14:14
Paul then gives his theological assessment of the matter, and he seeks to get the people to look beyond their own fixations. First, nothing is unclean of itself. Jesus said the same in Mark 7:19. So in this sense the “free brothers” are correct. However, Paul then goes on to say that if someone regards a food as unclean then it would indeed be unclean for them. Why is this? It is do with conscience. Going against our conscience should only be done with the utmost care, for it is a dangerous thing to do. It can leave us feeling guilty and so incapacitated, and our relationship with the Lord is hindered.
14:15
We are to think of others. So a person in Paul’s day may have been very proud of the fact that he realised that food was just food and that all dietary laws and stuff like that were of no significance. Furthermore, he may well have thought himself clever in demonstrating his new found freedom to other Christians. However, if the other Christian was still concerned about dietary laws and was doing so out of devotion to the Lord then you would not be helping him at all. All you would do is cause him distress. Now food laws are not an issue today, though of course some people are vegetarians, but a similar application can be made to alcohol. There is nothing in the Bible against drinking alcohol in moderation (there is plenty against drunkenness). However, if someone has had a drink problem in the past, then for them it would be extremely sensible to steer clear of alcohol. Likewise, in some communities drink maybe such a social problem that making alcohol a complete no-no is very sensible pragmatic policy. The key is that we need to think of others and consider the effect of our actions on others.
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