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January 29,2017 |
| The Weak In Faith | ||
In any church there are some people whose faith is stronger than others. This will always be true and was also true in the early church.
Generally, weak faith is a characteristic of the spiritually young. At that stage of their development they often bring ideas with them that they picked up in the world before they converted to Christianity. These are ideas about what is right and wrong and how life should be lived. With time they should grow out of these and into a full understanding of God and his ways
The spiritually strong need to be careful though how they handle the spiritually weak and their ideas from the world. They are loved by God but some of their thinking is not of God. The apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the Church of Rome. As he does, we come to understand how important it is that we handle these situations carefully and with love.
1 But offer a hand to the one who is weak in faith and do not be divided by your disputes.
The Apostle Paul introduces this section of his message to the Roman Church by saying "do not be divided by your disputes". He wouldn't be saying this unless there were disputes. There are different kinds of disputes though. Just as the Apostle John said:
If a man sees his brother who sins a sin that is not worthy of death, let him ask, and life will be given to him for those who are not sinning unto death; for there is mortal sin; I do not say that a man should pray for this. 17 For every evil is sin, and there is sin that is not mortal. (1 John 5:16-17)
Therefore there can be disputes about whether something is a deadly sin or about things that are very small, things that cause unnecessary division. In this section Paul is talking about disputes over small things. In fact, he will go on to say that the division that is caused is more serious than the disputed matter.
2 There is one who believes that he may eat everything, and he who is weak eats vegetables. 3 But 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 accepted him.
The disputed matter here is about practices within the body of Christ. Here he discusses foods that can be eaten but next he will address days that are observed.
From the words, we can figure out the situation. There is a new Jewish convert to Christianity eating with other Christians. Some people don't understand how this can be because Jews were not required to eat vegetables. Jews were only allowed to eat meat from clean animals and only if it was Kosher, prepared according to the law. If a Jew was unsure what meat was offered to him or whether it had been prepared properly, he would eat vegetables only.
We see this happening with the young mem of Israel who are being trained to serve in the Babylonian royal court.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. […] 12 "Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink." (Daniel 1:8,12)
In this situation in Rome then, there is a new convert from Judaism who is still holding to the rules he was raised with from childhood while he eats with Christians who eat anything. He feels it is safer not to eat the meat they are eating and to only eat vegetables.
Paul says how they should handle this
To the one who will only eat what is clean and Kosher, Paul also says, "God has accepted [the other]." In doing this he is recalling the conversion of the other and likely signs of the Holy Spirit. This is the same argument used earlier at the first Jerusalem Council
And God, who knows what is in the hearts, testified to them and gave them the Spirit of Holiness as to us. 9 And he made no distinction between us and them, because he purified their hearts by faith. 10 And now, why are you tempting God, so as to put a yoke on the necks of the disciples, which not even our fathers nor we were able to bear? (Acts 15:8-10)
Peters point at that council is "God has accepted them as they are so who are you set a tighter standard." That is also Paul's point here to the Jewish convert.
4 Who are you to judge a Servant who is not yours? For if he stands, he stands to his Master, and if he falls, he falls to his Master, for it is appointed to his Master to be able to establish him.
These words appear to be directed to both groups. He is working toward an important point that he won't complete until a few verses later. The message here is that it is the Holy Spirit's role to raise his servants to their feet when they fall. We are not to judge them on things like this.
This stands in stark contrast to Paul's words to the Corinthians.
I have written this to you, not to mix, if there is one who is called a brother, and he is a fornicator, or a greedy man, or an idol worshiper, or an abuser, or drunkard, or a robber, with whom you are not even to eat bread. 12 For what business have I to judge outsiders? Judge the insiders. 13 But God judges the outsiders; remove the evil one from your midst. (1 Corinthians 5:11-13)
The reason for the difference is the difference that was mentioned above: mortal sins versus other sins and failings.
Sidebar:
Some people have tried to use these verses (v5,6) to say that all days of observance are effectively canceled and only the domain of the spiritually weak. That would have to include Sabbath, Passover / Easter / Resurrection Day, and Pentecost. That claim doesn't make any sense though. The claimant would be pronouncing himself spiritually weak. After all, who doesn't observe Passover / Easter / Resurrection Day.
Treating Passover / Easter / Resurrection Day as optional is also opposed to everything that is known about the earliest churches. They observed Passover and that is how it has come down to us through the ages.
Paul's point about food is clear enough to shed some light on his similar use of days. That point is, some Christians were still living according to Jewish food law and were concerned about defiling themselves by eating the foods that Christians were eating that were not Kosher. Paul makes it clear this is a small matter. Therefore these "days" must also be "small matter" days.
So the question is: are there days on a Jew's calendar that would be important to a Jew but wouldn't be important to Paul. There are many such days, Fast of Tammuz, Tisha B'Av, Tu B'Av, Chanukah, and others. These would have to be the days mentioned here.
5 There is one who distinguishes one day from another and there is another who judges all days the same, but let every person be certain in his own mind. 6 Whoever esteems whatever day, he esteems it for his Lord, and everyone who does not esteem whatever day, for his Lord he does not esteem it. He who eats, eats for his Lord and he gives thanks to God, and he who does not eat, for his Lord he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God.
