Sermon Manuscript:
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you ato live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify bthe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Romans 15:5-7
Start With Who God Is
In verse 5 of our text, The Apostle Paul uses the words “endurance” and “encouragement” as titles for God. The KJV uses similar words: “patience” and “consolation.” The Bible is filled with titles and attributes used to describe who God is. Here are some of them: “Father of lights” (James 1:17), “King of glory” (Psalm 24:8), “possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:22), “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9), “the Father that has bought you” (Deuteronomy 32:6), “the One in whom we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). Paul uses these words: “patience” and “encouragement” here to emphasize certain attributes of God. And these righteous attributes are exactly what members of the Roman church, and us today, need the Holy Spirit to work into us, in order to maintain harmony with one another.
We can understand Romans 15:5-7 as a statement of what Paul asks God for in his prayers for the Church, and before giving an imperative, or an instruction to believers, he begins by directing his attention, and the attention of the reader, first to the reality of who God is. A French theologian once said, “True and substantial wisdom principally consists of two parts, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves.”
God. Self. God again.
When we think about what it means to be a Christian, and how to live as one practically, it would do us much good to begin with God, and see the end in God. Let me give you an illustration: The source of all created things is God, He is the beginning. It all starts with Him. From Him we are made, and we realize our sinful state by comparing ourselves to the righteousness of God. This is the knowledge of self. God is holy, we are not, and so God saves us, and we enjoy Him forever. That’s the end goal. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Knowledge consists of (1)God, (2)Us, (3)The return back to God.
He is the alpha and the Omega. The source of not only our existence, but our salvation, is God Himself, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And before we consider our instructions as believers, we should first focus our attention on who God is. Psalm 34:8 says “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”Notice that seeing the goodness of God comes first, and after comes the taking of refuge in him. So Paul starts with those two words, endurance and encouragement, to tell the church, that God is the kind of God that delights in patience, encouragement, and endurance that Christians show each other.
“Live in harmony with one another, be charitable,” Paul says. Before Paul gives the instruction, he lays the foundation to act first with the understanding of God’s character. Our actions flow from an understanding of who God is. Our thinking should start with Him.
Context for Our Passage
Let’s understand the context for our passage today.
In chapter 14 , Paul as inspired by Holy Spirit address the contention that existed between Christians in the Roman congregation, a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. Chapter 14:1 says, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” Paul then let’s us in on what these specific quarrels were about. 14 verse 2 says, “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.”
The “vegetables only” group was either referring to Jewish believers who strictly followed the Torah’s dietary laws, or Christians who had personal convictions about eating any meat connected to pagan rituals and idol worship. To avoid guilt these believers would rather exclusively eat vegetables than eat any meat at all. Yet, regardless of whether this view is correct or not, Paul says that they should not be despised, because God has welcomed them.
Paul describes another topic that believers in the congregation were quarreling about. He tells us in verse 5 that believers in the church were also disputing over sacred days. “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”
By mentioning the observance of days, Paul lets us know that he is talking more about principles than specifics. If he was aiming to present doctrine to the church about which days to observe and which ones not, he would have named them, whether that be the Feast of booths, passover, the feast of weeks, etc.
What is Paul’s response to the division over these issues? Verse 6 “The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
Paul says that in matters of conscience, each one should be fully convinced in his own mind, acting on faith that his actions are pleasing to God, according to chapter 14 verse 22.
Here’s another illustration
We have Saint Joe from down the road, and Saint Tom from around the block, who both attend the same church. Joe will occasionally attend group hangouts at a friend’s place, along with other old high school friends that Joe grew up with. It’s a mixed crowd, some are Christians and some aren’t, but they all know that Joe takes Christ and His word seriously. Now the day’s events consisted of cornhole, barbeque, football, and… beer. Joe participated in all the activities, including the beer… without getting drunk. At Bible study the next week Joe tells the other guys about his time last weekend with his old high school friends… including the beer.
Tom, being a former alcoholic, protests. Their discussion continued a while after Bible study, and to Tom’s dismay, Joe showed no conviction or regret about drinking beer at the party. To make matters worse between these two, the following Bible study conversation reveals that Joe and Tom don’t agree on how to interpret certain verses in the Book of Revelation! Forget beer, how could you possibly think that the anti Christ was nero!?
Over time, Tom and Joe’s friendliness towards each other grew cold, and they eventually stopped talking to one another, and even avoiding each other. If Joe ever came up in conversation with others at church, Tom would make subtle remarks that encouraged others to doubt Joe’s character.
