If Your Brother is Grieved with Your Meat Romans 14:15

Paul the apostle told the believers in Rome, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteems any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean”, and in chapter fourteen and verse fifteen of Romans, Paul told the believers in Rome what to do, “if your brother is grieved with your meat” where we read:

But if your brother is grieved with your meat, now walk not charitably.

Destroy not him with your meat, for whom Christ died.

The verse begins, “But if your brother is grieved with your meat, now walk not charitably.” Paul began with the word, “but” which means “moreover and” “if your brother” or “whether the believers in Rome's fellow believer” “is grieved” which means “is affected sorrowfully, with sadness and offended” “with your meat” or “through and by means of the believers who eat meat for food”, “now walk not” which means “do not make progress or due use of opportunities” “charitably” or “with affection, good will, unconditional love and benevolence”. Paul told the believers if they “eat meat” without understanding the “sadness and offense” that some take to “meat” being eaten, they are not acting in “love” toward them.

The verse goes on to say, “Destroy not him with your meat, for whom Christ died.”. Paul added the words, “destroy not him” which means “do not put out of the way entirely, abolish, ruin, kill or render useless the believer” “with your meat” or “through and by means of the believers who eat meat for food”, “for whom” which means “in behalf of, over, beyond and for the sake of the believer” “Christ” which refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God” “died” which means “perished and suffered death”. Paul instructed the believers in Rome not to “abolish and render useless” people who choose to “eat meat” because Jesus “died” for them as well.

When we consider these words of Paul, we see how “unconditional love” should be the driving force between believers in Jesus Christ. If someone is offended by a person “eating meat”, then there should be a refrain from doing so in their presence. “Eating of meat” or “not eating of meat” should not be a wedge between people who have received Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”. God who is the Heavenly Father has sent His Son Jesus to “save” everyone who will believe in Jesus, and the “eating or not eating of meats” should pale in comparison to His great act.

Next time Paul tells the believers in Rome, “let not then your good be evil spoken of”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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