03.33. Romans 15:5-7 Being Like-Minded
Rom 15:5-7 HCSB Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you agreement with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice. Therefore accept one another, just as the Messiah also accepted you, to the glory of God.
Rom 15:5-7 MKJV And may the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one mind and one mouth you may glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
These verses tell us that Christian unity is first a gift of God “grant you to be like-minded” and secondly an act of obedience “therefore accept one another” that results in clearly manifest glory for God: “glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” ... “to the glory of God”.
It is the character of God manifest in us and among us that allows us to put up with one another – which is why Paul calls on “the God of endurance and encouragement” also translated as “the God of patience and consolation”. God is not touchy, prickly or defensive. Rather He is patient, kind and encouraging! These are great “team player” qualities that help Christians to hang in there together among all the tests and challenges of Christian fellowship. The phrase “agreement with one another” or “like-minded toward one another” is “phronein en allelois” which can be translated “interested in one another” or “thoughtful toward one another”. Phronein is from the Greek word family that describes cognition (phroneo) and means to think about, or to pay attention to. Unity comes from caring about one another and being actually interested in each other. So far we have a community of people that is interested in one another and is patient and encouraging toward one another – that is a pretty good start! This community then proceeds to worship as one: so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a united mind and voice. The Greek for “united mind” is homothumadon which (according to Thayer’s Lexicon) means “with one mind, with one accord, with one passion”. It is almost like we are a large group climbing a mountain with God at the summit. As we get closer to God, we also automatically get closer to one another and to a community that is in spiritual and emotional harmony. The Spirit-led community has “one mouth” and in the early days of the Jerusalem Church it was the apostle Peter that was the spokesperson for the Church when it engaged the outside world. Christian unity means that we will not be contradicting each other publicly all the time. At times this will mean that we support our pastor or other spokesperson and that we as a group will stand together and speak as one for God.
Freedom of speech is not the same as freedom to tear each other apart with squabbling. Sometimes we must bridle our tongue – out of love. The Christian mind and heart is not about self-expression, but about Christ-expression!
Unity has a tremendous spiritual power both on earth and in the spiritual realms (Mat 18:19). So when we manifest this spiritual, intellectual, emotional and verbal unity we bring great glory to God. Our unity is to be based on mutual acceptance, which in turn is to be based on our acceptance in Christ. If Christ has accepted you, then I must not reject you, otherwise I am going against God. Who am I to condemn that which God has already accepted? And who is any man or woman who dares to condemn what Christ has justified through the Cross? To say that another Christian is “unacceptable” is to say that God is wrong, or at least that He is badly mistaken in dying for, saving, redeeming and loving such a person. Now which are we to abide by – human social convention or divine mercy? If we judge others without mercy – then God will also do the same to us!
Jas 2:1-13 HCSB My brothers, hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism. For suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring, dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes so that you say, "Sit here in a good place," and yet you say to the poor man, "Stand over there," or, "Sit here on the floor by my footstool," haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that you bear? If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Race, wealth, age, fashion, and other social factors should not determine whether or not someone is acceptable to us or not. If Christ has accepted them – then we must accept them also.
People notice unity. It is one of the marks of true Christianity:
John 13:34-35 HCSB "I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Unity is a God-given discipline that we practice in love and out of care and consideration for each other. We are to be interested in one another, patient, kind and encouraging, and accepting of each other - because Christ has also accepted us!
One further thought – if Christ has accepted you, then you need to accept yourself!