c. Unity of the strong and the weak (15:1-13)

We should bear the failings of the weak. We should not please ourselves, but seek to please our neighbors for their good. Jesus set a good example for us in this regard. He did not please himself but sought to do God’s will, even though that would incur the anger of his contemporaries (15:3). This is written in the Scripture to teach us and to serve as a means through which God gives us endurance and encouragement (vv.1-6).

We should accept one another, just as Christ accepted both Jews and Gentiles, according to the purpose of God. The OT quotations in vv.9-12 demonstrate that it was God’s plan from the beginning to include both Jews and Gentiles in the plan of salvation (vv.7-13).