Scripture: Romans 15:1-13
Today’s
lesson from the Book of Romans is #12, and will be our last in this series. Paul had written this letter as a preparation
for the journey that he was planning to take to visit the church in Rome’s
capital city, and as we have seen, it not only presents a case for faithful
living, but also a warning of those things that stand in direct contrast to the
way of Jesus Christ.
And
in Chapter 16, the conclusion to his letter he offers a piece of advice that is
especially important in today’s cultural atmosphere of “anything goes”! He wrote:
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out
for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary
to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord
Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they
deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone
has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want
you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. (Romans 16:17-19)
When
Paul wrote this he wanted the church to be “innocent about what is evil”.
He wasn’t implying that they should be
ignorant of the difference between faithful living and the world’s
wicked ways, but rather, that they should never gain any experience with the
world’s evil ways, and would, instead, be filled with the goodness that living
in Christ would bring.
In
today’s Roman’s lesson, we receive Paul’s call to live in God’s goodness in
several specific ways from Jesus’ teaching - 1) love your neighbor as yourself
(Matthew 22:39-40), 2) love one
another as I first loved you (John 13:34-35),
3) love your enemies and pray for them (Luke 6:27-28)
Read Romans 15:1-4
This
portion of our opening passage seems to have a strong call for unity in the
Church. But we have to ask the question,
what is the basis for that unity? I have
heard many others call for unity during the current situation that the United Methodist Church is embroiled in, but
I never quite hear the Lord mentioned as the source of that unity. Instead, it appears that their unity is more
of a human process that is based on their individual desires and
understandings, and has little, if any, basis in faith.
Paul,
on the other hand, sets this issue in the proper perspective – that it can
never be a human or worldly unity that guides us, but rather one that is divine
in nature. Verse 1 calls the strong to
put those who are “weak” in the first position for consideration, and to do all
that we can possibly do to strengthen their life. Verse 2 calls the strong in faith to reach
out to our “neighbors” to build them up in faith and Godly goodness! And the last two verses remind us that our
Triune God has taken the first step in bringing these commands into reality and
to be the example of Christian living and loving for all who would love Him.
Is
there any indication whatsoever in these verses that can be interpreted as
anything but God’s desire for our lives?
That the strong should never put themselves first, but should always
work to help the weak and susceptible in their struggles. That those who are strong in faith should
help their neighbors to grow faithfully, as Jesus, in His parable of the Good
Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
would have us know that a “neighbor” is not one who we are comfortable with,
but rather one who is different than we are, and who is one that we may even
fear or detest! God Himself has set the
bar pretty high for all of us, in that He has taken the lower position by removing
the insults that are directed toward us, by humbling Himself to serve us, and
provide for us, and sacrifice to ensure that salvation would be possible for
all, simply through faith and trust in Him and His word.
The
entire intent of God’s commands, those that have been given throughout the
centuries, is to teach us about His ways, to encourage us in following the
steps that He has taken on our behalf, and to give us confidence and hope in
the promise that Christ has demonstrated to the entire world.
Read Romans 15:5-6
We
are called to have the same heart, and soul, and mind, and strength that Jesus
showed us during His time among us (Luke 10:26-28),
and when we do, we will then be able to show Christ-like love to our “neighbor”. This, Paul tells us, will perfectly create a
sense of unity, not only with other people, but especially with our Almighty
God.
The
Lord has already done all that He will do, until we make the next
move! There will never be a time when
God forces anyone to follow His commands, but there will always be the
opportunity for all to welcome His ways and His presence in the heart of both
the sinner and the righteous. Unity,
whether in the Church or in the world, will never exist until unity in Christ
has been completed in the hearts and minds of humanity!
The
apostle applies the phrase “with one mind and one voice” to define what
unity in Christ must involve. In other
words, if we are to live and serve through unified efforts, we must be thinking
and speaking the same ideals as God does.
Anything less can never bring glory to our One and Almighty Lord and
Savior -it will only honor the one who establishes the false “oneness”,
and that will be a sin!
Read Romans 15:7-9
So
what is our goal for unity in mind and voice?
To be able to proclaim that our Gracious God has finally won and that
His victory has also become ours. Until
we walk and live in the life of Jesus Christ, there is nothing of God living
within us! In John 7:18
we read ”18 Whoever
speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the
glory of the One who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about
him.”
This is a truth for all
of humanity, and not just for a select and minor few.
Read Romans 15:10-13
These
quotations from scripture are all from the Hebrew Testament, and are nothing
that Paul made up on his own. The point
of these verses is to confirm the Lord’s promise to all, that Jew and Gentile
alike, or if you prefer, the Church as well as all who have yet to come to
faith in Christ, are to come together to sing the praises of Jehovah God,
through one voice and one heart.
That
level of faith has gone wanting for many years, but that doesn’t mean that it
can never occur! The Lord is welcoming
of all who would come to Him by faith.
No one will be excluded from God’s mercy, regardless of the life they
had been living, regardless of the sinfulness that they had allowed to control
their mind and voice. Faith and
allegiance to the Son of God and His teaching is all that matters, and by that
faith, we will be one.
Remember
that favorite old hymn – “TheChurch’s One Foundation”? The first
verse tells us that Jesus Christ is that foundation, and not humanity, and
definitely not the desires that the world has raised up. And without that “foundation”, that basis,
that source of truth, the Church will never know a unified spirit, or a unified
voice, or a unified heart and mind.
Without Jesus, there is no unified church – it will continue to be
broken.
May
that never be so for each and every one of us – not this day, or any day until
the day that our “foundation”, Jesus the Anointed One of God, returns to take
His rightful Church to Himself.
May each of us be part of His precious gathering.
