Accept One Another
Text: Romans 15:1-7
Core Idea: Because Christ has welcomed us, let’s use our strength for one another’s good and make room for those He has received, for this is the Jesus way. And as our different lives join together in worship, may the world see the power of His grace and may God receive all the glory.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Lighthouse. It is wonderful to see you. I want to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving. Why don’t we actually take a moment to share that with one another? Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to remember the many ways God has been good to us – but one of the gifts I’m really thankful for is our church family. Next Sunday, by God’s grace, we’ll celebrate our 5th anniversary as a church. It’s hard to believe that five years have already passed. And there’s so much we can be thankful for – the people He saved, the ways He provided, and the relationships He formed among us. But an anniversary is not only an opportunity to look back with gratitude. It’s also an opportunity to look ahead and ask, “What kind of church is God calling us to become?” So, beginning today, we’re going to spend 4 weeks looking at some of the “one another” commands found in the NT. In fact, this series reflects one of our core values here at Lighthouse: “We are committed to building a ‘one another’ community: We firmly believe that we are created to be in community, both with each other and with God. The Greek word allēlōn, translated ‘one another,’ occurs approximately 100 times in the NT, including dozens of commands that teach believers how to live together. We want to joyfully obey these commands, knowing that our love for one another will show the world to whom we belong (John 13:35).” We want to live this out because church is more than attending the same service at the same time. God has joined us together so that we might share our lives, care for each other, and help one another follow Jesus. Then, today, we’ll begin with the command found in Romans 15:7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” To understand why Paul gives this command, we need to know what was happening in the church at Rome. Beginning in Chapter 14, Paul describes a disagreement between two groups of Christians whom he calls the “strong” and the “weak.” They weren’t divided over whether Jesus is Lord or whether the gospel is true. They were divided over what Paul calls “disputable matters” – areas where Christians may reach different conclusions without denying anything essential to the Christian faith. Today, this might include questions about alcohol, entertainment, schooling, or political decisions. These are not unimportant matters, but they are areas where Christians may apply biblical principles differently without compromising the gospel. Now, in Rome, their disagreements concerned food and sacred days. Some believers understood that, because of Christ, they were free to eat any food, but others remained convinced that eating certain foods would dishonor God. Some regarded certain days as sacred, but others regarded every day alike. These differences were likely shaped by their backgrounds. Some Jewish Christians had spent their lives observing dietary laws and sacred days. So, even after coming to Christ, their consciences may not have allowed them to leave those practices behind. But listen to what Paul says in Romans 14:6: “Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” In other words, both groups wanted to honor God – and yet their different convictions were threatening to divide them. The problem wasn’t just that they disagreed. The real problem was how they treated one another because of their disagreement. The strong looked down on the weak as immature and overly sensitive, while the weak judged the strong as careless and unfaithful. One side responded with contempt – the other responded with condemnation. Now, Paul doesn’t tell everyone to adopt the same conviction. He doesn’t say, “Stop arguing and just do what I tell you.” Instead, he teaches them how to live together while their differences remain: “Accept one another just as Christ accepted you.” But what does it actually mean to accept one another? Well, we’re going to find out today. So, please turn with me to Romans 15:1-7.
1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage:
USE YOUR STRENGTH FOR OTHERS
FOLLOW THE WAY OF CHRIST
WELCOME OTHERS FOR GOD’S GLORY
1. USE YOUR STRENGTH FOR OTHERS
Paul begins by addressing “the strong” – believers who understood that no food was unclean and that their standing before God did not depend on what they ate or which days they observed. And Paul actually agrees with them. In Romans 14:14, he wrote, “I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.” But look at what Paul also says to them in verse 1 of our passage: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak.” The word “ought” speaks of an obligation – which implies that their strength didn’t give them permission to ignore the weak but a responsibility to care for them. In other words, Christian strength isn’t something we use to rise above others – it’s something we use to come alongside them. That’s what Paul means by “bear with.” It means more than reluctantly tolerating someone. No, it has the image of taking up the weight of others and helping to carry it. And the “failings” Paul mentions are not moral sins. In this context, they are limitations in conscience that come because they have yet to fully understand the implications of the gospel. So, Paul is not saying, “Ignore sin because everyone is imperfect.” He’s saying, “When a brother or sister has yet to fully understand their freedom in Christ, don’t despise them, dismiss them, or demand that they change right away. Be patient with them and help them grow.” Notice that Paul includes himself: “We who are strong.” Paul knew that no food was unclean – but he also knew that having greater knowledge didn’t make him superior to other believers. It just made him more responsible for how he treated them. This is an important reminder for us because knowledge can easily produce pride. The more we learn, the easier it becomes to grow impatient with those who do not understand what seems obvious to us. But if your knowledge makes you less patient, less gentle, and less willing to listen, then that knowledge is not producing Christian maturity. It may make you more informed, but it’s not making you more like Christ.
