“Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet 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” (Romans 14:13-15).
In an attempt to avoid answering the omniscient God’s haunting question of “Where is Abel your brother?”, Cain responded with a lie—“I do not know” and a question—“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9-10). Neither response was a wise one.
Because we are made in Jehovah’s image, every human has vertical responsibilities to God and horizontal obligations to humanity. These responsibilities to others increase when you become a Christian.
A proper mindset you must have toward every brother in Christ whose conscience differs from yours is to not judge them or put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in their path.
Walking in love for another and his conscience means you are your brother’s keeper. Therefore, your passionate focus is on helping him go to heaven by walking in love and on striving to never wound his conscience, and thus put him into a spiritual tailspin.
The task of fervent brotherly love is to have a big heart without having a big head, because you are your brother’s keeper.
