Romans 14:1 - The Weak in Faith

Romans 14:1 - As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

Message: Accepting those weak in Faith

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome

What the Lord is Saying:

My Open Bible states that Chapter 14 is on the Principles of Christian Liberty and then Chapter 15 through verse 13 is the practice of Christian Liberty. I found this definition of Christian Liberty: "The freedom from God to do whatever you wish in any matter the Bible does not address, without fear of persecution by the church or saints!" John MacArthur states, "Christian liberty then is to take all that Christ provides, be free from having to fulfill a legal code to please God, being free from the frustration that says I can't make it. Being free from an external set of legal rules that I have to keep. Free to just function in the overflow of the work of the Spirit inside. Sinclair Ferguson called it "finding freedom from the Law without being a stumbling block to Jewish people."

I continue to explore practical Christianity as Romans 12 and 13 focused on Responsibilities toward God, others, government, and my neighbor. But, now the shift is how to conduct myself when the application does not have a specific word in the Bible. It is OK for Christians to watch television or movies? Is it okay to dance or play cards? What about eating meat left over from animals sacrificed to pagan gods? Is there a clear right and wrong?

This first verse of Chapter 14 seems to begin the discussion and first thing that is mentioned is the person that is weak in faith. I think we must be careful to not divide on issues that Scripture does not specifically address. Then, there is also the recognition that some people are weak in faith and others strong in faith and the weak may see ambiguous situations as not being wrong. Paul's big point is: do not quarrel over opinions.


Promise: From TableTalk - Mature Christians are to be extraordinarily patient with immature believers, putting up with their misunderstandings and other growing pains as they aim for maturity in the Lord.