Romans 15:7: Therefore Welcome One Another As Christ Has Welcomed You, For The Glory Of God.

Romans 15:7
[7] Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (ESV)

In the previous chapter the Apostle Paul dealt with the tension between believers in Jesus Christ who disagreed over matters of conscience. The more "mature" Christians felt that meat sacrificed to idols could be eaten by Christians because idols were not real and God made the animals. The less "mature" believers were horrified by the idea of Christians eating meat sacrificed to false gods.

Paul says here in this verse that regardless of what your opinion is on secondary issues the love of Christ should compel you to get along with one another. After all, Christ has welcomed all of us with all of our differences.I love the fact that God does not call us to do something that he has not already modeled for us to do by his own example.

I would like to say that in our modern Christian culture that we are known by how we welcome one another just like Jesus has welcomed us. I would like to say that modern believers in Jesus Christ have learned how to lovingly deal with our differences and we do not shun our fellow believer who has a different viewpoint than ours. I would love to say that.

I think you know that we are still struggling with the same tensions. What is the answer? I believe we need the reminder that is found in the end of this verse. Our purpose is to give God glory. We are not to live for our own opinions or to demand our own way. We are to live for God's glory. How is he glorified? When we love one another in his name.

Do you find yourself engaged in petty disagreements with other believers? How can you be more welcoming of those whom Christ has welcomed? How can you give God glory by your behavior?

welcome. See note on 14:1. as Christ . . . welcomed you. If the perfect, sinless Son of God was willing to bring sinners into God’s family, how much more should forgiven believers be willing to warmly embrace and accept each other in spite of their disagreements over issues of conscience

Comments

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co

Search This Blog