Sunday, February 26th, 2012 – Freedom Sunday
Romans 15:7-13
“The Power in Unity”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5:23-24
Background Information:
- In this the application section of Paul’s greatest epistle, he has spent 35 verses to clarify and emphasize how Christians are to live in peace, harmony and joy with one another even in the midst of disagreeing over disputable matters. This is by far the most significant theme in this section of Romans.
- Psalm 117 is remarkable for being the shortest psalm in the psalter. But even though it is only two verses long, it has one of the broadest outlooks of any psalm. It is directed to the nations of the world and its peoples, all of whom are called upon to praise Jehovah God for the greatness of “his love toward us” and his “faithfulness,” which endures forever. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1830)
- Hope comes as a by-product of the Holy Spirit’s work. It does not come from our own senses or experiences. This is Paul’s benediction to his letter. What follows from this point are his personal plans and greetings. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 277)
The question to be answered is . . . Why does Paul push so hard to make sure that the church in Rome learns to accept one another and strive for unity?
Answer: Not only is God glorified, and the Gospel made more effective by the unity of believers, but we actually reject Christ when we reject one who is “in Christ.” We must never forget that when someone has given their life to Jesus, no matter how far they have to go to be conformed to the image of Jesus, they still belong to Jesus. It breaks the heart of God when we cause dissensions, arguments and promote disagreements over disputable issues within the Body of Christ.
The Word for the Day is . . . unity
I find it interesting that when the believers were concerned about others’ needs they were in unity. As soon as they began to be concerned about their own needs there was division. Acts 6:1-7 — Pastor Keith
I. Our Unity brings Praise to God (Rom 15:7; see also: Prv 6:12-14, 19; 10:12; 15:18; 16:28; 29:22; Mt 5:21-24; Gal 5:20; 1 Cor 1:10-13; Phil 2:14; 2 Tm 2:23; Ti 3:9-10)
We are to be united in spirit as God’s people, so that God may be glorified; and we are to accept others, as Jesus has accepted us, so that God may be glorified. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1825)
To dwell above with saints we love . . . that will be glory
But to dwell below with saints we know . . . Well that is another story.
Class is an intangible quality that commands, rather than demands, the respect of others. This is because those who have it are truly considerate of others, are courteous and polite without being subservient, are not disagreeable when they disagree, are good listeners, and are at peace with themselves because they do not knowingly do wrong.
In short, people with class might well be defined as those who practice “The Golden Rule” in both their professional and personal life. — John Wooden
Through the good news of Jesus Christ, God is both transforming individuals and forming a community. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 482)
The heart of the gospel is the message of God’s justifying work in Christ. The essential human problem is estrangement from God. Only when this estrangement is overcome and a person is reconciled to God by faith can we speak about God’s good news having done its work. Our preaching and teaching must therefore confront people with sin and offer them redemption in Christ.
But God also wants to form people transformed by the gospel into communities that reflect the values of the gospel. Vertical reconciliation with God must lead to horizontal reconciliation with one another. Faithfulness to the gospel demands that any of us involved in ministry should seek to maintain a balance between the two perspectives. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 482)
Focusing on horizontal reconciliation without encouraging vertical reconciliation first is to put the cart before the horse. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 482-83)
In too many ways, our praise of God is still muted by the divisions among us. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 483)
Out of pure mercy He has received not only the Jews (who therefore should not exalt themselves), but also the Gentiles. Therefore both have reason enough to glorify God and not to contend with each other. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 214)
The best gift of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another.
If I am not willing to say, “I’m sorry,” when I have wronged somebody else–especially when I have not loved him–I have not even started to think about the meaning of a Christian oneness which the world can see. The world has a right to question whether I am a Christian. And more than that, let me say it again, if I am not willing to do this very simple thing, the world has a right to question whether Jesus was sent from God and whether Christianity is true. (Francis A. Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster, 169)
There are two ways of being united—one is by being frozen together, and the other is by being melted together. What Christians need is to be united in brotherly love, and then they may expect to have power. (Moody’s Anecdotes, 53)
There can be union without unity: tie two cats together by their tails and throw them over a clothesline.
