Rom. 15:17-21 - Paul’s ministry

17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God. 
18 For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed,
19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man's foundation;
21 but as it is written, "THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND."

Aspiring to Preach the Gospel

V. 17 - “I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God” - It is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
Not boasting about his education, or his zeal, or the superiority of Jewish worship, sacrifices, tabernacles or temples, but that salvation is in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone. It is He who saves us, and not we ourselves. (See: 2 Cor 3:5, 4:7)

V. 18 - “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me” This reminds me of the verse in Jeremiah, “The LORD says, ‘Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich. If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the LORD, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things,’ says the LORD.” (Jer 9:23-24)
Paul is boasting, “Christ did this!”

“the obedience of the Gentiles” - The result was Gentiles came to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus called them. They responded. The obedience was not pertaining to rules and rituals, but to accepting and believing. See: John 6:28-29: “Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’ “

V. 19 - ‘In the power of the Holy Spirit” - Not by Paul’s power, but by Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, with manifestations and signs which reinforced the actions of the Lord, and seen by others, accepted as proof their lives were changed.

“Jerusalem... as far as Illyicum” - (Illyricum - an area east of the Adriatic Sea, the sea east of the Italian ‘boot’ between the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea.) Paul’s ministry did not start in Jerusalem. He first spread the Gospel in Damascus. He travelled to Jerusalem to meet with the Church leaders there. (Acts 9:20-25) He and Barnabas went to Tarsus and Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). It was there that believers were first called "Christians!" They returned to Jerusalem to make the case for evangelism to the Gentiles, and were sent out with blessings from the leaders of the Jerusalem church. (Acts 15:1-35)

V. 20 - “I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named” - Paul was always seeking new territories in which to preach Jesus Christ. He was not here on earth to pirate believers from other evangelists. His goal was to witness to those who had never heard of Jesus. He wanted to reach as many people as possible.

V. 21 - “but as it is written” - A quote from Isa 52:15, which is a Messianic prophecy stating that finally, as mankind is totally amazed at what they hear and see, they will begin to understand what God has done for them. Many nations will hear, Gentiles and Jews, will hear the Gospel. People will be gobsmacked. Their jaws will drop, and then snap closed, silenced in total awe of what has happened.
They have never heard of anything so amazing as Christ’s resurrection.
They have been astounded beyond understanding that God would die for our sin.
And then understanding will dawn. They will see! They will understand! To God be the glory!

***

 

Rom. 15:13-16 - Paul’s ministry

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.
15 But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from God,
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

We Have Hope, Joy, and Peace by the Power of the Holy Spirit

V. 13 - This verse is a bridge between the discussion of Christian community and the windup of the letter.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” - Paul’s prayer for them. God gives us hope for eternal life and eternity with Him. We have the joy of knowing Jesus and the peace with God and the peace of God. (See: Phil 4:7, 9; Col 1:20-23)

“You will abound in hope” - The hope is not generated by our efforts, but is a gift of God through the Holy Spirit. Paul is praying the believers will not have ‘just a little bit’, but they will be overflowing with hope. We can face each day with no diminution of hope.

“by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - One of the big difference between Judaism and Christianity is that Christians have the Holy Spirit. When you read through the Old Testament, you will see that the Holy Spirit is given in only a limited number of instances. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit for all who believe in Him. “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7) And, “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,” (John 15:26) Jesus asks the Father to give us the Holy Spirit; “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;” (John 14:16) The Holy Spirit will lead us, guide us, teach us what we need to know to live as Christians. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

V. 14 - “you yourselves are full of goodness... all knowledge” - Paul sees that his prayer for them is being fulfilled even as he writes this letter to them. They should be filled with hope, joy, and peace by the power of the Holy Spirit (vs. 13), and he sees it happening.

“Admonish one another” - Not knowledge for knowledge’s sake, nor goodness for that warm, fuzzy feeling, nor peace - but all of these are so that they can help each other grow in Christ. Our faith in Christ is very personal - your faith cannot save your neighbor. It can only save you! At the same time, Christianity is not a solitary faith. Can you imagine getting to heaven, look around and say, “Hey! What are all these people doing here? I thought it was just me!” You know better. Christianity is a community of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The community is to come together and worship Him, and help each other, and encourage each other, and teach, preach and build up each other. (See: Heb. 10:24-25)

V. 15 - “I have written very boldly to you” - Paul takes the responsibility of teaching and admonishing seriously (see his letters: all of his letters, all 13, about half of the NT). He has every reason to be proud of what he has done. That is not the message from Paul here. Paul is writing to them because the grace of God has given Paul all.

