A
Study of the Book of Romans
Sermon
# 32
“Living in Unity : Accepting Those You Cannot Change”
Romans
15:1-7
Unity
is of such immense importance that the Apostle Paul devotes all of chapter fourteen and a
good part of chapter fifteen to the theme of Christian unity. In our last study of Romans
14:1-12 we looked at the challenge of dealing with differences of conviction in debatable
things. In Romans 15:1-7 Paul challenges
believers to set aside secondary issues and walk together in love and unity.
“We
then who are strong
ought to bear with the scruples
of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (2) Let each of us please his
neighbor for his good, leading to edification. (3) For even Christ did
not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who
reproached You fell on Me.” (4) For whatever things were
written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of
the Scriptures might have hope. (5) Now may the God of patience and
comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, (6) that you may with one mind and
one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (7) Therefore receive one
another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”
First,
The Principle of Unity
Unity is of such critical
importance that John records that Jesus prayed for this at least three times in the
seventeenth chapter of John. In verse
eleven we read, “… Father, keep through Your name those whom
You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” Again in verse twenty-one and twenty-two
he prays, “That
they all may be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that
You sent Me. (22) And the glory which You gave Me I have
given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” Jesus
then sums up his desire for unity in verse twenty-three, “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in
one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have
loved Me.”
Jesus says the quality of our unity either attracts or repels the world. Unfortunately the first
century church had some wonderful successes but also so notable failures regarding
legalism. The church at Corinth seems to have divided into factions over how to handle a
moral issue (1 Corinthians 5:1-3). The church at Pergamum was divided by Christian’s
married to non-Christians (Rev 2:14). Even the first century church seemed to sometimes
fall far short of Christ’s explicit teaching on unity.
But the truth about unity is that we cannot
create unity we can only keep it or disrupt it! In Ephesians 4:3 Paul
writes, “endeavoring (or making every effort) to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Only God can create unity
One
of the reasons that Church is not more successful in attracting the unsaved is that
sometimes Christians are just not very nice, especially to other believers.
Secondly, The Promotion
of Unity (15:1-5)
Five things I can do to
promote unity in my church:
1. Support
The Weaker Brother. (v. 1)
“We then who are strong ought to
bear with the scruples
of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”
“We
then who are strong ought. . .” “Ought”
comes from the Anglo Saxon word “owed.”
That means you and I have a debt that we ought to pay, that we owe to newer, weaker
Christians to support them, to encourage them, even when they fail, even when they
stumble, and even when they don't have the same convictions we do. What he is saying is
that those who are mature have a responsibility to those who are younger in the faith. It
should also be noted that the word translated “ought”
(opheilo) is present tense meaning this is a continuing obligation for strong
believers.
Dr. J Vernon McGee gives us
three principles to consider when making decisions about debatable things “(1) Conviction.
Whatever we do is to be done with enthusiasm because we are persuaded in our own minds
that it is what God wants us to do. (2) Conscience.
Our conduct should be such that we do not look back upon it with qualms of conscience. (3)
Consideration. We should show
consideration for the feelings and prejudices of the weak believers.” [J.Vernon McGee. Thru the Bible Commentary.
(electronic ed. - 1997). (Nashville: Thomas Nelson)]
“…bear with the infirmities (KJV) or weakness (weakness) of
the weak”
Paul is not simply asking
the believers to “put up with” or “tolerate”
those who differ from them. The verb “bear” has the same force here as it
does in Galatians 6:2 where Paul says “bear one
another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The strong are to
actively and lovingly to assist the weak with those burdens they are not able to bear
alone. The idea is of showing real, loving and practical
aid to other believers in need. In any service of our church there are people sitting all
around you that are at various stages of need. Some people are lonely and they need a
friend. Will you be their friend? Some people have a personal problem and they need
someone who is willing to listen. Will you be that one? Some people are discouraged and
they need a word of encourage-ment. Will you look for someone you can give a word of
encouragement to? Some people may have a material need which you could supply. Will you be
that supply? Some people need spiritual counsel to apply the principles of God’s Word
to a situation in their life. Are you willing to do that?
