14:1 As for the one who is weak. The Christian’s basic attitude to a fellow-Christian is one of welcome and acceptance based on God’s attitude to us in Christ (v. 3; 15:7). There must be charity toward the “weak” person whose conscience is still bound by scruples from which the gospel normally sets us free (v. 2).

quarrel over opinions. In this instance, questions of food, drink, and the religious observation of days. While Paul does not regard these controversies as insoluble, he regards the unity of the church’s fellowship as more important than resolving them (cf. 12:5, 10, 16). The issues in view here did not belong to the gospel, but to the relative strength or weakness of the individual’s faith in the gospel. Where essentials of the gospel were at stake, Paul’s response was very different (e.g., Gal. 1:6, 7; 3:1–5; Phil. 3:2, 18, 19).