| “RECEIVE ONE ANOTHER” “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7 NKJV) The glory of God, which is the theme of this Bible conference, is seen not only in our text but also in the immediate context. The verse before our text says that we should “with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The sentence after our text ends with these words” “that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy.” Our text begins with the word “Therefore.” Which begs the question, “What is the 'therefore' there for?” Normally the word “therefore” means something like “in view of what I have just said/written.” So how far back should we back up to do justice to this key word “therefore”? Someone has suggested that the overall theme of Romans is righteousness. He divided that theme into five parts: o Righteousness needed (1:18 - 3:20) o Righteousness imputed (3:21 - 5:21) o Righteousness imparted (6 - 8) o Righteousness vindicated (9 - 11) o Righteousness practiced (12 - 15:13) The first 11 chapters of Romans are doctrinal in nature (the doctrine of righteousness). Beginning in Chapter 12 we start to see the practical nature of righteousness. Doctrine (whatever doctrine it may be) is not just to be studied, pondered, and discussed. We deceive ourselves when we engage in a study of revelation without ever proceeding to application. “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). Revelation is not enough. There must be application as well. I believe we can safely say that the “therefore” in our text takes us back at least to Chapter 12, which seems to be the natural break in the book of Romans. The foundation of the doctrine of righteousness has been laid. Now it is time to live out what we have taken in, to undertake what we have understood. So Paul begins by urging his readers in Rome to present their bodies to God as a “living sacrifice.” He says that this is only reasonable; in fact, it is their “reasonable service.” But we not only live for God, we also live for one another. No man is an island unto himself. Our fellowship is not only with the Father and the Son, it is also with one another (1 John 1:3). Fellowship is first vertical, then horizontal. It is impossible to live only for God. We are more that our brother's keeper, we are our brother's brother. We have a duty, a sacred duty, to our brothers and sisters in Christ for they too are children of God. So in the greater context, we discover at least 11 “one another” admonitions. o We are members of one another (12:5) o We are to be kindly affectionate to one another (12:10a) o We are to give preference to one another (12:10b) o We are to be of the same mind toward one another (12:16) o We are to love one another (13:8) o We are not to judge one another anymore (14:13) o We are to edify one another (14:19) o We are to be like-minded toward one another (14:5) o We are to receive one another (15:7) o We are to admonish one another (15:14) o We are to greet one another (16:16) Let us now focus our attention on the “one another” admonition in our text - “receive one another.” Our text says, “Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” I see three eternal truths in this text. First, a command: “receive one another.” Second, an example: “as Christ also received us.” Third, a purpose: “to the glory of God.” Let's take them one by one. A NEEDED COMMAND - “Receive one another.” We understand what it means to receive something. We receive a phone call or an email. We receive a card or a letter. We receive gifts on our birthday or at Christmas. Newlyweds stand in the receiving line after their wedding. A receiver in the game of football receives a forward pass thrown to him. In the spiritual realm, we are all receivers. We received with meekness the implanted word which was able to save our souls (James 1:21). We received the gift of the Holy Spirit when we repented and were baptized (Acts 2:38). Everyone who gladly receives the word will be baptized (Acts 2:41). Those who manifest the searching spirit of the ancient Bereans will receive the word with all readiness (Acts 17:11). Through Christ we have received grace (Romans 1:5). In fact, we have received an abundance of grace (Romans 5:17). Through Christ we have received the atonement/reconciliation (Romans 5:11). The motto of my alma mater is taken from Scripture: “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). Yes, we are all receivers. And since we have been received, we need to be a receiver - we need to be a receiving people. Receive is also translated “accept” or “welcome.” We need to be a receiving people, an accepting people, and a welcoming people. Let me quickly add a needed cautionary word at this point. The Bible clearly states that we are not to receive everyone. John said, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine [identified earlier as “the doctrine of Christ”], do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 10,11). There is a movement afoot today encouraging us to be “open and affirming.” Judith Hoch Wray, a lesbian Disciples of Christ minister, wrote in DiscipleWorld (December 2004), “More than 60 churches and ministers of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have declared themselves 'open and affirming.' Committed to all persons - especially lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons - into their life and leadership.” I have a question. How can we be open to that which is a closed book, the teachings of Scripture? How can we affirm that which Scripture denies? A Christian should always be cordial and kind, but this does not mean receiving, accepting, welcoming, or affirming those who are living in clear violation of the inspired, revealed, and eternal Word of God. Having said that let me say this. We are to receive all those whom Christ has received. We are to accept all those whom God has accepted. We are to welcome all those whom the Holy Spirit has welcomed. Doesn't every Christian