13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother……15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. (Romans 14:13 & 15 ESV)
There are rules in scripture we need to live by and there are elements of scripture, like today’s, where we are given directions. At the time this was written there was a widening gap between Jewish tradition and New Testament teaching. They went hand in glove, but Jewish leaders had expanded many Old Testament rules into an onerous amount of restrictions.
However, we may today encounter others of different religious or cultural backgrounds that follow rules we are unaccustomed to. We must educate ourselves and not wantonly offend others by the freedom we find in Christ. We do not want to make our brother or sister stumble because we have such freedom and live according to a different world view.
This does not extend to compromising any scriptural element of our faith, but it may mean that we simply make alterations to help draw others to Christ. This not only shows the love of God, but our willingness to help others along by modifying our behavior. It is a testament to Christ within us.
