Romans 14:15

Romans 14:15. For. The best authorities give this reading, which introduces the reason for speaking of the exception (Romans 14:14), namely, to warn against the lack of love in disregarding it

If because of thy meat (or, ‘food') thy brother is grieved. The freer brother would eat that which the weaker reckoned unclean, and thus he would be ‘grieved,' vexed in conscience. This is not identical with ‘destroy,' which is a possible result of it

Thou art no longer walking according to love. Love limits liberty, and substitutes for it self-denial, even when the scruple is an incorrect one.

Destroy not by thy meat, etc. To this the grieving may lead; the weak brother may be so influenced as to act against his conscience, and so sin as to fall into eternal destruction. There is a pathos in the closing phrase: him for whom Christ died. If Christ gave up life for him, canst not thou give up a kind of food for him. ‘Believers (the elect) are constantly spoken of as in danger of perdition. They are saved only if they continue steadfast unto the end' (Hodge). This principle holds good in this warning also.