“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17 NLT 

In Romans 14 Paul concerns himself with those Christians who want to become Lord to their brothers and sisters, those who want to be mind and conscience for their fellow church members. However, in matters of conscience, the individual must be left untrammeled. No one is to control another’s mind, to judge for another, or to prescribe his duty. God gives each person freedom to think and to follow his own convictions. ‘Everyone shall give an account of himself to God’. No one has the right to merge his individuality with that of another. In all matters where principle is involved, ‘let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.’ (Rom. 14:12, 5). 

This chapter is reminding us that Christianity is not essentially a matter of rules and regulations. Paul is dealing with typical situations where believers are inclined to turn molehills into mountains. However, Paul is advocating Christian Charity – love is everything and our Christian liberty has limits. For 12 chapters Paul had dealt with the essentials, upon which we need unity, now he is dealing with the non-essentials upon which we need love and acceptance. Unfortunately, the non-essentials often loom too large and destroy the peace of Christians, individually and in community. Christian freedom is not to be used in such a way as to make another believer stumble, for whenever we encourage anyone to do anything against their conscience, we do them harm. The implications of this chapter are far-reaching for every thoughtful Christian and need to be applied in our everyday associations. 

Have you heard someone say, “It is none of anyone’s business what I eat or what I wear or what kind of entertainment I engage in”? Is that so? None of us lives in a vacuum. Our actions, words, deeds, and even diet can affect others, either for good or for bad. It’s not hard to see how. If someone who looks up to you sees you doing something “wrong,” he or she could be influenced by your example to do that same thing. We fool ourselves if we think otherwise. To argue that you didn’t force the person is beside the point. As Christians, we have responsibilities to one another, and if our example can lead someone astray, we are culpable. 

Here’s a practical example: Alcohol may have no effect on you, but your son or daughter might become an alcoholic from your influence. Alcohol brings an overwhelming burden upon at least a quarter of the families of our nation. One out of 8 drinkers becomes compulsive. Should our freedom be used to encourage another person who might find himself enmeshed in such a dreadful tyranny?