The general exhortation on agapē in chapters 12–13 proceeds now to a specific discussion of the “strong” and “weak” in 14:1–15:13. Paul divides the entire unit into three subsections. In the present section he argues that self-righteous judgments are divisive in the body of Christ; in 14:13–23 he teaches that responsibility for the other takes priority over individual rights; and he concludes in 15:1–13 with the servant role of Christ as the example for behavior within the Christian fellowship.

Although Paul was addressing a particular problem (or set of problems) in Rome, he frames the discussion in a general way, perhaps because he does not have firsthand knowledge of the situation in Rome and does not wish to appear presumptuous, but more likely because the problem was clear enough to …