II. Part 2 of God’s Plan A was to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles (Rom 15:9-12; see also: Mt 12:21; 15:24; Lk 2:20-32; Acts chps 8-10; Rom 3:29; 11:29-32; Gal 3:14; 4:4-5; Eph 2:11-16)
There is a beautiful progression in the promises that Paul quoted in verses 9 through 12.
The Jews glorify God among the Gentiles (v. 9, quoting Ps 18:49)
The Gentiles rejoice with the Jews (v. 10, quoting Dt 32:43)
All the Jews and Gentiles together praise God (v. 11, quoting Ps 117:1)
Christ shall reign over Jews and Gentiles (v. 12, quoting Isa 11:10) (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Right, 166)
All four quotations refer both to the Gentiles and to the worship of God, although each contains a slightly different emphasis. (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 372)
Paul demonstrated that the OT spoke of the Gentiles being included in the messianic kingdom. Since Christ would rule over both the Jews and the Gentiles, they should accept each other as members of God’s family. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 277)
Paul now reminds both the Jews and Gentiles of something that should make them want to glorify God with one mind. He does it by touching on a rather slighted aspect of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He refers to Christ as the “Servant of the Jews.” Have you noticed how our Lord’s ministry was restricted to the Jews? He came, as He said, to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He had NO direct ministry to the Gentiles (Mt 15:24-26). Why was this? Paul says He did this so that it might be clearly seen that God doesn’t forget His promises. It was proof that when He promises something He does it. He had promised to send a Messiah to Israel and He sent her a Messiah. Of course the Jews killed Him, and when they did, the arrangement between them and God was broken. That left God free to deal with the Gentiles. But it was not Jesus Who dealt with the Gentiles, at least not directly. It became the task of Paul and the other apostles. It was through their ministry that the Lord invited the Gentiles to partake of His finished work on the cross. This was perfectly proper, inasmuch as He died for the sins of all men at Calvary. Thus God showed His FAITHFULNESS to the Jews by keeping His promise to them, and He showed His MERCY to the Gentiles by inviting them to join the eternal family through faith in Christ. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 382-83)
Paul musters a series of quotations from the OT which call attention to the fact that the inclusion of the Gentiles in the kingdom of God is not an innovation brought about by Jesus’ earthly ministry, but is part of the promises of God made in antiquity. It is even part of the implied promises that God made to the patriarchs, such as those promises made to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations, and that through him and through the Jews all the nations of the world would be blessed. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 242)
Jesse was the father of David. So the text is looking forward to that promised descendant of David who will bring in the messianic age. Paul is saying that the age of blessing has begun by Christ’s coming, and that the hope of the Gentiles is in him. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans, Vol. 4, The New Humanity, 1831)
Paul is not just quoting at random. He is deliberately drawing our attention to passages in the OT that teach the inclusion of Gentiles. He is not engaged in mere proof texting, but in contextually sensitive biblical-theological argument. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 481)
It was to the Jews that, during his public ministry, Jesus turned his attention first of all (Mt 10:5, 6; 15:24; Jn 1:11). To them he ministered; i.e., rendered humble, personal service (Mt 20:28); Mk 10:45; Lk 22:27).
