The Return of Christ: Part 2

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Last week we began studying the return of Christ, which is the hope of the church. We learned that Paul’s teaching of these things arose from a very practical need in the church – people needed to know what would happen to their brothers and sisters in the Lord who had died. These baby Christians were grieving and in danger of losing their faith, for they had not understood the link between the resurrection of Jesus and their own destiny as believers. God’s word is clear: since Christ rose from the dead, the dead in Christ shall also rise. As Christ ascended into heaven after his resurrection, so he will descend and all who are in Christ, either dead or alive will rise to meet him in heaven and be with him forever. So we don’t grieve as the world grieves and we encourage each other to look forward to that day. We then learned that, although Christ’s return will come upon unbelievers suddenly and without warning, we believers are to build each other up in faith, hope and love as we see the day of Christ’s return approaching. While no one knows the hour or the day of his return, Christ did teach us that his coming would be preceded by certain signs that we are to recognize and heed, allowing us to prepare ourselves for his return and spread the gospel to those who are ignorant of his return with a sense of urgency.

In Matthew 24, Jesus instructed us that the following signs would mark the end of the age and be signs of his coming.

•False prophets will come and lead many astray (4-5)

•Wars, rumors of wars and famines (6-8)

•Persecution and hatred of Christians (9)

•Great Apostasy (many fall away to betrayal and apathy) (10-13)

•Gospel proclaimed worldwide (14)

•Desecration of the Holy Place in Judea (15-16)

•Great earthquake in Jerusalem (29) (Revelation 6:12-13)

The interesting thing that we observed about most of these signs was that most of them have been evident in every age of the church. For example, false prophets have been leading the church astray even from the New Testament era. The Apostle John could write in 1 John 4:1-3: “many false prophets have gone out into the world” who possess the “spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and now is in the world already.” Sadly, a quick glance at human history reveals that in every age we have been plagued by war and famine, although the dawning of the modern atomic age has elevated the death tolls and destruction caused by modern warfare to levels unimaginable to the Biblical writers. It is no longer laughable to imagine a modern conflict that could wipe out portions of the world’s populations spoken of in Revelation. More people died in the wars of the 20^th century than all other centuries combined. In regards to persecution, the church has sought the return of Christ under the Roman persecutions of the first two centuries, at times violent splintering of the church since the reformation, and the African and Asian persecution of the last few centuries. Yet more Christians were martyred for their faith in the 20^th century than all other centuries combined. In regard to the expansion of the gospel, the early church considered the gospel to have spread to all the ends of the earth under the ministry of the Apostles. In the colonial era, the gospel could have been said to have been preached throughout the whole world as the sun never set on the British Empire. In the previous generation, Billy Graham and various radio ministries broadcast the gospel over political and geographical borders. Yet in our generation, we may yet see Christ’s words literally fulfilled as the gospel is brought to every single language and people group. Here is the point: these signs are general enough that every generation of Christians has had to be on their toes because indeed they saw that the end could come in their day, yet they are specific enough that when the end finally comes we will not be able to miss it if we are looking. The other amazing thing is that today more than any other time in history, we are seeing these things occurring on levels and degrees heretofore unimaginable in the history of the church. Be ready.

Now, as we looked at the signs in Matthew, we saw two that we agreed that have not occurred yet and are harder to identify as things that have occurred throughout every era of the church. Namely, the Abomination of Desolation and the great earthquake in Jerusalem, which will be accompanied by signs in the heavens, possibly a meteor shower. These final two signs will be unmistakable and evident to all.

It is along these same lines that Paul wrote his second letter to the Thessalonian church. Somehow, between the writing of the two letters to the Thessalonians, a disturbing message had entered into the church. The Thessalonians had been led to believe that the Lord Jesus had already returned and that they had missed Him. Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians to caution the new believers to be discerning of what they hear from their teachers regarding Christ’s return, and to assure them that the Lord’s return will be unmistakable. Paul writes in 2:1-12:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

First, Paul says, we must be discerning. Someone had evidently, between the first and second letters come to the Thessalonians and told them that they had missed out on Christ’s return. Therefore Paul says, be discerning in what you hear from your teachers regarding Christ’s return. For example, the Jehovah witnesses claimed Christ secretly returned in 1914. Don’t believe it.

