In Christ, we are free to enjoy all of God’s good gifts. But our thirst to express freedom can sometimes eclipse our love for other people, especially those who are net yet so free. Paul talks about this tension in two major passages.
We Are Free Slaves
To the Corinthians who flaunted their freedom, Paul said this:
Though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant [literally “slave”] to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.(1 Cor. 9:19-22).
When he refers to “the weak,” Paul is talking about new believers, or people who are on the verge of becoming believers. They usually still have a weak conscience. To them, everything is good or evil, black or white, and there’s no room for gray.
Maybe they were alcoholics for 30 years, and then they met Jesus, and they stopped drinking altogether. They’re still in a fragile position, so if you bring a 6-pack over to their house, it’s not going to end well! They could fall back into their addiction, and give up all the progress they made when they were first starting to get to know Jesus.
You might say, “Yes, but I’m free! I should be able to drink whatever I want, as long as I’m not getting drunk on it.” And you’re right. You’re absolutely free. But if you want to be like Paul, you need to make yourself a slave to other people (“I have made myself a slave to all”), and that means giving up your freedom.
And it goes further than mere enjoyment of alcohol. If you make yourself a slave to other people, that means giving up your freedom to live a comfortable and convenient life, watching TV on the sofa every night and having your weekend to yourself, because you’ll be giving up your time to spend it on other people. It means giving up your freedom to spend all your money on yourself, because you’ll be using it to help other people.
Legalistically Anti-Legalistic?
In Romans 14, Paul again tackles the issue of weaker people:
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. (Rom. 14:1)
Paul is writing to people who are so enamored with their freedom that they have become legalistic in their anti-legalism, and look down on people with weak consciences who have strict rules about what they will eat and drink. In the following verses he gives us five reasons why we should welcome and love the weak:
1. God has accepted them.
One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. (v. 2-3)
Some Christians look down on “uptight legalists” who abstain from certain food and drink, and others look down on “liberal backsliders” who partake of all things without a second thought, but God has accepted both.
2. They’re Christ’s servants, not yours.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (v. 4)
Could it be that Christ is commanding others to a different standard of morality in an area like alcohol consumption than he is commanding you? How can you be sure that your own relationship with your master is exactly what every other servant of Christ should also experience?
3. They have the same goal as you.
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.(v. 5-6)
Other Christians usually aren’t mindless in their convictions on alcohol, they’re fully convinced. And you both have the same goal of honoring the Lord in all you do, you just think there are different ways to do it.
4. They’re your brothers and sisters.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? (v. 10)
Think of your own family relationships. You fight, bicker, and argue, but then eventually you come back together. You normally don’t just write each other off. These are your spiritual brothers and sisters, and you should have the same attitude as you wrestle over issues like this, rather than immediately writing off those who think differently than you.
5. We’ll all be judged by God.
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (v. 10-12)
God is the final judge, so we must show love to those who have different ideas of right and wrong on topics like alcohol. So how does this work out in our everyday relationships? We’ll explore that question in the next post.