As I was saying, yesterday I read this in Romans 15:1, in the NKJV (the version is important because in my list of versions the NKJV was the only one that used this term): We then who are strong ought to bear with the SCRUPLES of the weak, and not to please ourselves. “Whoa,” I said to myself. “We better check this out.” And sure enough, the translation is perfectly legit. Most of the others translate it “the infirmities of the weak.” That is also fine. But why did someone choose “scruples”? So I did what I do: a detailed word study. Here’s what I found.
· English definition: scruples: a feeling of doubt or hesitation with regard to the morality or propriety of a course of action.
But then, on Vocabulary.com, there was this paragraph:
Having scruples is kind of like having a conscience: your morals or scruples cause you to act in ways you think are right. The idea of scruples has to do with ethics and morality: what is right and wrong. If you had no scruples at all, you'd just kill, steal, cheat, and do God knows what else.
“Kind of like having a conscience!” That opens up for a Christian the Biblical study of the “conscience.” The Bible knows about consciences that are good, pure, weak, defiled or seared with a hot iron. It tells us about people who had these various “consciences.” In other words, now I can begin to study Scripture. If I could learn how to change my conscience, I could deal with an issue of OCD.
· Greek based study of the word “scruples” in Rom. 15:1.
o asthenema (only use in the NT): an error arising from weakness of mind. OCD is a weakness of mind issue. This word comes from …
o astheneo (36x in the NT): to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless. This is a more general term, but OCD would fit into this category, so to speak. How is this used in the NT, and specifically in the epistles (Romans through Jude)?
§ It is used 3x in Rom. 14 (v1,2,21), the same context as 15:1. It speaks of a new Christian who has stricter than necessary moral rules for his life. These come from his recent, sinful past. For example, he had been involved in idolatrous temples, and so wanted nothing to do with the cheap meat available at those temples. Other Christians know that the meat is nothing, that idols are nothing, and are not bothered by a good bargain. But the weaker brother is offended by the freedom of the others and must be treated in love. In other words, the issue is “scruples.”
§ In a similar context (1 Cor. 8-10) it is used 3x (8:9,11,12). And the word “conscience” appears 8x in this passage (8:7,10,12; 10:26, 27,28,29ab).
§ A more detailed study of this word would provide help for someone with “weakness of mind.” For example …
· Rom. 4:19: Abraham was not weak in faith. Osborn’s point in the book was that a strong faith was critical to dealing with OCD.
· Rom. 8:3: The law was weak through the flesh and unable to bring about a righteous life. This is a critical truth. The law will not solve this problem. One must find strength in the grace of God, not the application of the law. This is always the case for Christians in their growth in Christ-likeness. Thus, the term appears in 2 Cor. 12:10; 13:9 where we are made strong in weakness by God’s grace. We should add that God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
· The value of encouragement from the Body of Christ is evident in these passages. Acts 20:35: support the weak.
· Osborn gives 3 essentials to Biblical faith (man’s helplessness, God’s power, the mercy of God). In 2 Cor. 13:4 Christ was crucified in weakness (His humanity), yet He lives by the power of God. In Phil. 2:26-27 Epaphroditus had a weakness “but God had mercy.”
· James 5:14: as we pray for healing of other diseases, so we can pray for healing of this weakness. (More on this in the next post.)
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