Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Romans 14:20a

In Romans 14, Paul warns against letting disagreement over eating become a source of discord that drives a person in the fellowship away from Christ. Paul, sent to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, probably knew more about racial integration than anyone else of his time. Jews, with their religious regulations on food, dress, behaviour and circumcision, considered themselves as having a special claim to God's promises and salvation. They believed that apart from their religious customs, no one could come to God.

Paul spent much of his life trying to break down the barriers of customary regulations between Gentiles and Jews, even the other apostles. Galatians 2:11-14 provides one of the best examples of this where Paul mentions opposing Peter for behaving hypocritically in not eating with Gentiles. The basis of his argument was that none of these regulations really mattered after all, because they did not lead to salvation. Faith alone did.

21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. Galatians 2:21

As in this verse above, Paul reiterates over and over again throughout the New Testament that we are not saved by any act of our own: no regulation of diet, dress, relationship or circumcision will save a soul. Further on in Galatians 6 he says again:

2Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

So having proved that we cannot possibly be justified by our works, what does Paul mean when he says not to "for the sake of food, destroy the work of God"? See what the whole verse says:

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. Romans 14:20

Were we to set any regulation on the act of eating (or any other act), and pass judgement on those who failed to follow it, we would "stumble" others in the faith. Why?

Note that the original concept of stumbling of faith comes from Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 8:14 of Jesus as a "rock of stumbling" to the Jews who believed that they had God's special favour on them. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 9:33 as an indictment of pursuing faith by works.

Thus, when we pass condemn someone over a legalistic issue, we are insinuating that one needs works, the one needs to do a particular act, in order to be justified in Christ. We are insinuating that faith alone does not save. That is heresy. It is in contradiction to everything else the Bible teaches. In that way, we would "stumble" someone, keeping him or her from the faith by placing additional obstacles in their way.

13 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. 14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15For 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. Romans 14:13-15

Today, most Christians will rarely debate over dietary regulations as a religious issue. Yet, what other behaviours of ours "stumble" others? Is it a holier-than-thou attitude? Or could it be the feeling that we are superior to others because, perhaps, we tithe regularly, or dress more modestly, or do not smoke? While there exist behaviours that are more socially acceptable, and those that are more destructive, we cannot turn any of these into a key issue on which justification depends.

However, that is not to say that we should not correct someone over destructive behaviour. But there is a difference between a constructive rebuke and a hypocritical criticism that is contrary to all the Bible teaches. There are deeds that, if sinfully persisted in, will obstruct the process of sanctification and act counter to the influence of the Holy Spirit in a Christian's life. Paul, in Titus 1:9-13, calls on us to "rebuke those who contradict (God's word)" and to "rebuke...that they may be sound in the faith".

Ultimately, if someones faith is at stake over something that does not ultimately matter, Paul calls us, as believers rooted in our faith, to pass over the issue for the other person's sake. Paul uses the word "destroy" twice in this chapter. It is a strong warning that our hypocrisy can lead a person away from the faith, down the road to hell. We cannot preach salvation in a crucified Christ and still condemn someone over eating. The salvation God, in his mercy, has provided through Jesus Christ, is all we count on and all we need.