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Power of choice, the liberty to do as you please and insisting on your rights – these are perfectly sensible to the man on the street. As long as you do not infringe on someone’s privileges, you are entitled to act for the good of yourself. You are acting within the fair boundaries of equitable conduct, not causing any outward or apparent harm. What does the Bible say to this? Rom. 15:2 is clear or “Each of us should please our neighbours for their good, to build them up.” The transformed Christian has to shelf aside the self-centered way of thinking and safeguarding one’s rights.

A robust and strong faith belongs to one who is able set aside “rights” and entitlements. The Amplified Bible explained it this way: “we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others”. The example on eating food offered to idols is a teaching on gracious tolerance and consideration and not specifically on the right or wrong of eating devoted food. Some people due to their past may feel that eating such food could defile them or keep them under the power of the idols. The Bible teaches us that this belief is erroneous. Eating devoted food will not harm us physically or spiritually. There is no power in such food; it does not and cannot make the Christian subservient to the idols. But if seeing a Christian eating devoted food confuses a non-believer or a young Christian and causes them to question, then the right thing is not to act in a careless way that causes the person still vulnerable to old associations to be thrown off track.

Christians sometimes are seen to be at loggerheads having strong views on Bible matters and personal convictions. Tolerance and graciousness are noticeably missing. Each demands his right to be heard, to be respected and sometimes to be obeyed. Either may be right. But the stronger Christian is the one who tolerates, is gracious and considerate. The one with the stronger faith is not the one who dominates but the one who is thoughtful and sensitive towards others. We are commanded by God to live in mutual harmony and full sympathy with one another where the stronger chooses to strengthen the weak and build him up spiritually. Rom. 15:7 teaches us to “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”