The Right of It
Romans 15:7
Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
As simple and straightforward as this direction is, it can be surprisingly difficult to abide by. I want you to stop and think about the kinds of people in the world. We are different races, ethnic groups, genders, cultures, religions and ages. That doesn’t even begin to list all of the things which can divide us. In all the diversity of humans, it is easy to find some group or people that makes one uncomfortable. In Jesus’ time, there was a great division between Samaritans and Jews. When Paul wrote this passage, the division between Jews and Gentiles was a topic of great debate.
Let’s understand this. Jews were resolute that Gentiles should not be accepted into the Church which followed Jesus. These aren’t haters, per se. They were people who truly believed there was a right and wrong and that they were in the right of it. The Samaritans and Jews were fiercely divided over the question of proper worship. In their heart of hearts, each believed they were following God; they were good and proper. Think of the Old Testament and all the different tribes. Was Paul suggesting that Philistines were to be accepted?
I am suggesting this mandate is more challenging than it first appears. None the less, it is quite simple. We do not have to agree with all people and all views, but we must accept them. There is the simplicity of it. Without regard to our political and religious beliefs, we are to accept all. Let God decide who is right and who is wrong? I have often wondered if we aren’t all wrong. In a debate there are two sides but what if, just what if we’re both wrong. That was the exact situation between the Samaritans and the Jews. The Samaritans believed worship should take place at Mount Gerizim while the Jews believed worship should occur in Jerusalem. Who was right? Jesus came along and said, “But a time is coming, and even now has arrived, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers, (John 4: 23). Jesus effectively said, “You are both wrong.”
My point is, we take rigid positions about who is right and who is wrong when often there is much more to know. We exclude people because of ideas we cling to. Instead, perhaps we can allow God to sort the chaff from the wheat. Our job, according to Jesus, is to love everyone as he himself loved us. This is hard. I am not pretending it is easy, but we need to learn from God how to accept everyone. Most people would not have chosen a tax collector for an apostle, but Jesus did.
The crux of this is the last phrase of today’s verse, “just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.” With the same grace with which He accepted us, He can help us accept others. The closer we get to Jesus, the more of his perspective we will gain. So, at the end of the day, the answer is as usual, let us draw closer to Jesus.