Second, he says, you know you haven’t missed the return of Christ, because there will be two unmistakable happenings before Christ’s return and they haven’t happened yet. The first we will cover quickly: there will be a rebellion: better: apostasy, falling away. This is probably the apostasy spoken of in Matthew 24. It comes from within the church in betrayal and apathy, and outside of the church in persecution.

The antichrist will be revealed. This is the heart of Paul’s answer to the Thessalonians – you haven’t missed Christ’s return because the antichrist has not been revealed yet. The church will see the antichrist, whether you are pre-mid-or post somehow he is going to be revealed before Jesus takes you away. Notice that it does not tell us how the antichrist will be revealed as such, only that he will be revealed before the end. Personally, I believe that we will see him rise to power, persecute the church, and commit grievous blaspheme (the abomination) at the site of the temple. Paul taught these things to the very young Thesslaonian Christians:

•He has no regard for God’s law (3): the man of lawlessness. It may not mean that he is a lawbreaker, but that he is a law unto himself. He may speak the language of moral relativism – denying absolute rights and wrongs.

•He will bring destruction (3): He is a destroyer even though he looks like a builder. We saw last week that the end will come when people are saying to one another “there is peace and safety”. Many connect the revelation of the antichrist with a prophecy in Daniel 9:27 which states “he will make a strong covenant with the many”, seeing in this vision a peace brokerage between Israel and the nations. Yet, as 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says, “while they are saying ‘there is peace and safety’, then sudden destruction will come upon them.”

•He claims a divine prerogative for himself (4): who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, whether publicly or privately, this man will blaspheme God. He may promote a new humanism, just as the serpent in the garden promised, “your eyes will be opened and you will be as gods!” It will be subtle at first, but ego and power will drive him to make more outward blasphemies.

•He commits the abomination of desolation in the holy place (4): He will take his seat in the temple proclaiming himself to be God. I think it is very reasonable to connect this act with the “abomination of desolation” spoken of in Daniel 11 and 12 and Matthew 24. In Daniel 11, Daniel details the rise of a historical figure from the North: Daniel 11:31-32, 36-37 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Most scholar agree that Daniel is prophesying about the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes. John MacArthur: He was a Syrian king who reigned in Palestine from about 175 to 163 B.C. He called himself Epiphanes which means "the great one." The people called him Epimanes, which means "maniac." . . . Antiochus Epiphanes was a great persecutor of the Jewish people. The apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees describe how he tried to stamp out Jewish religion, and in so doing slaughtered thousands of Jewish men, women, and children. In one of the worst acts in Jewish history, Antiochus desecrated the Temple by slaughtering a pig on the altar, forcing the priests to eat pork, and setting up an idol to Zeus. The Jews then abandoned the Temple, not wishing to go into a defiled place. That put a halt to the daily sacrifices (as predicted by Daniel 11:31), until the Jews regained control of the Temple during the Maccabean revolution. The important thing for us to understand is that while the Jewish people of Jesus’ day understood the abomination to refer to a past event, Jesus spoke of it as a future event that is still to come. That is to say that Antioches Epiphanies was merely a foreshadowing or a type of the antichrist who is to come. Some people tie Jesus’ prediction of the Abomination of Desolation to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD70, but that event did not reflect the personal and blasphemous nature of the event as described in Daniel and here in 2 Thessalonians. Whether the Temple is rebuilt or whether the antichrist stands in front of the Islamic Dome of the Rock (which is built upon the Temple) I believe that he will personally commit a grievous act of blasphemy against God that we will be witness to. 

