How lovely God is Pt 3: Disputable matters
Romans 14:19-23 19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do 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. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But 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.
Context
Let’s remember that the Christian faith originated as an expression borne out of the Jewish faith. The original followers of Jesus were all Jewish as was He, and everyone of them was a child of the Jewish culture. Part of that culture was the proscription against eating certain foods (pork and shellfish for example), and associating with certain people (Gentiles), which were seen as unclean.
This became a problem as God called Paul and others to bring the Gospel to the non-Jewish world. They came into the Kingdom with no such proscriptions and a conflict developed whether or not to require Gentiles to convert to Judaism and to adhere to the Jewish cultural rules such as circumcision and food laws.
Paul was having none of this and used the conflict over food issues to address the deeper issue: Should one’s personal beliefs be allowed to intrude upon a person who doesn’t hold to those beliefs? Living in a world of competing ideas, fractured communities, and easily offended consciences, Christians are called to a higher way: the way of peace. In Romans 14:19–23, Paul summarizes this call by urging believers to pursue what makes for peace and mutual edification. These verses focus on our responsibility toward one another in matters of conscience, disputable issues, and personal conviction. They remind us that Christian liberty must be exercised in love, not selfishness.
Make every effort
Paul begins with a very active command: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). The phrase “make every effort” suggests intentional, diligent, and sacrificial action. Peace and unity do not come naturally; they must be pursued. This echoes Ephesians 4:3: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Notice that both in Romans and Ephesians the verb is not passive. Unity is not something that simply happens because people gather in a church building or share the same faith label. It is maintained and built up when believers actively seek to nurture peace with each other.
Peace here is not merely the absence of conflict but the presence of wholeness, harmony, and reconciliation. The Hebrew idea of shalom captures this sense of complete well-being and flourishing. When Paul says we should pursue what leads to peace, he is not asking us to sweep disagreements under the rug, but to choose the path that strengthens relationships, affirms faith, and honors Christ.
One of the most practical applications of this call is in how we handle disputable matters. In Paul’s context, the debates centered on food laws, holy days, and wine—issues tied to Jewish law and Gentile freedom. For us today, the “disputable matters” may involve questions of worship style, political preferences, alcohol, entertainment choices, or secondary theological interpretations. The principle remains: when personal preference threatens to divide believers, love must lead us toward peace.
The apostle Peter offers a parallel instruction: “They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:11). Pursuing peace is not optional—it is part of faithful obedience. Therefore, “making every effort” means choosing words carefully, being quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19), and refusing to let pride fuel division. It means sometimes laying down our own rights to preserve the spiritual health of another.
While in context the passage is referring to application of food laws to Gentiles, in the larger view it means this: If a person holds to a deeply felt conviction about, say, not working on the Sabbath, that person should not condemn who faithfully follows Jesus, but does work on the Sabbath. The acceptance of the prohibition against work is up to the individual and is not to be pressed from the outside.
Our congregation meets on Saturday and one of the members who worked in the restaurant industry could not attend service on penalty of losing her job because, of course, Saturday is one of the busiest days of the week. She began to recognize the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy (the 4th) and approached her boss about changing her schedule. Now she attends service on Shabbat. This change came from within though and was not pressed upon her by the congregation.
Do not destroy the work of God
When Paul states, “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food”, he is making a sobering statement. He contrasts something trivial—food—with something monumental—the work of God. What Paul means is that our insistence on personal liberties or opinions should never come at the cost of undermining God’s building project in the life of another believer. The “work of God” refers to God’s ongoing activity of redeeming, sanctifying, and maturing His people. Every Christian is a construction project under the divine architect. Paul emphasizes this in 1 Corinthians 3:9: “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.” To destroy the work of God is to interfere with His process in someone’s life by trampling on their conscience, wounding their faith, or tearing down their trust.
Jesus warned of a similar danger when He said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). That’s the seriousness of undermining another’s faith.