He did this in order to confirm God’s truth, his reliability, his faithfulness to the covenant promise, the promise made to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3; 15:1; 17:7; 18:19; 22:18), Isaac (Gen 26:1 f.), Jacob (Gen 28:13-15; 32:28; 46:2-4), and Israel as a people (Ex 20:1; 24:8). Christ confirmed the promise by again and again causing it to be realized in hearts and lives. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 475)
Throughout the letter, the apostle has labored to show that the Abrahamic promise includes Gentiles (cf. ch. 4) without canceling Israel’s own privileges and blessings (cf. chs. 9-11). (Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 86)
Paying careful attention to the OT context of the words that Paul quotes often sheds light on his purpose. In this case, Paul is probably drawn to these opening words from Ps 117 because verse 2 (the only other verse in this psalm) goes on to cite God’s “mercy” (eleos) and “truth” (alētheia) as reasons for the psalmist’s praise. God’s “truth,” or “faithfulness,” demonstrated to Israel and his “mercy” revealed to the Gentiles are the lead ideas that govern these quotations (15:8-9). (Clinton E. Arnold, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 87)
III. The Power of Unity manifests itself in our hope and joy as we all trust in God (Rom 15:13; see also: Rom 14:17; Eph 1:18; Phil 4:7; Col 1:5, 23, 27 )
If we were not familiar almost from birth with this inner war, it would strike us as extremely odd. The animals can apparently boast nothing analogous; the nature of a mouse or a lion is all of one piece. Man is the only house divided. The Christian explanation is telescoped in the story of Adam and Eve. It is a tale of a splendid beginning and a ruinous downfall. Man, as designed by God, did not carry a battlefield inside him. As long as he made God the center of his life he was in joyous harmony with himself, God, and his neighbors. The schism in human nature began when man rejected God from the central position and set himself up on a makeshift throne. Instantly, dozens of clamorous demands arose. The new center was inadequate to maintain harmony. Each facet of the personality warred with every other, and each individual man was in competition with his fellows. (Chad Walsh, Early Christians of the 21st Century, p. 70)
If a person has obtained peace (through faith in Christ), then it will be easy for him to live in peace with others. But whoever is morose and troubled (in his conscience) will be morose and irritable also over against others. But this–(to have joy and peace)–is possible only to him who believes, because joy and peace do not rest upon tangible things, but upon that which lies outside these, and so upon hope. Otherwise God would not be the God of hope, who gives these hidden blessings, namely, joy in personal sorrow and grief, and peace despite opposition and persecution. He who does not believe will fall when sorrow and persecution become his lot, because then everything disappears in whose tangible possession he trusts. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 215)
Christian hope is not merely a sentiment of good fortune or a vague wish that “things will turn out all right in the end.” Hope is an affirmation of the nature of God. The God of hope enables those who put their faith in him to overflow with hope. Gone are the things of the flesh: law, sin, wrath, and death. The benediction sums up the new life in Christ: joy, peace, trust, hope, and power of the Holy Spirit. True, these are not yet present in full measure, but the work and promise of God in Christ are a surety of their ultimate triumph. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 341)
If Christians will believe what God has been saying through Paul and BY FAITH deny themselves for the sake of each other (in order to have a one-minded fellowship), then God will pour out a blessing of JOY and PEACE upon them. Now joy and peace are just the opposite of the pain and emotional distresses that come when believers fuss with each other over mini-morals. If they will bear each other (as burden) by faith, then God, through the Holy Spirit, will make them overflow with hope. But what does that mean? The great hope of believers is the thrill of appearing with the Lord when he returns to establish His kingdom on earth. To overflow with that hope, means to have in one’s self a mighty witness of the Spirit concerning that day. It becomes real to him. In his imagination, he sees himself and the brethren with the Lord. As the reality of the event sweeps his spirit, he sees how stupid it is for Christians, regardless of their backgrounds, to argue about secondary matters. He says to himself, “If we’re going to live together with Jesus, why do anything in this life that would divide us? We’ll just be sorry on that day, if we do.” So this man gladly yields on the minor matters of food and drink, days and doctrines, and customs and baptisms. When a whole fellowship catches the vision of that glorious day, the peace and joy within such a group, make for a wonderful church. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 385)
“Hope, joy, and peace” are ingredients needed in great measure by those whose commitment is to edify those who are locked in conflict. (D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering the NT: Romans, 252)
The more we trust God, the greater our joy, the greater our peace, and the greater we experience this hope that the Bible elsewhere calls ‘the anchor of the soul.’ But the hope we experience as Christians is not a static thing, it is a hope that increases in its magnitude and in its proportion. As we grow in grace, the Holy Spirit works within us, increasing the depth, the breadth and the intensity of that hope in our souls. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 243)
Our future is as bright as the promises of God, which are as certain as God Himself. Patrick Henry said, “I know of no way of judging the future but by the past,” and therein lies the hopelessness of man’s life. But the believer judges the future by the promises of God who has bound Himself by oath to do all that He has promised. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, God’s Glory, 72)
If faith is the means to joy and peace, overflowing hope is their consequence, and all four are due to the power of the Holy Spirit within us. (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 373)
With Paul “hope” is justifiable expectation. It is the solid foundation for future bliss. It is the mainspring of the believers’ courage and stick-to-it-iv-ness. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 477)
There’s harmony and inner peace to be found in following a moral compass that points in the same direction, regardless of fashion or trend. (Ted Koppel, Bits and Pieces November 2, 2000, 11)
Can we doubt that presently our race will more than realize our boldest imaginations, that it will achieve unity and peace, that it will live, the children of our blood and lives will live, in a world made more splendid and lovely than any palace or garden that we know, going on from strength to strength in an ever widening circle of adventure and achievement? What man has done, the little triumphs of his present state, and all this history we have told, form but the prelude to the things that man has got to do. (H. G. Wells: The Political and Social Reconstruction of the World: A Short History of the World)
“To remain divided is sinful! Did not our Lord pray, that they may be one, even as we are one”? (Jn 17:22). A chorus of ecumenical voices keep harping the unity tune. What they are saying is, “Christians of all doctrinal shades and beliefs must come together in one visible organization, regardless… Unite, unite!” Such teaching is false, reckless and dangerous. Truth alone must determine our alignments. Truth comes before unity. Unity without truth is hazardous. Our Lord’s prayer in John 17 must be read in its full context. Look at verse 17: “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” Only those sanctified through the Word can be one in Christ. To teach otherwise is to betray the Gospel. (Charles H. Spurgeon, The Essence of Separation, quoted in The Berean Call, July, 1992, 4).
