¶ Weak and Strong
The weak and the strong are two consciences in one church.
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him,
but not to quarrel over opinions.
We who are strong have an obligation
to bear with the failings of the weak,
and not to please ourselves.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?
Romans 14 is not about doctrine that saves. It is about days and food. One believes he may eat anything. The weak eats only vegetables. One esteems a day. Another esteems every day alike. Welcome the weak. Do not quarrel. The strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please themselves. Christian liberty sits with the strong. It does not let them despise the weak or let the weak pass judgment on the strong.
- Each will stand before his own master. Christ died and lived again that He might be Lord of both.
- A stumbling block is what the strong must decide never to lay down.
- The church pursues peace and mutual upbuilding. The kingdom is not eating and drinking.
Welcome him. Bear with him. Do not please yourself. Christ is Lord of both.
Welcome the one who is weak in faith.
The strong bear with the failings of the weak.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?
- Weak and strong here are consciences about food and days.
- Welcome the weak. Do not quarrel over opinions.
- The strong are obligated to bear with the weak.
- Neither despising nor judging belongs in the church.
- Each servant stands or falls before his own master.
- The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking.
¶ Key Aspects of the Weak and the Strong
- The Welcome – The weak in faith is received.
- The Opinions – Food and days, not the gospel.
- The Obligation – The strong bear with the weak.
- The Lord – Christ is Lord of both.
- The Limit – Do not destroy a brother with a right.
- The Kingdom – Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 14:1-4 – “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions… Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.”
- Romans 15:1-2 – “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
- Romans 14:17 – “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?
Welcome the weak. Strong brother, bear with him. Do not please yourself. Christ is Lord of both.
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