Verses 1-12
- Verses 1-4. Warmly receive all believers, and don't argue with them about (or criticize them for) non-essential or unimportant things.
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God is able to make believers strong even if they're a little bit different from you.
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Verses 5-12. Whatever we do, it is God who will judge us for our actions. So don't try to be that judge for other believers.
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Some believers like to rest one day per week (to keep a sabbath day), and some don't. Some believers like to keep a vegetarian or vegan diet, and some don't. These things are not essential, and either way is fine. Don't emphasize or worry about these things.
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Focus on making your own actions right, not criticizing other people's actions.
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Verses 13-18
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Do not criticize non-essential differences in others, but also do not completely disregard your own. If your choices cause sin, doubt, or offense in other believers, it's good to change. Walk in love by adapting yourself to the needs of others. How so?
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Verse 14. Something becomes sinful for a person if they see it as sinful. Just because something isn't sin for you doesn't mean it isn't for others. And if, in disregard for someone else, you say or do something that another believer doubts or views as wrong, in front of them, you could be a cause of doubt or grief. This is sin on your part. This does not mean cater to the legalism of everyone, but it does mean cater to sincere believers around you that are trying to serve God well, even if their understanding is different from yours.
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For example, it might not be wrong for you to eat pork, but if you eat it (or talk about eating it) around another believer that has a big problem with pork, and sincerely believes they ought to, your eating will cause them grief. This makes your eating sinful. The correct conduct would be to change your diet in order to adapt to them and avoid causing them such grief.
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Verses 15-16. Therefore, walking in love means refraining from knowingly doing anything that might cause others to doubt you, lose trust in you, or become grieved by your actions.
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As you interact with other believers, be mindful for each one's perspective and/or current level of understanding. Saying or doing what they can't understand could harm their faith.
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Verses 17-18. Focus on doing what will keep righteousness, peace, and joy in yourself and in other believers, and you will do well.
Verses 19-23
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Verses 19-21. To sum it up: Always consider other believers first, and do what you know will be helpful for all.
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Simply don't do what will cause others to sin or be weakened in their faith.
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Verse 21. What does it mean to do something "by which a brother is made weak?". Verse 1 says, "He who is weak eats only vegetables". In other words, legalism or excessive strictness is weakness. To connect the dots: If you take a personal opinion and urge it as a doctrine to others, and people believe you, you will cause people to become legalistic, which makes them weak in faith - robbing their joy and peace. They will struggle to have confidence in their actions, thinking "everything is sinful", or they might become anxious, overthink, or become overly critical of themselves. This is a sad place for a person to be in. So do not push personal ideas, opinions, or preferences. Push Bible!
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Verses 22-23. Also make sure that your actions do not violate your own convictions.
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If you have any doubt that a certain action is right, for you it is wrong. Do only what you can do in good faith.
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It is sin to do whatever you don't have confidence about.
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