Saturday
Saturday
The Weak and the Strong
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
Romans 14:1
Our relationship with the weak is the one Paul treats at greatest length (14:1–15:13). They are evidently weak in faith or conviction rather than in will or character. So if we are trying to picture a weaker brother or sister, we must envisage not a vulnerable Christian easily overcome by temptation but a sensitive Christian full of indecision and scruples. What the weak lack is not strength of self-control but liberty of conscience. The weak in Rome must have been mainly Jewish Christians, who believed they should still observe both the food laws and the feasts and fasts of the Jewish calendar. Paul himself was one of the strong and identifies with their position. His educated conscience assures him that foods and days are matters of secondary importance. At the same time, he refuses to ride roughshod over the sensitive consciences of the weak. His overall exhortation to the church is to accept the weak as God has done (14:1, 3) and to accept one another as Christ has done (15:7). The strong must not despise, browbeat, or condemn the weak or damage them by persuading them to act against their conscience.
The most notable feature of Paul’s instructions is that he grounds them on his Christology, and in particular on the death, resurrection, and Parousia of Jesus. The weak are brothers and sisters for whom Christ died. Christ rose to be their Lord, and we have no right to interfere with his servants. He is also coming to be our judge, so we should not play the role of judge ourselves. We should also follow the example of Christ, who did not please himself but became a servant, indeed, a servant of both Jews and Gentiles. So Paul leaves his readers with a beautiful vision of the weak and the strong, Jewish believers and gentile believers, who are bound together by such a spirit of unity that “with one heart and mouth” they might glorify God together (v. 6).
For further reading: Romans 15:1–13