Weaker Brother; Watch Thy Step! Seriously, What Gives?
In Galatians 2:3 Paul would not circumcise Titus. However, in Acts 16:3 Paul had Timothy circumcised. So what gives?
In the church, for the sake of the Gospel, we are to treat and respond to people differently with love for the sake of faith. For example read how Martin Luther (Taken From: The Freedom of a Christian) describes the difference between Legalists and Weaker Brothers:
Legalists: Inflexible and obstinate ceremonialists. Deaf rule keepers who are not willing to hear the truth of liberty. Having no faith, they stubbornly insist on their own ceremonies as a means to have a right relationship with God. Legalists must be resisted. In fact, even the opposite should be done, in bold and shocking ways, so that their ungodly views do not lead more people into error. In the presence of these people, one should feel free to eat meat, break fasts, and in the spirit of liberty given by faith, do things they consider to be the greatest of sins. (According to this principle, Paul would not circumcise Titus, in Galatians 2:3, when some of the leaders insisted that he should.)
Weaker Brother/Sister: Simple-minded, ignorant and young Christians that are not able to grasp the meaning of the freedom given in faith—even if they wished to do so. These are the ones we must take care not to offend. We ought to defer to their weakness until they have had the opportunity to become more fully instructed in the faith. They act the way they do only because their faith is weak. Therefore, fasts and other ceremonies they might think are necessary should be observed in order to avoid upsetting them. In this way we follow the command of love, which seeks not to harm but to serve. After all, they are not to be blamed for their weakness. It is their pastors who have used tradition to take them captive. (According to this principle, Paul circumcised Timothy, in Acts 16:3.)
In other words, people who are legalistic simply have no faith in the Gospel due to placing all their confidence in their own means of acquiring salvation. With Legalists the church cannot be hard enough on them. The reason being, their false foundation needs to be shaken, destroyed and usurped for the sake of them seeing their folly. This is obviously the loving thing to do. The church must exercise its freedom to the utmost degree around Legalists, in order to differentiate their works-centered view of salvation with the Biblical view of the Gospel (i.e. by grace through faith). This is clearly how Paul is handled things in the Galatia church.
However, with the Weaker Brother the church is also called to love but with a completely different response. In other words, the church is called to go to great degrees of laying down freedom in order to support Weaker Brother so as not to damage their faith; one cannot be gentle enough with them. The reason being, they do have faith, even though it is weak. The church needs to be gentle with them because they are on a journey and they need continual instruction in the faith. Certainly one would not want to be responsible for destroying their tender faith by exercising freedom. This is clearly what Paul is communicates in Romans 14:1-23.
In summary, Paul in Galatians 2:3 would not circumcise Titus because he was lovingly opposing the legalists of Galatia. However, in Acts 16:3 Paul had Timothy circumcised because he was loving the Jewish people with gentleness. So what gives? Faith is the key. The church is to lovingly exercising freedom in the face of Legalists and to lovingly lay down freedom for the Weaker Brother.
Questions to Ponder:
However, with the Weaker Brother the church is also called to love but with a completely different response. In other words, the church is called to go to great degrees of laying down freedom in order to support Weaker Brother so as not to damage their faith; one cannot be gentle enough with them. The reason being, they do have faith, even though it is weak. The church needs to be gentle with them because they are on a journey and they need continual instruction in the faith. Certainly one would not want to be responsible for destroying their tender faith by exercising freedom. This is clearly what Paul is communicates in Romans 14:1-23.
In summary, Paul in Galatians 2:3 would not circumcise Titus because he was lovingly opposing the legalists of Galatia. However, in Acts 16:3 Paul had Timothy circumcised because he was loving the Jewish people with gentleness. So what gives? Faith is the key. The church is to lovingly exercising freedom in the face of Legalists and to lovingly lay down freedom for the Weaker Brother.
Questions to Ponder:
- What happens when one treats a Legalist as if they are a Weaker Brother?
- What happens when one treats a Weaker Brother as if they are a Legalist?
- What happens when one lovingly exercises freedom in the context of a Legalist?
- What happens when one lovingly lays down freedom in the context of a Weaker Brother?
Comments
One area in which this question comes up for me is in thinking about the place of saints within Roman Catholic doctrine. I've been convinced by RC friends that the reverencing of saints, saints' side-chapels (is that the word?) in churches, etc. isn't in principle idolatrous. I still have trouble with it, though. On the one hand, maybe I'm the weaker brother in wanting to be "safer" in this territory; but then maybe someone who reverences/prays to the saints is, for a belief that this is an integral part of a Christian life.
In general, in the context of interdenominational observance of love, the weaker brother principle seems liable to end up with everyone reversing behaviour for each other, if we all were to genuinely apply it. Say I want to make the sign of the cross at certain points in a service; I might regard it as a weaker brother mentality to think this is unacceptable popishness. Someone against such formal gestures of observance might equally regard my adherence to them as weaker brother stuff, perhaps for more obvious reasons. In each other's presence, attending the same service, it might then happen that he starts to cross himself, and I cease to do so. Confusion... :-)
For the Legalist, there is no faith because works have replaced faith. In this the works need to be shattered because the Legalist is placing their assurance in their works and not Christ.
On the other hand, for the Weaker brother they simply have a weak faith that is plagued. I believe what Luther is getting at is that we need to be gentle with the Weaker brother so as not to damage their weak faith. In going after them harshly, one could totally destroy what is plaguing their faith and also destroy their weak faith. Whereas, with the Legalist... there is no faith to destroy only a false assurance in works.
Here's a 5th question:
Who decides, and when, that a weaker brother has crossed over to being a legalist?
So, how is this to be handled? As a pastor I typically ask questions. Questions like, "please help me understand why you are concerned about A and why you are concerned with B?" Thus, the key is in the person's 'confession.'
From the original post, what I found interesting to note in Luther's comments is whether or not their is faith. For the Legalist, there is no faith because works have replaced faith. In this the works need to be shattered because the Legalist is placing their assurance in their works and not Christ. On the other hand, for the Weaker brother they simply have a weak faith that is plagued.
I believe what Luther is getting at is that we need to be gentle with the Weaker brother so as not to damage their weak faith. In going after them harshly, one could totally destroy what is plaguing their faith and also destroy their weak faith. Whereas, with the Legalist... there is no faith to destroy only a false assurance in works.
Weak in Faith: A person who is weak in faith worries about an adiaphora item/situation/scenario/ideology destroying their faith or a fellow Christian's faith. There is a concern about faith being destroyed.
Legalistic Faith: A person who is legalistic wants to enforce or deny certain adioaphora items/situations/scenarios/ideologies because they base their relationship with God upon what they do and don't do; they base it upon their rule keeping of man-made works.