Title- The Weak and Strong Believer Part 3
Why Is Unity So Important?
Text- Romans 15:1-13
Romans 15:1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME." 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME." 10 Again he says, "REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE." 11 And again, "PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM." 12 Again Isaiah says, "THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE." 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why is Unity So Important?
I. Because it Edifies Our Neighbor- 1-2
II. Because it is an act of sacrifice- 3
III. Because it brings hope- 4
IV. Because it amplifies God’s glory- 5-6
V. Because it is honoring to Jesus Christ- 7-12
In Romans chapter 14 and 15 Paul is addressing an issue that is vitally important in every church. It is an issue that every congregation must deal with. It is a problem that has caused so much heartache and turmoil. It is one of Satan’s primary weapons in his attack of God and us. That problem is disunity in the church. Paul wrote so much about it because it was such a pressing problem.
In the book The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer says…
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ’unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”
In life people are able to achieve a measure of unity with each other by rallying around a common cause, or by following a particular leader. And even in the church often unity is found through common interests and common behaviors and common appearances. But unity in the church shouldn’t come from a loyalty to each other, although that is a very important thing. And unity shouldn’t primarily come from following a pastor or leader, that’s how cults of personality form.
No, in a church true unity happens when each and every one of us is tuned in to Jesus Christ. If we try and tune our lives to the color of the carpet, or a particular style of music, or a certain behaviors, we are sure to fall apart. When we all come together for the singular purpose of worshiping God it has a way of putting all those other secondary issues into better perspective.
In the church in Rome there was disunity. This disunity was caused because the church was made up of both Jewish believers and gentile Christians. The Jewish believers still put a lot of value in the OT laws and customs, and the gentiles didn’t. These differences of opinion were very sharp. It probably would have been easy for the Jewish believers to simply form their own church and then the gentiles have their own congregation. But that is not what Paul recommends.
Paul wants both groups to understand that the thing that ties them together is so much more valuable and important than the petty things that are driving them apart. In chapter 14 Paul stresses the fact that life isn’t about what you eat and what you drink, or any of those secondary issues, it’s all about Jesus.
So Paul’s main purpose here in this section of scripture is to get us all tuned to the same fork. It is to get people to stop looking down and start looking up. Stop looking at what that guy is eating and start looking up. Stop obsessing about that guy’s activities on the Sabbath and start looking up. Stop allowing these gray areas of life draw your attention away from Christ.
All through chapter 14 Paul gives us some clear guidelines for how to live together when it comes to gray area issues. And the bottom line is- stop judging each other and looking down on each other. Always show respect and love and grace towards each other.
Paul continues his discussion of gray areas on into chapter 15. In the first 13 verses here he finishes up by offering some reasons why unity is such an important thing in the church. Follow along as I read 15:1-13…
First of all, unity is important because it edifies our neighbor. Look at the instruction in verses 1-2…
“Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.”
Paul’s summary of chapter 14 is simple. Those who are strong should help to bear up those who are weak. The weight of responsibility falls on those who are strong believers. That’s often the case. Those who are strong should be able to bear the weight of the weak.
The strong believer is to accept and respect the weak brother and do whatever it takes to keep them from sinning. That means not demanding out right to practice our Christian liberty, but being sensitive and careful around those weaker than we are.
In verse 2 the reason is clear. Our goal is to please our neighbor for their good and for their edification. We have a responsibility to look out for them and to ensure that they are right with God.
I think that it is interesting that Paul uses the word “edification” here. This world literally means to build up. It is similar to building a building. It starts at one level and then grows to something bigger.
I don’t want to read too much into this word, because Paul’s main point is for us to put others first. But I think that the ultimate goal in some cases is for that weak believer to grow up into a strong believer. I would think that edification means that we patiently and slowly bring people along until they fully understand their liberty in Christ.
Now don’t misunderstand me here. I think there are some behaviors that we might need to avoid forever. For example, we have talked about drinking alcohol. If you have had a problem with it in the past you should avoid it for the rest of your life.
My guess is that most of us have strong convictions in one area or another. And we probably had stronger convictions about certain things early on in our Christian life than we do now.
It seems like when I was in seminary I was surrounded by a lot of guys who were very idealistic and dogmatic about unimportant things. But when you are in school you have the luxury of splitting hairs and arguing over minor issues. I probably wasn’t any different. I remember having a lengthy argument with a guy over the proper dress code for church. I was arguing in favor of a more conservative dress style. I’ve since realized that that is not all that important of an issue.
