Don't Be a Stumbling Block

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Sunday - 9:15 AM Sunday School, 10:30 AM Worship Service

by: Denise Robinson

07/15/2021

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"Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. 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. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:13-17).


In the first century church, one of the major issues it faced was how to merge together people from different backgrounds, particularly Jews and Gentiles. Jews were used to following strict rules including rules about what they could, and could not, eat. Gentiles had no such restrictions. Jesus, of course, was Jewish, and his first followers were Jews. So, the question: should Gentile converts have to adhere to Jewish laws about eating, cleanliness, etc. or were Jewish converts freed of all such restrictions? 

For Paul, the answer was that the restrictions the Jews were still following were no longer necessary and he said so. However, he, being a Jew himself, knew that these rules wouldn't be easy to give up. So, his advice was, "Don't be a stumbling block." If eating certain things might cause new believers or non-believers to walk away, then don't eat those things in their presence. Things like peace and joy and right living are the important things.

What does this mean for you and me? Simply stated, it means that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it. We have an obligation to think about what we do and say, and consider how that reflects Christ. Is your life (and lifestyle) drawing others to Jesus or potentially driving them away? Paul's words remind us that it matters to God.
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"Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another. 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. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:13-17).


In the first century church, one of the major issues it faced was how to merge together people from different backgrounds, particularly Jews and Gentiles. Jews were used to following strict rules including rules about what they could, and could not, eat. Gentiles had no such restrictions. Jesus, of course, was Jewish, and his first followers were Jews. So, the question: should Gentile converts have to adhere to Jewish laws about eating, cleanliness, etc. or were Jewish converts freed of all such restrictions? 

For Paul, the answer was that the restrictions the Jews were still following were no longer necessary and he said so. However, he, being a Jew himself, knew that these rules wouldn't be easy to give up. So, his advice was, "Don't be a stumbling block." If eating certain things might cause new believers or non-believers to walk away, then don't eat those things in their presence. Things like peace and joy and right living are the important things.

What does this mean for you and me? Simply stated, it means that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it. We have an obligation to think about what we do and say, and consider how that reflects Christ. Is your life (and lifestyle) drawing others to Jesus or potentially driving them away? Paul's words remind us that it matters to God.
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