Concerning the eating of meats that had been offered to an idol, Paul said: “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble (other translations say: offend, sin, fall or cause his downfall), I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Cor. 8:9-13). The weak brother is offended only when he is emboldened to do the thing he believes is wrong.  

Does this mean that the weak brother has the right to demand that others conform to his weakness? The same writer told the Romans: “For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him” (Rom. 14:2,3). There is a great difference between an individual respecting a person’s personal convictions as a matter of his choice and respecting them as God’s law. Not despising the one with whom you disagree applies to both.

The Pharisees were “offended when they heard this saying” (Mt. 15:12). Should Jesus have ceased teaching the thing that  offended them? Certainly not!

Many have misunderstood the Bible teaching on this subject and have concluded that we must not do anything that goes contrary to the conscience of any brother. The fact is that the brother should not go contrary to his own conscience, for to do so is to sin (Rom. 14:23), but it is not a sin for others to go contrary to his conscience—unless their practice would cause him to participate in the action, therefore to sin. A person does not sin who refuses to participate in the action that violates  his conscience, but he does sin when he makes his conscience everybody’s guide. That is “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mt. 15:9).

The weak brother obviously believes that his opinion is what the Bible teaches, or he would not be contending for that, but when the practice is not something that is immoral, but involves individual activity, he should desist from the activity, but that does not authorize him to demand that all others conform to his conscience. “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind,” but his conscience is not everyone’s guide.