Now the point here, is not to say that intense, and possibly even fiery, theological discourse with a brother or sister is ungodly. Quite the contrary. Talk about your convictions if they come up. Present coherent arguments as to why you think what you do. “Iron sharpens Iron.” (Proverbs 27:17) But the point here is that Christ requires that we do this to each other’s edification. Our passage today says that we are to live in harmony with one another, and putting up walls of association is antithetical to this command. We must not commit murder, and no, not literally “knocking someone off”but rather, if we see the underlying heat issue, murder can look like intentionally taking steps to remove a person from your life or circle that should be there.
“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15)
Weighty words from John.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21)
Christian charity requires welcoming brothers and sisters, even those that disagree with you on topics of less importance than the gospel itself.
Now some of us here today can be described as “doctrinaire Christians.” Containing a high degree of interest in doctrinal systems and theories. Sometimes inflexible, systematic and analytical thinkers. Others think more easily in practical terms. Gifts and talents within the body of Christ are not homogenous, and yet a temptation is to go to war with anyone that might have a different conviction on minor doctrinal matters that we can safely say exist in the realm of conscience.
I tend to agree with Pastor Wilson’s view on the federal government not establishing a specific Christian denomination on the national level. (Feel free to give me pushback after service) Yet, he argues for America adopting Christianity in politics and government.
In his book Mere Christendom, Pastor Wilson applies this to Christian government, saying “…when the doctrinaire Christians get power, one of their temptations is that they want to impose their whole system, down to the jots and tittles. We must refrain from doing this, not because truth is relative, because it isn’t, not because truth is a matter of community-perspective and there are multiple communities, for that is incoherent, but we must refrain from doing this because Jesus Christ demands that we refrain.”
On the other hand, unity among believers is not achieved by willful ignorance of minor doctrinal or tertiary matters. That word “Tertiary” refers to doctrines over which Christians may disagree and remain in close fellowship, even within local congregations.“ Proverbs 24:3 says, “By knowledge a house is built.” Learning is good. Curiosity is good. Diligent study is good. But independent of conclusions, the instruction remains the same. Show Christian charity.
Back to our passage: The Holy Spirit’s wish for the church in our passage, chapter 15 verse 5 is that “the God of endurance and encouragement grant you (churchmember) to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,”
Harmony is a Work of God
This orientation towards unity and like-mindedness within the Church is unnatural and contrary to sinful human nature. This is why verse 5 says that it must be granted by God. The Church is made up of individuals, some of whom you would be surprised to find existing side by side if it wasn’t for their common ground in the gospel. This likemindedness is supernatural, and achieved through that gospel. It is a work of grace in the Church by the Spirit to those who have faith in Jesus Christ and seek to obey Him.
What Unity is Not
Unity is not something we can create artificially by keeping up appearances or avoiding conflict. Unity does not equal smiling a lot. It is not achieved by being “nice.”God is not asking us to break the 9th commandment in the name of church “harmony.” Exodus 20:16 says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” We are still required to tell each other the truth, including what we think about touchy topics. But truth can be thrown in someone’s path as a stumbling block if delivered at the wrong time, in the wrong way, for the wrong reason. All things must be done for edification, and Christ calls us to show one another Christian charity, and this is only achieved by faith. The New Testament is filled with instructions on Christian patience, and we can come to no other conclusion than that God cares about this matter deeply.
Our Lord said the defining mark of true Christian discipleship is how we love one another. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:35)
More verses:
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
Romans 12:10
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.”
Romans 12:16
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Jews and Gentiles
God loves to join together things that were separated. The nations were scattered at the tower of Babel, and were united again at Pentecost. The Jews were scattered during Babylon’s conquest, and were gathered together again in the days of Nehemia. Adam was separated from God in the garden, and was restored to fellowship with God by the second Adam who rose from a garden tomb. And now in the Church age, Ephesians 1:10 “as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.”
The unifying of the Church is God’s business, and a major part of God redeeming the creation. The God we serve is the kind of God that delights in Christian like-mindedness, and if God can unify Jews and Gentiles, between whom there was a wall of hostility, in Christ, He can unify Christian brothers and sisters that hold different views on tertiary matters.
