Giving Grace To The Weaker

(Rom. 14:4) “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.” In the above verse the Apostle Paul is very clear that not all Christians share the same convictions in life. We all should share the same black and white doctrines of the faith, but when it comes to certain things not specifically taught in scripture we ought to be graceful. Why?  Because not everyone is at the same maturity level with God. Growing in the knowledge of God’s Word takes time and learning to be graceful with all brethren does as well. So be careful to give one another the time to grow up into Christ. Just as we don’t expect little children to grasp the mature content of adulthood, neither should we expect instant maturity within the Church. The above grace described by Paul, demands that at times we back off or even surrender our liberty for the sake of a weaker brother, lest he be offended and fall away in his immaturity. Quarrelling, pushing, and forcing people into our personal convictions was never the manner of Christ, but rather he gracefully lived a holy lifestyle before others, and loved, taught, and corrected his disciples in a way that gave them ample time to ponder and learn God’s Ways for themselves. Longsuffering is a spiritual fruit that needs to be practiced by those who are strong in their faith, lest we become stumbling blocks to those who are still growing.