PURSUE WHAT PROMOTES PEACE
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peaceG1515, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
So then, let us pursueG1377 what leads to peaceG1515 and to mutual edification.
Romans 14:17-19
In the beginning of Romans 14, Paul discusses the fact that some Christians were concerned that other believers were eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. There was division in the church at Rome because of this. We found a good article at gotquestions.org.
While many things in the Christian life are essential, some are not. The two specific disputable matters that Paul addressed in Romans 14 were chiefly regarding which foods were acceptable to eat (verses 2–3) and the observance of certain holy days (verses 5–6). He also touched on drinking wine in verse 21. (65)
Read the entire article at: https://www.gotquestions.org/disputable-matters.html
Paul says that he is convinced that nothing is “unclean” in and of itself, and believers have liberty to eat and drink all things. However, he also makes it clear that if a person is convicted that he should not eat or drink those items, it would be sin for him to do so. The person who has freedom to eat all things should not offend the one who abstains from them by flaunting his liberty. Neither should the one who abstains judge the one who eats and drinks. Those are side matters that do not have any bearing on a person’s salvation which is entirely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We do not need to focus on the external observances but on the attitude of the heart. We need to be actively pursuing peace and unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, church members do not fret over food sacrificed to idols, but we have other external issues that we allow to divide us and disturb the peace of the body of Christ. Charles Swindoll had something to say about this:
The essence of Christianity is not found in external matters (14:17–19). Jesus said, “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man” (Matt. 15:11). How easy to get hung up on tangible things such as foods, habits, clothing, recreation, music, and even decorations. The organ of life’s richest delights is not the stomach; it’s the heart. At the end of the day we will answer not for what we put into our stomachs but for the attitudes we nurtured in our hearts. (66)
Is our attitude toward a brother or sister who dresses less conservatively than us one of judgement or acceptance? Are we aghast when a church member has an alcoholic beverage in public? It is not our job to bring conviction about matters that cannot rob us of our salvation. The Holy Spirit does not need our help! Jesus is our Master, and as Paul said in verse 4, we each answer to Him, and it is only His right to judge. However, Paul also assures that we will stand and not fall because our Master is able to keep us standing. Our attitude must always be one of redemption. We must extend grace to others and relentlessly pursue, run after, be intent on nurturing peace within the church, the body of believers. We looked up the Greek word translated “pursue” in The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament:
G1377 diṓkō To follow or press hard after, to pursue with earnestness and diligence in order to obtain, to go after with the desire of obtaining (Rom. 9:30, 31; 12:13; 14:19; 1 Cor. 14:1; Phil. 3:12, 14; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 3:11) (67)
Tony Evans makes this point clearly in his study Bible:
14:19-21 The goal of the kingdom is not to keep other people in line with our preferences, but to pursue what promotes peace (14:19). We can use our freedom in two ways: either we tear down God’s work (14:20) in people’s lives by flaunting our liberty, or we build up one another (14:19) by being sensitive to our weaker brothers and sisters. The irony is that while we may have the freedom to do something, if we continue to do it knowing it will make our brother stumble, that action suddenly becomes evil. On the contrary, it is a good thing not to . . . do anything that makes someone stumble, which means to trip them up spiritually (14:21). (68)
We must be consistent in asking ourselves whether or not exercising the freedom we have in Christ may harm a brother or sister. Do we pursue peace? Do we work at graciously building a brother or sister up in Christ rather than tearing them down for some non-essential matter? Our brotherly/sisterly love within the “familyship” of God will help us to live at peace with one another.
Colossians 3:14 (AMP) Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love, which is the perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together in agreement when each one seeks the best for others].
Father, help us to not judge others over external things. Help our focus to be loving Your “familyship” and encouraging each other to grow in our knowledge of and obedience to what Jesus commanded. He prayed for us the night He was arrested that You would make us one. Please help us to pursue peace and seek unity and harmony among believers.