Our Duty Towards the Weak In Faith
I am speaking here of the weak in the faith. What is our duty to them? How can we benefit them? How do we treat them?
To start with, we are to accept them. We don't pass judgment on opinions that they may have, we just accept them. In this passage in Romans we find out about differences in the body, how one will believe one thing to be wrong and another something different. The truth is that those who are strong in the faith, who have found out that some petty things are not worth discussing will need to adjust our behavior so that we do not offend our brother/sister:
Romans 14:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 14
Principles of Conscience
[14:1] Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
We also have an obligation to bear the weakness of the brother or sister without strength. We do this for their edification - to build them up in any way that we can. It turns out that we are to imitate Christ in this manner. That weakness may be something as simple as "no dancing". Ok, we don't dance because we don't want to offend the person or cause them to have doubts about what they themselves have believed. We help them by discipling them, adding to their knowledge of the Lord. But that has to be done over a period of time. We have to encourage them to seek out what is written in the Word of God as the last authority for what is right and wrong. Not to accept verbatim a list of dos and don'ts from some group which may or may not be in scripture. Help the person to check out the list for themselves. This gets them into the word and builds their self confidence in the Lord.
Romans 15:1-3 (NASB)
CHAPTER 15
Self-denial on Behalf of Others
[15:1] Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. [2] Each of us is to please his neighbor *for his good, to his edification. [3] For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.”
There is generally a lot of fear of man and situations that we may find ourselves in. The best thing to do is to encourage those who are fainthearted. We help them to overcome their fears and learn to trust in the Lord. We are also to help the weak in the faith and to be patient while doing so.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NASB)
[14] We urge you, brethren, admonish the *unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Last but not least, we are to bear their burdens. We restore those who have been caught in a sin, helping them to get back on track with the Lord. We are to be gentle and at the same time realize that we can be tempted as they were.
Galatians 6:1-2 (NASB)
CHAPTER 6
Bear One Another's Burdens
[6:1] Brethren, even if *anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. [2] Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
It is not enough to only talk about helping those weak in the faith. We also must find ourselves doing something about it. The tendency is to not get involved, and that is completely against the nature of the Church. The Church is a body of believers that encourage each other and help each other out in times of duress and in times of gladness. We are a family as it were of heirs. It says in Hebrews that we are to encourage one another day after day to keep our hearts from being hardened by sin:
Hebrews 3:12-13 (NASB)
The Peril of Unbelief
[12] Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart *that falls away from the living God. [13] But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
To start with, we are to accept them. We don't pass judgment on opinions that they may have, we just accept them. In this passage in Romans we find out about differences in the body, how one will believe one thing to be wrong and another something different. The truth is that those who are strong in the faith, who have found out that some petty things are not worth discussing will need to adjust our behavior so that we do not offend our brother/sister:
Romans 14:1 (NASB)
CHAPTER 14
Principles of Conscience
[14:1] Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.
We also have an obligation to bear the weakness of the brother or sister without strength. We do this for their edification - to build them up in any way that we can. It turns out that we are to imitate Christ in this manner. That weakness may be something as simple as "no dancing". Ok, we don't dance because we don't want to offend the person or cause them to have doubts about what they themselves have believed. We help them by discipling them, adding to their knowledge of the Lord. But that has to be done over a period of time. We have to encourage them to seek out what is written in the Word of God as the last authority for what is right and wrong. Not to accept verbatim a list of dos and don'ts from some group which may or may not be in scripture. Help the person to check out the list for themselves. This gets them into the word and builds their self confidence in the Lord.
Romans 15:1-3 (NASB)
CHAPTER 15
Self-denial on Behalf of Others
[15:1] Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. [2] Each of us is to please his neighbor *for his good, to his edification. [3] For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME.”
There is generally a lot of fear of man and situations that we may find ourselves in. The best thing to do is to encourage those who are fainthearted. We help them to overcome their fears and learn to trust in the Lord. We are also to help the weak in the faith and to be patient while doing so.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NASB)
[14] We urge you, brethren, admonish the *unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Last but not least, we are to bear their burdens. We restore those who have been caught in a sin, helping them to get back on track with the Lord. We are to be gentle and at the same time realize that we can be tempted as they were.
Galatians 6:1-2 (NASB)
CHAPTER 6
Bear One Another's Burdens
[6:1] Brethren, even if *anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. [2] Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
It is not enough to only talk about helping those weak in the faith. We also must find ourselves doing something about it. The tendency is to not get involved, and that is completely against the nature of the Church. The Church is a body of believers that encourage each other and help each other out in times of duress and in times of gladness. We are a family as it were of heirs. It says in Hebrews that we are to encourage one another day after day to keep our hearts from being hardened by sin:
Hebrews 3:12-13 (NASB)
The Peril of Unbelief
[12] Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart *that falls away from the living God. [13] But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.