Accept One Another

Bible Text: Romans 15:7-13 | Preacher: Alan Conner | Series: 2005, Romans

INTRO

I. ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER (v. 7a)

A. “Accept one another” –     To “accept” means more than tolerate, or give a cold greeting to, it means to receive them as fellow members of the Christian family who have a right to your love and concern, as brothers and sisters in Christ.

B. Avoid unbiblical division. Cf. Galatians 2.

When divisions and strife and factions begin to develop, the end result is that the body             begins to attack itself similar to what is called the autoimmune disease.

You may differ within the body, but you must not divide the body.

II. REASONS FOR ACCEPTING ONE ANOTHER (vv. 7b-13).

Two main reasons given for this acceptance:

A. Accept other believers as Christ has accepted you (v. 7b). Cf. Rom. 14:3 where the focus was on the fact that God has accepted the other, now here it is because Christ has accepted him.

1) As Christ has accepted us (v. 7b). The “just as” is causal, “accept one another because Christ also accepted us.

2) Christ is the standard. Cf. Eph. 4:32; 5:2; 5:25.

Thus, if you want to be like Christ, then accept those believers who differ from you on these kinds of issues, and if you do not want to be like Christ, then don’t accept them. It is that simple.

3) The purpose of Christ accepting us: the glory of God (v. 7b).

Christ accepted us (all Christians both Jew and Gentile) by saving us from our sins, all for the glory of God.

B. Christ’s ministry to both Jews and Gentiles (vv. 8-13).

1) Paul explains how Christ accepted both Jews and Gentiles for the glory of God (vv. 8-9).

a) Christ is a servant.

b) Christ’s two-fold ministry: two purpose infinitives

(1) to confirm the truthfulness of God’s promises to Israel.

(2) to cause the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy.

2) Scriptural proof-texts that both Gentiles and Jews were to receive the covenantal blessings (vv. 9b-12).

a) Paul’s authority was the Word of God.

b) Four texts from the Psalms, the Torah, the historical writings, the Prophets covers the whole range of the O.T. The common link among all four passages is the word Gentiles. Also, three of these passages mention praise and the idea for these texts appear to be that from every part of the OT it has always been God’s plan for both Gentiles and Jews to praise God together.

3) Paul’s prayer for joy, peace, faith, and hope (v. 13). Only God can give these virtues.

a) Hope is sustained by faith and when Paul prays that we may abound in hope by the power of the HS, then in effect he is saying that both faith and hope are given by God.

b) Paul does not want the differences within the church at Rome to rob them of their joy and peace which they should be experiencing as joint participants in the kingdom of Christ.

The Christian faith has its non-negotiable doctrines. But there are other issues, beliefs and convictions which we must learn “to lovingly agree to disagree.” Whether food, drink, holy days, or meat sacrificed to idols, believers will not always see eye to eye on these things and must learn to live in harmony, unity and love in the midst of these differences.

CONCLUSION