Starting with Romans 14. First four verses: (New Living Translation)
1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
2 For instance, one person believes it's all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.
3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't. And those who don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.
4 Who are you to condemn someone else's servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord's help, they will stand and receive his approval.
And your calling them morons is somehow in accordance?
What do these verses have to do with this notion of yours that the "weaker brother" is one with a weak will rather than one who is ignorant?
Where is your exposition?
I expect more of you than of Winman. Winman can just copy and paste verses. You can do better than that.
These verses, this whole CONTEXT, does not in any way support this anecdote of yours that the weaker brother is somebody who just can't do in moderation what others can.
The weaker brother is one who lacks knowledge. Because he is ignorant he thinks things are wrong that are not wrong.
Paul says this is verse 14- I
know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.
The weaker brother is weak because of what he does not KNOW- not because he might become an addict if he does what stronger brethren do.
This is reiterated in I Corinthians 8:
1Now concerninga food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.b
4Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,d if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
So the weaker brother is not one with self-control issues- he is one with knowledge issues. If he understood what stronger brethren understand then his conscience would not bother him. The REASON his conscience bothers him is because he is ignorant of some things.
So Paul says, "Since he does not have the knowledge you have, be sensitive of this weaker brother."
How? How are we to be sensitive?
That's the question you have yet to even ADDRESS much less answer.
I'll answer it for you.
Don't do anything in his presence that would cause him to stumble.
Why "in his presence"?
Does the text say that? How do we know the idea is not to do these things in his presence?
Because it is literally impossible to influence someone to do something if they have no earthly idea that you do it.
But, here's another thing. Paul is writing a LETTER here. A letter to be read in the church. In the church there are weaker brothers who are going to hear Paul say that they lack knowledge and that their conscience is defiled because they lack this knowledge.
So Paul CANNOT be saying that it is wrong to teach people that things they did not think are okay ARE okay because he DOES THAT VERY THING HERE.
He says that it is PERFECTLY OKAY to eat meat offered to idols.
That is what we are saying here. It is perfectly okay to drink in moderation. But don't do it in such a way that you will hurt a weaker brother who is ignorant in this matter.