•He is now being restrained: Verses 6-7 indicate that he (or his spirit) is currently being restrained. The restrainer will be removed allowing him to rise to power. Much discussion here. Something or someone is restraining evil until it will finally give way and allow the lawless one to be revealed. It’s a mystery of lawlessness, but here are some ideas:

•Government: early interpretation. Paul didn’t want to say the government because it could put the church in danger so he is careful not to name it. Antichrist will come to power in a period of anarchy

•Michael the Archangel: This is from revelation 12:7-12. Michael is restraining the devil by warring with him in heaven, but will ultimately cast him down to earth, at which point he will use the antichrist.

•The Holy Spirit: Through the church, the Holy Spirit restrains evil. Many pre-tribbers believe that the rapture of the church will mean the removal of the restrainer (the Holy Spirit) so that the anti-Christ can come to power. Less spiritual is that the church will be marginalized and persecuted allowing the evil one to come to power.

•God!

•His coming is by the activity of Satan (9): The antichrist, at some point is his career, will be animated by Satan, perhaps even possessed.

•He will be able to do great miracles and signs (9): On account to the Satanic power by which he is animated, he will be able to perform signs and miracles.

•He will deceive many: be careful and warned. Even if this false Messiah down in Florida that I told you about last week started doing miraculous things and even raised someone from the dead, do not believe him. The wicked will be deluded (verse 9) by the activity of Satan with signs and wonders to be a deception for the unbelievers so that he will be just in his judgment.

•He will be killed by Jesus(8) Christ will destroy him in his coming: (verse 8) Jesus will ultimately kill the antichrist at his coming by a word of his mouth

He Who Loves the Truth Will Be Saved

Piper: The apostasy comes to a crushing climax in verses 9–12 with an incredibly heavy force of delusion and deceit. According to verse 10 the signs and wonders of the man of lawlessness deceive those who are perishing. Why? Why are they so vulnerable? Why do many professing Christians leave the truth and follow falsehood? Paul's answer at the end of verse 10 is that they refuse to love the truth (literally: they did not welcome a love for the truth). Notice: it is not merely an issue of knowing or believing in a merely mental sense: it is an issue of loving. And this means that saving faith—faith that will endure to the end through the affliction now and through the apostasy to come—is not merely an accepting of truth but a loving of truth. Verse 10: "They perish because they refused to love the truth."

We can be sure that when the man of lawlessness comes, his signs and wonders will be used to support claims that appeal to our natural desires. Therefore the only defense against this appeal will be a deeper desire for God. If Christ is our portion and our treasure, if he satisfies our longings, and if we love the glory of his gospel, then the mystery of lawlessness will not overcome us, and our love will not grow cold and we will endure to the end and be saved. May the Lord grant us all to receive the love of the truth. Amen.

The Return of Christ: Part 1

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 

I remember my first time witnessing in, and the guy said “Jesus is alive.” My first thought was, “Alright, this is going to be easy.” It turned out this fellow was apart of a fast-spreading sect named Lightning from the East is alarming Christian communities across China by winning large numbers of converts to its unorthodox tenets, often by abducting potential believers. Its followers, who say they number 300,000 but whom observers measure in the tens of thousands, believe that Jesus has returned as a plain-looking, 30-year-old Chinese woman who lives in hiding and has never been photographed. They credit her with composing a third testament to the Bible, writing enough hymns to fill 10 CDs and teaching that Christians who join her will ascend to heaven in the coming apocalypse. The Jehovah’s witnesses for long have taught that Jesus would return in 1914 – now they teach that he invisibly returned. In Miami there is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda who believes he is Jesus and the antichrist and has hundreds of followers.

Thessalonians were also confused about the return of Christ. Sometimes we think teaching about the return of Christ is confusing and shouldn’t be taught to new believers – Paul and the missionary team taught new believers these things in the short time they spent in Thessalonica.

Hope for the living and the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (ESV)

The Thessalonians were confused. The reasons for their confusion were, if Jesus is the way to eternal life, how come some of us are dying? The basic statement of our faith is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” They had a misunderstanding regarding death. Paul’s teaching on the end times and return of Christ arose out of a very practical pastoral concern in the church. The resurrection is the grounds for our hope. John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her (Mary), "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 1 Corinthians 15 also explains that our Christian hope is that Jesus rose from the dead. As a result, since Jesus rose, those who have died in him will also rise with him.

