Romans 14:4

• belittle … judge: The “strong,” who took pride in their freedom in Christ, looked down on those they considered to be weak. The weak, in turn, believed they were following the true path of faith. Because of this, they judged the strong for being too careless in their behavior.

  Similar attitudes have appeared many times throughout the history of the Christian church. Christians have often argued over different practices and judged one another in the same way.

• God has accepted him: Both "the weak" and "the strong" are true Christians. God has welcomed them into his family. For this reason, they have no right to treat one another as if they do not belong (14:4; see also 15:7).

Paul addresses a specific issue causing conflict in the church at Rome. The church encountered a dispute between those weak in faith and those strong in faith about certain practices (see 15:1).

Throughout this section, Paul urges Christians to show patience and tolerance toward one another and their practices. He is convinced that people on both sides are genuine believers. He also believes that the issues they are arguing about are not essential to the Christian faith.

This section of Romans explains the moral and ethical demands of the gospel. God’s gift of salvation in Christ calls for a response from believers.

God not only forgives sin. He also wants to transform how people live.

Much of what Paul teaches here about the moral duties of believers also appears in his other letters. However, Paul also addresses issues that were especially important for the church in Rome. One key issue was the disagreement between people who were weak in faith and people who were strong in faith(14:1–15:13).