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Pastor Lud Golz
Pastor Lud Golz

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  Home | Transcript Archive | November | November 04, 2020

Wednesday, November 04, 2020

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.  (Romans 14:21)

We’ve been studying what Paul said in Romans 14:1-15:13 about responsible freedom.  There are areas where we have freedom to choose what we are going to approve for ourselves.  But we're also responsible not to cause our freedom to confuse or cause weaker believers to stumble.  We will give an accounting to God for our own lives and also for the impact our lives have had on others. 

If others allow things in their lives because they have seen us do them, but they have doubts about it, we are causing them to sin according to 14:23.  So we have two options.  We can deny ourselves what we believe to be perfectly ok before God, so we don't cause others to stumble or be distressed.  Or, we can take time to help them understand the legitimate freedom we have in Christ. 

I can remember a Christian brother who spoke to me about a freedom I had exercised.  I was reaching out to witness to a non-believer.  He invited me to have lunch with him in a bar.  I went, because I didn't have a problem with being in a bar if that allowed me to witness to him. 

My Christian brother felt Christians shouldn't go into a bar or even a restaurant that served alcohol.  I took the time to talk with him and make sure my freedom would not cause him to go to a bar and possibly get drunk.  When convinced that he understood my freedom, I felt as though I could in the future respond as I had in the past without worrying about the impact my freedom might have on him.  That's the loving thing to do for your brother in Christ, as well as for one who needs Christ.

How would you have responded based on what we have been studying about responsible freedom?

 

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