V. 16 - “minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles” - Paul, a devout Jew, a learned fervent Jew, was called by God to go to those who did not know God. It might be easy to say the Jews did not know God, either. While in reality that may have been true, at least the Jews had the revelation of God to them. The Gentiles did not have this revelation directly to them, They had the witness of the Jews to reveal God to them.

God’s choice of Paul gave the Gentiles a witness who could explain, in marvelous detail, how God revealed Himself to the world. He could explain the reason for the Law - not to kill lots of animals in sacrifices, but to teach and show us we needed God. We need God’s grace. We need His forgiveness.

“Ministering as a priest the gospel of God” - Not a priest of the Jewish Covenant Law, performing the duties of that priesthood, but serving Jesus Christ by spreading the Good News. Not all Jews could become a priest in the Judaism, only Levites.  Reading Leviticus, chapters 21 and 22, we see the priests were “sons of Aaron”, Moses’ brother - all Levites. God chose the Levites as priests - the priests were to be holy to the Lord. Earlier the Lord said that all first born were His, holy to Him. But God was gracious, and separated the tribe of Levi to be priests, so that the first-born males of each household would not be taken from the families. The Levites did not get a portion of land as did the other tribes. They did not get land, because their portion was the Lord. They got to serve Him in the community and in the tabernacle. 

“ My offering of the Gentiles” - What a wonderful image! The Levitical priests performed the sacrificial and offering rituals. The priests offered up the lamb to God, the ox, the grain to God in the tabernacle or temple. Part of the priests’ job was to verify the animal being offered to God was pure, unblemished, and thereby acceptable to be sacrificed.

Paul may be praying, “Here, O Lord, are the Gentiles that have come to believe in You because of You working in and through me. They have trusted You, Lord. They have trusted the message given them through me. May I have done Your will, and their faith in You is acceptable, May they be sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit. They are sealed by the Holy Spirit. To God be the glory!”

I understand those are my words, not Paul’s, but hope they express the flavor of what he wrote.

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Rom. 15:7-12 - Praise among Gentiles

7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,
9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME."
10 Again he says, "REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE."
11 And again, "PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM."
12 Again Isaiah says, "THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE."

 

Servant to Both Jews and Gentiles

V. 7 - “Therefore, accept one another” - None have an advantage on another with respect to salvation - neither of us has earned it. Christ has gifted us eternal life. Christ has brought us into the presence of God, blameless and without blemish. (See: Eph 5:27; Phil 2:15; Col 1:22; Jude 1:24). As noted in verses 1-6 above, don’t let peripheral issues like food, or holy days, or festivals, etc., break down any fellowship of the believers.

V. 8 - “Christ has become a servant to the circumcision” - Jesus was sent first to the Jews. His service? To bring them back to God. They thought they were God’s own people. They did not recognize their sin and rebellion created a gap (actually, the gap was always there: a chasm of sin that no man can bridge or cross. They were so blinded by their pride they could not see the gap!). Jesus offered the clear and safe path to the throne room of God Almighty.

“on behalf of the truth of God” - God loves you and wants to save you. “Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?'” (Eze 33:11). That is the truth of God - He wants us to respond to His offer to save us! God does not coerce; He only woos. “For I know what I have planned for you,' says the LORD. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make myself available to you,' says the LORD.” (Jer 29:11-14)

“to confirm the promises given to the fathers” - Promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, and David (to name a few).

V. 9 - “and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy” - Jesus came as a servant for both the Jews and the Gentiles. Prophecies concerning the Gentiles: Isa. 60:1-14; Hos. 1:10, 2:23; Amos 9:12; Matt. 12:21, 22:2-14.

“As it is written” - Quoted from 2 Sam 22:50, Psa 18:49. - God is merciful - forgiving our sin and bringing us into His presence with great joy.

V. 10 - Quoted from Deut 32:43 - Who are those rejoicing? The Gentiles (that’s you and me) who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior.

V. 11 - Quoted from Psa 117:1 - Let everyone and everything sing praises to God for His mercy to us.

V. 12 - Quoted from Isa 11:10 - We were hopeless in our sin. He has saved us. We have hope.

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Rom. 15:4-6 - God gives perseverance

4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,
6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify Our Lord Jesus Christ

V. 4 - “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction” - What was written? A Messiah would come, provided by the Lord. (Gen 3:15, 12:2-3, 15:4-6; Isa 7:14, 11:1-5, 11:10;, e.g.) The Messiah would suffer for our sin. (See: Isa 52:13-53:12) He will be exalted. (Isa 53:10-11) These are not “secret knowledges”, only to be known by a chosen few. However, if you choose not to believe in Jesus as Lord, you will ‘blow off’ the scripture. It will seem silly to you.

