體貼他人Considering Others
[每日靈修] 9/26/2018, 駱鴻銘編譯
當地高爾夫球場的第一洞發球處附近有一個大牌子。那個牌子告示了管理打球的規則。第一條規則預覽了後面的具體規則。它寫道：「高爾夫球的第一條規則就是體貼其他人。」
在基督徒「在基督裏的自由」的背景下，體貼其他人是保羅在羅馬書第十四章教導的主題。隨著新約的出現，一些對舊約來說很重要的規則被廢除了。它們被耶穌的職事應驗了，因此不再需要了。
律法被修改之後，人們很難做出調整。早期歸信基督教的猶太人要面對的一個困難的調整是一個新的局勢，在這種局勢下，耶穌宣稱舊約聖經禮儀律法所禁止的某些食物，現在是潔淨的了。甚至使徒彼得也在為這種新的事態而掙扎（見使徒行傳十9～16）。
成熟的基督徒所面臨的問題是：他應該如何與一個較軟弱的兄弟交往，這位弟兄的良心受到一些規則的束縛，但這些規則是上帝從未打算用來捆綁他的？為了弱小的兄弟，成熟的基督徒應該放棄他的自由嗎？無論這位軟弱弟兄的感情如何，這位更剛強的弟兄是否應該放縱自由？軟弱兄弟的顧忌是否應該成為教會的律法？
保羅對這種局勢的回答是基於雙方都要用愛心來體貼的原則。
活在神的面光中（在神面前禱告）：
請研讀羅馬書第十四章所提供的指導方針，了解如何與基督身體內較軟弱的成員交往。
進一步研讀：
羅馬書十四10～12 你這個人，為什麼論斷弟兄呢？又為什麼輕看弟兄呢？因我們都要站在神的臺前。 經上寫著：『主說：我憑著我的永生起誓：萬膝必向我跪拜；萬口必向我承認。』這樣看來，我們各人必要將自己的事在神面前說明。
Considering Others
There
is a large sign posted next to the first tee of the local golf course. The sign
declares the rules that govern play. The first rule is a preview of the
specific rules that follow. It reads: “The first rule of golf is consideration
of others.”
Consideration
for others, in the context of the Christian’s liberty in Christ, is the theme
of Paul’s teaching in Romans 14. With the advent of the new covenant, some
rules that were important to the Old Testament were done away with. They were
fulfilled by the ministry of Jesus and were no longer necessary.
When
laws are revised, it is difficult for people to make adjustments. One difficult
adjustment for early Jewish converts was to the new situation in which Jesus
declared that certain foods that had been prohibited under Old Testament
ceremonial law were now clean. Even the apostle Peter struggled with this new
state of affairs (see Acts 10:9–16).
The
issue the mature Christian faced was this: How should he relate to a weaker
brother whose conscience was bound by rules with which God never intended to
bind him? Should the mature Christian forfeit his liberty for the sake of the
weaker brother? Should the stronger brother indulge his freedom regardless of
the feelings of the weaker brother? Should the scruples of the weaker brother
become the law of the church?
Paul’s
answer to this situation is based on the principle of loving consideration by
both parties.
Coram
Deo
Study
Romans 14 for scriptural guidelines on relating to weaker members of the body
of Christ.
Passages
for Further Study
Romans
14:10–12