Judging the Weaker Brother
How Christian Liberty Can Fall into the Same Judgmental Spirit as Christian Legalism
I have a hard time with strict rules. No, let me rephrase that: I have a hard time with the spirit behind strict rules because they naturally bring with them a judgmental culture. You must always be on your best behavior, or else face the consequences, and often in these cultures, it seems your worth is defined by the rules you follow or fail to follow.
Hyper-conservative Christianity left a bad taste in my mouth. Growing up, my family and other families in the church were afraid to go to the movie theater in town, not because we thought it was sinful, and not even because our church had a written rule against it. We didn’t go to the movies because our church had created a legalistic culture that caused people to fear being seen at the movies by someone else from church. Thankfully, this scarring example of hyper-conservative Christianity was rooted out by a return to a biblical culture at my church over the years.
But then I attended a Christian college where this culture reappeared. It wasn’t always the rules at my school that made the hyper-conservatism reek. It was the spirituality assumed behind the rules. Those who followed the letter of the law with the spirit of the law were seen as in better standing with God than those who questioned or resisted any of the law. Regardless of this unhealthy culture, God blessed me at college, and I’m thankful for my time there.
However, my damaging experiences with hyper-conservative Christianity have tilted me heavily toward the other end of the spectrum. I take joy in the liberty Christ has given me—liberty to enjoy all of his good gifts (movies included) with thankfulness. But if I’m not careful, in my embrace of Christian liberty, I can create just as much a culture of judgment as the hyper-conservativism I left.
Through the Spirit, Paul reminded me of this truth this week in his first letter to the Corinthians. In 10:23-31, God’s Word convicted me:
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Notice how Paul begins his argument by announcing his liberty in Christ: “All things are lawful.” Sometimes I wish Paul just ended his argument there. It would make it a lot easier for me. But he doesn’t. The next thing he writes is almost like a warning sign: “But not all things are helpful . . . not all things build up.”
Wait a second here. He just told me all things are lawful for me. What does he mean that not all things are helpful? Shouldn’t I rejoice in being freed from the law? He explains in the next verse: “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”
So, what’s his reasoning? Paul tells us that, yes, you have liberty to enjoy all of God’s creation, but no matter how good it is for you to enjoy your liberty, the good of your neighbor is more important.
This is where I got convicted.
Now that I’m freed from the rules of my parents when I was a child and freed from the rules of my college, I realize how easy it is for me to flaunt my liberty before my brothers and sisters in Christ, often without thinking or asking where their conscience is. And not only do I tend to flaunt my liberty, but I also judge my more conservative neighbors through my more liberal conscience. This is not seeking the good of my neighbor. It’s selfishness and it’s pride. The stronger conscience can fall just as easily into judgment as the weaker one. That’s a hard lesson I’ve had to learn.
The late R. C. Sproul preached a message on what he coined “The Tyranny of the Weaker Brother.” It’s a fantastic sermon. Part of what makes it great is that he explains the danger of allowing the weaker conscience to determine what is right and wrong within a church, but he doesn’t hound on the weaker brother’s conscience. He calls the stronger brother to love the weaker brother despite his differing views on what he can and cannot partake in. Dr. Sproul also explains how Paul tells us that we as Christians with stronger consciences “have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak,” (Rom. 15:1). Christian liberty cannot be liberty for liberty’s sake. It must be liberty grounded upon love—it must be liberty willing to refrain from practice for the good of others.
I know my liberty in Christ has often caused me to judge those who do not exercise their liberty to the extent that I do. I have often looked down on others with a weaker conscience instead of loving them and respecting their conscience. As Christians with strong consciences who love their liberty in Christ to enjoy all of his creation, we have a responsibility to love and look out for our weaker brothers.
I want to close with a quote from Doug Moo’s commentary on Romans 14. He writes,
One of the most important points in Romans 14 is something that Paul does not say: that the weak in faith must change their view. He makes clear that he does not agree with them, and by labeling them weak he implies also that they have room to grow on these matters. But he does not tell them to change their mind; he does not berate them for being “immature”; he does not tell them to “get with the program.”
How often have I thought these things toward my brothers and sisters in Christ? How often have I created in my own thoughts and words the same judgmental culture in my liberty as the one I struggled with in my youth and at college? May I remember that my responsibility is not to change or judge my weaker brother’s conscience, but to love him and grow with him in Christ.
*Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley have written an incredibly helpful book on this issue simply titled Conscience. I highly recommend this read for all Christians. If you want a copy, let me know, and I’ll do my best to get one to you.