“We might have hope” - The scriptures, written over hundreds of years - from Moses to Peter, John and Paul (about 1450 BC to 60 AD) - portray the Lord’s promise and fulfillment of same to bring mankind back into a personal relationship with Him. Christ came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) Christ promised we would have peace with God in this life, and also the life to come. Paul emphasizes that if peace in this life is all there is, our faith is pitiful. The best and greatest is yet to come. (See: 1 Cor 15:12-20)

V. 5 - “Perseverance and encouragement” - These words are repeated (verses 4 and 5). Hope and praise. Hope for us, and praise for Jesus Christ. God gives us the strength to go on when faced with trials and persecution, and builds us up at the same time.

“grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus” - God, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the perseverance and encouragement to withstand the attacks from Satan upon the believer. The ‘same mind’ is not urging ‘uni-think’ or ‘hive-mind’ type of surrendering self. We are not little robots, all programmed the same, obeying the imprinted commands. “Love one another” is the same mind Paul is urging. (See: John 13:34-35, 15:12, 17; Rom 12:10, 13:8; Gal 5:3; Eph 4:2; 1 Thes 3:12, 4:9; 2 Thes 1:3; Heb 10:24; 1 Pet 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 3:23, 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 1:5)

Why? Because God first loved us! (John 3:16; Rom 5:8; 1 John 3:1, 4:19)

V. 6 - “so that with one accord“ - That we all may sing out, “Praise the Lord!” And it will go on forever! (See: Rev 4:8-11, 5:8-10)

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Romans 15:1-3 - Don’t Work to Please Yourself

Outline Romans 15
15:1-3 - Not to please self
15:4-6 - God gives perserverance
15:7-13 - Praise among Gentiles
15:14-21 - Paul’s ministry
15:22-29 - Paul’s journey
15:30-33 - Strive with me

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1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.
2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME."

B.O.L.O.

V. 1 - “Now we who are strong” - This verse emphasizes the principle Paul has been preaching in the preceding verses (Rom 14:1-23). The focus is on the well-being of those around you, rather than yourself. (See: Phil 2:3-4) Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luk 19:10) He humbled Himself, became a human, and died in order for those who believe may live eternally. (Phil 2:5-8)

“Bear the weaknesses...” - For example: If it does not bother you to eat meat, and you know your friend is offended by the same - Don’t eat meat when you are eating with them. This is not saying that either eating meat or not eating meat is better or worse than the other.

V. 2 - “Each of us is to please his neighbor” - Be on the lookout (“B.O.L.O.”) for your fellow believers. Be confident that your behavior won’t lead them to doubt their faith or commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ!

V. 3 - “For even Christ did not please Himself“ - Jesus became a human for us, in order to accomplish God’s grander purpose for us. He said, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will." (Matt 26:39) This verse ends with a quote from Psa 69:9. God’s judgement against sin fell upon the one and only sinless person. If people are offended by me as a believer, then God’s reputation is besmirched. May it never be! If my behavior causes another believer, or someone interested in God’s message of salvation, to question their belief or to reject Jesus. Shame on me! May it never be!

The psalmist says it best: “Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me, O sovereign LORD and king! Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me, O God of Israel!” (Psa 69:6)
Another side of this quote is that those who hate God and Jesus will express their hatred and anger out on Christian believers. Persecution of Christians is similar to that which has followed that of the Jews. Persecution of believers is not the emphasis here, but disdain for Christ easily feeds the desire to denigrate Jesus and His followers. 

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Rom 14:19-23 - Do Not Tear Down the Work of God

19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. 
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. 

22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 

23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
***

Whatever Is Not From Faith Is Sin.

V. 19 - “Pursue the things which make for peace” - If you didn’t already know it, then these verses will help you see that Christianity is personal (your salvation), public (sharing your faith with others), and corporate (living with other believers). Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Luk 19:10) Jesus brought abundant life (John 10:10). Jesus brings peace with God, and the peace of God to the believer (Phil 4:7; Rom 5:1).

