Weak Faith/Strong Faith

As surprising as it might seem, born-again Christians often disagree on some aspects of faith and life. Augustine's saying (and FIRE's motto) is helpful: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity." It is important to recognize that biblical unity does not require identity of thought and practice concerning all matters. We should expect to find some differences - we are all at different places in our spiritual development. In Romans 14-15, Paul identifies some believers whose faith is weak and others whose faith is strong. Some are like newborn babies who want only milk; others want meat, and they want to cut it up for themselves! As weak and strong interact with one another in the same local church, there can be many opportunities for tension, friction and even quarreling over relatively unimportant issues. It is necessary for us to address these issues because differences of opinion often lead to alienation of affection, and that ought not to be. Chapter 14 cuts through the issues; chapter 15 cuts to the attitudes of the heart. Make it your goal to be neither self-pleasing, nor man-pleasing, but God-pleasing in everything.