Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 9
August 15, 1957
NUMBER 15, PAGE 5-6a

In Deference To Brethren Of Weak Faith Or Conscience

Cecil B. Douthitt, Brownwood, Texas

Certain liberties under certain circumstances must be relinquished by brethren with knowledge for the sake of brethren who are without knowledge and whose faith or conscience is weak.

A warning is issued in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8, lest these liberties of brethren with knowledge become a stumbling block to the weak, and the souls of both the strong and the weak be jeopardized.

What "liberty" does Paul have under consideration when he says, "Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to the weak" (I Cor. 8:9).

1. What Paul Does Not Teach.

1. Paul does not teach that weak brethren should be permitted under any conditions to bind their unwarranted scruples as ordinances on the church, regardless of how weak their faith or conscience may be. In Col. 2:20-23, he expressly forbids our subjecting ourselves to such ordinances, precepts and doctrines of men: "If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances. Handle not, nor taste, nor touch (all things which are to perish with the using), after the precepts and doctrines of men?"

Doctrines and ordinances which "God created to be received with thanksgiving" are of demons and should be rejected, lest they cause some to "fall away from the faith" (I Tim, 4:1-3).

2. Paul does not teach that brethren without knowledge (weak in faith or conscience) should be permitted under any circumstances to prohibit the performance of any work which the Lord teaches his people to do. Every divinely appointed act of worship, and every kind of work which the Lord has assigned to his people must be performed to the letter, regardless of the scruples of ignorant brethren or the opposition of enemy aliens. "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

3. Paul does not teach that weak brethren should be permitted to prohibit the use of any lawful method of doing anything that God teaches his people to do. He did not have "methods" of doing church work under consideration at all in Romans 14 and First Corinthians 8.

For example, both the church and individual Christians are taught to "go" and "teach", but the Lord did not bind on his people any one "method" of travel or any one "method" of teaching to the exclusion of other "methods". Neither Paul nor any other inspired writer teaches that we must not travel by train or plane in deference to "weak" brethren who may think that such methods of travel are sinful. The Bible does not teach that charts, maps or any other method of teaching should not be employed in the presence of "weak" brethren who think such methods are sinful.

No inspired writer has taken the authority for making decisions in matters of expedients and methods of church work out of the hands of elders and turned it over to ignorant and weak brethren.

What does Paul teach in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8? What liberties must the strong forego in deference to brethren of weak faith or conscience?

The term "liberty" about which the apostle writes in these two chapters, which may become a stumbling-block to the weak, and which the strong must sometimes forego, includes nothing and means nothing except innocent indulgences which sustain no relationship whatever to any work of the church or to any "method" of doing that work. In some other usages the word "liberty" has other meanings; but innocent, personal pleasures is all that it means here, as Paul's discussion in these two chapters shows clearly.

II. What He Teaches In Romans 14

The weak brother of this chapter had an unwarranted scrupulosity toward innocent indulgences (Rom. 14:1-2). He thought that some things are "unclean" and sinful, which are harmless and of which Christians with knowledge rightfully may partake under ordinary circumstances. "I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself: save that to him it is unclean" (Rom. 14:14). But the "weak in faith" did not know that this meat to which Paul referred was "clean" and may be eaten with God's approval; therefore, "the weak in faith" could not indulge with a clear conscience, because he thought it was "unclean" and divinely forbidden. He must not do that which he thinks is wrong, regardless of how innocent the thing may be. "All things indeed are clean; howbeit it is evil for that man who eateth with offence .... But he that doubteth is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:20-23).

Due to a lack of knowledge this brother was "weak in faith", and he could not distinguish between things innocent and things sinful; therefore, he needed to be taught. However, until such a brother obtains more knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, the strong must be ready to forego any personal privilege in the field of innocent pleasure that would influence the weak brother to do that which he thinks is wrong. "For if because of meat thy brother is grieved, thou walkest no longer in love. Destroy not with thy meat him for whom Christ died.... So then let us follow after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another. Overthrow not for meat's sake the work of God.... It is not good to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor do anything whereby thy brother stumbleth" (Rom. 14:15-21).

