Eating Foods Formerly Designated as Unclean

by Terry Wane Benton

Romans 14 shows that liberty in Christ has taken all "unclean" foods under the Law of Moses off the list of unclean. However, those who grew up under that Law had a hard time releasing their conscience into such liberties in Christ. If pork were unclean, the Jewish conscience would have a hard time adjusting. Those with a strong conscience were not to despise or tempt or pressure those with a weak conscience in such matters. It was a liberty, but not a sin if a brother did not eat pork. The chapter is all about such liberties and how to treat brethren of a weaker conscience in such liberties.

"Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another" (Romans 14:19).

Since the kingdom of God is about righteousness, and this issue is not a matter of moral right or wrong, and since the kingdom of God is about peace within ourselves and among ourselves, then here is a good way to handle a difference between us. We want peace and edification between us. Pursue the things that make for peace. One thing we can do is be careful not to force a brother to violate his conscience. Give him room to grow. As edification and learning take root, he may, in time, learn that he can indeed consider that there are no foods that God characterizes as unclean in the kingdom. But, as long as he thinks he should refrain from some foods, then don’t tempt him to harm his own conscience.

This does not mean that we are to treat even sinful issues in the same way. For example, Paul did not treat the issue of fornication in I Corinthians 5 the same way he treated the issues of liberty and conscience in Romans 14. Food and days are not the same as moral sins and are not treated the same way. Sometimes, pursuing what brings peace means confronting sinful behavior so that there can be real peace afterward.