In Accord with Christ Jesus

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.’ For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:1-7 ESV)

When the Scriptures were originally written, they were not written with chapters and verses. Those were added much later to make it easier for us to find specific passages of Scripture, I believe. And the book of Romans was not written as a book, but it was all one continuous letter. So if we want to understand what the Scriptures are teaching us, it is best if we read them in their full context. For example, this passage of Scripture in chapter 15 is a continuation on the subject of what was written in chapter 14.

And chapter 14 addressed the subject of those who were “weak in faith.” And by that was meant those Jewish believers in Christ who were not able to let go of some of the Old Covenant practices. For when Jesus Christ died on that cross to deliver us out of slavery to sin, and to give us new lives in Jesus, he did away with the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions that the Jews had to follow under the Old Covenant. But he did not remove God’s moral laws!

But some of the Jewish believers in Christ still held to the dietary laws and restrictions, and they still considered one day sacred above the rest. And so Paul was telling those believers who were free from these laws not to pass judgment on their brothers and sisters in Christ whose faith was weak and who were not able yet to get to that point. And he was telling those who still held on to some of those laws to not judge those who were free from them. For they were to show love, one to the other, even if they had differences.

So, when this says here in chapter 15 that we who are strong in faith have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves, this was not speaking of bearing with the sinful practices of professing Christians who still have not let go of their sinful habits, but who are still deliberately and habitually engaging in what they know is sin against the Lord Jesus and against other humans. And it is not saying that we are not to judge them and that we are not to confront them with their sins.

And pleasing our neighbors does not ever engage tolerating and accepting of deliberate and habitual sin in the life of one who calls himself a follower of Jesus Christ. For that is not love! Love tells people the truth about their sin in the hopes that they will die to their sins and now walk in obedience to their Lord in holy living. For we are to put no stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother or a sister in Christ, either related to the matter of differences of opinion or related to the area of sinful practices.

In other words, we are not to do anything within our power that would cause a fellow Christian to do what is biblically regarded as sin or to do what is against their own consciences with regard to days in the week and with regard to food that they eat. But we are to judge sin. And we are to call out sin. And we are to call for repentance and for walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And we are to warn of the consequences of continuing in deliberate sin and of not walking in obedience to the Lord.

So, when this is speaking of us all living in harmony with one another, this is not teaching that we are to tolerate sin in one another, and that we are to remain silent with regard to deliberate and habitual sin in the lives of those who call themselves Christians. This is speaking totally of us living in harmony with other Christians even if we have disputable differences over subjects that do not matter for eternity. For too many “Christians” end up fighting with one another over non-essentials, and that should not be!

So, when it comes to matters that are not matters of sin but of differences of religious practices only, or that are any other differences of opinion over anything else, we should follow the teachings of Romans 14:1-23 and Romans 15:1-7. And we should agree to disagree but to not allow our differences to divide us. And we should harmonize together in the areas where we can agree, as long as we are talking here about differences of opinion and not about deliberate and habitual sin within the church.

For, we cannot with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ if some of us are living in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord and not in holy living in walks of obedience to the Lord. For the Scriptures are really clear on this subject. If we claim to be in fellowship with God, but while we walk in sin, we are liars. And if we claim to know God, but while we don’t walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, then we are liars. And if sin and disobedience are our practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

We should always be kind to everyone, and we should forgive everyone who sins against us, but we are not to be tolerant of sinful practices and of those “believers” who refuse to repent and who refuse to follow Jesus in walks of obedience to his commands. And a refusal to repent doesn’t have to be verbal at all. For the true refusal is shown by one’s actions. For someone can claim to have repented, but if they continue in deliberate and habitual sin, that is not genuine repentance that forsakes sin and walks with God.

So, please understand the difference here between “failings” which are just a matter of diet and days in the week, and “failings” which are the result of deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord and against other humans. And don’t treat them as equal, because they are not equal. One requires tolerance and understanding and acceptance of those whose opinions differ from our ours, whereas the other requires that we speak the truth in love and that we help others to come out of their sinful lifestyles to follow Jesus.

[Php 2:1-8; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:15-21; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-31; Gal 6:1; Jas 5:19-20; Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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