If you surveyed the church in America about behaviors that are considered sinful, you’d find varied thoughts. Some offer biblical statements of what sin is. Others submit a laundry list of wrongdoings that the Bible doesn’t mention. It seems there will always be Christians on both sides of issues like having tattoos, drinking wine, dressing “appropriately,” etc.
The new believers in Paul’s day struggled with things like this, too. And Paul addresses it in the context of believers being “weak” or “strong.” He says that some were weak in their faith— depending somewhat on their conduct—while others were stronger in their faith. While many of the Jewish believers still clung to rigid dietary restrictions, the Gentile believers could see that their salvation was purely a matter of faith in the God who had shown grace to them.
Where do we find ourselves today with regard to this? Paul points us to Jesus who died for His children indiscriminately (see v. 9). So let’s make room for one another, showing grace where we can.