There are many key verses, key points, in this chapter. A servant stands or falls before his own master. We are to judge sin, trespass, in the church, but we don’t judge one another for what we do or don’t do when we are doing those things obeying our own conscience before God. We stand or fall before our own master, not each other. But we’re also given this wonderful promise, that we will be upheld. We won’t fall because “the Lord is able to make [us] stand.”

We don’t live to ourselves. We live to the Lord. We are the Lord’s. We live for Him, not for ourselves. Don’t make any of your pet concerns the main concern. The concern is Christ and Him crucified. Don’t let other things become important.

Loving one another is your job, your whole requirement in Christ.

Paul knew it didn’t matter what he ate. But others would look at him eating meat and think it was unclean. Paul was willing to give up eating meat if it meant not hurting the conscience of another believer.

We’re to pursue what makes for peace and builds everyone up.

Paul calls this walking in love. In Ephesians Paul tells us to walk in love by imitating the sacrificial love of Christ.

This chapter is a practical example of laying down your life for others. It’s not about a grand gesture. It’s about everyday living for others and not self.

If someone thinks something is wrong and you are encouraging them to do it because you know it’s not wrong, then you are causing them to sin. If they can’t do it in faith, then it’s sin for them.

I know I thought about these verses when we were supposed to wear masks. I didn’t want to encourage fear and trying to protect ourselves. God was my defense. I didn’t wear the mask because I wanted to encourage faith, but when I was asked to wear a mask, I did. I didn’t want to cause fear, sin, for someone else.