A man who had been a Seventh Day Adventist from his youth learned the plan of salvation and obeyed it. He could make distinction between the law of Moses and the gospel of Christ with one exception: he still thought that it was wrong to eat pork. He and other guests were invited to eat with a brother who knew how his former Adventist felt about eating hog meat. But ham was served. A few jesting remarks by the host about "unclean meat", and the laughter of others, made a refusal to eat the ham entirely too embarrassing for this brother of "weak faith". He ate a little of the ham; he did not eat "of faith"; he sinned. Every one who influenced him to eat that meat sinned too; they did the very thing that the Lord forbids in Romans 14.

Under the circumstances that host should not have served hog meat. He should have served food that his guests could eat without violating their conscience' "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). Neither the work nor the "method" of doing the work of the "liberty" of personal indulgence. That "liberty" should have been relinquished on that occasion. On the other hand, if that former Adventist had tried to bind abstaining from meats as an ordinance on the church, it then would have been the duty of the strong to warn him and to tell him plainly that he was "giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1-3), "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking", and neither the "weak" nor the "strong" should be permitted to make it such.

III. What Is Taught In 1 Corinthians 8

The weak brother described in 1 Cor. 8 is one who may be "emboldened" or easily encouraged to return with dear conscience to the practice of a religious rite or ceremony which is forbidden and wrong.

A brother with "knowledge" understands "that no idol is anything in the world", and that "eating things sacrificed to idols" would not make him either "worse" or better." He understands clearly that "eating things sacrificed to idols" may be done to satisfy hunger, but never as an act of worship. "Howbeit there is not in all men that knowledge; but some being used until now to the idol, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled" (1 Cor. 8:7). That is, some were so accustomed to worship by eating things sacrificed to idols that they could not separate the eating of such things from worship. Therefore, under some conditions a brother with "knowledge" must forego the "liberty" of eating such things, lest a weak brother be "emboldened" to return to eating "things sacrificed to idols" as an act of worship. "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak. For if a man see thee who hast knowledge sitting at meat in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through thy knowledge he that is weak perisheth, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And thus sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat causeth my brother to stumble, I will eat no more flesh for evermore, that I cause not my brother to stumble" (I Cor. (8:9-13).

A brother with "knowledge" understands that instrumental music is nothing, and that he ordinarily has the "liberty" to play on a musical instrument for pleasure or entertainment in the home, but never as an act of worship anywhere. "Howbeit there is not in all men that knowledge; but some being used until now" to instrumental music in worship are not able to distinguish between instrumental music as an act of worship and instrumental music as entertainment in the home. Therefore, under some conditions a brother with "knowledge" must forego this "liberty" of accompanying his singing with the musical instrument for pleasure and entertainment in the home, lest the weak brother be "emboldened" to return with a "good" conscience to his instrumental music in worship to which he was long accustomed, and which he still would like to think is acceptable to the Lord.

These restrictions of "liberty" in the field of innocent pleasure are binding not only for the sake of weak brethren, but also for the sake of unbelievers (I Cor. 10:23-33)

To apply these restrictions of "liberty" in Romans 14 and I Corinthians 8 to methods of teaching, or the number of containers used in the Lord's supper, or the manner of gathering the contributions on Lord's Day, or anything else, except liberties in the field of personal and innocent indulgence, is to misapply the scriptures.

The churches could not so much as begin the work which the Lord has assigned, if they were required to find "expedients" and "methods" that fit the consciences of all ignorant brethren and all enemy aliens.

IV. Summary

Two kinds of Weak brethren are described by Paul in the chapters under consideration.

The weak brother in Romans 14 has an ignorant scrupulosity against partaking of things innocent and harmless. Strong brethren are warned, lest they cause the weak brother to do that which he thinks is wrong.

The weak brother in I Corinthians 8 does not know the difference between doing a thing as an act of worship and doing that same thing for some purpose other than worship. Strong brethren are warned, lest they cause the weak brother to return with "good" conscience to unauthorized acts of worship which may still have a strong appeal to him.