The concept presented in this lesson to people living in Rome at the first century [as well as much of the time previously and many times thereafter] was truly the reverse of "the way things work" in almost every segment of existence. In all of life around them, this principle was at work: it is the right of those who are strong [in power positions] to use or exploit the weak [those who are powerless].
However, that is not to be the principle at work in the Christian community! It is the responsibility of the strong to "bear the weaknesses of those without strength ..." This is not the suggestion that those who are weak spiritually are in control of Christian community leadership, determine concerns and directions of the Christian community, and decide what is or is not important among Christians. The apostles were still the persons the Lord appointed, and the Lord Jesus was still Lord. It was the emphasis that weak Christians were still Christians, persons deserving of help and concern.
Weak Christians were "somebodies," not "nobodies." Strong Christians did not look upon weak Christians as insignificant individuals who existed only to be used by "me" for "my" purposes. The weak Christians were neither disposable nor to be used for the advantages of the strong. Christ's kingdom does not exist for "me" to please "me." Jesus came and existed to serve people, not to gratify personal ambitions. Remember Matthew 20:20-28? Strong Christians do not exist to use weak Christians! Strong Christians exist to help weak Christians!
Because a person decides to enter Christ through the commitment of faith, repentance, and baptism does not mean the task and challenge is over! Forgiveness is an ongoing need. Spiritual grow is an ongoing need. Spiritual maturity is an ongoing process. Consider again the directive to Christians in 1 John 1:5-10. God continues to be active in the outreach to the lost and in the maturing process of the forgiven. In the community of Christians, we are devoted to calling the lost to Christ and encouraging the saved to continue their journey in Christ.
The weak are not dispensable. They do not exist for the strong [or the accepted and comfortable] to say, "Oh, what a shame!" when the weak abandon the community of Christians and the Savior.
Paul cited three reasons for maintaining concern for those who struggle to escape ungodly influences and forces. First, Christ did not please himself. We often make a point of the fact that Jesus suffered unjustly for our mistakes. Is there any more compelling example of the righteous strong bearing the weakness of the unrighteous weak?
Second, scripture was written to provide hope. God commonly used the weak to achieve His purposes--the Abraham who refused to protect his wife, the blind Isaac, the Jacob who deceived and limped, the arrogant Joseph who bragged in his youth, the Moses who could not speak, the David who committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered, the Solomon who listened to the wrong influences, the unattractive John who preached in the wilderness and was later beheaded, the Peter who denied Jesus three times, the Barnabas who allowed himself to be deceived by the Judaizing teachers from Jerusalem, the Paul who helped kill and persecute Christians, etc. God transforms useless, rebellious sinners into useful servants! God's strong were once the weak!
Third, Paul used the example of God Himself. God is the source of perseverance. He is the source of encouragement. In Him diverse Christians are "of one mind" regarding His objectives in Jesus Christ. All in Christ respect each other, not because they agree on everything, but because they are in Christ together. By God's design, being in Christ is about oneness, not about confrontation. By His design Christians can be as diverse as body parts and yet still be one body.
What is the end result? The end result is the glorification of God. God causes a reality to exist that exists nowhere else! Anyone can succeed if he/she is surrounded by people who totally agree with him/her. Such agreement rarely happens, and when it does it does not last for a long period. If success depends on a high degree of mutual agreement, success [anywhere--in the church or out] is both rare and temporary.
God does something humans do not even attempt! God succeeds in producing a kingdom based on diversity rather than agreement! The kingdom succeeds, not because of the human element, but because of God's leadership exhibited in Jesus Christ. God produces oneness by utilizing different abilities to achieve His objectives. He does not expect everyone in Christ to be the same and do the same thing [remember Romans 12:6-8]. The successful congregation is not the one who most effectively demands conformity but the one who understands it must harness the diverse abilities of its members to achieve God's objectives. By utilizing diverse abilities in diverse ways we, by God's power, produce a functioning body with Christ as the head.
When this happens, it is not people who are glorified. It is God Who is glorified. Human voices praise God for what He does because what happens obviously is in no way human-like. Humans want to control. God wants to guide. Humans in self-centered fashion are concerned about "me." God in grace, mercy, and humility is concerned about "you." We honor Him for His unselfish compassion! Only if we learn from Him do we understand victory is found in fleeing from arrogance to humility. That is what makes it possible for the strong to serve the weak!
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 11