When Paul says, “all food is clean”, he affirms Christian liberty. Yet liberty is not license. The higher calling is not “What am I allowed to do?” but “How will my actions affect others?” Mature believers recognize that love limits liberty. In our modern setting, “destroying the work of God” can take many forms. A Christian who flaunts freedom in front of someone with a sensitive conscience may erode their faith. A leader who insists on nonessential doctrines as tests of fellowship may divide the body of Christ. Even harsh words on social media, spoken in defense of a “right,” can damage someone’s trust in the community of faith.
The takeaway is clear: no preference, no liberty, no “right” is worth tearing down what God is carefully building in another person’s life.
Causing someone to stumble
The word “stumble” here does not mean minor irritation or disagreement. Rather, it refers to an action that becomes a trap, leading someone into sin or weakening their faith. T o stumble is to be spiritually hindered or to fall away from a path of obedience. Paul also addressed this in 1 Corinthians 8:9: “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” For Paul, the conscience of the weaker believer mattered so much that he declared, “If what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again” (1 Corinthians 8:13).
This mindset requires humility and self-denial. It is easier to say, “That’s their problem—they need to grow up.” But Paul shows us the opposite approach: the strong bear the responsibility to protect the weak. Christ Himself set the example by laying down His rights for the sake of others (Philippians 2:6–8).
What does this look like today? Suppose a believer feels convicted not to drink alcohol. Another Christian, who feels freedom in this area, should not pressure them to join in. Or imagine a new believer wrestling with legalism; a more mature Christian should be careful not to flaunt freedom in a way that confuses or destabilizes them. The principle extends beyond food and drink. It covers all areas where our actions might influence others. Social media posts, financial decisions, entertainment choices, or even how we speak about controversial issues—all of these can either build up or become stumbling blocks.
Paul’s language in verse 21 is sweeping: “or to do anything else.” This reminds us that stumbling is not limited to specific categories but is a matter of relational sensitivity. Love requires us to ask, “How might this affect my brother or sister?”
That not coming from faith is sin
When Paul writes that “everything that does not come from faith is sin”, he shifts the focus from external actions to internal motives. Paul’s point is that the same action can be sin for one person and not for another, depending on whether it is done in faith. If a believer eats meat with a guilty conscience, believing it to be wrong, then they are not acting in faith. They are violating their conscience, and for them, it is sin. Faith, in this context, refers to trust in God and assurance of His will. Actions done in faith are those carried out with confidence that they honor God. Actions done in doubt, however, betray a divided heart and are displeasing to Him.
This principle stretches far beyond food. It teaches us that true righteousness is not about outward conformity but about inward trust. As Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Every choice, big or small, must be rooted in confidence that we are honoring Him.
This idea also guards us against legalism. Christianity is not a checklist of external do’s and don’ts. It is a relationship of trust and obedience. When believers act against their conscience, they compromise that relationship. That’s why Paul says, “everything that does not come from faith is sin.” It is not the action itself, but the heart posture, that defines whether something pleases God. For us today, this means we should be careful not to coerce others into actions that violate their conscience. Likewise, we should be attentive to our own hearts: Am I doing this because I believe it honors God, or because I am pressured, fearful, or self-indulgent? Only the former is “from faith.”
What about me?
Romans 14:19–23 gives us a blueprint for Christian community life. It teaches that liberty must be guided by love, that peace must be pursued with effort, and that conscience matters deeply.
· ‘Make every effort’ reminds us that peace and unity require intentional pursuit.
· ‘Do not destroy the work of God’ warns us against allowing trivial matters to sabotage God’s purposes in others.
· ‘Causing someone to stumble’ emphasizes our responsibility to protect the conscience of weaker believers.
· ‘That which does not come from faith is sin’ shifts the focus to the heart, teaching us that faith-filled motives matter more than external actions.
Ultimately, these verses point us to Jesus Himself. He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the One who laid down His rights for the sake of others (Philippians 2:6–8), and the One who builds up the work of God in each of us (Hebrews 12:2). If we follow His example, we will not only “do what leads to peace,” but also strengthen the body of Christ and glorify God in our relationships.