ADDRESSES ON ROMANS
stand in judgment on our brother. for whom Christ died. whether he be strong or weak. By a word of encouragement and by prayer we may lead him on to increasing faith. to a more consecrated walk with God. This exhortation of the apostle applied also to certain Gentiles who contended with their fellow..-Christians regarding the eating of meat offered to idols. The Corinthians were in this class. and in writing to them Paul gave them similar in..- _struction. (See I Cor. 8:1..-13.) Some Gentile Christians said that meat offered to idols was like all other meat to them, since they put no faith in the idols to whom it was offered. It seems to have been the custom in Rome to sell such meat in the marketplace, and evidently in Corinth and in Rome there were Christians who bought it and ate it with a clear conscience, knowing that the meat was not any different from all other meat, as there was no virtue in offering it to a false god. Others stumbled at this. Because they saw their stronger brothers eating this meat that had 'been offered to idols, they ate of it also, even though they felt that in so doing they were ยท defiled, even though their consciences accused them in the matter. They believed the practice involved the recognition of the idols. Yet others abstained from all meat, and were vegetarians. And thus the controversy arose. One group ate it with a clear conscience: another, as desecrated meat, and to them it was ''sin'' ( 14: 23 ) : while yet others abstained alto..- gether. These weaker brothers had not grasped the truth of verse 17. that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink: but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." While every Christian should abstain from all things harmful to the body, yet he is not to make a religion of abstinence. Let me remind you again that here Paul is comparing Christian with Christian. He does not have in mind the ques..- tion of regeneration. He calls "him that is weak in the faith" a "brother," and that term can be applied only to a real [Page 241
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