Rom 14:10-12  "Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;  for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."  So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." 

Judgement of others is a very serious undertaking. It is a matter far too easily undertaken by all of us. We all want to be godlike and take the place of god- beware, He is the judge of all. So Thankful-He is Absolute Love. 

Submission to God, even in seemingly small matters like observing special days or eating particular foods, is an eternal decision. The determinate factor is love. Simple, easy- but so complicated and difficult. Even though something is good and your conscience remains clear in the activity- your conscience can be ruined in that activity by the grievance formed in your neighbor- it becomes a violation of love. It causes something good to be spoken of as evil. 

Love gives us freedom to (not) do something that is acceptable in order to show love to others, to provide mercy, to act graciously. 

Rom 14:13-16  "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.  For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.  So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil." 

Let your fulfillment come from pursuing doing what is right, pursuing peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He is Absolute Love.

Rom 14:17,18  "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men." 

Faith proves itself in acting out of love. So even if you belief something is acceptable, doubt is given a seat in your conscience if what is acceptable harms others. Doubt itself, then, becomes the sin of indulging in something that is perfectly acceptable. 

Rom 14:19-23  "So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building.  Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.  The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." 

Our example is Jesus Christ, Yeshua Messiah, Isa Al Masih- He bore our judgement- don't pour judgement back on yourself- by harshly judging others. If your faith is strong you are obligated through God's gift of grace to bear with others failings. 


Rom 15:1-3  "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.  For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."