The weak and Strong living in Harmony

Last week I took my two toddlers for a walk. Our youngest is turning two. When we got out of the gate, I knew where we were headed and how long it would take us to get there. However, there was a problem. If I walked at my pace, my son would have to run to keep up. If we walked at his pace, it would take us a while to get there. If I carried him the whole way, I would be tired, and he would miss the exercise that would strengthen his body.

In many ways, that is a perfect picture of the body of Christ. The church is comprised of people at different stages of Christian maturity. For this reason, it is often a challenge to figure out the pace at which the body should move. Some struggle with issues that others deem non-issues. Some have a clear understanding of where they should be and what they need to do to get there, while there are some who have to be convinced about the need to be going in the first place! Some have resolved some theological and ethical challenges in their minds and have settled convictions, while there are some who are only beginning to answer the questions.

Such a situation poses a wonderful or potentially volatile opportunity. Those who are mature in matters, let’s call them the strong, will struggle with the temptation to look down on or be frustrated with those who are immature, let’s call them the weak. The weak, in turn, will despise the strong for their freedom and insensitivity to matters. The strong could walk at their pace, to the neglect of the weak, or they could carry the weak on their back and never allow them to wrestle through issues. A better option is for them to walk alongside the weak and help them grow to maturity.

This was the situation at the church in Rome. Romans 14 and 15 address such a challenge between the strong and the weak in the church. In addition, the admonishment of Scripture is that the strong should lovingly bear with the weak. In other words, it is God’s design for them to be together and to help each other joyfully grow. It would be easy for the strong to start their own church and the weak to do likewise, but such actions would be motivated by pride and self- satisfaction, attitudes that are works of the flesh. Therefore, the Scripture exhorts:

But we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those who are without strength and not please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for good, for edification. Romans 15:1-2