1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
but not to disputes over doubtful things.
“Doubtful things” are areas where the Bible does not give definitive answers. The stronger believer should not subject the weaker Christian to disputes about doubtful things such as scruples over food. If the Bible does not expressly forbid something, the church does not have the right to tell people how to act.
The natural tendency of the strong believer is to not be patient with an uninformed Christian. Paul warns the mature to not argue with the immature. God does not call us to correct every kink of aberrant Christians. This is especially true in their misunderstanding of Christian liberty. Insecure people always fear freedom and try to control themselves by legalism. Even with this distortion in mind, unity of the church is a greater priority.
PRINCIPLE:
Dispute does not achieve unity.
APPLICATION:
Disputes do not obtain unity. Conflict will entrench prejudices of both sides of the argument. The best way to change distortion of Scripture is by sound teaching. This requires a step-by-step process so that they can gain confidence in what God says about a matter.
To push weak believers beyond their capacity to receive divine truth will be counterproductive. Christians would then just end in dumping on one another. It is a waste of time to find fault in minor and doubtful areas of Christian living.
The local church is not a religious debating society. Mutual acceptance of each other is more important than issues arising over scruples.
