DO NOT TEAR DOWN (set aside) THE WORK OF GOD FOR THE SAKE OF FOOD : me eneken bromatos katalue (2SPAM) to ergon tou theou: (Ep 2:10 1Co 8:9-13 Ro 14:15 Mt 18:6 1Co 10:31)

Present Imperative + negative ("me" = not)  which can be translated "stop tearing down" -- the point is that Paul is telling the believers to cease this destructive action which is already occurring in the body of Christ at Rome. Stop despising the weaker brother. Give up your liberty where it would cause a brother to stumble or cause others to speak evil of it (if practiced).

Tear down (2647)(kataluo from kata = down  or as a prefix to intensify the meaning of the root luo = loosen, untie, undo) means to to destroy utterly, to overthrow completely. This is a vivid picture of what failure to heed Paul's warnings in this chapter can do to a brother in Christ. Does the church truly realize how serious are the issues Paul is dealing with in this chapter? To see how "intense" this Greek word "kataluo" is see uses in (Mt 24:2, Ac 5:38)


What is the "work of God"? A fellow Christian who has been redeemed by the efforts of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not his own (v15; Ep2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them"). Paul had just discussed peace and the building up of one another. Instead of building up one another they were tearing down one another and Paul says to stop destroying the work of God over these non essential issues like your right to eat whatever you'd like to eat. The stronger brother was tearing down or marring the spiritual well-being of his brother instead of building him up.

(Stedman): Peace is the work of God. Nothing can produce lasting peace among people, especially those of different cultural backgrounds, except the work of God. It is the Spirit of God who produces peace. So, if for the sake of some right that you have, some liberty you feel, you destroy that peace, you are destroying what God has brought about. Do not do that. It is not worth it.

ALL THINGS INDEED ARE CLEAN: panta men kathara: (Ro 14:14 Mt 15:11 Ac 10:15 1Ti 4:3-5 Titus 1:15)

Clean (2513) (katharos) means free from anything that spoils or corrupts.

BUT THEY ARE EVIL FOR THE MAN WHO EATS AND GIVES OFFENSE: alla kakon to anthropo to dia proskommatos esthionti (PAPMSD):

Offense (4348) (proskomma from prós = to, against + kópto = cut, strike) can describe literal or figurative stumbling. It is something a person trips over. Thus proskomma can be an obstacle in the way which if one strikes his foot against he stumbles or falls or figuratively it can describe that over which a soul stumbles i.e. by which is caused to sin or which causes an occasion of apostasy. It is also used  figuratively, to describe a cause of falling or an occasion of sinning (Ro 14:13, 20; 1 Cor. 8:9; Sept.: Ex. 23:33; 34:12).

Barclay writes that...

IT IS GOOD ("beautiful") NOT TO EAT MEAT OR TO DRINK WINE, OR TO DO ANYTHING: kalon to me phagein (AAN) krea mede piein (AAN) oinon mede: (17; 15:1,2; 1 Corinthians 8:13)

It is a thousand times better to refrain from meat or wine or anything else than to offend a brother or cause him to decline spiritually. Giving up our legitimate rights is a small price to pay for the care of one who is weak.

BY WHICH YOUR BROTHER STUMBLES: en o o adelphos sou proskoptei (3SPAI): (13; Malachi 2:8; Matthew 16:23; 18:7-10; Luke 17:1,2; Philippians 1:10; Hebrews 12:13; Revelation 2:14)

Although any given practice is permissible for a Christian (if not precluded by Scripture, in which case he should abstain from it, even though he would not forfeit his salvation by doing it), he should be willing to give it up if it might injure the faith or testimony of a fellow Christian. There are a number of other Biblical guidelines to help us in making informed decisions about doubtful things (see Ro 14:23).

THE FAITH WHICH YOU HAVE, HAVE AS YOUR OWN CONVICTION BEFORE GOD: su pistin (en) echeis (2SPAI) kata seauton eche (2SPAM) enopion tou theou: (2,5,14,23; Galatians 6:1; James 3:13)

Don't try to change the other brother w/ tighter scruples.

I may have complete liberty to partake of every kind of food, knowing that God gave it to be received with thanksgiving. But I should not needlessly flaunt that liberty before those who are weak. It is better to exercise that liberty in private, when no one could possibly be offended.

Two ideas are included in this phrase. The first is, “Keep it private” — that is, do not parade it or make it a point to show that you are above the weak scruples of your brothers; and the second is that this faith or firm conviction is not to be renounced but retained, for it is founded on the truth.

