THE CHRISTIAN LIFE - UNITY IN THE BODY - PART 6 (Romans 15:7-13)
INTRODUCTION:
I apologize to those who are here this morning expecting to hear a message for Mother’s Day. Usually, I plan special messages for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day but decided that this year we would just continue with our study of the book of Romans. This is not done out of disrespect to mothers, I certainly believe that they deserve a day devoted to them for all that they do for their children and husbands and the same is true for fathers. But I find it difficult to preach to only a select group and I find this topic of unity in the body that we have been talking about to be extremely important because it is extremely important to our Lord. This is our sixth part on this topic, and we will finish it up this morning.
Last Sunday, we started chapter 15 where Paul begins wrapping up his teaching on unity by giving us two additional principles that relate to the importance of unity in the body of Christ. We looked at the first principle last week which was found in verses 1-6 and it concerned pleasing others and we are to do this by following Christ’s example in which He pleased His Father by submitting to Him and doing His Father’s will. Paul taught that if we did this then we would be unified by being of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus and this would in turn cause us to truly and fully glorify with one voice the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which is our chief purpose in life, to glorify God in all that we do.
This morning as we wrap up this subject Paul introduces one last principle that will help us to diligently preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It again has to do with glorifying God as we rejoice with one another over God’s eternal plan of redemption for mankind provided through the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s pray and then turn to our Scriptures.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans 15:7-13, our passage for this morning. Paul’s final words in this section on unity in the body. Please stand, if you are able, in respect and honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Romans 15:7-13,
“Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “Therefore I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Your name.” Again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.” Again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:7–13, NASB95)[1]
UNITY FOR THE GLORY OF GOD (Romans 15:7)
Paul begins this final section with the word “therefore.” Therefore is referring back to the verses just before this section on being of one mind with one another according to Christ Jesus so that with one mind you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the immediate context of this “therefore” but its broader context as Paul is bringing this to a close is it refers back to everything he has written about diligently preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, everything that he has written in chapter 14:1-15:6.
He reiterates what he had written about beginning in verse one of chapter 14 and ties it with glorifying God that he had just written about in verse six, bringing his teaching on unity all together. He writes, “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7, NASB95)[2] The word translated “accept” and accepted” here is an intensified form of the Greek word for accept, which means that this intensified form carries the meaning of receiving something or someone to yourself with special concern or special interest on the part of the receiver. Paul has already used this word twice in his discussion of unity. He used it first in verse one of chapter 14 where he told believers to accept one another without reservation, but with love and compassion, not for the purpose of passing judgment. Then in verse three of chapter 14 we were told to accept believers in the same gracious way that Christ accepted us. Jesus said it this way, though He used a different verb, He said in Matthew 10:40, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Matthew 10:40, NASB95)[3] In other words, to accept one another is to accept Christ Himself.
Paul does not qualify this verse, it is not directed at one specific group of Christians, it is not addressed to the strong or the weak or to Jews or to Gentiles, it is a command to all believers to accept one another as the Lord Jesus has graciously accepted us, with the same love and understanding that we received when we were accepted by Christ. Think about this, the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect sinless Son of God has accepted us into God’s family, if He could accept wretched sinners like us in His family how much more should we be willing to accept one another. Jesus Christ is to be our example or the pattern that we follow in accepting one another. In our Scripture reading this morning Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29, NASB95)[4] Jesus used the example of how a young ox would be yoked to a strong, well-trained ox to learn how to plow or pull a load in a straight course because the young ox would not be able to pull the older, stronger ox off course and he would learn from the older ox to keep a steady straight course. Jesus says in the same way we are to learn from His example the characteristics of kindness, gentleness, and humility. Paul said much the same thing to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 4:32-5:2, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 4:32–5:2, NASB95)[5] To accept one another as Christ accepted us is a true mark of godliness, but to fail to accept one another in love and compassion is to offend the Savior who accepted you. A local church body that fails to accept one another in love gives the world a reason to ridicule Christ’s church and reject the One who is their only hope of salvation.
