Once again, I’ve given you a passage
to read, but I might cite verses which are prior to or after these. If I do,
I’ll link to it.
The reason I’m doing it this way is
because Paul is speaking to both the “strong” (more mature) and the “weak,”
(less mature) throughout chapter 14 into 15:13, and it’s difficult to divide
the passage topically. In other words, he places instruction to the “strong”
right next to instruction to the “weak,” and several points can be applied to
both, for example vs. 4.
Yesterday we looked at Paul’s
counsel to the “strong,” those more mature in the Christian faith. Today I’d
like to examine what he says to those less mature.
First, he tells you not to judge
those whose decisions in “disputable matters” are different from your own.
Again, we’re not talking about anything that’s explicitly laid out in
Scripture. For example, the fact that God has categorically forbidden theft is
not disputable; he mentioned in his own “Top Ten List.” No, we’re talking about
personal decisions that can be debatable, such as whether or not it’s OK to eat
meat that’s been offered to idols.
If Scripture doesn’t forbid it, then
don’t pretend that it does. Don’t judge another believer if they’re doing
something that isn’t laid out in black and white. You might think that they’re
making an unwise choice, and you’re perfectly free to try to persuade them as
such. But God has some pretty harsh warnings
to those who try to pass off their own opinions as something that’s come
directly from him. That’s why I’m extra extra extra careful to distinguish what
the Bible plainly says from any speculation or interpretation on my part.
On a side note, I feel a little weird
giving out these warnings. The zeitgeist in which we live is so heavy on being
nonjudgmental that I feel like someone working really hard against polio. It's a horrible disease for anyone to get, and it once ravaged the lives of millions, but now it’s pretty much eradicated as a modern
threat. I don’t think that Christians in America are in particular danger of
legalism. The main modern danger seems to be antinomianism.
But even though the threat seems to
come from the opposite flank, judging others based on your personal opinion masked
as Scripture is still a danger. New Christians in particular, with their (very
laudable) zeal, want to please God with all their hearts, and they base their
convictions off of their personal experience, not what the Bible actually says.
Second--and this is extremely important—don’t
violate your conscience. If your conscience is bothering you about something,
STOP. If your conscience is telling you that eating meat that’s been offered to
idols is wrong, then don’t eat it. MacArthur: “Each Christian must follow the
dictates of his own conscience in matters not specifically commanded or
prohibited in Scripture. Since conscience is a God-given mechanism to warn, and
responds to the highest standard of moral law in the mind (2:14,
15), it is not sensible to train yourself to ignore it. Rather, respond to
its compunctions and as you mature, by learning more, your mind will not alert
it to those things which are not essential.” If you feel like something is
wrong, it’s better for you to abstain and find out later that you were incorrect
than to go forward and later find out that your conscience was accurate.
But—and I’ve haven’t heard this
point in a lot of discussions and Bible studies I’ve experienced about this
topic and passage—the weaker brother in this passage is less mature than the “strong”
brother, and regarding his immaturity, while we indulge it temporarily for the sake of love, this is a temporary accommodation,
not a permanent acquiescence to those whose understanding of Scripture is faulty.
A less mature believer needs to. . .well, mature. They need to examine their
convictions in the light of Scripture.
They need to move from basing their convictions on their personal
feelings and experiences towards basing their personal convictions on what God’s
word actually says.
And of course, this is a
never-ending process while in this life. I’ve known the Lord for decades, and I
constantly need to put my thoughts, convictions, speech, and actions under the
microscope of his word. The main result of my becoming more mature in the faith
has been to see more clearly just how much further I need to go. The danger of
mistaking my personal opinions for God’s revealed truth is an ever-present one.
I say this to myself as much to anyone reading this: Watch out.
Father God, it’s so much better for me
to mold my conscience around your word, but way too often I do the opposite.
Above all else, I just want to please you. By your grace, please help me do
that.
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