Until the verse above, Paul has been talking about foods. Now he changes to days that are considered special and probably observed in some way. His message on these is the same as for foods - whatever he does, he does for his Lord. The inference has to be that we are not to judge each other on days of observance just like Paul instructed for foods eaten.
7 For none of us lives for himself and no man dies for himself. 8 For if we live, we live for our Lord, and if we die, we die for Our Lord; whether we live, therefore, or we die, we belong to Our Lord.
In essence Paul is saying we are a community, not individuals and everything we do is for our Lord. Remember when we accepted his covenant; the terms were that he was the owner of our life. Therefore we belong to him and he does as he chooses.
9 For this purpose also the Messiah died and lived and arose, that he would be the Lord Yahweh to the dead and to the living.
Paul continues, saying the Messiah died, lived and arose so that, among other things, he would be lord over all. His point is that Jesus asks nothing of us that he hasn't given himself, right up to his life.
10 But why are you judging your brother, or why do you even despise your brother? For all of us are going to stand before the judgment seat of the Messiah, 11 according to what is written: "As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, every knee shall bow to me and to me every tongue shall swear." 12 So then, every person among us gives an account of himself to God.
Paul now returns to his earlier point and we see the words "judging" and "despise" again in reference to the two sides in the dispute. Think of the long-term consequences, he says, you are accountable for your words and actions.
13 From now on let us not judge one another, but determine this rather: "You shall not lay a stumbling block for your brother." 14 For I know and I am persuaded by the Lord Yahweh Yeshua that there is nothing that is defiled in his presence. But to the one who regards anything impure, it is impure to him alone.
When he says "not judge one another" we know from the context that he is talking about these small things. Then he begins to show how severe the results of their actions can be. They could cause a brother to stumble. In the coming Ten Commandments study we'll see that interfering in the spiritual life of another is included in one of the commandments, so … serious.
Then he says he is convinced that pure and impure foods are no longer a concern. Now he makes an important statement. To the person who believes something is impure, it IS impure. But that doesn't mean it is impure to anyone else. He will pick up on that thought in a few more verses. For the moment he will concentrate on the idea of causing a brother or sister to stumble.
15 But if you grieve your brother because of food, you are not walking in love. You shall not destroy, by your food, one for whose sake the Messiah died. 16 And let not our good be blasphemed.
In summary, if you cause a brother or sister to stumble:
17 For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but the righteousness and the peace and the joy in the Spirit of Holiness. 18 for whoever serves the Messiah in these things is beautiful to God and is approved before the children of men. 19 And now, let us run after peace and after building one another up.
20 And let us not destroy a Servant of God because of food, for everything is pure, but it is evil to a man who eats with offense. 21 For it is good that we do not eat flesh, neither drink wine, neither anything by which our brother is subverted.
Paul returns to his earlier point - if it is believed to be impure, it is impure.
Paul says that it is better that we don't eat meat or drink wine than to cause a brother or sister to stumble. That doesn't mean we should never eat meat or drink wine. It only means that we should not do that if there is a chance it will cause someone to stumble.
22 You who have faith in your soul, hold it before God. Whoever does not judge his soul in the thing which he designates is blessed. 23 For whoever is doubtful and eats is condemned because it is not in faith, for everything that is not from faith is sin.
Here is where it gets interesting. If a person believes it is wrong to do something, even though it isn't, but does it anyway, has sinned. Therefore we can cause a brother or sister to sin by encouraging them too much to do what is wrong in their eyes.
Chapter 15
1 Therefore, we who are strong are indebted to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 But let each of us please his neighbor with good as for edification, 3 Because even the Messiah did not please himself, but according to what is written: "The reproach of those reviling you fell upon me."
Because of this danger of causing the weak to sin, the strong must bear the infirmities of the weak.
1 Corinthians 8
4 Concerning food sacrifices to idols, we know that the idol is nothing in the universe and that there is no other God but One. 7 But that knowledge has not been in every person, for there are some people even until now in whose conscience eat what is sacrificed to idols, and because their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us to God, for if we eat, we gain nothing, and if we do not eat, we lose nothing. 9 But take heed, lest this your power shall be a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if a man should see you who have knowledge in you, reclining in the house of idols, behold, will he not be encouraged to eat what is sacrificed because his conscience is weak? 11 And he who is sickly, for whose sake the Messiah has died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 And if in this way you subvert your brethren and tread on the conscience of the sickly, you commit an offense against the Messiah. 13 Therefore, if food brings down my brother, I shall never eat flesh, lest I cause my brother to sin. (1 Corinthians 8:4,7-13)
We don't see a lot of Jewish converts in our church. Can we apply this teaching to other groups, perhaps Catholics? Some of the Messianic churches insist that the Jewish food laws apply to Christians. Can we apply this to them?
Paul's point in the first verse is that these disputes about small matters can cause division. How does that happen and how can we avoid it?
The weak in faith are the responsibility of the strong; the spiritual children are the responsibility of the spiritual adults
This may require sacrifices from us