Upbuilding takes priority over “freedom in Christ.”

Romans 14.19-23

Many a Christian likes to point to Romans 14 as the “freedom in Christ” chapter, and claim Paul therein teaches us we can do as we please so long that it doesn’t violate our consciences. And while that idea is certainly in there, it’s actually the opposite of what Paul’s trying to teach.

True, we’re free to do what doesn’t violate our consciences. But, more importantly, more the point of this chapter, we’re not free to do what violates others’ consciences. If they’re weak in faith, these things do violate their consciences. To their minds these things are sin. To their minds, when we exercise our “freedom in Christ” to do as we please in violation of their consciences, we’re sinning. To their minds, if we push them to do these things too—“Stop being such a spiritual baby and just eat and drink what I do”—we’re tempting them to sin. To their minds, if they listen to us, we got them to sin.

Their under-developed consciences are gonna bug them about it, and it’s gonna monkey with their Christian growth. They’re not gonna trust their consciences, instead of learning to hear the Holy Spirit through ’em. Rather than naturally move on to the next step, they’re gonna think every next step has to be offensive and uncomfortable—exactly like we made ’em feel by demanding they “grow up” too soon—and sometimes take “next steps” that don’t actually go in Jesus’s direction. Then live with those errors for a while… and hopefully realize they’re wrong and correct themselves, instead of leaping to the conclusion Christianity as a whole is wrong, and quit Jesus altogether.

Worst case, they’re gonna ditch all the Christians who are “leading them astray,” and go find a church full of fervent legalists who tell them yes, everything they believe is sin really is sin; plus hundreds of other things are sin, and the only safe thing they can do is give away all their possessions and move onto their compound and join their pastor’s harem. Yes of course I’m describing a cult. What’d you think the worst-case scenario was, apostasy? That’s awful too, but it’s actually not worst.

Ultimately this sort of callous disregard for newbies’ feelings tears them up, not builds them up, and Paul wants us to build one another up. As he says right here:

Romans 14.19-23 KWL

19So for peace, then,

we should also pursue building one another up.

20Don’t destroy God’s work over food!

“Everything is clean,”

but it’s evil for a person

to eat what trips them¹ up.

21It’s good to not eat meat

nor drink wine

nor whatever trips up your¹ fellow Christian,

{or makes them scandalized or sick.}

22You¹ have a belief of your¹ own:

Have it between yourself and God.

You who don’t condemn yourselves¹

for what you think is right

are awesome.

23One who still doubts it’s okay when they¹ eat,

was condemned because it’s not their belief.

Everything which isn’t their belief

is sin.

Instead of telling them, “Oh that’s not a sin; do it anyway” we need to recognize for them, for now, it is sin. And accommodate them, not mock them for their immaturity. Build them up till they can recognize on their own it’s not sin—not impatiently tell them, “You need to function on my level,” and ignore they’re not ready.

And of course this isn’t what Christians do.

When Christians misinterpret a verse or bible passage so much, they think it means the opposite of what it actually means, I tend to call it “devilish misinterpretation.” Because wouldn’t the devil want us to flip the meaning of a scripture a full 180 degrees and go the other way?

Sad to say, this happens a lot, and it happens with Romans 14 as well. This chapter is quoted all the time as a proof text for the idea of Christian freedom. “Everything is clean” Ro 14.20 and every Christian answers to God, not one another. Ro 14.10-13 And yes, “freedom in Christ” is a real thing; we really do have the freedom to do whatever doesn’t violate our own consciences. It’s not wrong to say we can find this idea in Romans 14, as well as other scriptures.

But it is wrong to claim my freedom in Christ means I can do as I please. No I can’t. Christians are supposed to submit to one another—and by “submit” I don’t mean obey, like we do with Jesus; but take their wants and feelings into consideration. If I have a plan, and my plan would outrage my entire church for good reason, but I figure, “Meh, who cares what they think” and do it anyway, I have clearly not submitted to my fellow Christians. Same as a sexist husband who unilaterally decides things for his family, and never seeks his wife’s approval or support because he’s the man: He’s not only violating Paul’s obvious biblical instruction for couples to submit to one another, Ep 5.21 but demonstrating through omission he neither values nor loves his wife.

Christians who elevate our “freedom in Christ” above our fellow Christians—above any of our neighbors, Christian or pagan, whom we’re warned to not aggravate—aren’t only being dicks, but are violating Romans 14. Yes, if you know you’re neither violating Jesus’s teachings nor the scriptures, if your conscience permits you, you’re not sinning; you’re good. But if your neighbor objects, because their conscience does not permit you, Paul’s writings in this chapter tells us we gotta make reasonable accommodations. And if you’re one of those jerks who insists any accommodation is unreasonable, you’re defying Paul and the scriptures he wrote; you’re denying the Holy Spirit who inspired Paul to write this chapter.

And again: Plenty of Christians do exactly that. Because they get to do as they desire, and don’t have to exercise any self-control; not for the sake of our fellow Christians, and certainly not for the sake of pagans. “People for whom Christ died?—f— ’em. Christ gave me freedom. I’m taking it.”

So, like I said, it’s a devilish interpretation. It’s why so many pagans think Christians are hypocrites and jerks… and we’re definitely not proving ’em wrong.