Slow Down to Walk With Those Who Are Weak

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Are you a strong Christian?

If so, that’s a good thing. But it comes with some parameters. After Paul gives a lengthy discussion on how to treat weaker Christians in Romans 14, he pivots to identify himself with those who are strong. In Romans 15:1-2, he says, ¹ “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ² Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”

As James Edwards writes, “In Greek the term for strong is literally ‘those who are able,’ i.e., those who have the power and means of dominating others.”^[1] In a Christian sense, it’s those who are more mature in their faith, have a fuller understanding of God, and can better discern how Christ would respond in nuanced situations.

As Douglas Moo writes, “The verb ‘bear’ (bastazo) has the same force here that it does in Galatians 6:2, where Paul exhorts believers to ‘Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’”^[2] We should not look down on the weak or distance ourselves from them. We’re to help them bear the heavy loads they carry.

In context, this refers to walking with someone who cannot operate at our pace. They haven’t read as much of the Bible as we have. They are making “dumb” mistakes we haven’t made in years. They place a higher priority on certain topics that we think are tertiary. Still, Paul would say that rather than plunging ahead, we are to slow down and help carry their load.