Others First

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Romans 15:1

It is written in 2 Timothy 3:4 that, in the last days, men shall be “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;” This is certainly true and it is reflected in the pleasure-seeking society we live in. Pleasing ourselves, entertaining personal likes and distaste is a trend of the world devoid of spirituality. It focuses on what the Lord wants us not to focus on: ourselves. Christ said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.” We are to care for self with a view to honouring, obeying and serving the Lord, not for self-gratification and personal glory.

There was a trend in the Roman thinking, even as Christians, that they needed to be right, to win and to stand tall. Yet, when it came to non-issues, Paul taught God’s will to them.

Firstly, Paul advocated that the strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. The “strong” referring to Christians strong in faith and in the issues at hand. They were able to see the reasons and the outcomes of these issues. These were the ones that Paul admonished to bear the infirmities of the weak. The infirmities referred to the weak conscience pertaining to spiritual things of those who, being weak Christians, found it literally impossible to sustain themselves. Paul admonishes the spirit of charity (unconditional love) that we need to see our brethren with. We need to see past their strong-willed stubborn attitude with regards to a situation that is an obvious non-issue in scripture, yet important to them. A man controlled by the Spirit of God will esteem the other better than himself. In understanding the principle of meekness, he would rather allow a situation to continue without interference, lest in winning the argument, he loses the brother. Therein lay the reason for Paul’s counsel to bear the infirmities of the weak.

Secondly, Paul addressed the attitude of the strong, that they do not aim to please themselves. It is possible that, besides bearing the weak, Paul needed to admonish the self-seeking attitude of the more matured Christians. Spiritual maturity does not come with age, it comes with principled obedience to the Word of God and to the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. A man of older age may be less spiritually mature compared to one younger than he. In this situation, the older Christians, so-called stronger in faith, were pleasing themselves, which is a contradiction.

Thirdly, Paul referred to the principle of care of another brother. Paul’s motivation for this principle is the care of a younger brother, one for whom Christ died, one whom we need to be careful we do not lay a stumbling block over. So many Christians, in the name of rightness and personal opinion, have stumbled many others and checquered their own faith. Sometimes the price to pay for being right is so severely negative that it leads to division. It brings disappointment and destruction. Paul teaches a better way in the name of our Saviour; a way of God to bring about restoration and reconciliation.

Dear reader, do you care enough that you may not prevail in every debate or argument? The goal is not to condone sin or encourage unrighteousness for that is never the intention of this writer. Yet, when being right in an non-issue brings up attitudes and spirits contrary to the principle of Scripture, such as contention and division, are we willing to be not right and esteem the other brother better than ourselves. May we see the need to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. If we see ourselves as the strong in faith, let us bear the infirmities of the weak for the Lord’s glory, for the unity of the assembly and for the brother’s sake.

Written by: Pastor Johnny Tan
Edited by: Timothy Lee
Image Credit: Ivanatman, Flickr