Bible Verse of the Day Thursday May 7th, 2020

Romans 14:16-17 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,

During the period when Paul was on his missionary journeys and engaged in writing letters to some of the churches he had established, food was frequently and commonly offered to the false gods of the Romans, along with certain sacrifices being made to pagan gods. Paul was well aware that some followers and believers in Christ Jesus that had taken part in these profane customs and traditions before their salvation were repulsed by these practices. The truth that Paul was attempting to pass along to the Christians of that day and all believers down through the ages was that eating of the sacrifice food was not what corrupts a person, it was the position or standpoint of one’s heart.

We have certain freedoms in our salvation that is specific to only the ones that have surrendered their hearts minds bodies and souls to Christ Jesus. We are not to brandish these freedoms we have in and through Christ Jesus. We are not to use the liberty we have, as saved believers, to offend another believer that is not as far along in his or her sanctification process. This day in age there are no food or drink sacrifices offered in pagan temples, however, there are many religious rites and ceremonies that in and of themselves are not sinful but can be offensive to some believers. The point Paul is attempting to make here is that if a practice or tradition carried out in some religious circles is not sinful, and we hold it up as evil we are taking away freedom given other believers in Christ Jesus.

The kingdom of heaven is not based on the sports we are engaged in, entertainment that we frequent or the eating establishment we patronize, it is based on the condition of our hearts and souls. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and nothing else, what a person eats or drinks or any ceremonial practice or custom a person engaged in has no bearing on the entrance to God’s Kingdom. Salvation is an instant process, it does not require a regiment of classes or ceremonies, once we call on the name of the Lord we are saved (Romans 10:13). On the other hand, sanctification or spiritual growth is a gradual process, that is never completed in this life.

God’s kingdom consists of an eternal aspect, not external attributes, when we, as believers in Christ Jesus place prominence on personal principles and ethics, we could be placing our perspective in danger. We should never look down on or condemn another brother or sister in Christ Jesus that is not as far along in their sanctification process as we conceive ourselves to be. If we ever find ourselves seeking to belittle another believer in some practice, that we deem as evil, then we may not be as far along in our sanctification process as we might think.

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