ROMANS Study Guide

My personal convictions may help me in my walk with the Lord but they do not add to my righteousness, my peace with God or my joyous victory in Christ. When I promote and preach the Kingdom of God and its values this pleases the Lord and earns the approval of all believers. | We do not preach personal beliefs and convictions.

Rom 14:20 Do not undo the work of God for food. Truly, all things indeed are clean, but it is bad to the man eating because of a stumbling-block. Rom 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak.

h. Surrendering our rights for the strengthening and preserving of

the faith and spiritual life of our brother or sister in Christ.

vs.15-21

1) If what you are practicin g is “grieving” (depressing, bringing a

Heaviness to) to your fellow believer…

a) You are not walking in love (agape’…sacrificial serving) b) You are willing to destroy (cause to be lost or ruined) your fellow believer to practice your freedom.

A point to clarify here … Paul is not asking the spiritually mature believers to give up practicing their freedom they have come to believe is acceptable to God. What he is asking is for them to not insist on practicing their freedom in front of a weak brother which might possibly cause him or her to stumble. We are free to practice our personal convictions, but we are to be sensitive to where we are and who we are with. Don’t let your personal liberty become a dividing point in the church. This is the approach of the stronger or more mature believer. vs.16

i. Whoever walks before God with such a self-denying heart is

approved by God and approved of men (discerning people will

realize what you are doing…putting the good of another ahead

of self-rights). Vss.19-20

1) Let’s follow after those things that produce peace and

edification (building up) in the church.

2) Don’t destroy (demolish) a work of God in another for what

you consider your right (how you want to live before God).