“All of this takes place in the church, among genuine believers who have serious disagreements and cause harm to one another, willfully or unintentionally.  Each is in a process of maturing and sanctification. Rather than to despise each other’s weakness, rather than to judge and slander one another, we must bless.  Rather than to repay evil in vengeance, we should love those who have been our enemies. Christ did not please himself.  He bore reproach when he had the power not to have been reproached.  He suffered when he had the power not to have suffered what he suffered, had he been minded to look to his own pleasure.  He suffered for the sake of those who caused his suffering. This is the love genuine…”

“Paul’s main point here is not to try to overturn the convictions of the weak, but to call for unity despite these matters which should not divide the church…here he gives instructions on how to love one another despite our differences.  The genuine love of living sacrificially will be concerned for the unity of the church, the spiritual health of our brothers and sisters, and the glory of Christ will be our ultimate goal…”

The main point of this passage is this: strong and weak Christians alike need to stop despising and condemning each other because it is the Lord, and he alone, who has the right to assess the believer’s conduct on issues which are left to conscience…Church, we must cease from despising and condemning each other because it is the Lord, and he alone, who has the right to assess our conduct on issues which are left to conscience. On any given divisive issue, there will be those who are correct - the strong - and those who are incorrect - the weak.  In either case, it is never acceptable to reject fellowship with another genuine believer over doctrinal disagreements that do not distort the gospel:  God has already welcomed them.