We are called to make sacrifices for one another just as Christ sacrificed Himself for us.