Bearing the weakness of the weak.
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In Romans 14:1-12 - Paul had written that Christians should not despise or condemn others. And in Romans 14:13-23, Nor should they hinder the conduct of others .
Now on his third principal he is telling us to follow the example of Christ Jesus our Lord.
We ought to be imitators of God.
1 Co 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
Eph 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”
For us to be imitators of Christ
Imitate means to follow.
Allow your freedom to be regulated by love.
Romans 15:1 “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”
Ought - means you are in debt to bear. Or Owe
Bearing one another burdens is the law of Christ Gal 6:2
scruples is like a area of doubt
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 13:8 “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
When we bear one another’s burdens we don’t bear it as if its a burden to us.
We do it joyfully.
And we take over there burden as if it is our own!
Did Christ interrogate you about the burden you placed on Him because of sin. No
Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Even though it was shameful he would be despised but yet He had joy and endured.
Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
The literal meaning is rejoice with rejoicing ones, and weep with weeping ones.
This verse takes us outside of ourselves.
We are no longer worried about self. The self life.
Jesus weeped with Mary and Martha over the death of Lazarus. John 11
The Blessed Lord bore the weakness of his disciples, the infirmities of ignorance, unbelief, of self confidence, jealousy among themselves. He created in them a capacity to the point where Thomas said “ Let us go, that we may die with Him, And Peter said Lord I will lay down my life for Thee.
Or Paul said to live is Christ but to die is gain.
Bearing the burdens of people creates a capacity in them to know Christ.
Even when they forsook Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. and Jesus met His disciples after He was resurrected. He never mentioned there utter failure. All he said was “Peace be unto you”.
We have this same grace and privilege we can extend to those who are weak.
Romans Verse-by-Verse Chapter 15
Meyer well says, “In themselves strong and free, the strong become the servants of the weak, as Paul, the servant of all.”
The strong creates a capacity for the weak to become strong.
This is clear instruction to the strong.
Strong is Someone who competent, someone who’s a leader, someone who’s spiritually mature. Some one who’s been around.
God is still requiring the strong to be submissive and receive instruction.
See maybe your strong before another believer but before God you are very very weak.
1 Cor 1:25 “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
What man considers Gods weakness is stronger then men, and what man considers Gods foolishness is wiser then man.
1 Corinthians (1) The Wisdom of God and a Crucified Messiah (1:18–25)
Barrett comments, “What God has done in Christ crucified is a direct contradiction of human ideas of wisdom and power, yet it achieved what human wisdom and power fail to achieve.”
To the world it was considered foolish that Christ went to the cross to die for the sins of the world but it was effective. with all the knowledge in the world, all the resources, all the medicines, can not take away sin and the results of that sin.
Romans 15:2 “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”
This isn’t talking about man pleasing. Like we are not selfishly seeking favor from man for some kind of gain.
Gal 1:10 “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Apparently the Judaizers had charged Paul with teaching freedom from the law in order to earn the favor of Gentiles.
If Paul was a man pleasure he would have stayed a zealous Pharisee a promoter of the law rather then becoming a servant of Christ.
As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
They got circumcised so they wouldn’t get persecuted for the sake of Christ. They pleased man to remain neutral with the world.
But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
Romans 15:3 “For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.””
AMP For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me.
Insults of those who insulted you fell on me.