(Stedman): So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. {Ro14:22a NIV} Unfortunately, that is not a very good translation. It suggests that you are to keep quiet about your liberties, that you do not say anything to anybody, that you keep it between yourself and God. That really is not what Paul is saying. What he is saying is, "if you have faith, have it between yourself and God." That is, let God and God's Word be the basis for your faith, and nothing else. Be sure that what you are doing is not because of pride on your part, because you want to show off how free you are -- you are doing this because God has freed you by his Word. And, Paul says, if you do that, > blessed.

Paul does not require the strong to abandon their convictions about thing not condemned by the law. Instead he encourages them to have faith about such issues. Although mature believers may refrain from eating meat in front of weaker believers, they can still believe that Christ gives them the freedom to eat all types of food (see v2) privately before Him (see v5).

Before God: that is, in the sight of God. Since God sees and recognizes it, this conviction need not be displayed in front of men. It is to be cherished in our hearts and used in a way that is acceptable to God. Being right in itself, it is to be piously and not ostentatiously paraded and employed.

HAPPY IS HE WHO DOES NOT CONDEMN (judge) HIMSELF IN WHAT HE APPROVES; makarios o me krinon (PAPMSN) heauton en o dokimazei (3SPAI): (7:15,24; Acts 24:16; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 1 John 3:21)

Happy (3107) (makarios) (cf Paul's 2 other uses in Romans: Ro 4:7, Ro 4:8, cf Jas 1:25, 1Pe 3:14, 1Pe 4:14) which is usually translated "blessed".  "Blessed" describes the state of being fully satisfied no matter the circumstances.

"Happy" is probably not the best English word to use to translate "makarios" because as common vernacular use of ''happy'' conveys the picture of the person with good ''luck'' as the English word is derived from the root "hap" which means luck as a favorable circumstance. God is sovereign over all events at all times in all places and thus from a divine practical perspective there is no such thing as "chance" or "luck" that the world speaks of. 

Makarios is the one who is in the world yet independent of the world because his or her satisfaction comes from God and is not dependent on favorable circumstances. Thus one can be "makarios" and yet be in miserable circumstances as Jesus clearly illustrates -

"Blessed (makarios) are you when they insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven" (Mt 5:11-12).

So "blessed are you" does not mean "untroubled are you" or "healthy are you" or "admired are you" or "prosperous are you."

It means "between you and God all is well." You are deeply secure, profoundly content, happy in God even if you are weeping over the pain of a struck body, a perplexed mind, or a heartbreaking relationship.

Approves (1381) (dokimazo)  (Used 4x in Romans: Ro 1:28, Ro 2:18, Ro 12:2, Ro 14:22. Study some the other uses in context to help understand this great Greek word dokimazo: (Lu 12:56, 1Co 3:13, 1Co 11:28, 2Co 8:22, 2Co 13:5, Ga  6:4, Eph 5:10, Php 1:10, 1Th 2:4, 1Th 5:21, 1Ti 3:10, 1Pe 1:7, 1Jo 4:1). Dokimazo means to carry out a careful examination or test to prove whether the thing (or person) tested is genuine. Used of the testing of candidates for the degree of doctor of medicine. Those who passed their exams were certified (approved as) physicians. For additional discussion of "approves" see the related word "dokimos" (accepted) above in Ro 14:18.  In context of this chapter this man examines something and determines it is permissible and his conscience does not judge him as "off base" or out of line. He is blessed because he has a clear conscience (2 Tim 1:3, Acts 24:1) regarding whatever it was he tested and then approved of. A person is blessed if he can do what he thinks is right without feeling guilty.

Charles Spurgeon, at the height of his fame, was one day walking down the street and saw a sign which read,

“We sell the cigar that Charles Spurgeon smokes”

Upon seeing this sign Spurgeon gave up the habit. He came to see that what was for him a freedom might cause others to stumble.

Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.”

Ray Stedman writes that...

If you have really based it on that, then your action will be one in which your conscience is free. You will not feel guilty and troubled as to whether you are acting beyond what the Word of God really says. You will be happy, free, blessed. But, if you do not, if you really have not settled this on the basis of Scripture, but are acting only because you want to indulge yourself; if you like this thing but you still feel a bit troubled by it; if you act then, you are going to be condemned by your conscience. And if you are condemned by your conscience, you will feel guilty. And if you act because you feel guilty, you are not acting out of faith, and, therefore, you are sinning. This is Paul's argument.

Hodge comments...

That is, blessed is the man who has a good conscience, who does not allow himself to do what he secretly condemns. Therefore the faith about which the apostle has spoken is a great blessing. It is a source of great happiness to be sure that what we do is right, and therefore the firm conviction which some Christians had attained was not to be undervalued or renounced.

R Kent Hughes writes that...