One of our pastors has said that Christianity is not for hermits, but for living in community with others. He is not saying hermits cannot be saved, but that Christian living is best when shared with others. Living at peace with others essentially involves not insisting on getting your own way. I don’t see this acted out like the ‘Chip & Dale’ cartoon (“You before me.” “No, you before me.” “No, I insist.” “No...” On and on.)

We are a fractious people, fighting for our ‘rights’ and demanding from others. We are on the outlook for the ways people are trying to pull one over on us. As believers, our attention should be running counter to that frame of mind. Live at peace with each other (Mk 9:50; 2 Cor 13:11). Jesus came that we might have peace. (Jn 14:27, 16:33) Live at peace with each other. (Rom 12:18; 1 Cor 14:33; Col 3:15; 1 Thes 5:13; Heb 12:14)

“building up of one another” - A large part of living in peace is encouraging and helping each other live our Christian lives. As we live in a secular world that is hostile to Christ, the church, and other believers can help us cope. Encouraging and building up each other is important. (See: Col 4:8; 1Thes 3:2, 4:1, 5:11, 14; Heb 3:13; 1 Cor 1:10, 4:16.)

V. 20 - “Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food” - This does not mean you, or a fellow believer, will lose salvation over eating certain foods. Whether foods forbidden by a previous covenant, or a different religion, or by tradition - these will not condemn you. Jesus came that we might have peace! Peace with God; peace with each other. Causing someone to be uncomfortable, or to feel guilty is robbing them of that peace. Destroying another’s peace is not be being thoughtful or considerate.

“they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense” - This is a “living with others” part of being a Christian. Eating or drinking when you are with another person that causes that person to question his faith in Christ, or leads that person into sin, is evil. That is a strong message! I don’t know how this applies if what you do is inadvertent - i.e., you don’t know the other is struggling in this area. If, however, you know your fellow believer is adversely effected by your activity and you do it anyway, you have just shown a callous disregard for their well-being.

V. 21 - “It is good not... to do anything by which your brother stumbles.” - Do not be confused, this is not just about what you eat. These next three verses (21-23) seem to go two directions: (1) causing someone to falter in their faith by your eating, or (2) causing someone to falter in their faith be being led to eat what they believe is wrong. Do not do anything that will lead another believer to question their faith and commitment to Christ. (See: 1 Cor 8:7-13)

V. 22 - “The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.” - The relationship you have with Jesus is very personal. I cannot live out your faith for you, nor you for me. Do not take off on the tangent of relativity - that is, ‘You have your truth. I have my truth.” There is only one way to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life (be saved, with eternal life in the presence of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) - believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, confess and commit to Him.

How you live out your faith, or as Paul says in Philippians, “work out your faith” (Phil 2:12), is between you, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. For example: Does drinking beer bring conviction of sin in your heart and mind? Then, don’t drink beer. The same could be said for any alcohol beverage. Does eating bacon bring conviction of sin? Don’t eat bacon.

Doing things that causes disquiet in your heart, soul, mind, or spirit are things that should not be done! That uneasiness you sense is the Holy Spirit prodding you. Let me be clear, there are things we might do that are sinful - no grey, just black and white. (Start with: No other gods but God, honor father and mother, lying, stealing, adultery, coveting, murder, blaspheming God - see Deut 5:7-21.) These are wrong whether Jewish or Christian. Paul is not warning us against these things - it is a given that these are sin.

“Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.” - This is the positive outlook about living out your faith. If you can drink a beer without shame or guilt, then it is not a sin to you. Don’t talk yourself into doing something about which you feel uncomfortable. That discomfort is the Holy Spirit guiding you to peace with God and yourself.

If you have to argue with yourself, convince yourself that it’s OK - it probably is NOT OK for you. If you have, for all your life, have thought drinking alcohol is bad, violating that conviction is causing sin, guilt, and shame in you. On the other hand - Be careful: we can ‘sear’ our conscience with compromise and rationalization to the point our conscience no longer gives warning. Therefore, we must always listen to the urging of the Holy Spirit!

V. 23 - “he who doubts is condemned...” - If you are not sure you should be doing this (whatever the ‘this’ is), the unease is from the Holy Spirit. God is letting you know. Listen to Him. Seldom does God step up with a bullhorn, “Hey! You! Stop what you are doing!” More often it is a quiet whisper, “You will hear a word spoken behind you, saying, ‘This is the correct way, walk in it,’ whether you are heading to the right or the left.” (Isa 30:21)

“whatever is not from faith is sin.“ - See: Jam 2:26, 4:17. Whatever we do should be done for God’s glory (1 Cor 10:25-31).