Possible Points of Contention
There are many different things that faithful Christian brothers and sisters can disagree on, and the youtube algorithm has only inflated this, especially among young saints. Hit the thumbs up on one political or theological video, and more are sure to come your way. But here’s the catch: YouTube is not a substitute for the leadership God has Sovereignly placed in your life. Where two or more are gathered, Christ is in their midst. (Matthew 18:20)
The following things are possible points of contention between Christians, seasoned or sapling:
- What Bible versions to use (I recommend Wes Huff)
- Old Hymns vs modern worship songs
- Eschatology (the study of the end times)
- The 7 days of Genesis: literal or not
- Predestination: based on foreknowledge or not
- The nephilim (everyone has to have the nephilim discussion at least once in their life)
- Alcohol
- Opinions on certain preachers
- Paedo vs credo baptism
- Government involvement
- The age of the earth
- Optimal church size
- Church governance
- What age for your kids to start dating
- Details in the book of revelation
Now of course, we should not ignore any of these things. We should even be studying and coming to conclusions on these matters. And we know that there are even absolutely right or absolutely wrong conclusions regarding all of these things. Christians believe in absolute truth, and that is why we show (for lack of a better word ) tolerance for our brothers and sisters who disagree with us, because Jesus Christ is the truth and he commands us to show Christian charity absolutely. That is the point.
If the Apostle Paul warns against contention between Christians about things that are very practical, and actionable, such as celebrations of holiday feasts and dietary restrictions, how much more then, should we practice Christian charity towards believers who hold different opinions on things that are in-actionable. Does anything change in your daily life based on your view of the earth’s age? If the answer is no, then we are dealing with something that is in-actionable.
Neither should we think that some of these things are generally easy to discern. 2 Peter 3:15 says “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand…”
God knew that Christians would debate about these things, and yet the Holy Spirit chose to allow them to have a greater degree of difficulty to understand than other things in the Bible. Remember that these are not salvation issues.
Christ Has Welcomed Us
Back to Romans 15. Verse 7 of our passage says “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Here lies the end of it all, the telos, or the purpose, for Christian harmony.
First, because Christ has welcomed you, believer.
Matthew Henry, an English minister said in one of his commentaries, “Christ has received us into the nearest and dearest relations to himself: has received us into his fold, into his family, into the adoption of sons, into a covenant of friendship, yea, into a marriage-covenant with himself; he has received us (though we were strangers and enemies, and had played the prodigal) into fellowship and communion with himself. Has Christ been so kind to us, and shall we be so unkind to those that are his?”
Of course, the answer to division is Jesus Himself. It is by forgetting His kindness to us that we go astray. Christian charity begins with Christ, and ends with Christ, the Alpha and the Omega. Grace flows from Him to you, and that grace flows from you to your brother. Remember that in of ourselves, apart from the grace of God, we were hostile to Jesus. And yet, while we were yet sinners, Christ chose to welcome us into the family of God. The Apostle Paul called the Roman Church to imitate Christ in this way.
Secondly, Christian charity glorifies God, and this glory is manifest to those outside of Christ, who see from the outside how the Church operates, and they give glory to God. (Matthew 5:16)
Some of you here grew interest in Christianity due largely to the way the Christians you encountered behaved with each other. Simply being in the same space with people who went against the norm by not constantly trying to tear each other down was enough to get your attention. To this the Church says, yes, and amen.
Harmony within the Church serves to glorify God. When a Christian brother or sister intentionally conducts themself in a manner to maintain charity, they are actively participating in the Ephesians 1:10 unifying of all things in Christ.
Application
- Differences of opinion within the Church should be seen as an opportunity to practice Christian charity towards one another.
So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. Romans 14:16 (ESV) Don’t use differences of opinion on minor matters as tools for destruction. Exodus 23:19 “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” Don’t use good things for bad purposes. Let the minor doctrines you hold as good and matters of personal conviction not be used to hold your brother or sister in contempt. Rather, communicate them to one another for the purpose of edification and building each other up. Like-mindedness and harmony is the goal. Let that exist in the back of your mind while having discussion. Let us not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. (Romans 12:3)
“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.” (Romans 15:1)
I have three applications:
- #1 Follow Paul’s example, pray for Church harmony. What do we do when God’s will is seemingly impossible to obey? We pray.
- #2 Read more: Read up on those secondary and tertiary Biblical concepts. Occasionally read material on less important matters written by Christians that disagree with your own position.
- #3 Intentionally greet, invite, and converse with Christian brothers and sisters that you know disagree with you.
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Wayword 