Now, Paul adds that the strong are “not to please ourselves” in verse 1. And this gets to the heart of the problem. The issue wasn’t that they understood their freedom – it was that their freedom had become more important to them than the spiritual good of others. They had the attitude of, “Why should I have to change because they don’t understand the gospel as well as I do? If they have a problem with what I’m doing, they need to grow.” But Romans 14:15 says: “If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.” This is striking because the strong may have been able to make a perfectly biblical argument for what they were doing. But being right about their freedom didn’t mean that they were exercising it lovingly. And the same can be true of us as well. We can win the argument and hurt our brother or sister. We can defend our rights while failing to love. We can become so concerned with proving that we’re allowed to do something that we never stop to ask whether doing it will help the person in front of us. The clearest evidence of strength is not that we can prove we’re right. It’s that we’re willing to use what we know – and even limit what we are free to do – for someone else’s good. So, Paul tells them not to please themselves. But this doesn’t mean that Christians should become people-pleasers. Verse 2 gives us the goal: “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” A people-pleaser gives others what they want in order to gain their approval or avoid rejection. But a Christian seeks what will genuinely help another person grow in Christ. Sometimes that will mean limiting our freedom. At other times, it may mean patiently teaching someone so that their understanding can mature. Then, the question is not, “What will keep this person happy with me?” but “What will build this person up?” Paul says in Romans 14:19: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Peace in the church doesn’t happen automatically. People from different cultures, generations, and stages of spiritual maturity will not always understand one another – which means we must make every effort to build a “one another” community. It’ll require us to listen before reaching conclusions, ask questions rather than dismiss them as overly sensitive, and sometimes even give up something we’re free to enjoy for another believer’s sake.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the most sensitive conscience should determine how everyone else lives. A personal conviction should not be turned into a rule for the whole church. Paul makes it clear that the goal is for the weak to grow into a fuller understanding of their freedom in Christ. But the strong must recognize that this kind of growth cannot be forced through ridicule, pressure, or impatience. It happens as people are loved, taught, and given time for their consciences to be shaped by God’s Word. So, let me ask you: How do you respond when another Christian’s conviction limits something you want to do? Do you dismiss them right away as immature? Or do you consider what would build them up? And if you consider yourself stronger in certain areas, are you using that strength to get your way or help others who are still growing? Friends, we should stop viewing another person’s weakness as an inconvenience because their weakness may be the very reason why God has placed us in their lives – for them to grow. The world may ask, “What am I allowed to do?” But Christian love asks, “How can I use my freedom for your good?” Christian maturity is not measured by how freely we exercise our rights, but by what we are willing to lay down so that another person can be built up.
2. FOLLOW THE WAY OF CHRIST
Now, if we’re honest, Paul’s command can feel unfair. Why should the strong have to adjust their lives because someone else doesn’t understand their freedom in Christ? Why should they give up something they’re free to enjoy? Paul knows that this kind of love doesn’t come naturally. So, after telling the strong not to please themselves, he directs their attention to Jesus. Verse 3: “For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’” Why should the strong refuse to live just for themselves? Because even Christ didn’t please Himself. Now, this doesn’t mean that Jesus tried to please everyone. Actually, He often disappointed people’s expectations. He confronted religious leaders, allowed people to walk away when they rejected the truth, and remained obedient to His Father even when His disciples didn’t understand Him. So, when Paul says that Christ “did not please Himself,” he means that Jesus didn’t make His own comfort and safety the priority of His life. He lived to please His Father and seek the good of others – even when doing so cost Him greatly. That is the way of Christ. And to strengthen his point, Paul quotes Psalm 69:9 at the end of verse 3: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Psalm 69 describes a faithful servant who suffers because of his devotion to the Lord – and Paul shares this to show that these words find their fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus was rejected by His own people, betrayed by one of His disciples, abandoned by His friends, falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and crucified. And yet He remained faithful to His Father and willingly endured it all for us – the insults that we deserved have fallen on Him. He could’ve remained distant from us and said, “That’s their problem. They made their choices, and they should bear the consequences on their own.” But He came near. He took on flesh, entered our suffering, and bore the judgment our sins deserved so that we could be forgiven and brought near to God. Jesus didn’t just tolerate us from a safe distance as in heaven – He gave Himself to receive us. This is important to point out because it means that Jesus is not just an inspiring example for us to imitate. Paul is not saying, “Jesus was selfless, so try harder to be like Him.” If that were true, we might admire Him, but we would despair over our inability to follow Him. But the gospel tells us that the One who calls us to stop pleasing ourselves is the same One who gave Himself for our sins. He forgives our selfishness, changes our hearts, and enables us by His Spirit to love others as He has loved us. Before Christ is our example, He is our Savior. We can follow His way because we have first received His grace. So, when another believer’s weakness feels inconvenient, remember how patiently Jesus has dealt with your weakness. When you are tempted to say, “Why should I have to give something up for them?” remember what Christ willingly gave for you. And I pray that this won’t become a heavy obligation that we obey while grumbling: “Fine. I’ll give it up.” No, I pray that it’ll flow from a heart overwhelmed by grace: “How can I not seek this person’s good when Christ has given so much for me?” Let’s continue.