Jesus return will not be a secret return. The Lord himself will descend with the cry of command, Voice of the Archangel, The trumpet of God. Acts 1:6-11: “So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (ESV)

The Latin for “Caught up with him” is “raeptius.” This is the word we get the English word ‘rapture’ from. The rapture of the church is simply our being caught up with Jesus in heaven. The word “rapture” is taken from the Latin word translated into English as “caught up” in verse 17. Christians disagree as to the timing of this event in relation to the “tribulation”, a period of time (often seven years) before Christ’s return in which God’s judgment will be poured out upon the people’s of the earth. Although since the 1800’s many American evangelicals have held that the rapture will occur before the tribulation – the “pre-tribulation” position, the dominant view throughout church history has been to link the rapture to the return of Christ – the post-tribulation position. Still other views place the rapture near the middle of the tribulation. The important thing to remember and what all agree on is that the church on earth will be gathered together with those who have died in Christ to be with Him forever. It will all turn out all right in the end. Therefore we don’t mourn as the world mourns (verse 13) and we are to encourage one another with these words (verse 18) However, we don’t just encourage the mourners, but encourage all who are suffering.

Watch and Wait for His Return (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (ESV)

When is this going to happen? Paul says, I don’t need to write you about the times and seasons. Because he taught them already? Because no one can now – Jesus said that not even the son knows the day or hour of his return (Matthew 24:36). Paul explains that the coming of Christ will come “Like a thief” (referring back to Jesus in Matthew 24:43). The unbelievers will be surprised, when they think they are secure, destruction will come on them. Things will be looking good. It will look like an era of hope and renewed peace. In such a time, they will come to destruction. Do not be surprised, we are not like those to whom the thief comes and we had no idea he was coming. We should see the signs of his coming and prepare ourselves accordingly. I believe that any view of the rapture must teach us to watch out for these things.

What are the signs of his coming? Reading Matthew 24:1-29 we see:

· False prophets will come and lead many astray (4-5)

· Wars, rumors of wars and famines (6-8)

· Persecution and hatred of Christians (9)

· Great Apostasy (many fall away to betrayal and apathy) (10-13)

· Gospel proclaimed worldwide (14)

· Desecration of the Holy Place in Judea (15-16)

· Great earthquake in Jerusalem (29)

Notice, all but the last two have happened in every generation? Therefore, keep awake and sober, building each other up. It doesn’t mean that we become crazy prophecy hunters, but that we put on faith, love and hope. We do not get fearful, for God hasn’t destined us for wrath, but with soberness, understand the reality of the hardships to come.

Its Going to Get Worse Before it Gets Better (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (ESV)

The Thessalonians thought they had missed it. Someone had evidently, between the first and second letters come to the Thessalonians and told them that they had missed out on Christ’s return. Therefore Paul says, be discerning in what you hear from your teachers regarding Christ’s return. For example, the Jehovah witnesses claimed Christ secretly returned in 1914. Don’t believe it.

There will be a rebellion or apostasy: This is probably the apostasy spoken of in Matthew 24. It comes from within the church in betrayal and apathy, and outside of the church in persecution. In that climate, the antichrist will be revealed. This is Paul’s answer to the Thessalonians – you haven’t missed Christ’s return because the antichrist has not been revealed yet. The church will see the Antichrist, whether you are pre-mid-or post somehow he is going to be revealed before Jesus takes you away. Personally, I believe that we will see him rise to power, persecute the church, and commit gracious blaspheme (the abomination) at the site of the temple. Paul taught these things to the very young Thessalonians Christians. The Antichrist will:

o He has no regard for God’s law

o He is a son of the destroyer even though he looks like a builder

o He claims a divine prerogative for himself

o He commits the abomination of desolation in the holy place

o His coming is by the activity of Satan

o He will be able to do great miracles and signs

o He will deceive many

o He will be killed by Jesus

Verses 6-7 indicate that he (or his spirit) is currently being restrained. The restrainer will be removed. Much discussion here. Something or someone is restraining evil until it will finally give way and allow the lawless one to be revealed.

o It’s a mystery of lawlessness

Þ Government: Paul didn’t want to say the government because it could put the church in danger so he is careful not to name it. Antichrist will come to power in a period of anarchy

Þ Michael the Archangel: This is from revelation 12:7-12. Michael is restraining the devil by warring with him in heaven, but will ultimately cast him down to earth, at which point he will use the antichrist.

