One bad apple spoils the bushel. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. But is it always true?

(First published in the July 29, 1979 issue of The Pentecostal Evangel)

And it is common knowledge what happens if a bad apple is put up against a good apple. The decay spreads contagiously and irreversibly.

So, from time immemorial, we have been told that one bad apple spoils the bushel.

Another favorite axiom concerns the chain.

A chain is a very useful commodity. Any farmer or trucker can give hearty testimony to the versatility of a simple chain. Chains are used for heavy lifting, for pulling cars out of snowdrifts, and for holding things in place.

But it is universally known that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When you have a grand piano suspended three stories above the pavement and one link takes a breather, you can only hope the maestro had insurance.

That single naughty little link reduces the quality of the entire chain drastically! The chain is then either discarded, becomes two short chains, or is repaired with a new link.

The best quality chain is one where each link is just as strong as every other link. Granted! But does this necessarily apply to human lives? Is a church, for example, only as good as its poorest, laziest, weakest member?

If we applied these principles to individuals, we would banish all "weak links and bad apples" into outerness! And who would escape? The Scripture tells us we've all been "bad apples and weak links," missing the full glory of God and deserving of His judgment!

The problem is that however true these illustrations are when applied to apples and chains, they are totally inadequate in the human situation. In fact, they become vicious, intimidating, and coldly impersonal. People are not irredeemable apples or lifeless metal.

Whenever these illustrations are used, we immediately think of some individual -- or of ourselves. Thus being accused, we are marked. And being marked, we become virtually outcasts -- people to be avoided, omitted, and snubbed.

This kind of thinking is completely the reverse of scriptural directives and examples. Christ's ministry had a very definite thrust toward helping "bad apples and weak links." His ministry was one of healing and support, which is to be our model.

This is how Paul summed it up, speaking to the Ephesian elders: "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' " (Acts 20:35). In the King James, the key phrase is rendered, "to support the weak."

Christ's entire life was a detailed example of supporting and helping the "weak links and bad apples" of His day. Especially 12 who followed Him around.

In all His teaching Christ never used a parable or illustration that would intimidate or hurt a weaker brother or sister. And neither should we. We are to support and help.

How then are we to administer this help? We must speak to the whole person. We must minister to the spiritual, or faith of a person; to the emotional, or psychology of a person; and to physical needs.

The first area of ministry, to the spiritual, we find discussed in Romans 14: "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters" (v. 1).

"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat" (v. 10).

"Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way" (v. 13).

Each of us is unique, as God created us. It would be foolish to expect salvation to eliminate all our distinctive traits of character. Salvation only eliminates sin. It transforms our personality so that instead of abusing our created purpose, we start using our potential to the glory of God.

But essentially we are the same person. Before salvation, we are in God's image marred by the disfiguring of sin. After salvation, we are in God's image becoming glorified and restored by grace. And the image God has given each of us is unique.

Because of our characteristic differences, our manner of believing will also be different. While we share the same object of belief, we all vary, just a little, in how we see what we believe, and how we interpret it.

Your muscles are not the same as my muscles. And my eyes are not the same as your eyes. God made us with differences. And where Scripture is not absolute, there will be differences of opinion.

God through His Word, has encompassed His children within a protective circle of absolutes. As long as we remain within this circle, we are safe in His care.

But we cannot condemn anyone else for moving around or being in a different part of the circle than we are -- even if they are close to the edge. Our condemning another might put us outside the circle of safety, and very probably would cause the other to go over the edge with us.

Instead, our differences are to be a blessing rather than a blight. Each of us enhances the body of Christ differently. This is our beauty and His glory, since it is He who is in us.

We must accept these reasonable differences -- even if the difference is weakness. We must accept a person in his weakness, as Christ has accepted us. If another's faith is weak, we should seek to strengthen him or her by sharing the strength Christ has blessed us with.

Christians cannot accept the cruel and ugly concept of the survival of the fittest at the cost of all others. Our lives are to be shining examples of sharing and acceptance that pierces through the depressing darkness of the world's need.

How could we begin to accept a sinner outside the gate when we refuse to accept and support each other who are already inside the gate? We must be committed to supporting and strengthening the weak in faith, lest we ourselves become faithless again.

