The Weaker Brother?
I want to share part of a response I received to Friday’s devotional. The respondent shared three possible conclusions we could have towards a brother or sister in Christ who is “in favor of some policy that makes perfect sense to (them), but that I know beyond the shadow of a doubt would have massive horrific unintended consequences.” The conclusions are:
1. Demonize the person as a spawn of Satan
2. For some reason the person just doesn’t quite see where I’m coming from on this issue
3. I could assume that maybe the person is actually smarter than me and I’m the one who’s wrong
Here’s the part I wanted to share:
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In any case, for the moment let’s assume we really are right. If we take option two with folks who are in the camp, we usually come up with one of two conclusions, neither of which is hate: (1) that we haven’t done a good enough job of explaining our own position (i.e., we crucify pride and take responsibility for not having done our own job well enough, since God may very well have given us some unique insight that these other folks lack: this is the equivalent of weeping over the lost rather than hating them for, in effect, having never heard the Gospel), or (2) realizing that certain people, though good and smart and decent, just aren’t cut out to be leaders, at least in the area in which they’re serving. Often, they are examples of the Peter Principle: they’ve been promoted to the highest level of their own incompetence.
I thought long and hard on what this person wrote because I knew last Thursday night that the Lord was trying to teach me something and this response crystallized what I had been trying to discern. The Apostle Paul wrote about it in this way:
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“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 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 received him. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:1-4)
I’m really glad that our Sunday school class is beginning a study on the Book of Romans, also known as Paul’s Gospel, because it is at times difficult to understand. One quick glance at the verses above might bring the question: “Bro Dave, what does eating have to do with anything you are writing?” Good question!
Do not focus on the food; focus on the principle here. There has always been disunity in the church, however no more so than what we see now. So how do we respond to someone who is obviously weaker in the faith? Warren Wiersbe advises on this passage:
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“In every church there are weak and strong believers. The strong understand spiritual truth and practice it, but the weak have not yet grown into that level of maturity and liberty. The weak must not condemn the strong and call them unspiritual. The strong must not despise the weak and call them immature. God has received both the weak and the strong; therefore, they should receive one another.”
In the past 2 ½ years being somewhat involved in the pro-family/life fight that has been going on, I have seen a lot of despising, much of it from me. This is what God broke my heart over last Thursday. I have despised many of the pro-family leaders for what I perceived as incompetence and infidelity to the cause, and much of that perception was in actuality fact.
Nevertheless, I despised my weaker brother. It never dawned on me until I read Friday’s response that some of these people may actually have “been promoted to the highest level of their own incompetence.” And if they had, do I just throw them away? Again from the respondent:
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We don’t have to agree with the specific policies or actions of, say, the pro-life movement over the past 40 years, to appreciate the sacrifices of the many who went before us; neither do we have to demonize them when we think they got it wrong (though personally, I sometimes yell about it). We should appreciate their faithfulness and sacrifice, and then learn from their errors.
How am I supposed to deal with the weaker brother? The Apostle Paul again instructs us:
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“For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
As a mature Christian, where is the greater challenge when dealing with the weaker brother or sister? Is it easier to rebuke or to rear? Now there is indeed a time and a place for rebuking, but it must be done biblically as Jesus taught. We don’t just get to send out imprecatory prayers or stinging emails just because we are right. We are not to cause strife within the church:
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“But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Corinthians 12:20-27)
How do I know that God is done using Tony Perkins, Jay Sekulow, James Dobson, and the other Christian leaders? I do know for a fact that these men have been biblically approached over the years, but it has mainly been over policy issues. I must pray and seek God’s will for how I am to deal with such men. Perhaps the answer will be to not be involved with them at all! Now that’s a novel thought.
What I do know is that in the past my motives have not been pure; I have spewed much hateful venom, veiled as it was, in many an email and conversation. You didn’t see it…you could not possibly have…I was too clever for you to see that. Well, not all of you. Some of you were on me from the beginning.
When dealing with the weaker brother I need to constantly live by Paul’s exhortation to the Thessalonian church:
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“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)
That should keep me busy for quite awhile.
In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4
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Copyright © 2010 David Jeffers
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