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Rom 14:14-18 - Nothing is Unclean

14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 
15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 
16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; 
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 
18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Walking According to Love

V. 14 - “I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself“ - Paul is not referencing activities which are sinful. Physical items - animals, rocks, wood, fire, water, etc. - are not, cannot be evil. Only our use of them in sinful activities imbues them with ‘sin’.

“who thinks anything to be unclean“ - For example, a chunk of wood is not evil, but when carved into an idol that chunk becomes involved in a sinful activity. So, is the idol evil? Let me take a different tack: Jesus is castigating the Pharisees and scribes because they are nit-picking between what is holy and what is not (See: Matt 23:15-22). It seems that people were making promises (swearing oaths) using the temple or items in the temple. By parsing the oaths, they were claiming some promises more valid than others. Jesus was asking: Which is more important - the temple or the gold covering the temple? The altar or the offering on the altar? Heaven or God who rules all of heaven and earth? The Pharisees were focusing on the wrong things. What they were doing was sinful - diminishing the importance and glory of the Lord - but they didn’t see it that way.

How do the oaths of the Pharisees tie into what Paul was addressing - thinking some things are unclean or sinful when they intrinsically are not? Both errors are caused by focusing on the wrong thing. The Pharisees were focusing on their own set of rules, cleverly (in their own minds) avoiding commitments to the Lord. They were hedging their bets: “Well, that wasn’t a valid oath! So I don’t need to keep that promise. If God wanted me to give that up, He would have given me the correct words to say!” They were narrowing down to a pin prick the size of the impact God was to have on their lives.

In the case of the people to whom Paul was writing: They were focused on what used to be unclean. They couldn’t believe the freedom they now have. “This can’t be right! How could God change His mind on what is unclean?” The focus was on what they were (used to be...) rather than on what they are - free in Christ.
The difference: The Pharisees wanted to limit God’s impact on their behavior; the new Christians were letting their past limit their freedom of behavior.

Paul sees this and understands correctly - even though something that was unclean is no longer so, these new believers were being convicted of sin. They were feeling guilt and shame, even though it was unnecessary. That guilt and feeling of shame for sins was limiting the abundant Christian life promised by our Savior.

V. 15 - “you are no longer walking according to love” - Paul gets to the nub of the matter. What is more important to you? Doing what you want, when you want, or being considerate of others? He was dealing with a clash of cultures - one group had grown up with strict rules, the others not so much. If you love a fellow believer, don’t cause them spiritual discomfort.

You like to eat bacon, but your friend grew up believing eating bacon was a sin. Why would you entice that friend when you know it makes him feel like he is sinning against a God? Is that showing love? Or maybe you know someone who sees no problem eating food taken from an altar. There were no such strictures in his pre-Christian life. Is that person showing love towards you when he grabs an offering to eat, and gives some to you (knowing this would freak you out)?

“Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died” - The first thing that pops into most of our minds is, “Come on! Come on, man!” How could food destroy someone? Anything that causes me to believe I have sinned against the Lord; anything that damages that relationship is destroying it. The ‘thing’ may not actually be a sinful act.
Why would you lead another to breaking his relationship with Jesus. (I think that Jesus knows the act is indeed not sinful, and from His perspective the relationship is intact.) When I think that I no longer can come to God because I have sinned against Him, the relationship is effectually damaged.

V. 16 - “Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil” - Anything that leads you into sin, and breaking off the relationship with Jesus Christ is evil. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should. See: 1 Cor 6:12-13 - "’All things are lawful for me’ - but not everything is beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’ - but I will not be controlled by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both. The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

Also: 1 Cor 10:23-31 "’Everything is lawful,’ but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is lawful,’ but not everything builds others up. Do not seek your own good, but the good of the other person. Eat anything that is sold in the marketplace without questions of conscience, or the earth and its abundance are the Lord's. If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is served without asking questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, ‘This is from a sacrifice,’ do not eat, because of the one who told you and because of conscience - I do not mean yours but the other person's. For why is my freedom being judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I blamed for the food that I give thanks for? So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

V. 17 - “For the kingdom of God is... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” - Jesus’ kingdom is not food or drink, but abundant life in Him.

V. 18 - “Who in this way serves Christ” - The big picture here is: serving the needs of others is serving Christ! See: “But Jesus called them and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant’ ” (Matt 20:25-26). And, “The greatest among you will be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt 23:11-12)

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