Hello children of the Most High,
Today let’s look at one way Paul suggests we should live with one another:
Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.
— Romans 15:1
Towards the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul instructs the believers on ways to live with one another in harmony. In the letter to the Romans, Paul spends a great deal of time explaining his view on the gospel content. We see that from chapter 1 all the way to chapter 12. This is basically what he is doing. Then, beginning with chapter 12 all the way to the end of his letter, he takes time to show his readers the application and implication of the doctrines he has been teaching.
One such application is the way by which the believers ought to live with one another. In doing so, Paul highlights a number of things concerning life among the believers:
To begin with, Paul seems to suggest that among believers, “some are strong and some are without strength.”
Precisely, Paul puts it this way: “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength.”
From such a statement, the burning question at the back of one’s mind might be: if we are all empowered by the same Spirit, how come some believers are considered to be strong while some believers are considered to be without strength?
It is indeed true that we are all indwelt by the same Spirit. Paul himself proclaims this truth to the Ephesians:
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
— Ephesians 4:4
Therefore, it is indeed a legitimate question for one to ask why the same author then turns to the Romans and tells them that he considers some believers to be strong and others to be without strength.
The most immediate answer is that this stems from our journey in sanctification. The sanctification that is in view here is what is popularly named progressive sanctification.
In the Bible, when sanctification is mentioned, we find that there are some parts where the Bible speaks of sanctification as a past event, something that happened in the past when we were justified by faith and converted into the faith. Examples include 1 Corinthians 6:11 and Hebrews 10:10.
In other parts of the Bible, we find sanctification being talked about as something that is current and ongoing—this is progressive or experiential sanctification, with examples including Hebrews 10:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:4, and 1 Peter 3:15.
Finally, other parts of the Bible talk about sanctification as something that is to come, also known as permanent sanctification, which is attained at our glorification when we will forever be in the presence of our Lord. Such is the case in Romans 6:22.
As we grow in progressive or experiential sanctification, we become more and more like Christ. The apostle John, in his letter to the churches, puts it this way:
And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
— 1 John 3:3
This is what Paul refers to when he names a group within the believers and calls them ones who are strong, especially considering the fact that he includes himself in the same group. This is not just a sneaky way to boast for Paul; on the contrary, Paul goes to great lengths in his epistles to speak against any such boasting. Rather, when he names himself among the strong in faith, he is merely speaking of those who have had to persevere through faith and now have gained the kind of experience that can benefit those who are just starting off their journeys in the faith.
It should also be noted that this process of sanctification is not merely based on the amount of time that one has been a believer. Rather, this process is more about the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart, whose effectiveness is seen with the obedience from the believer and the level of submission that the believer subjects himself to the Word of God.
While the amount of time one has been a Christian can factor into the amount of experiences they’ve had to go through, as well as the amount of sanctification they’ve had to experience, this is not the final test for maturity in a believer. A more efficient test for a believer’s sanctification is that of discernment. This point is made clear by the author of Hebrews:
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.
— Hebrews 5:14
Furthermore, Paul now seems to point out that there is a certain responsibility that comes with one’s level of sanctification. As one grows in Christ, they are given more and more responsibility.
We see this as an example where Paul tells Timothy that one of the qualifications of elders is that they are not to be new converts. Paul states his reason for such a demand on elders is so that the new convert does not fall into the temptation of pride.
In this passage, Paul points out that those who are strong, meaning those who have grown in sanctification, have the responsibility to bear the weaknesses of those who are without strength.
The premise here is that those who are still young in their sanctification are prone to all sorts of temptation and might not be very experienced in dealing with different kinds of situations that they meet in the Christian walk. Because of this, the charge is given to those who are strong to bear the weaknesses of those who are without strength.
This bearing of weakness can come in many forms, including gentle counseling, moral support, or even chastening and rebuking so as to discipline those who are without strength.
Such a responsibility does not mean that there is a group of Christians who are always pointing fingers at others’ wrongs. Rather, this is a gentle act of love where the goal is to glorify God by building up those who are still young in the faith.
To this, Paul states that those who are strong should not look only to please themselves, but rather they should look to please others.
Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his building up.
— Romans 15:2
This means that the interest of those who have grown up in the faith must not only be focused on edifying themselves, but instead they should seek to edify the rest of the body.
Let’s reflect on this exhortation:
Where are we in our walk of faith?
Can we identify those who have not yet gone through what we have gone through in the journey of sanctification?
Can we be intentional in bearing the weaknesses of those among us who are without strength, in order to build them up?
Doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
— Philippians 2:3-4
I pray that this word encourages you to bear the weaknesses of those who are still young in their faith.
May grace and peace abound more and more,
Paul.
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