BUT HE WHO DOUBTS IS CONDEMNED IF HE EATS: o de diakrinomenos (PMPMSN) ean phage (3SAAS) katakekritai (3SRPI): (1 Corinthians 8:7) (13:2; 1 Corinthians 11:29-31)

in context condemned by his own conscience. If a Christian eats food or does anything when he has doubts in his own mind as to whether it is right or wrong before God (one who is “weak” in faith, v1-2), his action does not spring from (ek, “out of”) his faith or trust in God and is therefore wrong. As Paul generalized, Everything that does not come from (ek, “out of”) faith is sin. The principle is, “When in doubt, don’t.” As far as the weak brother is concerned, it is wrong for him to eat anything about which he has conscientious scruples. His eating is not an act of faith; that is, he has a bad conscience about it. And it is a sin to violate one’s conscience.

Condemned (2632) (katakrino from from katá = against, and krino = to judge) (used 3 other times in Romans Ro 2:1, 8:3, 8:34, cf uses in Mt 20:18, 27:3, John 8:10, 8:11, 1Co 11:32) means to pronounce sentence against, condemn, adjudge guilty and always denotes to pass an adverse sentence. Here the weak brother condemns himself if he goes against his conscience.

BECAUSE HIS EATING IS NOT FROM FAITH: hoti ouk ek pisteos:

C. E. B. Cranfield writes:

Paul has advice for the man who is weak in the faith, the man with the scrupulous conscience. It may be that this may disobey or silence his scruples. He may sometimes do something because everyone else is doing it. He may do it because he does not wish to stand in a minority of one. He may do it because he does not wish to be different. He may do it because he does not wish to court ridicule or unpopularity. Paul’s answer is that if, for any of these reasons, a man defies his conscience he is guilty of sin. If a man in his heart of hearts believes a thing to be wrong, if he cannot rid himself of the ineradicable feeling that it is forbidden, then, if he does it, for him it is sin. A neutral thing only becomes a right thing when it is done out of faith, out of the real, reasoned conviction that it is the right thing to do. The only motive for doing anything is that a man believes it to be right. When a thing is done out of social convention, out of fear of unpopularity, to please men, then it is wrong."

Conscience: (4893) (suneidesis from sun = with + eido = know) literally means a "knowing with", a co-knowledge with oneself or a being of one's own witness in the sense that one's own conscience "takes the stand" as the chief witness, testifying either to one's innocence or guilt. It describes the witness borne to one's conduct by that faculty by which we apprehend the will of God.

Conscience is not an infallible guide, but it is wrong to go against one’s own conscience. We ought to never sin against our conscience, no matter who pressures us to do so.

Ray Stedman sums up this section writing that Paul is saying...

Do not deliberately stumble or shock your brother or sister. Do not deliberately do things that will offend them, or even make them feel uncomfortable. Think about them, not yourself. SECOND: Give up your right when it threatens the peace or hinders the growth of another individual. Be alert to judge in that area. And THIRD: Never act from doubt. Act only from conviction, by the Word, and by the Spirit of God. If these problems are all settled on that basis, a congregation will be moving gradually toward the great liberty that we have as children of God....These are wise words. Properly followed, they will gradually work out the differences of viewpoints we may have. But if they are ignored, the church is bound to go along with one side or the other, and division, anger, and upset will follow, and the whole cause of Christ will be injured by that. In our next study, we are going to see how Christ is our great example in this, and what will happen to us when we really begin to live on these terms. Prayer: Thank you, our Father, for words that help us to understand these problems, and the way of working them out peacefully and cheerfully and joyfully, "preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Teach us Lord, to walk softly before you in this, with a concern for our brother and sister; to be patient and to learn to enjoy our liberties only as they do not injure or hurt another. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen

AND WHATEVER IS NOT FROM FAITH IS SIN: pan de o ouk ek pisteos hamartia estin (3SPAI):(Titus 1:15; Hebrews 11:6)

People who can't come to a settled conviction about what God wants them to do are for ever subject to a guilty conscience and are in constant danger of acting against their conscience and thus sinning. So pray and study until you arrive at a settled conviction about your course of action.
           
The context of Ro 14 has to so with issues that are not absolute "do" or "don't" So if you do something that you don't have the freedom in your conscience to do it is sin. We know that whatever contradicts the known will of God is sin but this verse reveals another dimension of sin, that JESUS CAME TO SAVE US FROM and not to leave us in. To reiterate, any action that violates my Christian conscience (my renewed mind) is a sin. Therefore, a person who has scruples about matters not wrong in and of themselves should not act contrary to his conscience, because to violate the conscience is not acting in faith but is sin. The principle is...

“When in doubt, don’t”

Here are 12 excellent tests to apply...