Þ The Holy Spirit: Through the church, the Holy Spirit restrains evil. Many pre-tribbers believe that the rapture of the church will mean the removal of the restrainer (HS) so that the anti-Christ can come to power. Less spiritual is that the church will be marginalized and persecuted allowing the evil one to come to power.

The wicked will be deluded (verse 9) by the activity of Satan with signs and wonders to be a deception for the unbelievers so that he will be just in his judgment. Christ will destroy him in his coming: (verse 8) Jesus will ultimately kill the antichrist at his coming by a word of his mouth

He Who Loves the Truth Will Be Saved

Piper: The apostasy comes to a crushing climax in verses 9–12 with an incredibly heavy force of delusion and deceit. According to verse 10 the signs and wonders of the man of lawlessness deceive those who are perishing. Why? Why are they so vulnerable? Why do many professing Christians leave the truth and follow falsehood? Paul's answer at the end of verse 10 is that they refuse to love the truth (literally: they did not welcome a love for the truth). Notice: it is not merely an issue of knowing or believing in a merely mental sense: it is an issue of loving. And this means that saving faith—faith that will endure to the end through the affliction now and through the apostasy to come—is not merely an accepting of truth but a loving of truth. Verse 10: "They perish because they refused to love the truth."

We can be sure that when the man of lawlessness comes, his signs and wonders will be used to support claims that appeal to our natural desires. Therefore the only defense against this appeal will be a deeper desire for God. If Christ is our portion and our treasure, if he satisfies our longings, and if we love the glory of his gospel, then the mystery of lawlessness will not overcome us, and our love will not grow cold and we will endure to the end and be saved. May the Lord grant us all to receive the love of the truth. Amen.

Free and Strong

Rooted in Freedom #4
Romans 14

Our series is entitled, “Rooted in Freedom” and we are looking at Christian liberty from a number of different perspectives. So far, our study has been focused in the book of Galatians as liberty in Christ is the key theme of that book. In chapters 1-2, we looked at freedom from a theological perspective. We learned that the Gospel must be kept free. We are not to add anything to the simple message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In chapters 3-4, we looked at freedom from a sociological perspective. We saw how this good news of God’s salvation is free for all. No one is to be excluded from God’s kingdom on the basis of his or her nationality, ethnicity, social class, or gender. Last week, we started looking at our freedom in Christ from a practical perspective. We discussed what it means to walk in the Spirit, not by law, which I defined as abiding in Christ, renewing our minds, and walking in obedience. These things produce the spiritual fruit of love, and if you’re walking in love, you’re walking in freedom.

There are two other key passages in the New Testament that address Christian Freedom from a practical perspective. They follow naturally out of the conclusion Paul brought us to in Galatians 5:25-26 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. One is Romans chapter 14, which we will look at today. The other is 1 Corinthians chapters 8-10, which I preached through last fall. I have provided notes from those sermons for you if you want to study it in your devotionals this week. Today, we are going to look at Romans 14.

This passage is part of a section in Romans that began in 12:1-2, which encourages us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Therefore, this teaching is part of renewing our minds. Remember that one of the purposes of renewing our minds is to avoid letting the world push us into its mold. To avoid this, its important that we learn how to relate to the world around us. We are instructed to dedicate ourselves to God for his service. This means that we must place higher priority on what he thinks than what others think about how we live and the choices we make. Basically, we get our self-understanding from God and not from others. Before we get into the text, lets take a minute and pray.

