Rom 14:20-21

[clark thompson]

Romans 14:20-21
KJV 20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. 21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Romans 14:20-21Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

20 Don’t tear down God’s work for the sake of food. True enough, all things are clean; but it is wrong for anybody by his eating to cause someone to fall away. 21 What is good is not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.

These are my thoughts, please share yours.

20 We should not being serving God by what we eat but in all we do. Everything was made by God and if we follow Him then it is clean, remember Peter’s vision. We should not do things that cause our brother to stumble as long as it is not going against the law. Today I am sure people use this verse to promote not condemning their sin because it makes them feel bad. This is talking about doing things that my cause our brother walk with God to be harder. If people are living for sin then they are not our brother, no matter what they claim to follow. We can not both serve sin and God.

21 We being looking for ways to make our brothers in Christ walk easier. We should be doing things that draw them closer to them. Their may be times by us doing something cause our brother to stumble we should when we learn about this stop so it an make their walk easier. Often times many have drinking problems and are now of Christ drinking can cause them to stumble for this and other reasons I do not drink.

 

[danyoff]

I believe God means what He says. He does't change, we need to change (Malachi 3:6). He doesn't follow the fashion of this world, but we do... but we need to follow the culture of Heaven, be a separate people with healthy body and mind. (we cannot be tempting The Creator). The vision Peter had, is very clear, is about the gentiles. Peter was a jewish and he was been called to preach for the first time to romans. Check what Peter says here, in Acts 10:28 "And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean."
Look also this verse here: Isaiah 66:17 "They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord."
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
* For me, as a vegetarian I want everybody to be also vegetarians :) but I know it's not easy for everybody how it was for me 20 years ago... But regarding all food, the animals that our Creator had instructed His people to not eat we know are bad for our health. Many of those animals are scavengers, eating rotten things, and they have a digestive system not very efficient to eliminate poisons and toxins. That's why!
Our Creator loves us and want the best for us. The pure meat that He had instructed to be "clean", are those animals that have a proper and complete digestive system that allow them to have a pure and not contaminated meat. Also, they eat clean stuff...
And unfortunately nowadays, I can say (everybody knows) that we have so many junk food that we need to be very careful to what we are putting inside ourselves.
My advice, as a Christian, as a human been, is that we cannot allow our "tongue", this little muscle inside our mouth to dominate our will. I know many people who are Christian, who just eat any junk around, praying before eating and so... and still they end up in hospitals and taking medicine. Discipline and order is not a bad thing: it is good. Our Creator is a God of order and perfection. With prayer and faith that He can help us to overcome our "tongue", we can do it. I assure you that the thoughts will be clearer, health will improve and the understanding of the Scriptures will increase.

 

[CoreIssue]

Peter was sent to Gentiles, not specifically Romans. Reality is though he mostly confined himself to working with Jews, as he was not comfortable with Gentiles.

The verses clearly state food isn't the issue, but weaknesses in us and others. Weaknesses where, in example, Jews condemned others for eating certain meats not allowed them under their laws. Weaknesses that should not be used to place others under unneeded stress and pressures.

The purpose of restricting certain foods in the OT were not for health reasons, but symbolic, just as the blood of lambs actually didn't remove sin, but was a symbol of Christ who would in their future.

Never does the Bible teach being a vegetarian. In fact, there are many health risks and problems with being a pure vegetarian.

My point is that it would be wrong for me to tell you it is a sin not to eat meat just as eating meat is not a sin.

The Mosaic diet restrictions no longer exist since the Mosaic Law is annulled and we are in the Church Age. Jews can eat pork without sinning as all saints, Jew or Gentile, are equal.

Medical issues come from many sources; genetic, injuries, viruses, etc. People on so-called perfect diets end up on medications, dropping dead, etc just as do those who eat poorly.

I know people who smoked for 90 or more years that died over 100 years of age. Others who never smoked who died from cancer in their 30's. There is no magic answer while we live in earthly flesh.

My big point is don't put burdens on others that cannot be found in the Bible.

Remember, even in the OT, the dietary restrictions applied only to Jews in Israel, not believing Gentiles.

Clark made excellent points.