1. THE WORLD TEST. Is it worldly? Will it make me worldly to do it (John 15:19, 1 John 2:15- 17)?

2. THE QUALITY TEST. Is it good for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Rom. 12:9b)?

3. THE TEMPLE TEST. Can I do it when I remember my body is God’s temple and must not be marred or misused (1 Cor. 6:19)?

4. THE GLORY TEST. Will it glorify my Lord, or will it on the other hand possibly bring shame to His name (1 Cor. 6:20, 10:32)?

5. THE BLESSING TEST. Can I honestly ask God’s blessing on it and be sure I’ll not regret doing it (Prov. 10:22, Rom. 15:29)?

6. THE REPUTATION TEST. Is it apt to damage my testimony for the Lord (Phil. 2:15)?

7. THE CONSIDERATION TEST. Am I being considerate of others and the effect this might have on them (Rom. 14:7, 21)?

8. THE APPEARANCE TEST. Will it look bad? Does it have the appearance of what is wrong or suspicious (1 Thess. 5:22)?

9. THE WEIGHT TEST. Could this slacken or sidetrack me in running the Christian race (Heb. 12:1, 1 Cor. 9:24)?

10. THE COMING OF CHRIST TEST. Would I be ashamed to be found doing this when He comes again (1 John 2:28)?

11. THE COMPANION TEST. Can I invite Christ to go with me and participate with me in this (Matt. 28:20b, Col. 3:17)?

12. THE PEACE TEST. After having prayed about it, do I have perfect peace about doing it (Col. 3:15a, Phil. 4:6-7)?

(from Bible.org: From Basic Bible Beliefs, Bible Baptist Church, Auburn, Wn., 1975, unpublished. From Training Manual for Local Church Visitation, Eugene A. Wood, DTS, ThM Thesis, 1980)

Harry Ironside (in Illustrations of Bible Truth) gives the following illustration...

Sandy was a thrifty Scot who objected to needless laundry expense, so when he wore a dress shirt to a banquet, he put it away carefully for future use. On one occasion when dressing for such an event, he took a used shirt out of the drawer and examined it with care, hoping to be able to wear it that evening. Not being quite sure of its strict cleanliness, he took it to a window, where he was looking it over under a better light than the room afforded. His wife, Jean, noticed him shaking his head as though fearful that it would not pass careful scrutiny.

“Remember, Sandy,” she called to him, “if it’s doubtful, it’s dirty.”

That settled it. The shirt went into the discard and another—a fresh one—took its place. Jeans’ words may well speak to every believer concerning things about which conscience raises any question whatsoever.

Spurgeon writes that...

Do nothing about which you have need to ask a question. Be quite sure about it, or leave it alone. Whatsoever you cannot do with the confidence that you are doing right is sin to you. Though the deed may be right to other people, if you have any doubt about it yourself, it is evil to you.

Morris writes that...

Although all things are, indeed, legal for a true Christian, he will try to do only those things which please his Lord. When he encounters questions not specifically mentioned in Scripture (smoking, movies), he should consider the various Scriptural principles that are given as guideposts to help him make such decisions. One of those is given in this verse, namely, he should be able to do it in full confidence that it is pleasing to Christ. Some of the principles, with typical supporting Scriptures, may be noted as follows:

(1) The act has positive value and is, without question, pleasing to the Lord (Ro 14:23 1Co 10:23; Col 4:5);

(2) The act is consistent with our new life in Christ (Col 3:1-4; 2T i2:4; 2Co 5:14,15);

(3) We can sense the positive leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit (1Co 6:19-20 Ga 5:16-18);

(4) The act will not diminish our Christian influence (Ro 14:13,21 1Co 8:8-13; 1Th 5:22);

(5) The act does not pose a danger of our becoming addicted to it (1Co 6:12; Ep 5:18; Ja 1:14,15)

(6) It can be done consistently with the example set by Jesus (1Pe 2:21 1Jn 2:6 Php 2:5)

(7) It can be done in confidence that it brings glory to God (1Co 10:31 Col 3:23). This is certainly not an exhaustive list of relevant principles or appropriate Scriptures, but is at least indicative of what to look for.

Summary...

(1) There will always be diversity in the church, even diversity of conviction about what the will of the Lord is for some areas of behavior.

(2) Many of these differences we should not distinguish as good and evil. Sin is what does not come from faith. But our varying perspectives and varying degrees of faith, give rise to differing choice which may both honor Christ as acceptable choices.

(3) Therefore, we must not despise or condemn our brothers and sisters, but trust their Master and ours to deal with his servants wisely.

(4) We should all seek to be fully persuaded in the convictions we follow so that we are not immobilized by indecision or plagued with a guilty conscience.