How Our Attitude Spreads to Others
May 18, 2022
Commentary
Paul has been warning about judging other Christians, and how it affects our attitudes and actions toward them, even to the point of hindering our own walk with the Lord. Now he shows the other side of the coin and what kind of an effect our convictions and actions can have on other Christians. Paul makes the following points:
1. A Cause for Stumbling (vv. 13-15). The strong Christian has spiritual knowledge, but if he does not show love, his knowledge may hurt the weak Christian. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (I Corinthians 8:1). The issue is not “How does it affect me?” but should be “If I do this, how will it affect my brother? Will it cause him to grieve or stumble?”
2. Correct Spiritual Priorities Promote Harmony (vv. 16-18). Christians often have a way of majoring in the minors. Churches split over such minor matters as the location of the piano in the auditorium, or what color to paint the walls. If each believer would major on a godly life, we would not have Christians fighting each other over minor matters.
3. Christian Differences can help us Grow (vv. 19-20). Strong believers need to grow in love, and weak believers need to grow in knowledge. We cannot expect new believers to be mature in the faith as soon as they are saved.
We can sum up Paul’s thinking in this way: Unity in essentials, Liberty in nonessentials, & Charity in all things. At the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) the Gentile church in Antioch was asked not to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Paul was at this Jerusalem council, and he accepted this request. It was not that he felt that eating such meat was wrong, but because this practice would deeply offend many Jewish believers. God called us to be interdependent and not independent.
Application
Lord, help me to have a good attitude. I know that my actions will be controlled by my attitude. If my attitude is right, my actions will be OK.
Romans 14:13– 23 (NET)
13 Therefore we must not pass judgment on one another, but rather determine never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister. 14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean. 15 For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you consider good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.
19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. 23 But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not do so from faith, and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Illustration: Sr Christopher Wren asks “What are you doing
The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren was supervising the construction of a magnificent cathedral in London. A journalist thought it would be interesting to interview some of the workers, so he chose three and asked them this question, “What are you doing?” The first replied, “I’m cutting stone for 10 shillings a day.” The next answered, “I’m putting in 10 hours a day on this job.” But the third said, “I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren construct one of London’s greatest cathedrals.” (Source unknown)