C&CW Ep. 28 - Terms: Stronger Brother & Pharisee

Odysee:
https://odysee.com/@CoffeeChristianWorldview:a/Ep.-28%2C-Terms--Stronger-Brother---Pharisee:0

Telegram:
https://t.me/CoffeeChristianWorldview/98

Coffee & Christian Worldview
Episode 28

Show Notes:

THE STRONGER BROTHER
The "stronger brother" is strong in the ways the weaker brother is weak.

1. Faith/Conviction (Rom. 14:22)
2. Knowledge: an idol is nothing, nothing is unclean of itself, all things are lawful, it's not what enter the body that defiles a man.
3. Conscience: not sensitive to things not sinful; calibrated to the Word of God. Enjoys freedom without guilt, to the glory of God.
4. Will: strong-willed, will not surrender to someone else. "For why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience?" (1 Cor. 10). Not unduly influenced by unbelievers, Pharisees, or weaker brothers, even differing stronger brothers.

"The stronger brother (or sister) is a Christian who, because of his understanding of Christian freedom and the strength of his conviction, exercises his liberty in good conscience without being improperly influenced by the differing opinions of others."
—Friesen, Garry; Maxson, J. Robin. Decision Making and the Will of God (p. 399). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Responsibility is placed on the stronger brother, because weaker brothers will be influenced to sin against their conscience.
Stronger brothers are to care for weaker brothers.
The one who was "stumbled" but was not influenced is a whole nothing type of person.

Rom. 15:2, Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his building up.

The error: leveraging the correct duty to the advantage of those who are not weaker brothers, but merely disagree and believe that what is in freedom is sin; they are not weak in will.
They say, "you're not being loving, building up." They stumble over your use of freedom.
To practically wipe out Christian freedom completely. Misapply the responsibility to cancel out what Paul explained. In the end, there's not adiaphora, no gray area, there is no freedom! Conscience bound by anyone and everyone.
The original "cancel-culture."

The stronger brother is RIGHT.
Paul was a stronger brother.
The weaker brothers are wrong, because they are weak in knowledge.

Whatever is not named as sin in Scripture is not sin.

He doesn't refrain from using freedom because he's wrong. It's for the sake of those who don't have that knowledge, are overly sensitive, and can be influenced.

[16:17]
THE PHARISEE
The 3rd category—often misidentified as the weaker brother, and may masquerade as weak in order to manipulate you.

"Who is NOT the weaker brother?"
Article: http://www.discipleshipphilippines.org/not-weaker-brother/

This type is not explicitly talked about in 1 Cor. 8, 10; Rom. 14.
We get this profile from the Gospels: the Pharisees.
They are the most memorable example for binding the conscience and defining "sin" according to their man-made traditions.
Adding to God's Law, and often replacing it with their preferences.

They may prove to be unbelievers: there's a condemnation for adding to God's Word.
Like Mormons and forbidding drinking coffee. That's a sinful binding of the conscience.

Definition:
The pharisee is a professing believer with strong convictions who, because of his pride, takes offense at those who resist his pressure to conform to his point of view. By his nature, the pharisee is most in need of the correctives set forth in Romans 14:1–12. Of the three types of differing brothers, he is also the most difficult to get along with. Sometimes he will even claim he is a weaker brother as a way to force you to change. For this reason, Joe Aldrich calls the pharisee a “professional weaker brother.”
—Friesen, Garry; Maxson, J. Robin. Decision Making and the Will of God (pp. 409-410). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

An ironic. use of the term "weaker brother," because the Pharisee is not weak in all the ways a weaker brother is.
R.C. Sproul similarly talks about "The Tyranny of the Weaker Brother"
Like Con Men: professional deceivers.

When Pharisees disagree over adiaphora, accuse you of "stumbling," say you are being a "bad witness"—ask: "Were they influenced to follow your example?"
If not, they are not a weaker brother, they are a Pharisee. It's that easy to tell.
They are weak in knowledge, but strong in will—they would never do what you do. They are not influenced by your freedom, rather they are trying to influence you and bind your conscience; elevating their preferences to the level of Divine Law.

*Friesen's description of the Pharisee is in the article linked above.

"The Disobeying Brother"

Key part of defining a Pharisee:
The Pharisee takes offense at your freedom when none is given—is not influenced to act.

You did nothing wrong when someone is not pressured to do what you did, yet is accusing you of "stumbling."

Take seriously the claim of stumbling. It may be true.
But this is how the Pharisee will operate: despite strong personal conviction which they apply to everyone else—they will not be influenced to sin against their conscience—they will accuse you of stumbling.
And you're stuck.
Pause and consider according to the biblical teaching: is this a weaker brother or a Pharisee?

This is why it's so important that we systematize this, compile the profiles, so you know who you are dealing with.
So you will not betray or destroy freedom of conscience, and stand up to, correct and teach those without this understanding.

You do not treat the Pharisee the same way you treat weaker brothers.
Just look at what Jesus did.

Please FOLLOW this channel and LIKE / SHARE / REPOST
COMMENT / DISCUSS

Visit us:
Facebook.com/WorldviewDiscipleship
DiscipleshipPhilippines.org

Bumper Music:
🎧🥃🧥💋 Finally See The Light
Written by Bryan Teoh
https://freepd.com/music/Finally%20See%20The%20Light.mp3