In v.1, we are told to ACCEPT one who is weak in the faith...but not for the purpose of judging his opinions. First, understand the word "accept." It is the Greek Word proslambano and means in this passage to " admit to one's fellowship; to receive with kindness." What is at issue here is WHO to allow to become part of the fellowship (the church). In the era in which this is written, there were many people who were coming out of Judaism and still had desires to keep dietary restrictions and observing the feasts. Paul is admonishing the church to not beat these people up simply because they felt in their conscience that they needed to observe some of their Jewish practices.
When I served in NY, I knew a woman who came from a strong Catholic background. She approached me one day to make sure it was okay to make "the sign of the cross" when we prayed. Listen...I am a Baptist and just don't do that. Still...her conscience was wearing on her for not doing it in our church meetings. I encouraged her to worship as she saw fit. The same applies to those who have been taught that a certain manner of dress (I was guilty of this at times) is required when coming to worship. We accept people who wear neckties, who raise their hands in worship, or who make "the sign of the cross" in our midst. Are any of these things a requirement for worship? NO! But, in the heart of the one who does them, they are principles of conscience and we as believers (without those convictions but committed to Christ) are to ACCEPT these folks into our assembly.
I imagine that Paul's audience had a few guys in it who wanted to PUSH Grace throughout the assembly. They maybe thought that allowing some of the Jewish Legal Practices to come up...might lead to trouble, so they would mandate worshipping in grace (I know that is an oxymoron).
We are also given another principle: that we are not to allow our freedom in Christ to cause another person to get sidetracked in his faith (vv.13-). In this era of Grace, there is nothing that we must do to become right with God. There is nothing that we can do, once we are truly redeemed (saved), that will undo our Salvation. Yet, as Christ followers, we are obliged to follow Christ...and to live as He lived, and love as He loved. If our freedom in Christ causes another person to stumble in his faithful following of religious observance, then we are not loving as Christ loved. An example:
I am asked at times what the Bible teaches about "drinking." (Yes...I am going there.) Some want to know if the Bible ABSOLUTELY FORBIDS the drinking of alcohol. My answer gets me shunned at some old revivalist meetings. The answer is no. The Scripture does not forbid the drinking of alcohol. It never has.
HOWEVER:
- It does forbid drunkenness in all circumstances. I probably define drunkenness more conservatively than others. If a man "relaxes" with alcohol (i.e. uses a chemical substances to relax--) he is intentionally and willingly using a chemical to reduce his control of himself...which is (I believe) drunkenness. Is it mild? Maybe, I don't know. It may not be as severe as someone who passes out...but it is still a willing release of inhibitions that is brought on by a chemically induced circumstance. This being a matter I have already resolved in my heart...it is still not the reason that I choose not to consume alcohol. Here is my reason:
- I never want my freedom to become a stumbling block to others. I don't want people to see my conduct and be shaken in their faith. (This is also the reason I don't run people off the road; berate cashiers who fail to give me the correct change, or smash headlights of cars that cut me off at Walmart.) KIDDING! Whether one admits it or not...this is a true statement-- In America, both Christians and non-Christians see alcohol consumption as somewhat less than "Christian behavior." Everyone...NO! But many (if not most). Hey...one peson who thinks this way is enough of a reason to not ever cause an offense. By the way...not just in America, but also to every Muslim and adherents to most of the world's other major religions. (If you are going to think Missionally, then you must live in a way that promotes the gospel and encourages people to become followers of Christ EVERYWHERE and regardless of what their background is, live in such a way that the Gospel is real and relevant in their cultural context.)
Proverbs 21:2 in my takeaway today. "Every man's way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." I have never been in a spot where I could not justify any sin if I wanted to. I could explain why I did not give to the Lord's work...I could justify not working in the nursery, helping a stranded motorist, or spending time with my children. At the end of the day though... God often saw things differently. What I think of myself and my actions will not be the standard that I am measured against when I stand before Christ. The standard will be God's... and His alone. He weighs my heart and knows the truth...no matter what I say.
Grace,
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3 comments:
We so often fail to think about how our actions affect others. While we may see nothing wrong with it, others might. We can be so self-minded at times, thinking only of how our actions affect ourselves. I enjoyed this reading today. It is always good to be reminded that what we do affects other people.
How do you handle situations that have no clear cut right choice? When regardless of the way you go, you will (or at least may) offend someone or at least put up a barrier to the Gospel. It could be in the way we dress, what style of music we listen/approve of, where we eat, etc. Some are turned off to the message of the Gospel (or at least the messenger) when we are too conservative (suit & tie or dresses only) while others are offended if we are too much like the culture (the music is modern). I know the answer for my own life. Much like you and alcohol, we each must bathe the decision in prayer and filter it through God's Word and His heart for people. Once we find that peace from the Holy Spirit, be free in grace to live to the Glory of God in that manner.
Thanks Lauren for the post. I enjoyed the reading as well.
David,
It is certainly a difficult issue: balancing our rights against the rights of others. I want to be careful in not pulling more from the text than is there. In the context, Paul says to those living in grace, "Accept those who have views that are more restrictive." He does not tell us to change ourselves to attract them. We might do this...in fact I think there is a strong case for it when we tink missionally. However, I believe the issue discussed in this passage is addressing us...in saying that we should not ASSERT our rights on others, but be humble servants of Christ in meeting people at their point of need. (Ch 15 speaks to this pretty explicitly in the opening verses). I have found that my "tie" or "suit" do not necessarily offend people. They sometimes create a barrier or tension that I have to overcome to connect with them. Since it is not a doctrinal matter, I choose to remove the barrier. If everyone at our church wore suits...I would put one on for the same reason...to eliminate barriers.
It is probably worth noting that we are at our best when we are genuine. We don't usually have to get "spiky" hair or wear flip flops to connect to people. If we did it as only a put-on...to gain something from them...we have probably done more damage. Us "old guys" can connect with student (for instance) in Khakis and a golf shirt while being genuine much better than we could with an earring, our ball cap turned sideways and sportin' some serious "bling." They know when we are "jus frontin'"!(Yo... Yo). Thanks for the post. Peace Out.
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