Skip to main content

Accept One Another.


          Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7)

          C. S. Lewis wrote about the sort of acceptance Paul’s talking about in his book The Four Loves. When we love a stray dog who has done nothing to deserve our love, we give it a home, food, shelter, and safety, but we also give it a bath, trim its nails, poison it slightly to remove worms, neuter it, and teach it to live according to our dictates (including not attacking/destroying things we value and obeying at least basic commands.) All of these are in the dog’s best interest, but the point is that those changes are part of our acceptance of the dog.
          When Jesus accepts a person, His doing so is not contingent on that person becoming acceptable. It is after Jesus takes that person in that spiritual bathing, etc., takes place. So, yes, Jesus accepts you as you are, but He isn’t satisfied to leave you as you are, and you really don’t have a say in what He does. I’m not saying this to suggest that we’re dogs to God, but simply to point out that acceptance does not include approving of all that we do – or even are – or leaving us to our own devices.
          Today’s passage says we’re to accept one another as Christ accepted us. If God accepts without approving and without leaving us as we wish to be, then it is possible and probably appropriate for us to accept without approving and to expect change. Yes, as some have put it, we are not the Holy Spirit. It’s not our job to change others. We don’t have the right to take on that role, but the Holy Spirit does use people to accomplish His goals. It’s not something we should take lightly, but neither are we free to disregard the encouragement, edification, and exhortation of others in the name of “acceptance.
          And the last phrase is the key. Our acceptance is to bring glory to God. If our acceptance brings glory to the accepted individual, to that individual’s sin, or to ourselves, it’s not the sort of acceptance God had in mind when He inspired Paul to write that we should accept one another.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more