“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?” (Romans 14:1-4a)
Adiaphora. This is what Paul discusses here in the epistle to the Romans. Adiaphora are matters not regarded as essential to our faith, but nevertheless as permissible for Christians or allowed in the church. Things the Word of God condemns as sin or sexually immoral are not adiaphora despite what the media, the government, and the rest of the world may claim.
The problem arises when we do not agree on what those non-essentials are. The believer will shun and condemn immorality in all its forms as well as the ungodly values and views of the world, the media, and the culture. The believer uses the Word of God and the Holy Spirit as the guide for all value judgments, behavior, and opinion. We can understand that if other believers are promoting or condoning blatant sins or living in sinful lifestyles without remorse, sins specifically addressed in God’s word, they must be disciplined by the Church until they repent and confess. Those who ignore the clear dictates of the Word of God are ignoring the voice of the Holy Spirit Who convicts all of sin. Perhaps those who call themselves believers have so dulled their hearts to His voice are not really believers at all. They cannot ignore or suppress the guilt feel if they want to maintain proper fellowship with the Lord.
Paul counseled us to remember the grace and mercy we have received. We ought not judge our fellow believers in the area of disputable or non-essential matters, areas in which Christians can have different opinions, those gray areas that the Bible does not condemn and those things about which it is silent, such as dancing, how and where to spend our leisure time, where we we work, even which political candidates to endorse.
Paul labels Christians with many scruples as those whose faith is weak. The weak do not grasp Christian freedom. They think that Christianity is a matter of following strict rules. Perhaps they also do not understand salvation by grace. Perhaps they still believe that works are efficacious for salvation. The weak have many scruples, many taboos, many things they feel are the ways of righteous Christian living.
The strong on the other hand, have few scruples about external behaviors. Paul is obviously with this camp. He shared the broader view of the Christian life. Strong Christians understand Christian liberty, the freedom which allows believers to become involved with many areas of life and culture without becoming defiled or falling into sin. The strength of their faith protects them from error. They are not licentious, immoral, or idolatrous but believe in honoring the Lord in all things. The strong can discern between what is sinful and what is neutral. They believe that the Holy Spirit will guide them into all truth, and show them all the things necessary for Godliness.