Giants of the Reformation (3)

We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Romans 15.1

The Freedom of a Christian
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“The other class of men whom a Christian will meet are the simple-minded, ignorant men, weak in the faith, as the Apostle calls them…[The Christian] must yield to their weakness until they are more fully instructed. Since they do and think as they do, not because they are stubbornly wicked, but only because their faith is week, the fasts and other things which they consider necessary must be observed to avoid giving them offense. This is the command of love which would harm no one but would serve all men. It is not by their fault that they are weak, but by that of their pastors…”

Are we ministering to “weak” Christians or to strong? And if to “weak,” how much of their weakness is our problem, our fault? Paul was unyielding with “weak” believers, calling them to “grow up” and press on toward maturity. People of weak faith are not much given to works of witness and love. They’re comfortable in their inherited or established routines and just want to be left alone. They like their church, like their worship, like their Christian friends; but they don’t have enough love for the lost to seek them for the Savior. They consider their Christian life as good as it gets. But they don’t know what they’re missing, and our job is so to excite them about the challenges of living boldly and maturely in Christ that they will want to press on toward the upward prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Members of your church may be content to be “weak” in the faith. Are you content for them to remain that way?

T. M. Moore

Mission Partners Outreach
The Lord calls all His sheep to be His witnesses, but being a witness for Christ doesn’t just happen. The flock of the Lord must be equipped for this calling, and Jesus has set shepherds over the flock to do that work. How can we equip the sheep to live for Christ and be His witnesses? Our Mission Partners Outreach provides the resources and framework for making witness-bearing disciples in your church, and all the training and resources are free. Want to learn how it works? Watch this brief video, then contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.for more information. I’ll take you through this program and show you how to make it work in your church.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations from Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christianin John Dillenberger, ed., Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings(New York: Doubleday, 1962).