EVEN AS CHRIST….NO. 3

Which do you think is harder...to love one another as Christ loved you or to forgive as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you? Loving and forgiving are two things God emphasizes in His Word. They are never suggestions. He says things like, “if you don’t love your brother, how can you love God.” Several times, Jesus made it clear that if you don’t forgive others, God will not forgive you! On top of it all, the Bible tells us to love as Christ loved us and forgive as God for Christ’s sake forgave us. The bar is raised as high as it can go.

The other day, I came upon another one of these admonitions while reading Romans 15 verse 7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” I don’t know that I ever heard a sermon on the words, “accept one another as Christ accepted you.” I’ve read the verse before. I must have. It was underlined. I guess it just hit me this time because lately I’ve been noticing how it is just not a popular command.

I think God’s Word lays the “how” out in the surrounding verses. There’s no excuse for not knowing what it means to “accept one another.” Each little phrase casts a bit of light on the process. The reason for accepting one another is clearly stated. And the wonderful example of Christ’s acceptance of each of us cannot be misunderstood.

I believe that if the truths taught in the first seven verses were taught and lived in the home, fractured families would be no more! And I believe that a fractured family or a split church could experience immediate healing if even some of the members would obey God’s direction found here. Perhaps the opposite of “accepting one another” is pride. If we do not, from our hearts, accept each other, it is because we see ourselves as better than they are to one extent or another.

Read the gentle instructions before and after to find out what “accepting one another” really means. We should bear with the failings of the weak. We should not please ourselves. We should please our neighbor and build him up. We should have the spirit of unity, and we should be seeking it. We should be together in heart and voice glorifying God.

So, practically speaking, if you have a brother-in-law who is different than you, you must from your heart, accept him. Accept into your home. Don’t please yourself while he is there. Build him up. Seek a spirit of unity rather than focusing on the parts of him you don’t like. How did Christ accept you? You were a dirty, rotten scoundrel and while you were yet a sinner, He died for you and accepted you with incredible love and interest and passion. You need to accept the people in your life, equally, passionately, lovingly, forgivingly, just as Christ accepted you into His life.

We like some people and exclude others. Not good. Practice saying, “I totally and freely accept you as my brother-in-law…or my sister…or my small group leader…or my father,” and then we need to show it with sincerity and in deed and in truth.

Why? In order to bring praise to God! I think it’s out of order to sing with gusto on Sunday morning when there are people in our lives that we refuse to accept unreservedly!