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)

Paul’s asking a lot here. He does not say “Accept one another.” There are two subordinate clauses that bring depth and difficulty to the instruction. The first is that we are to accept one another just as Christ accepted you. So, when did Christ accept you? After you got yourself together, or before? And how long will that acceptance last? What are the conditions upon which His acceptance of your is given?

There is a loophole here, if we can call it that. It’s found in the Greek we translate as one another. There are two Greek terms that would be translated one another. The one used here is “of the same kind.” We’re to accept those who are of the same kind. What kind is that? Christians? Yep. But could it also mean those of the same race, family, gender, educational level, economic class, cultural background or political philosophy? As people/fellow-image-bearers? As His creation?

Now, yes, the primary concern here is one-another-as-Christian. But, did Christ accept us after we became Christians? No. So while accepting other Christians is number one on the list, it’s not alone. Nor may we accept one another based on behavior, since Christ accepted us before our behavior became perfect. If Jesus is willing to wait for us to become perfect, and we accept one another as He did, we must accept even those who are messed up.

The second clause to consider is that our acceptance of one another isn’t primarily so that others see what wonderful, accepting people we are. Our accepting others is to glorify God. One of the keys to that may be that we accept one another even when accepting them is beyond our ability. I think of two parallel stories. Elie Wiesel was called upon to forgive a dying Nazi who was desperate. He refused. Corrie Ten Boom came face-to-face with one of the guards from her prison camp. He had become a Christian. She accepted him, not because she wanted to, but because God asked it of her and gave her the strength.

This isn’t a suggestion that anyone should put themselves in harm’s way. Part of accepting another is accepting them as they are. Part of that can be accepting that the person in question is dangerous to us and safety and caution are required.  We can accept American Bison as magnificent beasts and keep our distance. The alternatives, which we too often choose, are to try to change the person into what we will find acceptable or rejecting the person. But that’s not what Paul taught.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more