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Romans Commentary Chapters 9-16  /  Romans 15:1-7 Seeking the Edification of Others  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Chrysostom highlights Paul’s rhetorical move—calling them “strong” and saying “we who are strong”; what does this teach about how correction should be delivered inside the church, and how does it challenge the way modern Christians “speak truth” when there are conscience-level disputes?
Another way to ask: Paul calls them “strong” and includes himself (“we who are strong”) while correcting them. What does this teach about how to correct people in the church, especially when the issue is about conscience?

Direct Answer Correction should be delivered with humility and solidarity—Paul praises and includes himself (“we who are strong”) while still calling for change, which challenges harsh, distancing ways of “speaking truth” in conscience disputes.

Support from Transcript:

  • David Bercot notes Paul’s “peacemaking skills” and that he admonishes “in such a way that he also praises them.”
  • Chrysostom’s point: “See how he has caught their attention by his praises. For he not only calls them strong, but he also places them right alongside himself by saying, ‘We who are strong.’”
  • The correction is real: the “strong” must “bear the infirmities of the weak and not… please ourselves.”
  • The context is conscience sensitivity: not offending Jewish believers still attached to “regulations of the law.”
  • The goal is constructive: “for his good to his edification,” not winning an argument.
  • The model is Christlike self-denial: “even Christ did not please Himself.”
Discussion Follow-ups When you correct someone, do you sound like an “arbiter” seeking unity, or like an outsider pronouncing judgment? How could shared responsibility (“we”) change the tone?

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