WORD FOR ADULTS. Romans 14:20-21; 1 Cor. 6:12.

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inLaw and Grace, My freedom should not cause my brother to stumble, Your witness is more important than your freedomTags:, ,

The tension between Law and Grace creates the most cerebral issues in Christianity. This is faith for grownups—it’s not the “milk of the word” for baby Christians (1 Peter 2:2). The law says “thou shalt not,” and grace says, “All things are lawful.” So which is it?

Romans 14:20 says “Everything is clean.” First Corinthians 6:12, says “All things are lawful for me.” What is Paul saying? I can do whatever I want? “God forbid,” is his answer to similar questions in Romans 6. Consequences remain.

He is saying that because he is no longer under the law—under the Old Covenant—he cannot break the law and separate himself from God. There is nothing he can do to make himself lost again, destined for judgment. “All things are lawful for me.” I cannot break the law and separate myself from God. Paul is not saying that God will be PLEASED if Paul commits adultery or becomes an alcoholic. And Paul makes that exact point:

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are constructive. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be MASTERED by anything.” 1 Corinthians 6:12.

Consequences remain. Believers have been delivered from the law; we will not lose our salvation—but we still live on earth, where we reap what we sow. Bad habits can ruin your life. Do you want to be mastered by your animal impulses? It can happen—be CAREFUL with your Christian freedom, for the SELFISH reason of avoiding addictions and other consequences.

In Romans, Paul makes the same point for SELFLESS reasons: Be CAREFUL with your Christian freedom because your choices can hurt the faith of others.

“Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats. It is a NOBLE thing not to eat meat, or to drink wine, or to do anything that makes your brother stumble” Romans 14:20-21.

Perhaps the lesson is: BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR CHRISTIAN FREEDOM for two reasons: (1) exercising that freedom may harm you if it leads to addictions and other negative consequences, and (2) exercising that freedom may harm others if it causes their faith to stumble.

Adults—you have FREEDOM in Christ. You are not under the law. If you have surrendered your life to Christ, you will NOT go to hell. But choices have consequences. Make the wise and selfless choices.

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Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.

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