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION:
A. Accept one another as Christ accepted you (Rom 15:7; see also: Rom 12:10, 16, 18; 14:1,14:13, 19; 15:1-2, 5-7, 13)
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. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 474-75)
The first rule of arguments; Disagree without being disagreeable. (Bits and Pieces January 11, 2001, 2)
Christ’s astounding example gives mighty force to Paul’s challenge to “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” How did Christ accept you and me? He accepted us with our many sins, prejudices, and innumerable blind spots. He accepted us with our psychological shortcoming and cultural naiveté. He accepted us with our provincialisms. He even accepted us with our stubbornness. This is how we are to accept one another. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 284)
The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands. (Alexandra Penny; Bits & Pieces November 30,2000, 11)
Pastor Leith Anderson recently observed, ““Unlike many religious leaders before and since, Graham refused to attack his critics and those with whom he disagreed. Most of those people and their issues have long been forgotten, but Graham’s legacy is long lasting. If he had chosen to attack those with whom he disagreed, he would have been lost in the dust of forgotten controversy.”” (The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, 85)
In 14:1, he urged the Roman community to “receive the person who is weak in faith.” Here, however, he exhorts every believer to receive every other believer. (Douglas J. Moo, The New International Commentary on the NT: Romans, 873)
He is convinced that, just as Jesus Christ came into this world to save all men, so the Church must welcome all men, no matter what their differences may be. Christ was an inclusive Saviour, and therefore his Church must be an inclusive Church. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 198)
“If Christian pastors adhered more closely to the Christ who was crucified in weakness, and were prepared to accept the humiliations which weakness brings, rather than insisting on wielding power, there would be much less discord and much more harmony in the church.” (John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ, 290)
B. When we are “In Christ” everyone who belongs to Jesus belongs to everyone who belongs to Jesus (Mt 10:40; 25:40-45; Acts 9:4; 1 Cor. chps. 12-141 Jn 4:20)
People in a church are like porcupines in a snow storm
Any unwillingness by me to accept other believers shows gross ingratitude on my part towards the acceptance that I have already received in Christ. Forgiven people are forgiving people. If you lack a spirit of forgiveness in your life towards others, that would indicate that you have no understanding of your own forgiveness at the hands of Christ. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 241-42)
Jesus declared that “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Mt 10:40). Therefore, to accept one another is to accept Christ Himself. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 318)
To accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us, is a sure mark of godliness, and failure to do so is just as surely a mark of carnality. Failure to accept one another in love and compassion is an affront to the Savior who accepted us. A congregation that is divisive, quarrelsome, contentious, and judgmental gives the world reason to ridicule Christ’s church and to reject the One who is their only hope of salvation. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 319)
No two groups could be more opposite than these. By Christ’s day, many Jews had become legalists who still maintained a rigorous belief in one God. The Gentiles, on the other hand, were often morally loose individuals who believed in the existence of many gods. One of the few commonalities between these diverse groups was the animosity they had toward one another. And yet, the Son of God came to serve both Jews and Gentiles by uniting them under the common bond of the Christian faith. The broad acceptance demonstrated by Christ should also be manifested by those of us who are His by divine grace. (Charles R. Swindoll, Relating to Others in Love: Romans 12-16, 44)
The weapons of the Church are the same as those of Christ: truth and love. It is to teach and love mankind into desiring and seeking the complete psychological and social harmony that only obedience to God and love of God can produce. (Chad Walsh, Early Christians of the 21st Century, p. 179)
Always it is Jesus Christ our Lord who is the fount of blessing, the broken bread, the life-giving vine, the head of the body. We belong to him—and thus to each other.
