Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but
rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our
brother's way. 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. Therefore do not let your good be
spoken of as evil; - Romans 14.13-16
So Paul continues in the same vein of thought. Lets stop
being so concerned about judging each other. But if have to judge something,
lets judge that we will never put a stumbling block in the path of another.
I like the way the KJV translates this. The translators used
the same English word used to translate the same Greek word when it said to stop judging each other, but instead to judge ourselves to stop being a stumbling
block.
In other words, instead of judging each other we need to
judge our own actions in dealing with others. And we need to make sure that we don't
cause them to stumble in their Christian walk.
That is powerful statements. We can have all the personal
preferences we want. We can make our choices on the non-essentials. But one
thing we don't have, we don't have the right to use our preferences to cause
someone to stumble.
I need to be sure to examine what I do to make sure that it
does not. If I grieve him by insisting on my way I am not acting in love. I
should never destroy my brother because of something silly. Because when I do,
the good thing I think I am doing becomes evil.
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