Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Receive the one who is weak in faith, and do not draw him into contentious dispute over doubtful matters. Each person will answer to God, so the strong are to act humbly and attend to their own responsibility before Him rather than judging another. This receiving calls for self-control, forbearance, sympathy and tenderness, because differences in disposition, habits, education, understanding, and life experience make the same duty easy for one and hard for another, and harmony is to be sought by willing concessions that never concede principle. God has provided fellow human beings as the means to lift the weak to a higher standard, strengthening them through earnest prayer and encouraging words and meeting unbelief with wise, helping speech rather than exposure of faults. In practice this means no one is to criticize another whose practice differs from his own, as in diet where no unvarying rule can govern all and conscience must be left free without becoming a barrier or cause of division.
Welcome Without Dispute
Him who is weak in the faith is to be received, welcomed, without drawing him into contentious disputes over doubtful matters, whether his weakness lies in faith itself or in a differing faith and conscience. The command stands joined to the truth that each person will answer to God, so believers must act humbly and attend to their own responsibility before Him. Receiving one another in this way requires self-control, forbearance, and sympathy, because differences in disposition, habits, education, understanding of truth, and life experience make the same duties and trials easy for one person and difficult for another.
The weak are to be treated with tenderness, with a desire for harmony and a willingness to make concessions to help them accept truth, but without conceding or sacrificing principle. Rather than judging them or exposing their faults, believers are to seek God's blessing and help for them and then speak words of wisdom that strengthen and assist them.
Receiving the weak brother forbids turning reception into a one-sided, unreasonable investigation that questions him like a lawyer, magnifies minutiae, puts an unready speaker in the worst light, and condemns the guiltless. It forbids sitting in amused judgment driven by envy, jealousy, evil surmising, gossiping reports, prejudice, and unconsecrated influence. In place of this it requires fairness, sympathy, pity, and tenderness that sustains, pities, and strengthens him and closes the ears to prejudice against him. So received, he may stand with an influence for truth made powerful by a meek and quiet spirit.
Strengthening Weak Faith
God has provided fellow human beings as the means to encourage and help those who are weak in faith to a higher standard and to grasp eternal holiness, because few are strong enough to do so alone. The Lord's anointed ones hold firmly to their own souls, or keep full hold of them, in order to impart knowledge and strength to the poor and needy ones. Those to be received in this way include many who are filled with sentiments of unbelief, and meeting them requires men who understand how to meet the needs of the people.
The weak in faith are to be received with care and strengthened through earnest prayer and encouraging words. They are to be treated as a faithful physician treats a diseased person who does not realize his condition. Helping such souls also helps those who give the help and brings victories.
The verse identifies some believers as weak in faith and as lame who may be turned out of the way. Ministers must therefore be temperate in eating and drinking and avoid wrong habits that could make these believers stumble and turn away from the faith.
Forbearance in Practice
In dietetic reform there is real common sense, and no one is to criticize others because their practice is not in all things in harmony with his own. The subject must be studied broadly and deeply, for it is impossible to make an unvarying rule to regulate everyone's habits, and no one is to think himself a criterion for all. Not all can eat the same things, because foods that are palatable and wholesome to one person may be distasteful and even harmful to another, as seen in that some cannot use milk while others thrive on it, some cannot digest peas and beans while others find them wholesome, and for some the coarser grain preparations are good food while others cannot use them. In diet Christians may follow conscience about foods such as butter while others refrain, and neither should force the other to change. Differences of opinion must not become barriers between brethren or grounds for argument and division.
In caring for others the command calls for treating convictions with tenderness and respect and allowing freedom of conscience, including the convictions of conscientious Sabbath-keepers. God has provided fellow human beings as the means to encourage and help those with weak faith to a higher standard, because few are strong enough to grasp eternal holiness alone. Those who impart help hold firmly to their own souls in order to impart knowledge and strength to the poor and needy ones. In a school this requires teachers to maintain strict and vigilant rules of order, cleanliness, thoroughness, and neatness, since to relax those rules causes moral loss to the pupils.
