²⁰ Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. ²¹ It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.

Three principles summarize the Christian’s attitude toward his freedoms in the gray areas. The apostle seems to repeat the same basic thought in different ways so the idea is not missed: there is more involved than whether some activity is legally permissible or not. In the case in question, food or drink, these things of course “are clean.” This reminds us of Peter’s vision of the sheet with various animals an observant Jew would have avoided as unclean, which he encountered just before preaching the Gospel to Cornelius:

Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 10:15)

For believers, the “legality” of things has changed. As Paul puts it elsewhere, “All things are lawful …” (1 Cor 6:12a, 10:23a). Salvation is totally unrelated to keeping the Law of Moses, or any law for that matter. We have been redeemed from condemnation as sinners. We come up short, and the solution to that problem is not in keeping of laws, but in confession of Christ and faith in His work on the cross.

Why not, then, just enjoy all the freedoms we now have in Christ? In the present case, why not simply indulge in the enjoyment of any foods or drink I desire, and simply ignore those who, because of their lack of understanding of Christian freedom, disagree with my behavior? There is more in play than simply my freedom, for even if “all things are lawful,” Paul goes on to write, “not all things are profitable” (1 Cor 6;12b, 10:23b). If I am free in Christ, the determinative is not whether I am free to do something, but how my freedom will impact others.

First, the work of the Lord is more important than my freedoms. Gray area issues hinder God’s work when they consume huge amounts of debate, anxiety and controversy, and if they breed mistrust among Christians. Second, my freedom to indulge in otherwise good things actually becomes evil if I am offending others. Yes, the PC Christian must “get over” his judgmental attitude, but why should we step into the line of fire and create controversy that detracts from the work of God? Finally, your good freedom becomes not good when it causes others to fall back into sinning against their weak conscience.

Lord, help me not to selfishly enjoy the freedoms You allow me in a way that causes problems for the advancement of Your work.