The Weak and the Strong
If you have experienced life in the Christian community for any length of time, you have likely heard the term “weaker brother.” There are two major questions about this term. First of all, what qualifies someone as a weaker brother? Secondly, how does God call believers to interact when a weaker brother is involved? Romans 14 is a key passage that deals with this issue.
1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Paul begins this passage by giving us an immediate clue as to what it means to be a weaker brother. He uses the phrase, “weak in faith.” So, the weaker brother is one who is somehow weak in what or how he believes. And Paul tells believers to welcome him, or to receive him. The weaker brother is to be fully accepted, and is not to be forced to become “strong” before experiencing a full embrace by his brothers and sisters.
2One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
So, Paul’s uses an example to illustrate his point. The issue he raises is that some Christians believe that they can eat anything and 
everything set before them. Others only eat vegetables. The issue is probably not the vegetarian issue that we are accustomed to in our culture. More likely this was a situation in which some were more stringent about how they followed Jewish kosher laws, or how they avoided eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols.
So, who is who? The weak person only eats vegetables. This means that the weaker brother is the person who tends toward a more stringent practice of the Christian life. He avoids certain things that seem questionable to him. And, more than this, for him it is an issue of faith. Remember that Paul spoke about the one who is “weak in faith.” Then he says in verse 2 that some believe that they can eat anything, and others do not. The weaker brother is weak because he does not believe that it is permissible for him to do certain things that other Christians think are okay.
everything set before them. Others only eat vegetables. The issue is probably not the vegetarian issue that we are accustomed to in our culture. More likely this was a situation in which some were more stringent about how they followed Jewish kosher laws, or how they avoided eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols.So, who is who? The weak person only eats vegetables. This means that the weaker brother is the person who tends toward a more stringent practice of the Christian life. He avoids certain things that seem questionable to him. And, more than this, for him it is an issue of faith. Remember that Paul spoke about the one who is “weak in faith.” Then he says in verse 2 that some believe that they can eat anything, and others do not. The weaker brother is weak because he does not believe that it is permissible for him to do certain things that other Christians think are okay.
3Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
Now Paul gives dual commands. The first command is to the one who eats. The one who eats is the stronger brother. He is the one who believes that it is permissible for him to do things that the Bible has not forbid. So Paul commands the strong person not to despise the one who abstains, the weaker brother.
The tendency of the strong person will be to despise, or think poorly of, the one who abstains. This certainly holds true to life. If a group of people sit down to dinner, and one person says, “I would rather that we not have wine with this,” it is likely that others, who were looking forward to a glass of wine, will be irritated. “Why is this person ruining our enjoyment of a gift of God?” they may ask. And then, in their minds, they may think, “What’s wrong with this person, that this is such a hang up for them?” And days later, when two or more of these friends are out, they may joke, “Let’s grab a drink. After all, that person isn’t here to stop us.” And in the end, that weaker brother may not be invited to the next dinner event.
On the other hand, the tendency of the weaker brother will be to pass judgment on the one who eats. “How can they drink wine? Don’t they know that drunkenness is a sin? Why would they put themselves in the way of temptation? They must simply not care about personal purity and righteousness as much as I do!” And then this person may very well gather together with others who have an objection toward drinking, and talk about how sad it is that so many brothers and sisters do not have their same desire to follow Christ.
Don’t despise the weak. Instead, accept them (verse 1). And don’t judge the strong. Accept them (verse 3).
The tendency of the strong person will be to despise, or think poorly of, the one who abstains. This certainly holds true to life. If a group of people sit down to dinner, and one person says, “I would rather that we not have wine with this,” it is likely that others, who were looking forward to a glass of wine, will be irritated. “Why is this person ruining our enjoyment of a gift of God?” they may ask. And then, in their minds, they may think, “What’s wrong with this person, that this is such a hang up for them?” And days later, when two or more of these friends are out, they may joke, “Let’s grab a drink. After all, that person isn’t here to stop us.” And in the end, that weaker brother may not be invited to the next dinner event.On the other hand, the tendency of the weaker brother will be to pass judgment on the one who eats. “How can they drink wine? Don’t they know that drunkenness is a sin? Why would they put themselves in the way of temptation? They must simply not care about personal purity and righteousness as much as I do!” And then this person may very well gather together with others who have an objection toward drinking, and talk about how sad it is that so many brothers and sisters do not have their same desire to follow Christ.
Don’t despise the weak. Instead, accept them (verse 1). And don’t judge the strong. Accept them (verse 3).
4Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
This command in verse 4 is then tacked on. It is a command to the weak because he is still talking about passing judgment (which is the tendency of the weak). He gives the reason why it is ridiculous to pass judgment. It is ridiculous because that person does not answer to us. That person answers to Christ (his own master). And just in case the weak person might respond in his mind by saying, “Fine, I’ll leave it to Christ to condemn him,” Paul adds in that the strong person will in fact be upheld because Christ will make him stand.
Who would you rather be? The weak or the strong? Well, while none of us would want to be labeled as the weaker brother, most of us have at least some areas in which we do not believe it is permissible for us to do something, even though the Bible does not forbid it. I may be fine with drinking a glass of wine, but I would never listen to secular music. I may think it is okay to watch an R-rated movie, but I would never wear jeans to church. I may go ahead and work sometimes on Sundays, but I would never permit my children to dress up on Halloween.
Why is this important? Because Paul does not command the weak to become strong. And he does not command the strong to become weaker. He simply tells the strong to accept the weak and not to despise them. And he tells the weak to accept the strong, and not to judge them.
Paul’s solution to the fact that we have different convictions within the Christian church is not to force us all to think the same thing. And his solution is not that we have a table for the weak and a table for the strong. His solution is that we all sit at the same table. And when the weak person humbly requests that we skip the wine, the strong person is more than happy to forgo a pleasure out of love for his brother. And when the strong person mentions that he just saw a movie that seems questionable to some at the table, the weak person chooses to think the best and does not condemn him in his mind.
Who would you rather be? The weak or the strong? Well, while none of us would want to be labeled as the weaker brother, most of us have at least some areas in which we do not believe it is permissible for us to do something, even though the Bible does not forbid it. I may be fine with drinking a glass of wine, but I would never listen to secular music. I may think it is okay to watch an R-rated movie, but I would never wear jeans to church. I may go ahead and work sometimes on Sundays, but I would never permit my children to dress up on Halloween.
Why is this important? Because Paul does not command the weak to become strong. And he does not command the strong to become weaker. He simply tells the strong to accept the weak and not to despise them. And he tells the weak to accept the strong, and not to judge them.
Paul’s solution to the fact that we have different convictions within the Christian church is not to force us all to think the same thing. And his solution is not that we have a table for the weak and a table for the strong. His solution is that we all sit at the same table. And when the weak person humbly requests that we skip the wine, the strong person is more than happy to forgo a pleasure out of love for his brother. And when the strong person mentions that he just saw a movie that seems questionable to some at the table, the weak person chooses to think the best and does not condemn him in his mind.Together. The Jew and the Gentile. The male and the female. The rich and the poor. The weak and the strong.
posted by Dan Franklin @ 3:41 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I really appreciate this post. My eyes have recently been opened to how a misunderstanding of this passage or just a refusal to live out its implications have lead to so many useless arguements in the church. I have recently been challenged on this topic by my Spiritual Formation Prof. He reminded us that it is the strong brother who has the responsibility to lay aside his freedom in order to support the weaker brother. Have you heard of "Free to Disagree" by Multnomah prof John Wecks?
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