Receive the one who is weak in faith, and do not draw him into contentious dispute over doubtful matters. Each person will answer to God, so the strong are to act humbly and attend to their own responsibility before Him rather than judging another. This receiving calls for self-control, forbearance, sympathy and tenderness, because differences in disposition, habits, education, understanding, and life experience make the same duty easy for one and hard for another, and harmony is to be sought by willing concessions that never concede principle. God has provided fellow human beings as the means to lift the weak to a higher standard, strengthening them through earnest prayer and encouraging words and meeting unbelief with wise, helping speech rather than exposure of faults. In practice this means no one is to criticize another whose practice differs from his own, as in diet where no unvarying rule can govern all and conscience must be left free without becoming a barrier or cause of division.
Welcome Without Dispute
Him who is weak in the faith is to be received, welcomed, without drawing him into contentious disputes over doubtful matters, whether his weakness lies in faith itself or in a differing faith and conscience. The command stands joined to the truth that each person will answer to God, so believers must act humbly and attend to their own responsibility before Him. Receiving one another in this way requires self-control, forbearance, and sympathy, because differences in disposition, habits, education, understanding of truth, and life experience make the same duties and trials easy for one person and difficult for another.
The weak are to be treated with tenderness, with a desire for harmony and a willingness to make concessions to help them accept truth, but without conceding or sacrificing principle. Rather than judging them or exposing their faults, believers are to seek God's blessing and help for them and then speak words of wisdom that strengthen and assist them.
Receiving the weak brother forbids turning reception into a one-sided, unreasonable investigation that questions him like a lawyer, magnifies minutiae, puts an unready speaker in the worst light, and condemns the guiltless. It forbids sitting in amused judgment driven by envy, jealousy, evil surmising, gossiping reports, prejudice, and unconsecrated influence. In place of this it requires fairness, sympathy, pity, and tenderness that sustains, pities, and strengthens him and closes the ears to prejudice against him. So received, he may stand with an influence for truth made powerful by a meek and quiet spirit.
Strengthening Weak Faith
God has provided fellow human beings as the means to encourage and help those who are weak in faith to a higher standard and to grasp eternal holiness, because few are strong enough to do so alone. The Lord's anointed ones hold firmly to their own souls, or keep full hold of them, in order to impart knowledge and strength to the poor and needy ones. Those to be received in this way include many who are filled with sentiments of unbelief, and meeting them requires men who understand how to meet the needs of the people.
The weak in faith are to be received with care and strengthened through earnest prayer and encouraging words. They are to be treated as a faithful physician treats a diseased person who does not realize his condition. Helping such souls also helps those who give the help and brings victories.
The verse identifies some believers as weak in faith and as lame who may be turned out of the way. Ministers must therefore be temperate in eating and drinking and avoid wrong habits that could make these believers stumble and turn away from the faith.
Forbearance in Practice
In dietetic reform there is real common sense, and no one is to criticize others because their practice is not in all things in harmony with his own. The subject must be studied broadly and deeply, for it is impossible to make an unvarying rule to regulate everyone's habits, and no one is to think himself a criterion for all. Not all can eat the same things, because foods that are palatable and wholesome to one person may be distasteful and even harmful to another, as seen in that some cannot use milk while others thrive on it, some cannot digest peas and beans while others find them wholesome, and for some the coarser grain preparations are good food while others cannot use them. In diet Christians may follow conscience about foods such as butter while others refrain, and neither should force the other to change. Differences of opinion must not become barriers between brethren or grounds for argument and division.
In caring for others the command calls for treating convictions with tenderness and respect and allowing freedom of conscience, including the convictions of conscientious Sabbath-keepers. God has provided fellow human beings as the means to encourage and help those with weak faith to a higher standard, because few are strong enough to grasp eternal holiness alone. Those who impart help hold firmly to their own souls in order to impart knowledge and strength to the poor and needy ones. In a school this requires teachers to maintain strict and vigilant rules of order, cleanliness, thoroughness, and neatness, since to relax those rules causes moral loss to the pupils.