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Friday, March 21,
2008
Don’t Even Go There
Romans 14:13-16 Let us not therefore
judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a
stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. (14) I know,
and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of
itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is
unclean. (15) But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou
not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. (16)
Let not then your good be evil spoken of: (KJV)
Strong’s definition for judge:
2919
krino (kree'-no); properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or
judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish:
KJV-- avenge, conclude, condemn, damn,
decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in
question, sentence to, think.
If you notice in verse 13 Paul is dealing
with a brother, a fellow believer in Christ, one who has chosen the law of liberty
rather than remaining under the condemnation of the devil. Paul uses the
example of eating meat which before under the old law had strict laws and
provisions concerning its uses. Paul himself was well versed and understood
the old law with the best of them but had come to an understanding of the
truth, that in Christ all meat was good and nothing had to be refused
anymore but was now sanctified and fit for use by prayer and thanksgiving;
thanking our Father for providing healthy food for His temple. But you know
whether it is food or drink or any other area that someone is dealing with,
it is not for us to judge or condemn them just because they haven’t come to
a working knowledge of the truth in certain areas of their walk. Remember
how God dealt with you when you first came to Him and how loving and
longsuffering He was in teaching you to walk in the newness of His realm.
So with this in mind, would it not be the same for us in how we deal with
others; rather than being so high minded and judgmental the most important
thing to watch out for would be that the devil doesn’t use one of his
workers to trip them up with a false doctrine, a stumblingblock, or a
detour to keep them from accessing God through the Son.
Romans 14:17-19 For the kingdom of God is
not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost. (18) For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to
God, and approved of men. (19) Let us therefore follow after the things
which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. (KJV)
Instead of trying to get your point
across and engaging in endless petty debates over foods and drinks or
anything else that is of the carnal realm, keep it in the Spirit and
concentrate on the things that make for peace and that which will build
someone up more than tearing them down or putting them down for where they
are at in their walk. It is much more important that someone comes to a
working knowledge of who they are in Christ, rather than spending more time
on what they can eat or any other thing that pertains more to the temporal
than the eternal. That is where you learn and continue to keep your
spiritual senses exercised so that you know what the real priority is and
what is not worth striving about. Those that use wisdom in these areas will
find themselves approved of God and doing those things that are pleasing in
His sight.
Romans 14:20-23 For meat destroy not the
work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who
eateth with offence. (21) It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink
wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is
made weak. (22) Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.(23) And he
that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (KJV)
Thayer’s definition for offence:
4348
proskomma- a stumblingblock
a) an obstacle in
the way which if one strikes his foot against he stumbles or falls
b) that over
which a soul stumbles, that is, by which is caused to sin
Here is an interesting take on it, rather
than watching out on their behalf and helping them to avoid stumbling by
your actions and motives, taking offence to what they believe you now
became the stumbling block or should I say block head. Rather than being
the one that should be helping them in overcoming a situation you are
actually setting them back again; and rather than giving them truth you are
keeping them in bondage. That does not sound like something that a true
servant of Christ is going to find acceptable let alone pleasing in God’s
sight. Realize that when we wound someone’s weak conscience or lack of
knowledge in certain areas they haven’t been enlightened to we are actually
sinning against Christ Himself, ouch. You have faith in certain things and
have been set free, great, then keep it between you and God; you don’t need
to make a public proclamation or a spectacle out of yourself. Verse 21
makes reference to things that rather than building someone up it is
actually making them weaker. Which again we see words like stumbling and
offending, something we should be keeping out of their path and not putting
into it. Basically what are your motives; are you doing your so called good
deeds before men to be seen by them, or are you more concerned with
pleasing God and doing that which is acceptable in His sight, which by the
way is looking at the heart right now? Let me ask this, is everything you
do on the up and up; are you able to do it faithfully, or is there some
doubt in your walk as well, something you are not able to wholeheartedly
justify before God? When you start entering these areas of doubt, whether
it involves you alone or how you are handling situations involving others,
are you able to do it faithfully? Because if not it is now in the realm of
sin and condemnation of the devil. Maybe that thing you see in someone
else’s life, that shortcoming you perceive is actually a reflection of your
own fault and shortcomings; rather than removing the obstacle from your own
path it is much easier to concentrate on someone else.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. (KJV)
The carnal mind is enmity with God and
they that are in the flesh cannot please Him. When one withdraws themselves
from the realm of the Spirit and back into the flesh they enter a realm of
doubt and confusion, one that is not of God, a place of condemnation and a
snare of the devil. So please Church, for your sake, don’t even go there.
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