Accepting the Weak for a Strong Church, Part 1

Romans 14 is a glorious chapter of truth in God's Word. It tells us how those with very different convictions in things that are "gray" in Scripture can live in unity.

What are some of the things on which all true Bible believing disciples agree?

• That the true and living God is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
• That the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant and the ultimate rule for belief and practice
• That salvation is by grace through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone
• That there is a place of eternal, conscious torment for the unbelieving lost: hell
• That the Lord Jesus Christ was and is both fully God and fully man
• That Christ will return bodily, visibly, in power, and unexpectedly some day

These are some of the bedrock beliefs that serve as the foundation of the body of Christ. We stand on these things and we stand TOGETHER on them in order to have true unity in the church.

But there are probably MORE things that true believers DIFFER on. These things are not foundational truths, but important truths nontheless. Things such as:

• The precise sequence of events in the last days
• The mode of baptism
• Styles of corporate worship
• Whether certain spiritual gifts are still in operation or not
• How much a believer should give to his local church
• What music is glorifying to God
• What movies are permissable for believers to view
• How much money a believer should store away for the future
• How Christians should school their children
• Whether Christians should use insights from psychology in dealing with people's problems
• And many, many, many more!

God's Word has many things to say about these issues, but what the Word says is interpreted and applied differently by different believers. From these differences emerge TWO basic groups:

• The STRONGER brothers
• The WEAKER brothers

The great difference between these two groups is their FAITH: what do they BELIEVE is right and wrong? What are their CONVICTIONS?

The STRONGER brother typically believes that Scripture gives him a broad freedom with lots of options. He might be stereotyped as saying, "JUST DO IT!"

The WEAKER brother, however, typically believes that Scripture gives a narrower range of options. He might be stereotyped as saying, "JUST DO IT THIS WAY!"

For example:

• Stronger brother on music: "I am free to listen to any music I desire. I can glorify and worship God using any style of music."
• Weaker brother: "Only music that remains within certain rythyms and beat glorifies God and does not appeal to the sinful flesh."
• Stronger brother on schooling children: "God gives me the latitude to school my children in public, private, or homeschool. As long as I keep up with what my children are being taught, God is pleased."
• Weaker brother on schooling children: "To raise a godly offspring requires homeschooling because God has given us as parents the sole responsibility for training of our children."

These kinds of differences can easily become WALLS in the church between believers. These convictions can be used to DEFINE who is on the Lord's side and who isn't! But they should NOT be.

How can we have a strongly unified church in spite of all the differences?

Romans 14 gives us the answer.

I will begin to look at the first answer in this passage in this entry and continue later.

Principle #1: ACCEPT one another.

"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions." v.1

• This deals with our ATTITUDE towards those with different convictions.
• ACCEPT means more than to let in the front door, it means to let the person with differing convictions into our intimate FELLOWSHIP and into our HEART!

Is there room in your heart for those with different convictions in areas of minor truth?

If you stand together on the MAJOR doctrines, do not allow differences in minor doctrine to become WALLS!