As a noted Canadian thinker has said, “Only fallen people are individualists.” (Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Assurances of the Heart, 127)
The church is . . . made up of natural enemies. What binds us together is no common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together . . . because they have all been saved by Jesus Christ and owe Him a common allegiance. . . . They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’s sake (D. A. Carson; Love in Hard Places, 61)
Worship point: There is no way your worship can be of service to the God of the Universe if you have rejected the God of the Universe as He resides in your brother or sister in Christ with whom you have a disputation. Worship is a service we offer to a holy, loving, righteous, and gracious God who has spared no expense to make sure that we could be reconciled to Him. Your worship cannot be tainted with any hint of animosity towards a brother or sister in Christ, without it becoming obnoxious to God (Mt 5:23-24).
My acceptance of my brothers and sisters in the Lord is a matter of worship. I do this not simply for my own benefit, so that I can be popular with the rest of the church. We are called to receive one another, to respect one another, to be accepting towards one another, for the glory of God. When I receive a brother or a sister without condemning them, then I am doing towards my brother and sister what God would have me to do. And in so doing I call attention to the fountainhead of patience and encouragement which is God himself. And so God is glorified in our charitable attitudes towards one another. (RC Sproul, The Gospel of God: Romans, 241)
When we gather in public worship, we are ushered into the presence of Christ. He is among us (Mt 18:20). We do in worship what we were created to do–offer to God intelligent praise. We become more truly human at that point than at any other of human existence. Just as a boy is more aware of his identity as a son in the presence of his father, or as a husband is more aware or his identity as provider and protector in the presence of his wife, so we are most aware of who we are and what we were created to do as human beings at that point at which we bow in worship before our Creator and Redeemer. We are humbled as we offer to him our praise and adoration. We are cleansed as we confess our sins. We are built up, torn down, and rebuilt again as we submit to instruction by his word (Eph 4:11-16). We are fed and united to the whole body of Christ by the sacraments. Through the bread and cup we enjoy koinonia with Christ and one another (1 Cor 10:16). We access his strength through “all prayer and petition” (Eph 6:18) and are thereby enabled to fight the spiritual battles of life. (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God—A Vision for Reforming Worship, 330)
Spiritual Challenge: The next time you find yourself upset or frustrated with a brother or sister in Christ, take a moment to realize that they are “in Christ.” For you to remain upset and in conflict with another brother or sister is to grieve the heart of God. Never forget that everyone who belongs to Jesus belongs to everyone who belongs to Jesus. Then rejoice that God sees Jesus in you rather than you.
God loves you . . . And I’m trying. — Rick Gordon
Quotes to Note:
As for the concern that doctrine always seems to bring strife, I can’t disagree more. Actually, doctrine unites. How else could the early church hold together those who had come from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds? (Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back into Grace, 25)
The search for community in our Western postmodern world is, unquestionably, both real and pervasive. But just because people want community does not mean that their approaches to finding greater unity and purpose in relationships, or fulfilling important tasks together, will bring intimacy or any sense of real community. More specifically, in the evangelical Christian world, when the focus on community in team or small group life does not move beyond the wants, needs, or task fulfillment of the individual, it is extremely difficult to build a depth of lasting unity in relationships. Put simply, it is difficult to find the communion of the Holy Spirit when the spotlight is on the self. (Paul R. Ford, Knocking Over the Leadership Ladder, 34-35)
To focus our attention on Him and learn to love and cover one another is far more important than agreeing on all doctrines. Having like doctrines is not a basis for unity–it is a basis for division! When the Lord becomes our focal point, we will see doctrines and everything else from the same perspective. (Rick Joyner, There Were Two Trees in the Garden, 50)
The Body of Christ is one mind in many bodies.
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