Verse 4: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” At first, this may seem like an interruption. Paul has been talking about Christ not pleasing Himself, and suddenly he begins to talk about Scripture. But remember: Paul has just quoted Psalm 69. So, before moving on, he just wanted to explain why this ancient psalm still mattered to Christians in Rome – and to us today. Paul says that everything written in the past was written for our instruction. The OT is not just a record of what happened long ago. Through it, God teaches His people what faithfulness looks like, shows us how He has sustained His servants through suffering, and ultimately directs our attention to Christ. Psalm 69 is one example of this. And passages like this should remind us that costly obedience – like the strong giving up their freedom to love the weak – is not wasted. In fact, this is how Scripture produces endurance and encouragement. It doesn’t just tell us to keep going – it gives us reasons to keep going. It reminds us of who God is, how He has remained faithful in the past, and what He has promised for the future. And as we remember His faithfulness, we’re given hope – the confidence that obeying Him and loving others will never be in vain. We need this hope because doing life together can be difficult. It’s not easy to remain patient with people who see things differently, to pursue peace when withdrawing would be easier, and to continue seeking someone’s good when change seems painfully slow. Without hope, we may conclude that they will never change, that the relationship is not worth the effort, or that life would be easier among people more like us. But Scripture reminds us that God is still at work in them – and that He is not finished with us either. Think about how much patience He has shown us. There were truths we didn’t understand right away and sins we didn’t recognize for years. Even now, others may see weaknesses in us that we ourselves cannot see. Today, we may be strong in one area but weak in another. We may be carrying someone now, but tomorrow we may need someone to carry us. None of us stands by our own strength. We all live by the patience and grace of Christ. So, when loving someone becomes costly, look again to Jesus. And when your patience begins to run out, return to the Scriptures and remember the faithfulness of God. The One who gave Himself to receive us will give us the endurance, encouragement, and hope we need to follow His way with one another.
3. WELCOME OTHERS FOR GOD’S GLORY
After directing everyone to follow the way of Christ, Paul does something important: he prays – verse 5: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul knows that this kind of community cannot be created by human effort alone. We cannot simply command ourselves to become more patient, humble, and loving. So, he asks God to give His people the endurance and Christlike attitude they need. Again, this doesn’t mean that everyone in the church must hold the same opinion about every issue. Paul is not praying for uniformity – he is praying for unity. The Roman believers didn’t need identical convictions about every disputable matter. They needed the same commitment to seek one another’s good. And notice the purpose of this unity: “so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify God.” The goal is not just that everyone would stop arguing or that the church would become a more pleasant place. No, the goal is that people who once judged and despised one another would stand together and worship God with one voice as they set aside their differences. “One voice” doesn’t mean that everyone’s voice sounds identical. It just means that different voices are directed toward the same God. They confess the same Savior, celebrate the same grace, and join together in the same praise despite their differences. In other words, God becomes the focal point. It’s all about God. There’s something beautiful about hearing one person sing. But there’s a different kind of beauty when many voices join together in the same song. Their voices are not identical – you can hear the different tones, ranges, and parts. But they’re not singing for themselves. They’re listening to one another, following the same direction, and joining their voices around the same melody. And whether they sing in unison or in harmony, together they produce something no single voice could produce alone. And that is the picture Paul gives us of the church. We’re different people with different backgrounds, experiences, and convictions, but Christ brings our lives together around the same gospel so that, with one mind and one voice, we may glorify God. And that leads to the command in verse 7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” The word translated “accept” means to receive or welcome someone to yourself. Now, Paul is not telling them to just tolerate one another – “I’ll leave you alone if you leave me alone.” That’s how the world understands “acceptance.” But biblical acceptance moves toward the other person and receives them as a genuine brother or sister. Again, this doesn’t mean agreeing with everything someone believes or maintaining the same depth of friendship with everyone – as in we all have to be best friends. But it means that we never treat another believer as though they’re an unwanted part of Christ’s family. Jesus didn’t receive us because we were easy to love, spiritually mature, or free from weakness. No, He received us by grace. So, when we look at another believer, the question shouldn’t be, “Is this someone I would want to hang out with?” And just walk away if the answer is no. No, we should be asking, “Has Christ received this person? And if Christ has received them, who am I to keep them at a distance?”