Romans 14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Later, in Romans 15:1, Paul says, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”

Who are the weak and the strong? Joseph Aldrich has offered the following taxonomy:

1) The genuine weaker brother or sister. These are newer Christians who are susceptible to stumbling in the area of doubtful things. We are warned not to put a stumbling block in their path. Children, teenagers and new believers need careful attention. We are not to coddle them, but to help them develop their convictions. This category is not a lifetime option. It is a developmental period on the way to spiritual maturity. These believers need to understand that they will encounter many within the body of Christ who have lesser or greater amounts of freedom, depending on the issues involved. Once they understand the principle of conscience and the diversity of freedom, they have little excuse to remain a weaker brother or sister. These people need to be encouraged to develop their own convictions and cared for so that others don’t cause them to stumble.

In addition to the genuine weaker brother, you may find some counterfeits. These are not the people whom this passage is referring to. These people need to be admonished and rebuked.

2) The professional weaker brother or sister. This is a brother or sister that never grew up. Instead of seeking to understand their faith and develop their own convictions before God, he or she has taken the easy way out. They have settled for a simplistic view of spirituality: Gray doesn’t exist for him; the world is black and white. He can’t articulate his convictions, because “that’s just the way it is.” He has ossified opinions. His spirituality is boiled down to “do’s and don’ts”: If I can get my Christianity boiled down to a list, then I never have to think about it again. He expects all others to follow his list: This is most dangerous. He becomes the standard for what proper Christian living looks like rather than Jesus.

3) The immature, participating believer: Like the professional weaker brother or sister, this person has also never truly sought to understand his or her faith or develop personal convictions, but instead of putting up tight boundaries he may remove them altogether. This person proclaims freedom without responsibility, becoming a champion of liberty and trying to sway others to his cause. These folks are often very arrogant, calling everyone else legalists while causing little ones to stumble by not encouraging them to develop their own convictions – for in their mind, who needs convictions anyway?
So if those are the weaker brothers, who are the stronger ones:

4) The mature brother or sister: He or she has nuance, developed convictions before God and a mature understanding of Christian liberty. He or she is consistent in applying his or her freedom in Christ. He or she can explain to you why or why not she chose to participate or refrain from participating. When this person participates, it is in a quiet, non-threatening way which attempts to avoid confrontation or offense. When the person limits his liberty its for one or two reasons. Either they don’t have freedom in a particular area. Maybe they struggled with a sin in their path which limits their understanding. Or, They intentionally limit their freedom. Even though they could do a particular activity, they choose not to do it. They are learning to get beyond right/wrong thinking (now don’t get me wrong, right wrong thinking is still legitimate) to wise/unwise thinking.

How do I welcome my weaker brother?
1) Welcome Who God Welcomes: Romans 14:1-3 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions . . . for God has welcomed him.

We looked at this a couple of weeks ago. What is the basis of our fellowship? Christ. What do we do if we add anything to Christ as the basis of our fellowship – add to the gospel. So first we understand that God has welcomed them. Have you been transformed by the Gospel? I welcome you. This takes discernment in recognizing who are the weak and people like the ones who had invaded the church at Galatia who Paul says “trouble you and wish to distort the gospel of Christ” (1:7). Notice that the weak have opinions about things, but have not developed strong convictions. False teachers on the other hand have strong convictions about things that detract from Christ or direct the body away from him. We don’t welcome them. We kick them out.

2) Turn Opinions into Convictions
One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

If someone comes in and they believe in Christ but have a different opinion over secondary matters, we don’t tell them to beat it. We don’t act arrogantly and despise them for their lack of sophistication in their beliefs. But we do want to help them work through their beliefs and develop Biblically sound convictions. They need to be taught that it is their responsibility as a Christian to base their conviction on the word of God, for they will someday need to give an account of themselves before God.

Romans 14 then puts the onus on us to wrestle with God’s word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to develop personal convictions. Can you explain to others (and stand before God) and explain why or why not you believe or do what you believe or do? This is the definition of maturity. Do it because you will have to one day stand before God and explain to him why you did what you did. As 14:12 says, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” We are to strive to become strong in the faith and not remain weak.