The second area of ministry is to the emotional well-being of a person. Here we refer to Romans 15:1-3: "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: 'The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’"

Generally speaking, psychological problems are rooted in emotional problems, which are rooted in how we think or feel about ourselves. If we feel good about ourselves, things go well. If we feel bad about ourselves, we are emotionally perched on the edge of a cliff ready to jump off at the next bad word.

Usually these bad feelings begin with a failure, or a situation we have interpreted as failure. The failure embarrasses us and we feel guilty, whether we really are or not. We feel as if the whole world is pointing a long, wagging finger at us and laughing hysterically and accusingly. Brother! We sure could use a friend about now!

As Christians, that is what we are called upon to be: friends! Someone with a shoulder to cry on. Someone with arms for hugging and holding up others. Someone with a large vocabulary of soft, sweet, encouraging words. Someone willing to share whatever it takes to help.

Regardless of what the failing or weakness is, we must minister to it.

If it is sin of any kind or degree, we must minister in loving compassion. If the failing is a mistake, misjudgment, misunderstanding, an incomplete or poorly done task, an omission, or whatever-our reaction must always be compassion and love.

Even in those instances when correction or criticism is necessary, it must always be done with compassion and love. Our intent is to minister, and not to pass judgment.

The last area of ministry is to the physical. This can be broken down into concern for good health, concern for physical safety and well-being, and concern for material needs.

We need simply to look to the example of Jesus and His ministry to realize the validity of this first concern. No one was more concerned for the health of a person than He.

And the proper attitude we are to have is explained by John, writing to his friend Gaius: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well" (3 John 2).

All our actions begin in the mind. Our attitude toward all must be one of well-wishing and goodwill. And we must back this desire of good for others with prayers.

But our attitude and prayers are only the beginning. Again, John gave us a guideline: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:16-18).

As Christians, we are obligated to show concern for each other. And these obligations go beyond just expressing that concern in words.

Our actions validate and verify the truth and sincerity of our expressed concern. My concern for your need will not pay your overdue electric bill, keep the bank from repossessing your car, or put food on your table. If we are not willing to give of our material substance, and give consistently as needed, our ministry to the whole person will be forever futile and incomplete.

But wait a minute, someone protests! Why should we even bother with "bad apples and weak links"? Who exactly are they?

Good questions. For the why, we go again to Romans: "For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone" (14:7).

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God" (15:7).

Whatever we do, we do it to someone else. Our every action touches someone in the physical world or in the spiritual world.

It's like being in a crowd where no matter which direction you move, you bump someone. The only way to get along in such a situation is to observe the Golden Rule. We are stuck with each other, so we might as well help each other!

The second verse glorifies the whole situation. We were accepted in all our badness and weakness by Christ. To accept others is to bring honor to the Lord of our lives. To reject others is to become rejected (Matthew 25:31-46).

That's the why. And the next part of the question is: Who?

Who are the "bad apples and weak links"? Who is the weaker brother?

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness al1d redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord' " (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

We are the weaker brother! If there are any potential "bad apples and weak links," we're the ones!

All apples, in or out of a barrel, will eventually rot. And the rottenness cannot be reversed or removed without harming the apple.

People are not apples.

Chains are intended to be used in situations of abusive stress. And it can only be expected that they will occasionally break.

People are not chains.

When someone begins to rot with problems or sin, we can apply healing and restoration to that rottenness through the love of Christ in action.

When someone is in a stress situation, we can relieve that pressure and tension through the love of Christ in action.

It is a senseless tragedy to dismiss or discard a personality because of something we consider a blemish or a mistake. And it is negligent abuse to be the stronger human link on either side of a weaker human link and allow stress to break that person. Our lack of action and lack of love would directly contribute to the destruction of that person.

Our responsibility, as clearly directed in Scripture, is to hold each other up and hold each other together, exhibiting actively the supportive love of Christ (Ephesians 5:1,2).

We were once the "bad apples," and Someone came and picked us up in spite of our rottenness. We were once hopelessly weak, but Someone came and held us together, "recasting" us in His strength.

In reality, a Christian community is only as weak as its strongest members. And we are the "good apples" placed as witnesses in this world-sized barrel of "bad apples," with the powerful promise and truth of redemption and regeneration.

And the witness begins inside the gate.