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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 Weaker in the FaithLuther Walker2023-12-14T11:18:52-08:00

Scandalize (σκανδαλίζω)

Scandalize is to shockingly offend a person’s moral sensibility.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of a man scandalizing himself when he looks at a woman for the purpose of desiring her for adultery, for in doing so he has already committed adultery in his heart, Matthew 5:28. The kingdom of the heavens is what Jesus is preaching. After the Messiah comes, is cut off, the Temple is desecrated by Satan, and the Messiah returns in glory, He sets up a Kingdom that will last for 1000 years, Daniel 9:24-27. In setting up this kingdom, God makes a new covenant with Israel in which He writes His law within their heart, Jeremiah 31:33. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is giving instructions concerning the rules of this kingdom, not for today. This man scandalizes himself because he intentionally violated the law of God that is written in his heart by acting upon a thought to desire another woman by glancing at her for this purpose. Unlike under the Mosaic Law where the act of adultery, which is a sin, would be punished, he is held liable for scandalizing himself by using his members in a way that is contrary to what he knows is right even though the physical act of adultery has not been committed, for sin and scandalizing are not the same thing. This is not referring to today, for we are in a period of time in which we must learn the law of God, which for the Church is to live by grace through faith. Therefore, such desires, although we may strongly desire not to have them, do not scandalize us, for we expect to have to deal with […]

Scandalize (σκανδαλίζω)Luther Walker2023-12-23T11:33:57-08:00

Edification

Edification (οἰκοδομή) describes the act of building up and is especially focused on improving the mind and understanding. In Scripture, it is used to describe the building of the temple along with the edification of those within the Church; both are illustrating the act of building.

Edification is an important aspect of our relationship among the saints. Christ commanded us to love other saints in the New Commandment, John 13:34. This is a unique relationship that those of the Church are to have for each other and through our love, others will see that we are Christ’s disciples, John 13:35. One aspect of this love is how we edify others. Within the assembly, those who are strong in the faith support the weak ones. When it comes to how we live out our faith in what we eat and the days that we honor, we are to be respectful of each other’s decisions, pursuing peace so that we build each other up, Romans 14:19. One who is strong in the faith will build up those who are weak, not pleasing themselves, but bearing their weaknesses so that we all can through support, encouragement, fellowship, and learning together, be strengthened in our understanding of the faith, Romans 15:1-2.

When it comes to the manifestation of Spiritual gifts within the assembly, edification should be the main point. When the Church was young and did not have its full revelation, those with the gift of prophecy could edify the saints, where those with the gift of tongues would only edify themselves, for the speaking of tongues is a gift given for a sign to the unbeliever and therefore should not be used among the saints, where the gift of prophecy […]

EdificationLuther Walker2023-11-25T07:53:31-08:00

Doubting (διακρίνω)

In Romans, when Paul writes concerning what sin is for a Christian, he uses a word that has the meaning of “to thoroughly judge”, which is translated as “doubting” or “making a distinction”

But the one doubting, if perhaps, he should eat is condemned because it is not out from faith. And all which is not out from faith is sin. – Romans 14:23.

Since sin involves doing something that is not out from faith, doubting is questioning what is permissible. Therefore, when we do something that is contrary to what we have determined within our minds is permitted by God for us as Christians, we are not taking God at His Word. This involves a battle with the conscience, for it will either excuse or accuse us based upon our knowledge and actions (Romans 2:15). One who is doubting is thoroughly judging ways to get around their conscience to justify doing something that they know is wrong. Typically, this type of a situation comes about by the influence of others. We are instructed in Romans 14:1 to accept the weaker in the faith brother, but not for the purpose of thoroughly judging their beliefs. And neither is to seek to influence the other with the way they have chosen to separate themselves out to God (Romans 14:10). One may choose to abstain where the other does not. This is not permitting sin in the assembly, but how we each govern our own bodies before God.

James also uses this same word to describe someone who is not asking out from faith. Describing this type of a person as one who is like a wave of the sea that is driven by the wind and tossed (James 1:6). These are […]

Doubting (διακρίνω)Luther Walker2023-11-25T08:05:01-08:00

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 […]

Pleasing (ἀρέσκω)Luther Walker2024-09-05T05:52:16-07:00

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