Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1Cor.8:9 But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak. 8:10 For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol's temple, won't his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 8:11 And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 8:12 Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 8:13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forevermore, that I don't cause my brother to stumble.

Why did the apostle Paul state the above, was it from law or love? Sadly, many stumbling blocks have been set up by legalize Christian's demanding their rights not to be offend by law to eat, or not to eat certain foods!. But this was not Paul's meaning at all. Love works no harm towards neighbor what loving person would stumble some one that did not fully understand how a clean Christian's could eat something unclean sacrificed too idol? Would a loving person disregard hurting the a brothers/sisters feelings, how does that work when we walk in love?

James 2:7 Don't they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? 2:8 However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself,"{Leviticus 19:18} you do well. 2:9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. 2:11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,"{Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18} also said, "Do not commit murder."{Exodus 10:13; Deuteronomy 5:17} Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 2:12 So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

There is no real mystery here, just kindness, but it has becomes one more confused doctrine of faith when it is made into a commandment, law, or a rule of by false religion. Paul was not here making a new rule, he was simply dealing with an issue of fleshly thinking stopping it from being introduced into the law of love within the body of Christ. We must never be fooled, we are not made righteous by our food, drink, thinking, or in attending a religious meeting, we are however, made righteous by Christ Jesus blood. Moreover, our being made righteous by Christ bloods means we are sinless, not evil people, but sinless without the laws of our flesh condemning us.

Rom. 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.{NU omits "who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit"}
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

This is why it makes not difference if a person eats food to an idol, or meat, or does not eating meat at all, Christ makes us clean by his righteousness, not by rules, obligations, or doctrines of do's and don'ts. The flesh and what its eats or does not eat is not clean in God's eyes, it is rather dead in Christ where none of us can put away the filth of our flesh. We can by faith ask God for a clean conscious because of the filth of are flesh in the blood of Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;

Romans 14:17 for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

In other words, we are not walking by flesh and its desires, so what desire of our flesh could be more important than love for our brother in Christ? On the other hand, who's conscience should be so weak that they find evil in their brothers/sisters eating or drinking judging them as evil under laws we are set free from in Christ? Let us none of us become egoistical in our thinking the Kingdom of God lays in eating and drinking, and some how we are better, more righteous, closer to God, because of what we approve of, or disapprove of, by are conscience.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or with respect to a feast day or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

12:3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.

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