do this? I am sorry to say that some of us do not receive some of us. This is an age-old problem. The apostle John commended the elder Gaius for his reception of the brethren, even those he was not personally familiar with. John wrote, “Because they went forth for His name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth” (3 John 7,8). This John practiced. This Gaius practiced. This Diotrephes did not practice! John said, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us…And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church” (3 John 9,10). John called this an “evil” practice, adding, “he who does evil has not seen God.” Can we not see the face of God in our brother or sister? Jacob could. When he met his estranged brother Esau, Jacob declared, “I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God” (Genesis 33:10). They embraced. They were reconciled. They received one another in spite of a stormy past. Can we not - should we not - do the same? This is the point Paul is making in Romans 14. “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.” A thing in doubt will always be in doubt! Let us cease and desist from disputing over doubtful things! Let us simply do what Paul admonished us to do - receive (accept, welcome) our brother. There was a big food fight going on in Rome (banqueting capital of the world) between the Ministers of Meat and the Broccoli Brothers. The Ministers of Meat believed they could eat all things but the Broccoli Brothers were vegetarian. Paul had strong words for those sitting on both sides of the table. To the Ministers of Meat he said, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat.” You see, those who consider themselves “strong” have a tendency to be patronizing, to look down on their brothers. To the Broccoli Brothers he said, “And let not him who does not eat (meat) judge him who eats.” You see, those who are considered “weak” have a tendency to be judgmental, making disparaging remarks about their brothers. At this point, Paul drops a bombshell in the middle of the table. “God has received him!” What? God has received the Ministers of Meat? What? God has received the Broccoli Brothers? Yes indeed. If God has received him, who are you to reject him? This goes for folks on both sides of the table, on both sides of any matter that is doubtful. Paul goes on to say, “Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand…But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? [Notice he is calling both of them “brothers.” The prodigal son's older brother could not bring himself to call his brother “brother.” He said to his father, “This thy son.” The father gently reminded him, “This thy brother.” There's a lesson there for all of us.] For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way” (Romans 14;4,10,13). Five times in Romans 14 he reminds them they are “brothers.” Brotherhood should mean something. It means we are children of the same Father. Malachi asks, “Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?” (Malachi 2:10). Why, indeed? The command is clear and convincing. “Receive one another.” A DIVINE EXAMPLE - “just as Christ also received us.” We are not left to wonder how we are to receive one another. It's really not complicated at all. If we can establish how Christ received us, then we can know how to receive one another. Paul does not just say “receive one another to the glory of God.” If he left it at that, we would not know how we are to receive one another. We might come up with some plan or procedure that would horrify God, not glorify Him. But God has not left the children of light in the dark. Through the apostle Paul, He says, “Receive one another, just as Christ also received us…” So now we have a question set before us. How did Christ receive us? That He received us is not to be questioned at all. “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” The Pharisees muttered this truth in Luke 15:2, although they did not mean it as a compliment. But it was truth nonetheless. Do you remember the words of that grand old hymn, “Christ Receiveth Sinful Men”? Sinners Jesus will receive; sound this word of grace to all Who the heavenly pathway leave, all who linger, all who fall. Come, and He will give you rest; trust Him, for His word is plain; He will take the sinfulest; Christ receiveth sinful men. Now my heart condemns me not, pure before the law I stand; He who cleansed me from all spot, satisfied its last demand. Christ receiveth sinful men, even me with all my sin; Purged from every spot and stain, Heaven with Him I enter in. Sing it o'er…and o'er again. Christ receiveth sinful men. Make the message clear and plain: Christ receiveth sinful men! Now, I don't know about you but that song stirs my soul. Christ receives sinful men - even me with all my sin! Jesus responded to the muttering of the Pharisees by telling the story of the Prodigal Son. We sometimes forget that the Bible says, “So He spoke this parable to them [that is, the Pharisees].” When the prodigal came to himself and returned home, he said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” And the father received him with open arms - not as a servant (which the penitent prodigal wanted) but as a full-fledged son. He threw a lavish party and killed the fatted calf. The older brother, however, could only throw a pathethic pity party. “You never gave me a goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” But the father said, “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” Yes, Christ receives sinners. Pray tell, who else could he receive? He came to call sinners to repentance and when sinners respond to the call, He receives them unto Himself. He who was scourged for men scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:6), the emphasis here being on the fact that He receives us. Charlotte Elliott had a hard time believing that Christ would receive her, even her with all her sins. She was an invalid, living alone in Brighton, England, plagued with doubts and fears - until one day in 1834 when she came to understand that Jesus shed His blood for her. Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! Just as I am, and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To The whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; Because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! If I had not believed that Jesus would receive me, I never would have come to him in June of 1958, repenting of my sins, making the Good Confession, being buried with Him through baptism into death, rising to walk in newness of life! But because I trusted Him to receive me, I surrendered my life to Him. Here is where the doctrine of Calvinism is wrong, horribly wrong. John Calvin taught that the atonement was limited, that Christ's death on the cross was not for all but only for those whom God had elected to be saved. But John the Baptist said Jesus was the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). John the Apostle said Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, but not for our sins only - He is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). God wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Christ died “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Calvinism libels the character of Christ. It alters Jesus' lament over Jerusalem from “How often would I have gathered you together” to “I would not” and changes the “you would not” to “you could not” (Luke 13:34). I do not appreciate the perversion of this passage for this is the scripture that brought me to full surrender to Christ! He who calls us to come will receive all those who come to Him! I came to Christ in trust, believing; in repentance, grieving; in surrender, leaving; in baptism, receiving the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Christ has received us in spite of our past, our sins, our imperfect understanding of His word and will. He has received us in spite of how we were born, where we were born, our race, our sex, our economic status, or our level (or even lack) of education. We are “accepted in the Beloved.” He accepts us as brothers for He is our elder brother. He does not remember our sins nor remind us of our past. He wants us to abide in Him, grow in Him, mature in Him, live for Him, die in Him, perhaps even die for Him, and be found in Him. The example is there for us to heed - “just as Christ also received us.” THE SUPREME PURPOSE - “to the glory of God.” The supreme purpose of man is to glorify God. This involves any and every area of life. “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Martin Luther said, “A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God.” Amy Carmichael said, “Our only aim His glory.” When the ark of God was brought into the tabernacle, David sang a song of thanksgiving: “Give to the LORD the glory due His name” (1 Chronicles 16:29). This song is repeated several times in the Psalms (29:2; 96:8). God and God alone is to be glorified by His people. “Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” There is a powerful story in the Old Testament that illustrates the truth that the supreme purpose of man is to glorify God. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered “strange fire” before the Lord. For this act fire went out from the Lord and they died. “Then Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the LORD spoke, saying: “By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified'” (Leviticus 10:3). God said, “I must be glorified.” “Before all the people.” There are always dire consequences in store for those who do not understand or follow this principle. Herod was struck by an angel of the Lord because “he did not give glory to God” (Acts 12:23). He had just delivered an oration that caused the people to shout, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” His failure to give glory to God before the people resulted in his dreadful demise. How does this fit in with our text? The people of God and the glory of God are intertwined. We are to receive one another to the glory of God. And the bridge between the two is the Son of God. Jesus understood that His purpose was to glorify God. Twelve hours from the cross He prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You” (John 17:1). He glorified God before the people when He died on the cross for the sins of the world. He receives all those who come to the cross for forgiveness. And because He receives us, we are to receive all those whom He has received - to the glory of God. The NIV says, “in order to bring praise to God.” The NLT says, “then God will be glorified.” But not before and not until we receive one another! Our obedience to this needed command will bring glory to God. God is glorified when His children accept on another. Our failure to obey this command may not cause us to be devoured by fire or eaten by worms, but it will surely bring shame upon us. God wants His children to accept one another and to praise and glorify Him with one mind and one mouth. The eternal purpose of God is to gather together all things in heaven and on earth under one head, Jesus Christ. So said Paul in Ephesians 1:10. We are a part of the eternal purpose of God when we receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. We work against that purpose we when we fail to receive one another. Let us cooperate with God in the gathering together process - that all in heaven and on earth might be brought into a unity in Christ. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20,21 KJV). _____________________________________________________________ Preached by Victor Knowles, August 2, 2005, at the Refreshing Waters Renewal conference, held at the Christian Church of Carl Junction, MO, sponsored by Word of Truth Ministries, Joplin, MO. Victor Knowles is president of POEM (Peace on Earth Ministries), Joplin, MO. Email: victor@poeministries.org. |