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Doctrinal Discussions:
Some Questionable Doctrines
These studies examine the traditional doctrines held by the Church of Christ to see if they are actually taught in the scriptures. This is not an "anti-Church of Christ" site. I was reared in the Church of Christ and have been preaching since 1968 in the Church of Christ. My desire is that we walk righteously before God, not according to traditions of men. Bernie Parsons
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"I Am Weak, So Stop Offending Me!"
by Bernie Parsons
November 11, 2009
Some Christians, condemning certain practices of their Christian brothers and sisters, invoke the "weakness" defense. I have seen this regarding things like eating pork, wearing a certain style of clothing, or participating in special observances, otherwise known as holidays. They say, "You can't do that, because that offends me." They cite:
Romans 14:15 "But if thy brother be
grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with
thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and
approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things
wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it
is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby
thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."
Yes, Paul said not to destroy the weak with a practice that does not matter to God, one way or the other. We must take care to look out for our weak brothers and sisters in Christ. As usual, people who approach the scriptures seeking to justify a preconceived doctrine tend to take the scriptures out of their original context. The "weakness" defense is one such peculiar doctrine. Usually when I have seen it invoked, it was because the person invoking it claimed to be offended by someone else participating in a holiday in one way or another.
Such a person is confessing that they are weak in the Lord, weak spiritually. They are admitting that their understanding is incomplete and immature in the Lord. If they are knowledgeable enough about the scriptures to invoke this "weakness" defense, then they know enough to keep the scriptures in their context and understand them correctly and completely. That is, unless they are merely parroting what someone else has instructed them to say. Put the verses back into their surrounding context, and it changes everything. Note where I have italicized relevant portions:
Romans 14:10 "But why dost
thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we
shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to
me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this
rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his
brother's way.
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean
of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is
unclean.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not
charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and
approved of men.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things
wherewith one may edify another.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure;
but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby
thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23 And he
that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for
whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
The italicized parts emphasize what the apostle Paul was teaching in this portion of his letter to the church at Rome. While it is true that he said that we are not to offend and destroy our brother for his lack of understanding, yet he tells all, whether strong or weak, not to judge one another! God will do the judging, not us. Paul goes on to weigh in on the side of the meat eater -- which also reflects upon the person who chooses to hold a day as special, above others -- when he says that "All things indeed are pure." The sin occurs when a person participates in eating meat or holding a day as special, when in his or her heart that person has decided that it is wrong to eat meat or hold the day as special! 22 "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. 23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
Paul is plainly stating that the sin is internal to the individual in this instance. God does not care if we eat meat or are vegetarians. As an aside, some ignore apostle Paul's contrast between eating meat and herbs -- plants -- arguing that this is referring to eating meat served to idol gods, or not. Although that they are wrong, it doesn't matter, as the point being made is the same, and is not restricted to meat, anyway. They use that erroneous criticism as a distraction from the main point.
God does not care if we feel that every day is just like every other, or whether some of us like to esteem one day above another! Yet, Paul takes the side of the meat eater, because God does not care what we eat! As Jesus told His critics, it all passes out into the waste, anyway! It is the weak person who condemns eating meat or keeping a day as special. His condemnation is due to a lack of understanding.
Paul, in verse 22, admonished the Roman Christians to keep their choice between themselves and God. It is an individual, personal matter, not to be imposed upon others. In verse 10, he said not to judge one another. In verse 19, he told them to follow the things that made peace. Sometimes, that means accommodating a spiritually weak person who lacks in understanding and wisdom until they learn better. Should we never teach the weak that their understanding is incorrect, or should we lovingly work with them to help them overcome this weakness?
If you read this and are one of those people invoking the "I am weak, and you are offending me" defense of your stance on an issue, you need to grow in the Lord, and learn what the scriptures teach! Don't revel and glory in your ignorance and weakness! I have seen church members who had been in the church for forty or fifty years, who still use the "I am weak, you are offending me" defense! At what point in their lives as Christians will they begin to grow and mature?
On the other hand, if you are smart enough to use that part of Paul's letter to justify your stand on an issue, you are also smart enough to realize that you are not supposed to do that! You can't use that scripture to attack your brothers and sisters who see and do those things differently than do you.
In fact, if you were as enlightened as you think that you are, that makes you the strong person of understanding, and the other person the one who is weak! Instead of trying to force them to agree with you, isn't Paul telling you to accommodate that "weak" person of "poor understanding" who thinks that one may hold a particular day as special to them? Aren't you supposed to "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another"?
No, to say that you are weak and are being offended is a poor defense for your animosity and belligerence toward those who keep one day as special above other days. If you are weak, let these ancient inspired Christian writers speak to you:
Romans 14:1 "Him that is weak in the faith receive
ye, but not to doubtful disputations. 2 For one
believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. 3
Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let
not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God
hath received him. 4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his
own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is
able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day
alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that
regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth,
eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the
Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. 7 For none of us liveth to
himself, and no man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live unto
the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live
therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ both died,
and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why
dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of
himself to God."
These are the words of the apostle Paul that precede the ones about accommodating the weak Christian. In them, he says that Christians are to accept one another without arguing over things that God doesn't care about, one way or the other, such as what is eaten or whether days are kept as special or treated all the same. We are not to judge, condemn, or argue with one another, about these personal practices. We answer to, and are judged by, our Master, who is God, through Jesus Christ. Our master can hold us up, even if our brother thinks that we have fallen.
The apostle Paul said that we are not to judge one another, which Jesus also taught.
Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure
ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine
eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast
out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
1 Corinthians 4:3
"But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of
man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that
judgeth me is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest
the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."
And, if weakness is your defense, heed what those ancient holy men wrote about that.
1 Corinthians 3:1 "And I, brethren, could not
speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in
Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for
hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and
strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye
not carnal?"
Hebrews 5:11 "Of whom we have many things to
say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need
that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles
of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
It takes a spiritually mature Christian to understand some parts of Christ's and His apostles' teaching. One who chooses to remain weak in understanding, and lacking in spiritual growth, is like a baby when it comes to handling the word of God. He or she is unskillful and not qualified to teach others. So, if you are claiming spiritual weakness, quit trying to teach others--you are not qualified!
Grow up! Learn what the Holy Bible is teaching us! Learn to rightly divide the word, as the apostle Paul told his protégé, Timothy.
Love, in Christ,
Bernie Parsons
