By J.D. Walt
Prayer of Consecration
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body as a holy and living sacrifice to you.
Jesus, We belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Scripture
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 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. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
Romans 14:13–18 (NIV)
Consider This
There is a saying which has circulated around the church since at least the time of Augustine. The saying has been attributed to many theologians, including John Wesley, and is widely accepted as wisdom. It is as follows:
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity,”
The hard part, and where significant disagreement arises, comes in sorting out what is essential and what is non-essential. Paul seems to clearly say in today’s text that the matter of eating meat and drinking wine is a non-essential matter. In other words, there is room for people to adopt divergent positions. He goes further to say that no food is unclean. In non-essentials, liberty. End of discussion.
Not so fast. Just because people have the freedom to follow their own conscience here does not mean the conversation is over. It simply means the doctrinal issue has been adjudicated. The laws around eating and drinking under the old covenant are no longer applicable. It raises the last phrase in the famous saying: In all things charity. Does my exercising my freedom cause harm to you? Is my freedom being exercised in love for others or is it centered around myself and my own interests?
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.
Paul is calling the church to wake up and realize they are now kneeling at the foot of the cross together. He has rebuked them for judging one another. Now he calls them to love one another. Can we recognize our common frailty as broken human beings? Can I realize Jesus died for me and Jesus also died for you, too? If me exercising my freedom causes you to stumble, is it worth it to persist in exercising my freedom? No. Sometimes, the exercising of my own rights can be wrong. In these times, the right thing to do is to sacrifice my right for the sake of my brother or sister. Sometimes, the exercise of non-sinful freedom can actually become sinful. The question is not whether it is legal or not but whether it is loving or not. It falls under the rubric—sometimes when you are right, you are wrong.
While the eating of certain kinds of food is not so much on the table anymore, the issue of drinking alcohol often is. The rationale differs from the first century, but the text seems still on point. Today, because addiction to alcohol is so common both inside the church and beyond and is such a stumbling block for so many, it is a discussion we should have sometime.
Bottom line:
Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
Prayer
Abba Father! I confess, sometimes I can get so wrapped up in whether something is right or wrong, I can easily fall into judging others with whom I disagree. Other times I can get so caught up in my own rights that I can be wrong in the way I stand on them. I ask you to forgive me for these sins and yet more than that to transform me such that love for others becomes not just my core conviction but my deepest nature. Save me from fooling myself into believing I can be all about Jesus without being all about other people. Holy Spirit, train my inmost being to love as Jesus loves. Praying in Jesus’s name, amen.