The
following are guidelines for living as redeemed people in a fallen
world. We are to:
-
Give Ourselves To God As Living Sacrifices (Part 1);
-
Obey The Government (Part 2);
-
Love Our Neighbors (Part 3); And
-
Take Special Care Of Those Who Are Weak In The Faith (Part 4).
TAKE
SPECIAL CARE OF THOSE WHO ARE WEAK IN THE FAITH
Romans
14:1 says
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over
disputable matters.”
Romans
14:13 says
“Therefore
let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your
mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a
brother or sister.”
Romans
14:19 says
“Let
us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to
mutual edification.”
Romans
15:1 says
“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and
not to please ourselves.”
The
above scriptures tell us that we are not to do anything in front of a
brother or sister that they think is wrong but we think, according to
the Bible, is not wrong.
Example
# 1:
You go out to dinner with brothers and sisters. You normally have a
glass of wine with your meal and you believe, according to the Bible,
there is nothing wrong with this. But, if it Is wrong in the eyes of
the people you are with, then for their sake, you should abstain
from having your glass of wine.
Example
# 2: You
like to listen to Jazz music. Your brother or sister doesn't like to
listen to Jazz music because it brings back thoughts of their past
life when they were doing something wrong while listening to Jazz
music. If you know this, then you should abstain from listening to
this music while you are with them.
We
are not to quarrel about issues that are matters of opinion.
Differences should not be feared or avoided, but accepted and handled
with love.
If
a brother of sister regards something as sinful, then for him or her,
it is sinful. If your brother or sister is distressed because of
what you eat, drink or do and you do it in front of them anyway, you
are not acting in love.
Everything
we do affects others and we have to think of them constantly. God
created us to be interdependent, not independent. We who are strong
in our faith must, without pride or condescension, treat others with
love, patience and self-restraint.
End
Of Post