For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Romans 14:17-19 (ESV)
Is it OK to eat meat that came from an animal that had been sacrificed to a pagan god? To us today, that is somewhat of a rhetorical question. I would have no idea where even to find such a cut of meat. But to the Christians of Paul’s day, this was a significant issue. Animals were sacrificed in the pagan temples in every town. And some of the meat was often sold in the market. So, it was easy to obtain, and generally of good quality.
But, as a follower of the Lord Jesus, should you? Was it OK to eat this meat? Or was it something to avoid? Paul’s answer to this is not as clear-cut as we might like. It was a definite maybe.
Paul affirmed that there is nothing inherently wrong with buying this meat from the market and eating it. It was just a piece of meat. That it had been sacrificed to a false god did not impact the meat at all.
A Matter of Conscience
It was a matter of conscience. For those who could eat the meat with a clear conscience, it was OK. But, for those whose conscience was troubled by the thought of eating sacrificed food, it would be wrong. We should never do anything that would violate our conscience.
But what if someone who felt it was wrong saw me eating this meat? And what if, when they saw me eat, they decided to follow my example, even in violation of their conscience? They have sinned. And, Paul says, I am at least partially to blame because of my example.
And that is the context of the passage quoted above. There are many things I might do with a clear conscience. Things that the Bible gives no clear guidance on. And I might feel like I am within my rights to do those things. But am I willing to not do them to demonstrate love for those believers who might violate their conscience by following my example?
As Paul said, the kingdom of God is not about me and my rights. But it is about doing what is right. I should pursue what makes for mutual upbuilding. In other words, to make it my goal to do what will build up the body of Christ. Even if I have to give up something I like, even if it is otherwise good, in order to accomplish it.
