The Weak and the Strong Part Deus - United in Faith?

The Weak And The Strong Deux

Last week we began the final section of Paul`s letter to the Romans. This week, we`ll finish things off.

Our exploration of Paul`s letter to the Church in Rome has been worth the time and effort. Let’s do a quick review to set things up for today.

The first great theme is that no matter a person’s background– with or without the advantage of being Jewish – all have sinned and fallen short of God`s glory. Or, in a world where good enough is good enough - no one is good enough to find their true humanity without God. Regardless, God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled. Those with the law – the Jews and those without – everyone else – have been united in Christ. So in response, God`s people give themselves to the Lord and each other fulfilling the Law of Christ.

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” ^{Matt 22.37-39}

In a sense it’s the only law we have left and everything else flows from it.

A couple of weeks ago I touched on this and may have left something unclear. The point was, the best choice a girl could make is to love themselves. On its own that sentence is of course false and dangerous. It would be better said, for the believing girl, the best choice they can make after loving God is to love themselves in such a way that gives God glory. That gives God his due as Creator, care taker and the one who makes life new.

To be clear life without putting God first results in love self that is vain, self-centered, self-absorbed, insecure and usually self-destructive. It also involves a love for others that is limited by social position, rave, culture and hero worship. And finally, life without accepting God involves a distorted love for the planet, which includes treating animals better than people and making things to worship out of metal or stone. We often call these three Narcissism, Humanism and Environmentalism. Genuine concerns corrupted; the only options available for those who reject God. To check this, just read Romans 1-3.

But with God something else is possible. Something God wants for his children: A clear minded approach to life and the world. Romans 4-16 teaches by principle and example that with God first: love of self becomes godly selflessness; Love of neighbor becomes Christ centered authentic community; Love of the planet becomes Christian stewardship.

So we come to today`s text; we’ll work through it by verses. It`s the last in a long line of how to do life together in a Christ centered way. Or as Jesus would say, here`s another way to look at loving your neighbour as yourself.

Verses one and two make this clear:

¹ We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. ² Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

A couple things to comment on. Verse 1 calls to mind strong and weak from chapter 14. That`s what`s being referred to here. Chapter 14 is about Jewish dietary laws and special day observances: the Jewish distinctives keeping Jewish and non-Jewish believers apart. As we said then, the strong walk by faith without the training wheels of tradition while the weak walk by faith with training wheels still on.

Verse 2 Simply repeats the conclusion of chapter 14. ⁷ For none of us lives or dies to himself alone. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. That is, sincere devotion to Christ and unity on non-disputable matters is the key.

Which should be a relief because when verse 2 is taken out of context, it causes huge problems.

Has it ever happened to you that someone has played the God card to justify a personal opinion?

I grew up in a time when dancing was forbidden.

In fact I was told plainly that rock and roll music leads directly to sex.

We know there are believers who know exactly how Sunday ought to be observed.

We know there are believers who are convinced that not drinking any is proof positive of true devotion to Christ.

We know there are believers who are convinced that only some instruments are legitimate for worship. Did you know in some churches they use no musical instruments at all?

And the God card is the one that silences and judges. Typically someone says, it’s this way because God told me so. Ends all argument, settles nothing.

Frankly verse 2 has been used that way and it shouldn`t be. It has little to do with ethics and much more to do with agreeing to remain unified in spite of taste, customs and changing traditions.

Verses 3-4 bear that out:

³ For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”^{(Psalm 69.9) 4} For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Verse 3 quotes Psalm 69 reminding us that `many of the leaders and people of Jesus time did not understand his devotion to the Father. He expressed it in such a way that traditions and structures were threatened.

Verse 4 reminds us that those who walked by faith frequently were misunderstood, imperfect and yet had endurance and encouragement in faith.

I love the list in Hebrews 11. Turn to it if you like. I`m going to skim it. These folks are mentioned for their endurance in faith.

¹ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

The first two are the golden boys not living long enough for us to know their failings.

⁴ By faith

      Abel

      Enoch

The rest of the list, however, is a brilliant reminder and comfort that in spite of failure God loves his children; mixed motives and actions do not deny faith.

⁷ By faith

      Noah

      Abraham

      Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

      Jacob

      Joseph

      Moses’ parents

      Moses

      The people

      Rahab

      Gideon

      Barak

      Samson

      Jephthah

      David

      Samuel

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰ God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

These men and women endured and recognized each other as the one people of God. Sure they fought and even divided the kingdom, but their common identity never stopped. Why? because they also received encouragement by way of per God’s faithfulness and kept promises. This is why we have the OT, by the way. Why it`s vital – a matter of life and death to know it and the stories in it. We could say that the main point of the OT is that God keeps his promises. Seen most powerfully in Jesus` coming.

In Romans Paul hammers away on having a confident and humble faith in Christ. Behaviour matters but getting caught up in customs, times and opinions to prove faithfulness is dangerous.

Instead this is the heart of the passage, verse 5 and 6.

⁵ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, ⁶ so that with one heart and mouth you all may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the God `who gives. . . that`s a prayer wish. That believers in Christ receive the same endurance and the same encouragement as all those who have gone before. The same unity so that all God`s people together with one mouth may give God glory!

Verses 7-9 explains how this comes about.

⁷ Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs ⁹ so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;

I will sing hymns to your name.” ^{(2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)}

Accept one another when there is a difference of opinion in disputable matters.

Accept one another when there is a difference in how devotion to the Lord is expressed.

In a certain sense slow down and in obedience to Christ seek to

            learn from each other ask questions instead of having answers ready

            bless each other: listen, help, encourage and pray for each other

            rely on the Spirit not the Law to know what freedom in Christ really is

            know the Bible, to know what deserves an argument and what doesn’t

In an important sense allow this passage to remind us all that Christ is the bridge built on the Jews over to the gentiles just as God had always planned. What God has joined let no one separate.

Our time and place in God`s family is recent by comparison to those who are our spiritual forefathers: The Jews. Paul is urging, let not God`s work be in vain. Hold on to the essentials of faith and be gracious about the rest. Hold onto Father God and Jesus the Son of God, Son of Man. Hold onto the Cross and the resurrection with all they involve. Hold onto the reality of the Spirit, new life and pardon for sin. Hold onto each other as sisters and brothers beloved children of God most high. Hold onto the very real calling of being the welcoming party of Christ in a hostile world.

And, ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.