Strong believers should not look down on those with stricter consciences, and those with stricter consciences should not judge those who have freedom. Each believer needs to be fully convinced of their conscience. It’s important to assume that others are acting for the glory of God and to refrain from judging one another, as ultimately, we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

In Romans 14:1-15:13, Paul addressed the believers in Rome, who were divided into two groups: the “strong” and the “weak.” He urged both groups to accept and reconcile with one another despite their differing beliefs about non-essential practices. Paul explained that those considered “weak in faith” were not necessarily immature believers; instead, they were individuals whose faith restricted certain actions, such as eating meat or observing partic­ular holy days. He advised the “strong” believers to limit their freedoms out of love for the “weak” to avoid causing them spiritual harm.

So, what was Paul’s solution to bind these two potential factions together? His answer was love, not law.4 The apostle Paul provides guidance on this issue, beginning in Romans 14:1, where he instructed the church to “Welcome him…” In Romans 15:7, Paul reiterated this point, comparing the welcome of others to how Christ has welcomed us. He emphasized that the purpose of this action is “for the glory of God.” Given this complex yet necessary background, we should listen to God as He teaches us how to disagree with other Christians regarding disputable matters. The stakes are high, and we must internalize these principles to foster unity and joy in our churches.5

Paul advised the “strong” believers to limit their freedoms out of love for the “weak” to avoid causing them spiritual harm. This passage can be organized into three key sections that guide dis­agreements over disputable matters:

1. Welcome one another (14:1-12).
2. Strong Christians, do not cause your brother or sister to stumble (14:13-23).
3. Strong Christians, build up your brother or sister (15:1-7).

When communicating with others, Naselli/Crowley instructs that we must understand that every Christian has a conscience, and every believer must align their conscience with God’s Word. With this in mind, Christians and lead­ers need to recognize that no conscience perfectly matches God’s Word, and no two believers share the same conscience. Each believer must also respect the con­science of others. Every believer needs to obey their conscience and exercise their freedoms for God’s glory. Within the church, there must be mutual respect and understanding between those who are weak in their faith and those who are strong. We should be cautious not to negatively impact the conscience of others and strive to avoid causing harm. Those with a strong conscience must be patient and bear with those who have a weaker conscience.

Paul judges it dangerous for Christians to defy their consciences because if they get in the habit of ignoring the voice of conscience, they may ignore that voice even when the conscience is well informed and properly warning them of something that is positively evil.6

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