ROMANS UNWRAPPED 216

"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."                         Romans 14v13

In verses 1 - 12 Paul has majored on the so called weaker brother judging those who are strong.   Now in verses 13 - 23 he majors on the so called stronger brother who is not to despise those who are weak.   In these verses Paul speaks of the evil of offending one another in any way.   This will not mean that the strong must become subservient to the weak, but in all things to consider his feelings.   A summary of verses 13 - 23 would be as follows:

• Verse 13    -    A warning against stumbling your brother.
• Verse 14    -    The fact that nothing is unclean of itself.
• Verse 15-19     A warning about not destroying those for whom Christ has died.
• Verse 20    -    A warning against opposing the work of God.
• Verse 21-23    Advice to allow everyone to have faith before their God without any human interference

In verse 13 the Greek word for "stumbling block"  is  "proskomma"  and means any object placed in someone's pathway that may cause them to question their faith in God.   In 1st Corinthians 8v9  Paul says   "  Take heed least by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak."   The Lord Jesus sounded a similar warning in Matthew 18 verses 6-7   "  But whoso shall offend  (stumble) one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.   Woe unto the world because of offences (stumbling blocks) for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"     He says a similar thing in Mark 29v42   and Luke 17v1-2.   Another word which is used for this idea of "stumbling block" is the Greek word  "skandalon"  which is used to describe a snare to catch an animal as it harmlessly walks by.   This word is used in Matthew 16v23    and 1st Corinthians 8v13.   There Paul says  " Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend (stumble in the sense of ensnaring him to his detriment)  I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to be stumbled."    I may have liberty before the Lord to practice certain things, but for the greater good of my brother's spiritual welfare, I may need to desist.   This does not mean I become a slave to every brother's taboo or "hang up"; it does mean I consider my brother's welfare.

The level of this consideration for my brother's feelings is defined in verse 15 by Paul like this;  "If the brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest not thou charitably (in love).   Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died."   This involves two stages   1.   He is hurt because you do things which he condemns for himself before God.   2.  He will then possibly follow your example and so grieve his spirit before the Lord, because the issue has not decided before the Lord but by your example.   Therefore if our liberty in non essential matters creates spiritual problems for my brethren, we are to judge ourselves whether to continue in our liberty or to consider our brother's spiritual welfare.   We are not to become slaves to the whims of our brethren, and there are plenty who will create many rules and regulations to bring you into their bondage.   We obviously need wisdom to discern between different levels of spiritual maturity, and identify true weakness that only the Lord can improve.   The ultimate sanction that should govern our behavior is this;  your brother is the one for whom Christ died.   Faith in God and the work of Christ at all stages in life will have many different levels and we must take account of this, and consider the weakness of our brethren, but with the objective in mind to encourage his spiritual growth, not to stumble it and bring it to an end.     This does not necessarily only apply to believers who are young in the faith, for there are many older in the faith who have not grown beyond the baby stage.   This fact is clearly seen in passages like:  1st Corinthians 3v1-4:  Hebrews 5v12-14.   The issue therefore is to treat with consideration those who are at a different level of spiritual maturity, and if necessary deny myself practices which before the Lord may be acceptable to me.