| Advice to | |
| Stronger believers | Don’t be proud of your maturity; don’t flaunt your freedom. Act in love so you do not cause a weaker believer to stumble. |
| Weaker believers | Although you may not feel the same freedom in some areas as in others, take your time, pray to God, but do not force others to adhere to your stipulations. You would hinder other believers by making up rules and standards for how everyone ought to behave. Make sure your convictions are based on God’s Word and are not simply an expression of your opinions. |
| Pastors and leaders | Teach correctly from God’s Word, helping Christians to understand what is right and wrong in God’s eyes and to see that they can have varied opinions on other issues and still be unified. Don’t allow potential problems to get out of hand, causing splits and divisions. |
Paul advises those who are more mature in the faith about how they must care about their brothers and sisters in Christ who have more tender consciences; those “weaker” brothers and sisters are advised concerning their growth; and pastors and leaders are instructed on how to deal with the conflicts that easily could arise between these groups.