Be Resolved to Not Cause Others to Stumble

Romans 14:13, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” 

Love limits liberty for a brother’s sake. Our freedom in Christ is precious, but not precious enough to damage a weaker conscience. Love is costly because we are commanded to sacrifice actions that are intrinsically permissible if those actions might provoke spiritual harm. This is not legalism but is the self-sacrificial pattern established and exemplified by Jesus. Grace teaches us to ask, “Will this choice build up or trip up my brother?” Let’s choose the path that protects our brother’s walk, even if it shortens our own freedoms. Let’s develop a church culture of edification instead of competition, and this should be the design for church to church cooperation also.