This approach to disputable matters is so much different than what our culture says to do. Our culture tries to get us to lesson our convictions, for if we all had no convictions then we’d all get along better. The Bible on the other hand, instructs us to become more sure of our convictions in order to live in harmony with one another. How does that help?

In order to develop you personal convictions, it takes time to learn the issues and learn God’s word and wrestle with them. That process of wrestling with these difficult issues and finding the right application, if it is done under the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, should lead you to become more gracious toward others. Because you have struggled with the complexity of the issues, you can understand at least how another person might have come to a different conclusion. Although you still think they are wrong, you have at least seen how they could come to that conclusion. So I might think you’re dead wrong on your millennial position or think that tithing laws were rescinded in Christ, but if I’ve honestly struggled through these issues, I am going to at least see where you’re coming from when you disagree. Also notice that this turning of opinions into convictions happens within the context of a local body of believers. We are learning and growing together (or should be). So together we should be sharpening one another to be developing shared biblical convictions rather than just opinions.

3) See God at Work in Your Brother:
At the end of the day, however, we still may not disagree, even after we have both sincerely studied the scriptures. Is all lost? No, for in verse 6 we find the remarkable observation that if we are acting out of our convictions we can glorify God even though one of us is wrong.

The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

How can this be? One of you is wrong – how can you bring glory to God?

a. Attitudes Speaks Louder Than Words: Simply put – regarding these secondary issues, righteousness takes precedence over being right. If you’re right and your unrighteous in your attitude toward others, you are wrong. Romans 14:17-19 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

b. Faith is Subject to Conscience: Romans 14:13-15, 22-23

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean . . . The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

The key to glorifying Christ through our lifestyle choices is to live by faith. You form convictions and by faith you live by them to God’s glory. God does meet us where we are at and expect us to follow him according to the light he has given us. Therefore, the key is living by faith according to your convictions. If a person has done the work to form his convictions based on the word of God, and believes in his heart that he could stand before God and give an account of his life, then I can concede that he’s glorifying God by acting upon his convictions in faith, even if I disagree with him and think he is wrong.

4) Build Up, Not Tear Down Romans 15:1-2
Romans 15:1-2 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

So here’s what we do. We do not put stumbling blocks or hindrances in front of our brothers or sisters. For our weak brothers who have not yet developed convictions, but only opinions, we do not tear down what the Lord is patiently building in them but help them develop their convictions. Let me give you some examples of what this might look like:

a. The Tither: A weak brother may have heard that Christians are supposed to give 10% of their income and so does it. The strong brother realizes that we are free to give generously as cheerful givers. It would be irresponsible for the stronger brother to tell the weak brother that tithing is unnecessary without also teaching him the principle of generosity.

b. The Dry Drinker: A weak brother may have heard that Christians are not to drink any drop of alcohol. The strong brother understands the principle of moderation. It would be irresponsible for the stronger brother to tell the weak brother that he can drink without also teaching him the principle of moderation.

c. The Bible Reader: A weak brother may have heard that Christians are to read a chapter of the Bible every day. The strong brother understands that there are many different methods by which you can meditate on God’s word in a quiet time. It would be irresponsible for the stronger brother to tell the weak brother that he doesn’t need to read a chapter of the Bible everyday without teaching him these principles of devotion.

In all these cases the strong brother can help the weak brother not by tearing down his opinion or his faith, but by teaching him more about Christian freedom. We are not destroying opinions, but adding principles. Instead of saying, let me show you where your wrong, go to the scriptures and seek what is right and then allow the Holy Spirit to apply the truth to their opinion to grow it into a conviction. You don’t win an Arminian by disparaging human responsibility, instead you teach him God’s sovereignty. And you don’t win over a Calvinist by tearing down sovereignty, you remind him of human responsibility. As we add Biblical principles, applied by the spirit by faith in community, we will develop stronger convictions and become a strong and vibrant community of faith.

Romans 15:5-7 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

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