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The Weaker in the Faith
Romans 14 – Receiving alongside the weaker in the faith
Romans 14:1-6
Moreover, bring alongside[1] the one weak in the faith , not unto discerning[2] of doubts, who on the one hand believes to eat all, on the other hand the weak one eats herbs. Let not the one eating despise the one not eating, and let not the one not eating judge the one eating. For the God brings him alongside. Who are you to judge the household servant of another? To his own Lord he stands or falls. And he will stand for the Lord has the natural ability to make him stand, who on the one hand judges a day alongside another, one the other hand who judges all days, each in his own mind being fully framed[3]. The one framing the mind on the day, to [the] Lord he frames the mind and the one not framing the mind on the day to [the] Lord does not frame the mind. And the one eating, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to the God and the one not eating does not eat to the Lord and gives thanks to the God.
[1] Often has the meaning of bringing alongside to instruct
[2] 1 Corinthains 12:10; Hebrews 5:14
[3] Combination of two Greek words. To fill up where something is lacking and to frame the mind. Luke 1:1; Romans 4:21; 2 Timothy 4:5,17
The Obligation of the Stronger in the Faith
Romans 15:1-16
The stronger, we are obligated to carry the weakness of the incapable and not please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor because of the love towards edification. For also the Christ did not please Himself, but just as it stands written, “The reproaches of the ones reproaching you fell up Me.” For as much as was written before hand, was written before hand for our teaching, in order that though the patience and through the encouragement of the writings we should have the hope. And the God of the patience and the encouragement, gives to you the same frame of mind among one another according to Christ Jesus, in order that in one accord with one mouth you should glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, you receive alongside one another, just as also the Christ received you along side unto the proper opinion of God.
And I say, Christ Jesus came to be a minister of circumcision on behalf of truth of God unto the confirmation of the promises of the fathers. And the Gentiles on behalf of mercy to glorify God, just as it stands written, “Because of this I will confess to You among Gentiles, and I will praise Your Name.” And again he said, “You rejoice, Gentiles, with His people. ” And again, “You praise the Lord all the Gentiles and all the people, you praise Him. ” and again Isaiah says, you are the root of Jesse and the one risen to rule the Gentiles . On the basis of Him the Gentiles will have hope. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace while believing , resulting […]
To quench (σβέννυμι)
To quench (σβέννυμι) generally means to suppress something. It is used in Scripture concerning fire, lamps, and desires.
Isaiah prophesied concerning the coming of the Messiah. He will not be quarrelsome nor cry out. No one will hear his voice in the streets. He will be gentle, not bruising a reed, and will not quench a smoking lamp wick until the time of justice comes, Matthew 12:20. He did not challenge the judgment of those in authority who sought to unrighteously kill Him. Instead, He walked quietly among the people, healing them and instructing them to not make Him known, for He did not seek a reputation for Himself but to show forth the glory of God the Father and do His will.
As Israel waits in the wilderness for the second coming of the Messiah, some will be prepared for His return. Those who are not ready will miss Him as He sweeps through the wilderness taking what is His, Matthew 25:8. The parable of the ten virgins is used to represent what will happen at this time. Those who are prepared will ensure they have sufficient oil for their lamps as they wait, where the others will pay no attention until the last moment, but their lamps will be quenched because of their failure to prepare.
While speaking of the Kingdom of the Heavens to the Jews, Jesus lays out the rules of His Kingdom, which we also know as the Millennial Kingdom. In His Kingdom, righteousness rules, Matthew 13:41-42. The Jew will have the law of God written upon their heart, Jeremiah 31:33. Therefore, during this time God will hold them liable for a trespass, along with their sins. However, mercy will still […]
Pleasing (ἀρέσκω)
Pleasing (ἀρέσκω) expresses the concept of acting in a fawning manner to win favor or to act in a way that is pleasing. Therefore, it has a negative, flattery, and a positive, pleasing, side to its meaning.
On Herod’s birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced before Herod and his guests to please him, instigating a response from him that resulted in a promise of a reward. This allowed Herodias to have John the Baptist put to death for calling out Herod’s unlawful act of being with her (his brother’s wife), for she had already instructed her daughter to ask for his head when the King offered her whatever she wanted because she pleased him, Matthew 14:6.
At the beginning of the Church, before the complete revelation concerning the Church was given, the first assembly in Jerusalem faced an issue with the care of the widows among the Hellenistic Jews. This issue required substantial attention and would impact the disciples’ ability to minister to the saints. To address this, the disciples called the multitude together to discuss selecting men who would handle the day-to-day affairs of the assembly, including ensuring that all widows were adequately cared for. This solution would allow the disciples to focus on ministering the Word instead of serving tables. The proposed resolution pleased the multitude, creating the position of Deacon, Acts 6:5.
The desires and works of the flesh cannot please God, for they are carnal in nature and, therefore, hostile to God, Romans 8:8. Because God imputes Christ’s death and resurrection to us, we are able to walk in newness of life, free from slavery to the sin nature, Romans 6:5-6. However, when we try to live the Christian life through law, the result […]