I don’t crack the Bible open too often. However, Romans 14 came across my computer screen a few days ago, and I have to share it because I haven’t been able to stop thinking of it. Regardless of your spiritual ideas, I think this is a worthwhile bit of reading, and a very special reminder to keep a good old saying in mind: “To each his own.”
Romans 14
The Weak and the Strong
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b] 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
I have learned a lot in the past few days, and among it all is a very strong intuition: feel blessed to have the food that makes you feel good. Whatever that food may be. It almost creeps me out to think of how different food is today than it was way, way back when this passage was written. Now we have labels… “Organic.” ”Gluten-free.” ”Vegan.” ”Vegetarian-friendly.” ”Free-range.” ”Vegetarian-feed.” ”USDA Approved.” ”Natural.” All-Natural.” ”Soy-Free.” ”Humanely-raised.” ”Grass-fed.”
The line that causes me the most difficulty: ”All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.” I think immediately of the term, “Ahimsa,” which means “cause no harm.” I think of how much of an impact what we eat these days has on the environment, on animals, on farmers, on the length of our lives… I don’t think these issues were present in the time this passage was written. But I do love the phrasing… “anything that causes someone else to stumble.” In other words, keep others in mind when you choose what to eat. It is a powerful idea.
My favorite line: ”So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” If you do not believe in God, keep it between yourself and your higher power, or your spiritual self, or whatever source of strength you find when you are in a moment of weakness. Keep it to yourself… or blog about it and invite friends to join in… whatever works :) The bottom line, any choice you make is a personal decision, and is not to be judged by others. Approach your friends and especially strangers with love and acceptance. A person is not to be judged by what is on their plate; I don’t care how much food production has changed, this fact will always remain true.
Times have changed and food is different now, but the message is timeless, the words are still meaningful, and up for endless interpretation. I just wanted to keep the conversation going.