There are four ways in which Christ accepts sinners. First, Christ accepts sinners with great joy. In the parable of the lost sheep, when the shepherd has found the sheep there is great rejoicing. Jesus said at the end of this parable, “And when he [the shepherd] comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:6–7, NASB95)[6]
Second, Jesus accepts us for salvation even though we are sinners. If He did not accept us as sinners no person could be saved because no one can cleanse themselves of sin. Paul wrote earlier in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NASB95)[7] In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1 Timothy 1:15, NASB95)[8] More than once Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. In other words, it is not those who think they are righteous but those who know they are sinners that Jesus came to save.
Third, Jesus made it abundantly clear that He accepts sinners impartially. He made a very clear promise when He said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” (John 6:37, NASB95)[9] Paul had earlier in Romans declared that there is no partiality with God. Peter confessed after the conversion of Cornelius and his household in Acts 10:34-35, “Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.’” (Acts 10:34–35, NASB95)[10]
Fourth, Jesus accepts sinners to the glory of God. Paul says this right here in Romans 15:7, “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7, NASB95)[11] God’s plan of redemption was to glorify Himself, all that He does is to His glory. Everything that we as believers do should be to God’s glory, to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:5-6 that God, “… predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5–6, NASB95)[12] Paul later wrote in a benediction in Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20–21, NASB95)[13]
Commentator William Hendrickson writes, “For Christ to be able to accept sinners meant nothing less than leaving the glories of heaven, entering into the miseries of earth, and undergoing a death so agonizing that words are lacking to describe it. For saved sinners to accept one another implies no such sacrifice.”[14] When we seek to follow the example given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ and accept one another in love and with compassion and patience, without judging or criticizing or offending, then we are doing so to the glory of God.
REJOICING IN GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION (Romans 15:8-12)
Paul understood that some of the disunity that existed in the church in Rome was due to the fact that some of the believers were Jewish and some were Gentile. Paul uses the Old Testament to show to the Jewish believers that when God brought Gentiles to salvation that this was not just an afterthought but was part of God’s eternal plan of redemption from the beginning. Paul had emphasized throughout this book that the Lord Jesus Christ had come to save sinners, Jewish and Gentile sinners. In the opening verses of this book Paul had made clear that Jesus Christ, “…who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,” (Romans 1:4–5, NASB95)[15] Then further down in that first chapter he declared in verse 16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, NASB95)[16]
Israel had failed to be a light to the nations as they were to be and instead separated themselves from the Gentiles and treated them with disdain. Paul wrote in Romans 3:29, “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,” (Romans 3:29, NASB95)[17] Paul begins in verse 8 by reminding his readers that Jesus Christ was born a Jew by writing, “For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,” (Romans 15:8, NASB95)[18] The fathers are the patriarchs of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus Christ, God the Son, became incarnate, He took on human flesh, came as a Jew to fulfill and confirm God’s Word. Even though He came to usher in a New Covenant, He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them. He fulfilled the Law in every way, He upheld its sacredness, He reestablished its truth. He fulfilled the Law by keeping it perfectly. Paul’s point is that Christ came to verify the whole revelation of God, His revealed truth to man. He came to save sinful man and to bring glory to His Father by fulfilling His Father’s promises in both the Law and the Prophets. Paul used this truth to more fully explain to the Jews the truth of God as verified by Christ. For those Jews who put their faith in Christ for salvation, they primarily praise God for His truth, which was fulfilled and verified in Christ. The Gentile who come to faith in Christ praises Him for His mercy poured out to them by Christ.
