Doctrinal Outlines

Characteristics of a Weak Believer

Genesis 19

1. A weak believer always has the wrong interest in life. Weak believers are often frantically involved in a social action program. They desire to reform the devil’s world. In Genesis 19:1 Lot was trying to straighten out Sodom. Weak believers frequently have a great desire to be “doing,” and “working” — trying to please God by their efforts, abilities, and talents. Thus weak believers become even weaker because, since they are too busy “doing,” they neglect the intake of God’s Word, and become spiritually malnourished, anemic, and weak.

2. A weak believer often has an unpleasant domestic life. The condition of Lot’s household was sad and tragic. Gen 19:2-3.

3. Weak believers often have no sense of responsibility toward members of their own families. Gen 19:4-11 recounts how Lot offered his own virgin daughters to a mob of drunken homosexuals!

4. A weak believer has no testimony with the lost. In Gen 19:12-14 Lot is unable to persuade even his own sons-in-law of the impending disaster.

5. Weak believers are always warned of judgment, but are usually reluctant to believe it. The angels literally had to lead Lot and his family by the hand out of Sodom before they destroyed it in Genesis 19:15-17.

6. A weak believer is filled with fear, worry, and anxiety. Weak Lot exhibited fear in Gen 19:18-20, and 19:30.

7. A weak believer has no inner strength and no resistance to sin. Genesis 19:31-38 tells of the seduction of Lot by his daughters. The children sired by this act of incest became the nations of Moab and Ammon, who were continually antagonistic to Israel. Weak believers are weak because they are interested in everything but the Word of God. They give lip service to the Bible, but in reality they do not give at least one hour per day to the study of the Word of God in order to obtain the spiritual food needed to nourish their impoverished souls.