2. Seek To Please Others. (v. 2)
“Let each of us please his
neighbor for his good, leading to edification.”
Although
we have here a call to please others and not ourselves, I must hasten to note that there
is a type of pleasing others of which God does not approve. In Galatians 1:10
Paul writes, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do
I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
Paul says that we are not to be
“nice guys” who are so accommodating that we are even willing to accommodate sin.
The strong believer is never
to be self-centered but must be concerned for the spiritual welfare (edification) of the
weaker brother.
3. Follow The Unselfish Example Of Jesus. (v. 3)
“For even Christ did not please
Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who
reproached You fell on Me.”
Jesus is both the pattern and the power to promote unity among the brethren.
For us the lesson is clear! We are to be like Jesus! Even if we are laughed at we are to serve others. Even if we are ridiculed and reproached, we are to
serve others. Even if we are hated and misunderstood, we are to serve others for the glory
of God.
4. Accept the Bible as my Source of Authority. (v. 4)
“For whatever things were
written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of
the Scriptures might have hope.”
This verse reminds us that
as believers our unity is found in the fact that we believe that the Bible is the Word of
God. Do accept the Bible as the Word of God? That is the basis of unity.
Let me give you example. If
you were to ask some people if the believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, they
would respond with something like this. “No I
believe that everyone will ultimately be saved. The Buddhist and the followers of Mohammed
are just different ways of going to Heaven.” And if you asked them for the basis
of that belief they will say, “Well I just
figured it is the only fair thing for God to do.” The problem with their
contention is it is made on the basis of their own intelligence. They have elevated their
own intellect to the same level as the word of God. I am sorry to have to inform you of
this, but nobody is that smart. I am not and your not either!
“… that we through the
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
Paul
is warning us that there will be times of discouragement and defeat and in those times, we
need to learn to look to the Word of God. It
is there that we will find the encouragement we will need to continue on for the glory of
the Lord. Again, we can look to Jesus as our
example. When He was tempted, He used the
Word of God (Matt. 4:1-11). When He was on the cross, He quoted the Scriptures
three times (Matt. 27:46; John 19:28; Luke
23:46). This shows us that in the
difficult times of His life, Jesus used the Word of God for His Own comfort and strength. If He did, how much more do we need that kind of
help? If we want the Bible to be our source of comfort we must be well acquainted with the
Bible. Because then, when the difficult days come, and they will! You can run to the Word
of God and find help and strength to make it through those valleys.
5. Pray
For Unity Within My Church. (v. 5)
“Now may the God of patience and
comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus”
Just as verse four is a call
to rely on God’s power through His Word, verse five is a call to rely on His power
through prayer.
The emphasis here is not one
seeing every-thing the same, but rather that we regard one another with minds that are filled with and focused on the Lord.
Third, The Purpose
of Unity.
(15:6)
“that
you may with one mind
and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
We are told that unity is indispensable to true
worship. “That”
of verse six is literally “so that.” According to this verse the purpose
of unity is not so that the church will be a pleasant place to be or even that weak
Christians might be encouraged or strong Christians be channeled into useful work, but
rather so that God will be glorified through worship as he ought to be. It is only
when believers cease quarreling with one another and speak with one heart and one voice
that they are able to praise God as they should.
This verse tells us that
when the church gets her mind and her mouth together in a unity of purpose and praise,
people will be drawn to the Lord.
Conclusion
So, do you have a problem accepting others just like they are? When they are different from you, you have an obligation to love them and to reach out to them with a Christ-like love and compassion. May God help us as a church to realize that glorifying God, getting men to Jesus and growing my brother in Christ is the most important activity that I can engage in as a believer. Nothing is more honoring to the Lord than these things.