At the end of Romans 13, Paul had warned against giving in to "fleshly desires." This might have led some believers to assume the apostle was advocating an ascetic norm for life. But Paul's words in chapter 14 quickly dispel that conclusion, for here he makes clear that matters of food and drink and rigorously maintained schedules of discipline are actually matters of adiaphora - that is, "things indifferent" to the status of one's salvation. Instead, Paul's words reveal that the attitude Christians should practice is one of acceptance and compassion for other members of their faith community.

He begins by encouraging all members of the community of faith to "welcome" those who are weak. The purpose of a Christian community is not to achieve total homogeneity, but to accommodate all into t…