Disagreeing And Pursuing Peace
“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. 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. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:13–19, ESV)
A Tough Passage
I have to admit, I’ve wrestled with this passage for several years. It’s not as “cut and dry” as some would make it. However, there is truth in this passage we need to understand and hear. We need to hear what this passage has to say because it’s talking about us pursuing peace and mutual upbuilding—something we need in our current situation.
Because this is a tough and important passage, I’m going to spend a few posts working my way through it. We don’t want to rush. We need to take our time and understand what the Apostle Paul is teaching and how it applies to our current situation. So, hopefully you’ll stick around for a few posts, and we can learn something together.
Why Is This A Tough Passage?
Some may wonder WHY I think this passage is tough to understand. Many people know this passage and have used it over the years. They understand this passage to be saying something like, “This isn’t a big deal. Stop making this ‘meat issue’ a big deal and move forward. It’s not worth dividing the church. So, focus on things that bring you together rather than apart.”
There’s something to understanding the passage this way. However, there’s one verse that causes problems to this interpretation. In verse 16 Paul writes, “So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.” (Romans 14:16, ESV). That’s what makes this passage tough to understand. Paul commands them NOT TO ALLOW someone to call something evil that they consider good. Don’t let them do it. That’s very different from “ignore it, stop talking about it, and move on.” He’s commanding them to talk about it.
Disagreeing And Pursuing Peace
But how’s that going to work out? Isn’t that going to cause more division? Based on Paul’s command in verse 16, those who believe it is good NOT to eat meat sacrificed to idols should not let the other call that evil, and those who believe it is good to eat meat that’s been sacrificed to idols should not let the other side call their position evil. How’s that going to make any headway? Isn’t this going to result in “trench warfare” between the sides, only causing them to dig deeper into their own positions?
Remember, the entire focus of this passage is about pursuing peace and mutual upbuilding in the midst of disagreement. Paul is not trying to force people into their trenches, but bring them out of the trenches in a way that brings growth and peace for both sides. If they ignore these things, the tensions will only rise and the trenches will only go deeper. So, they need to talk about it.
Peace apart from conversation isn’t true peace. Ignoring an issue, refusing to talk about or discuss something in the name of peace, is not true peace, NOR does it build anyone up. This is what scripture calls healing a wound lightly: “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14, ESV). If we truly want peace in our country and in our congregations, we need to have some tough conversations. We need to speak clearly and listen carefully. Until we can do this, we will never have true peace. We will continue to heal wounds lightly. And all the wounds that have been healed lightly will eventually reopen and reveal that we never truly had peace.
You can find the next posts here: Taking It Deeper & Pursue Hearts Seeking God