Paul quotes from the Old Testament to show that this was God’s plan from the beginning to bring both Jew and Gentile into His family through salvation. We see a progression in the order in which Paul gives us these quotes. First, he quotes David in Psalm 18:49 where David says he is praising God among the Gentiles and singing to His name. Paul quotes, “… as it is written, ‘Therefore I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Your name.’” (Romans 15:9, NASB95)[19] Paul then quotes from Deuteronomy 32:43 and tells Gentiles to rejoice with the Jewish people, Paul quotes, “Again he says, ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.’” (Romans 15:10, NASB95)[20] Paul then returns to Psalms and quotes from the short chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117:1 and writes, “And again, ‘Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, And let all the peoples praise Him.’” (Romans 15:11, NASB95)[21] His final quote is from Isaiah 11:10, he writes, “Again Isaiah says, ‘There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.’” (Romans 15:12, NASB95)[22] The Root of Jesse was a title for the Messiah, Jesse was the father of David from whom the Messiah would come. Isaiah tells us that not only will He rule over His people Israel but also over the Gentiles, and in Him, the Lord Jesus Christ the Gentiles shall hope. Hope for our glorious future is found both for Jews and Gentiles in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This addition of the Gentiles was not an after-thought of God, but part of His marvelous plan of redemption from the beginning. Because of this truth that was made known in part to the Jewish nation through the Law and the Prophets, Jews can have no grudge against Gentiles, because as seen from these Scriptures their very purpose, their calling from God was to reach Gentiles for the glory of God. The Gentiles can have no grudge against the Jews, because it was through the Jews that God brought them salvation. Accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
ABOUNDING IN HOPE (Romans 15:13)
In this final verse on the topic of unity Paul lifts his voice in prayer for the Body of Christ. Having just quoted from Isaiah that in God shall the Gentiles hope, Paul addresses his prayer to the God of hope. The hope that God gives is the hope of anticipation for something that is sure to come. What is the hope that God assures us is to come? Our glorious future in His glorious presence for all eternity, the final stage of our redemption, the glorification of our bodies into bodies like that of the Lord Jesus Christ, our redemption from the presence of sin as we live in God’s presence forever. Paul prays, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NASB95)[23] He prays that the God who gives us this hope of assurance in the promises of God that He will fill us with all joy and peace in believing. Where does this joy and peace come from? From believing in the God of hope, that He is faithful to fulfill His promises and make us like the Lord Jesus Christ in our final redemption. When we have hope like this in our belief we will be filled with joy and peace in knowing that we have a future no matter what circumstances we face on this earth our hope is secure in the God of hope. As we rejoice in this hope with our brothers and sisters in Christ the hope will grow and abound by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
Paul’s prayer for us in this verse expresses his desire, his longing for all believers to experience the total satisfaction that is theirs in their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. That joy in the Lord becomes our strength day by day, that peace with God is the peace that transcends all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, that causes our hearts to swell with the hope that comes through the assurance of the Holy Spirit within us and His power enabling us to accept one another to the glory of God. It is a prayer for those who rest in the assurances of God to know and experience the love, the joy, the peace, the hope, the victory, and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who makes us one in Jesus Christ our Lord.
CONCLUSION:
Paul in this section in Romans which began back in chapter 14 has been instructing us on unity, the unity that needs to exist in the body of Christ. Unity and oneness are extremely important to our Lord because He understands the joy and fellowship that comes through the oneness that He has with the Father and the Spirit. He desires that same joy and fellowship between His children, those who have come to Him in faith for salvation. The church is made up of people from all walks of life, but we all have one thing in common, we are all sinners saved by grace through our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this we can have unity, we can have harmony and Paul has instructed how this is accomplished. We look past our diversity, we look past our spiritual maturity, we look past our race, our social status and our gender and we accept one another just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. We rejoice in our redemption; we rejoice with one voice to the glory of God. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1-3, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1–3, NASB95)[24]
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (emphasis mine)
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (emphasis mine)
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (emphasis mine)
[14]Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Vol. 12–13, pp. 474–475). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (emphasis mine)
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (emphasis mine)
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[21]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[22]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[23]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[24]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.