Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Romans 14:1-6
Paul begins Romans 14 by urging us to “[a]ccept the ones whose faith is weak without quarreling over disputable matters.” (Romans 14:1). The remaining lines of the chapter indicate that he is referring to disputable matters regarding law vs grace.
If we jump to Romans 15:1 for a moment, we gain further clarity and instruction: “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” In this context, the strong (in faith) can be understood as “mature Christians” who understand their freedom in Christ, such as Paul. Having endured much, Paul deeply understood the freedom that comes from God’s grace, as he so eloquently wrote about. This kind of understanding comes gradually with time and perseverance; with trials and tribulations. Typically, the longer a person has been working out their salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), the stronger their faith or the more mature they are in Christ.
The reality is that each of us is at his own level of maturity and understanding at any given time. When we do encounter a Christian operating in weakness or a lack of understanding, it is our duty to “bear with the scruples of the weak”. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “scruples” is described as “a feeling of doubt or hesitation with regard to the morality or propriety of a course of action.” Therefore, it could be said that we are duty-bound to approach each other’s doubts, hesitations, misunderstandings and even immaturities with the utmost patience and understanding. Not unlike the way Jesus approached everyone. More specifically, mature Christians are not to despise other Christians (Romans 14:1-12); they are not to hinder the growth of weaker Christians (Romans 14:13-23); and they are to follow the example of Christ in treatment of newer Christians (Romans 15:1-13).
Bearing the scruples of the newer Christians should not be a matter of toleration. It means we let go of our temptation for self-righteousness in order to humbly (as servants of God), assist the weak by guiding them to maturity. In practice, it might look something like refraining from “foolish and ignorant disputes” (2 Timothy 2:23), counting the immature Christian “more significant than [ourselves]” and looking to their interests (growth) above our own (Philippians 2:3-4).
Paul provides three reasons to address the newer Christians (or any Christian, for that matter) with patience. The first reason is that whatever their sensitivity to law or practice, they are doing it “in honor of the Lord” (Romans 14:6). The second reason is because, we belong to Christ and he is Lord of all: “If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14: 8-9).
The third reason for bearing the “scruples of the weak” is that we are not the judge; that is God’s role.
For extra motivation regarding this topic, look no further than Jesus’ own words in Matthew 18:6, “If anyone cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung round their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” ! A gentler motivation could be, [When we serve others in His name, we are serving Him], (Matthew 25: 34-40).
Reflection: Think of a time or two that you said or did things for God or in the name of God that may have missed the mark, were foolish or maybe even seen as weird. Consider the gentle patience, compassion and understanding Jesus must have had for you at that time. Remember to pass it along.
by Jeanne Melberg
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