Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
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. Rom 14:14
We see here another illustration of the sin taking place in the heart and conscience. If we believe something to be sin and go ahead and do it anyway, then regardless of what it is, it is sin to us.
Tit. 1:15 “Unto the pure all things [are] pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving [is] nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”
Again, this is a very good example that the sin takes place when we do something although feeling in our heart that it is displeasing to God. God judges the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb. 4:12 “For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
to be unclean... The Greek word originally meant “common” but came to mean “impure” or “evil”. If a believer is convinced a certain behavior is sin, even if his assessment is wrong, he should never do it. If he does, he will violate his conscience, experience guilt and perhaps be driven back into deeper legalism instead of moving toward freedom.
Returning to the subject of food (Rom. 14:2-3, 14:6), Paul expressed his own conviction (cf. Rom. 14:5) as a Christian that no food (lit., “nothing”) is unclean (koinon, “common”) in itself (cf. Acts 10:15; Rom. 14:20; 1Cor. 8:8). The problem, however, is that not all Christians — especially some from a Jewish heritage — shared Paul’s conviction. Therefore Paul properly concluded, But if anyone regards (lit., “but to the one reckoning”) something as unclean (“common”), then for him it is unclean (cf. Tit. 1:15). But if someone persisted in holding that conviction, he could bring harm to others. That is the point Paul made next (Rom. 14:15-18).
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