I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. — Romans 14:14-15 NLT
In our post celebrating 5 years of Hills and Valleys, we used the phrase, “Then God shows up”, basically proving that God was always there and we’re never alone.
One of our many readers and subscribers commented on the phrase, saying that to some folks, the phrase may imply that God wasn’t present and that He just decided to “drop by”.
Although this was never our intention or interpretation, we considered the comment and concluded that the phrase, in and of itself, is not wrong. However, we agreed that it is quite possible that some people may interpret the phrase to mean that God wasn’t there in the first place. We thanked the reader for their comment and promised to be more careful with our phraseology in future.
This matter reminded me of what the Apostle Paul said to the believers in Corinth concerning the eating of meat sacrificed to idols. He said, “…if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:13 (NLT)
Although the context of Paul’s statement is different, the same lesson can be learned. We need to be sensitive to the conscience of others, whether they are believers or not. Rather than dig in our heels on a matter of conviction or belief, we should consider others who may have a slightly different view or opinion. We should also be ready and willing to engage in an open and honest conversation or debate to explain our position.
If a person considers and is convinced that a particular conduct or behaviour is wrong or is a sin, even if their assessment of that conduct is wrong, they should never do it. If they do it, they’ll violate their conscience and experience guilt, even though the conduct in and of itself is not wrong.
It is, however, not helpful when we attempt to force, coerce or pressure others to adopt or follow our conviction. It is equally not helpful when those who don’t understand other people’s convictions or beliefs criticise or judge them.
Our freedom should never be the reason a fellow brethren stumbles in their faith journey. Whether it’s in what we eat, say, or our social habits, let’s be sensitive to the conscience of others and be willing to set aside our legitimate liberties.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 