Do Not Divide Over Peripheral Things

If your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
– Romans 14:15-17, NKJV – 

If you enjoy a good thing—like a glass of wine—to the downfall of your brother in Christ, then your good thing will be spoken of as an evil thing, because it caused harm to someone for whom Christ died. At the same time, if you judge and condemn a brother or sister for enjoying a good thing in the right way—like a glass of wine with thanksgiving on a wedding day—then you wrongly call evil what the Lord has called good. Whether through careless use or careless judgment of a good gift, you cause division and bring harm to the body of Christ. This should never be the case.

For this reason, Paul says, “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” In other words, keep the main things the main things and keep the secondary questions away from center stage. The kingdom of Jesus Christ is not about the kinds of food we eat or drinks we enjoy or clothes we wear. It is about loving one another. It is about living for the glory of Christ by dwelling at peace with one another and enjoying one another. “Who are you to judge another’s servant” (Romans 14:4, NKJV). Who are any of us to selfishly condemn or cause to stumble a brother or sister for whom Christ died, over whom Christ is master, not us?

If we’re talking about faith in Christ versus faith in Buddha, then by all means divide. If we’re talking about believing in the resurrection versus discounting it, then we should not be in fellowship. There are good reasons to separate in a church, reasons directly connected to the salvation of souls. If heaven or hell is at stake, then agreement is essential. If preferences or opinions are at stake, on the other hand, then we need to be careful and slow to judge.

1. Learn from Scripture the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary concerns.
2. Hold to primary concerns as if your life depended upon it; hold to secondary concerns wisely; hold to tertiary concerns loosely.
3. Pray for the Lord to help you be ruled by freedom in Christ and love for your brothers and sisters, so that you would enjoy the gifts of God for the glory of God, be willing to give them up for the sake of love, and restrain from judging your brothers and sisters in peripheral things.