14:1
We now come to a section that deals with similar matters to those dealt with in 1 Cor 8. There are some who posit that Paul was dealing with a division between Gentile and Jewish Christians. The Jews had previously been expelled from Rome, but had now been allowed back. Under this hypothesis the “weaker” Christians are the Jews and the “stronger” Christians are the Gentile believers. However, there are many, such as Gardener, who do not accept this thesis, and I have to say I am persuaded by them. Paul did not personally know the church at Rome, and there is no indication that he is dealing with a specific problem of that type. Rather, the “weak” and “strong” are used on a personal level, rather than an ethnic group level.
So the weaker brother is to be welcomed, not quarrelled with. We should not have an attitude of wanting to put everyone else “right”.
14:2
The issue arose over eating food. Some were happy to eat anything, others wanted to stick to vegetables. Now this was almost certainly not a matter of being a vegetarian, nor a vegan! There were two reasons why some were reluctant to eat meat. Jews would be concerned that the animal had not been slaughtered in the correct manner. Believers might be concerned that the meat had been connected with idol worship. The latter was the reason for the issue in Corinth.
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