This has important implications for the kind of church we want Lighthouse to become. As I have shared before, my desire is that we would grow into an increasingly multicultural and multiethnic church. Now, we don’t pursue diversity just to appear diverse or because it’s valued by our culture. No, we pursue it because the gospel brings different people into one family. Here’s something interesting. In Rome, the weaker believers most likely have been Jewish Christians whose consciences still struggled to leave behind the dietary laws and sacred days they had observed throughout their lives. But in 1 Corinthians 8, where the differences came from eating food sacrificed to idols, the weaker believers most likely have been Gentile converts whose former lives had been closely connected to idol worship. For them, eating food sacrificed to idols carried associations and temptations that others did not experience. All that to say, in Rome, the weak were the Jewish believers. In Corinth, the weak were the Gentile believers. This is important to point out because it reminds us that our backgrounds can shape the areas in which we are strong and the areas in which we are weak. To put it more simply, our culture may help us see an implication of the gospel that another culture tends to overlook – or our culture could actually stunt us from seeing an aspect of the gospel that other cultures see clearly. For example, some cultures may help us better understand family, community, hospitality, and sacrifice, while others may help us recognize personal responsibility, courage, or the dignity of the individual. Some believers may teach us reverence, while others may teach us joyful celebration. Some may help us see the importance of caring for the elderly, while others may help us listen more carefully to the young. None of us sees and applies every implication of the gospel perfectly on our own – which means we need one another. But this kind of community will not happen automatically because our natural tendency is to remain with people who make us comfortable – people who speak like us, share our humor, raise their families like us, and see the world as we do. Even in a diverse church, we can remain just within our familiar circles – which is why welcoming one another will require intentional effort. It may require you to initiate a conversation with someone you would not naturally approach or invite someone from a different background into your home. It may require asking questions rather than making assumptions, listening without becoming defensive, and examining whether what we have always considered “normal” is truly biblical or just cultural. There will be misunderstandings – and we may unintentionally offend one another. But just because the work is difficult doesn’t mean that it’s not worth doing. It is worth it.
Look again to the end of verse 7: “in order to bring praise to God.” Welcoming one another is an act of worship. We often think of worship as what happens when we sing. But Paul says that God is also praised when we receive those whom Christ has received – when people who might otherwise remain separated stand together with one mind and one voice. Then, let me ask you: Is there someone you have kept at a distance because relating to them requires more effort? Is there a person or group within our church whom you have quietly expected to adjust to you? Are you willing to move beyond what is familiar, listen with humility, and make room in your life for someone you may not naturally understand? Yes, it’s going to cost us something. But when we receive others as Christ has received us, our life together will become an offering of praise. God didn’t bring us together just so that we could occupy the same room on Sunday. He is forming us into a people who display the power of His grace. So, let’s receive those whom Christ has received – and let’s do it with joy knowing that it honors the Lord.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, because Christ has welcomed us, let’s use our strength for one another’s good and make room for those He has received, for this is the Jesus way. And as our different lives join together in worship, may the world see the power of His grace and may God receive all the glory.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What does it mean to “bear with the failings of the weak”? When another Christian holds a different conviction, are you more likely to dismiss them, judge them, or patiently listen? Is there a freedom or right you may need to limit for the spiritual good of someone else?
What does Paul mean when he says that Christ “did not please Himself”? When loving someone becomes costly, what comfort or freedom are you most tempted to protect – time, money, comfort? What would following Christ’s self-giving way look like in one specific relationship this week?
What is the difference between unity and uniformity? Do you tend to build relationships only with people who share your culture, age, personality, or stage of life? What makes crossing those boundaries difficult? What practical step could you take to welcome someone different from you into your life?
Questions for Youth: How does remembering the patience and grace Jesus has shown you change the way you treat someone who frustrates you? What is one practical way you can help make Anchor or Lighthouse a place where people feel genuinely welcomed?