That doesn’t mean you should come to church in a tube top and hot pants though…Jimmy.
So, first of all, our goal in maintaining unity is so that we can edify and build up others.
Next, unity is important because it is an act of sacrifice on our part. It is a way in which we can be more Christ-like. It is a higher calling. It is a reflection of the fact that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us all. Fortunately for us He didn’t just focus on pleasing himself.
On that night right before Jesus was arrested and tried and crucified, he knew what was coming. He knew why he was there. He knew what He had to do. He understood that he was about to die. But more than that, He understood that he was about to take on a punishment that He didn’t deserve. He was about to feel the weight of sin. And in this unimaginable, unfathomable, unbelievable way, as God in the flesh, offer Himself as a sacrifice for His creation.
That night in the garden Jesus prayed this prayer- “Matthew 26:39 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him and He prayed to God to let it pass. But His ultimate concern was honoring the Father. He didn’t put his own desires first; he placed himself under God’s will and gave Himself for our salvation.
Verse 3 says…
“3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME."”
Back in Romans chapter 5 Paul says… “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus made a sacrifice. He gave himself up for us. He is to be our example and our model for sacrificial love.
Our will willing to sacrifice for others. Remember this is all still within the context of gray areas. Are we willing to forgo certain activities or actions if that means someone else can draw closer to God?
The heart of sacrifice isn’t guilt or obligation, but love. True love will willingly and gladly sacrifice for others. Let’s be people who look out for the interests of others, not just our own self-interests.
Next, maintaining unity is important because it brings us hope. This life is sometimes hard. Because we live in a fallen world we have to deal with sickness and suffering and hardship. Fortunately God is actively working to restore and reconcile this world. But there are times when we can get frustrated and discouraged. But there is just something about the church family that provides a lot of hope and encouragement and confidence.
I believe that Christianity is supposed to be amazingly encouraging, joyful, and hope-filled. We have so much to be happy about and so much to look forward to. Splitting hairs or arguing over secondary issues will only lead to frustration and fracture. It will rob you of the joy of your salvation.
We might have differences of opinion, but we all share the same firm foundation. We all have this incredible hope because of God’s promises to us in the Bible. Verse 4 says…
" 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
There was no need for the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers to argue over gray areas. The ultimate purpose of the scriptures was to give us hope. Hope in a savior, hope in freedom from sin, and hope in the promises of God. The Bible is not supposed to cause division, but it is supposed to offer hope.
This is a great verse simply because it teaches us something about the infinite value of the Bible. It is so important, so meaningful, so precious. It was written for our instruction. There are things that we need to learn. It answers our deepest questions about life and existence. It teaches us about who God is and who we are. It offers encouragement and hope in a world filled with discouragement and despair.
Tucked right here in the middle of this passage is the central idea. It is the key thought. The ultimate reason that unity is so important is because it helps to amplify God’s glory. It helps us to increase our praise and worship of Him. Look at 5-6 again…
“5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Have you every noticed that whenever you read about angels singing it usually involves a great multitude? The shepherds out in the field were given a message that the savior was born. And then there suddenly appeared a multitude of heavenly host praising God.
When we come together, with one heart and one mind and one voice we are able to offer amazing praise to God. When we are unified, in tune, we are able to glorify God so much more effectively than when we are fractured or independent.
There was an old Peanuts cartoon where Linus is sitting watching TV and Lucy walks in and demands that he change the channel.
Linus asks, “What makes you think you can just walk in here and take over?”
“These five fingers” says Lucy. “Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold!”
“What channel do you want?” asks Linus.
Then he looks at his own hand and asks, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
The idea is a simple one, we are better together than we are apart. We are better at edifying each other when we are unified. We are better at sacrificing for each other when we are unified. We have a stronger hope when we are together. And we are better at glorifying God when we are together.
Our effectiveness in worship and in witnessing and in service is greatly increased when we are all working toward a common goal with a common purpose. The difficulty comes when we start to go our own way or when we start to become frustrated with each other.
Paul wants us to glorify God with one voice. A multitude of people who are as one. In my opinion, that is a pretty good reason to work out our differences. If our true desire is to glorify God than we will be quick to put others first.
Finally, the last reason why unity is so important is because it is honoring to Jesus Christ. Look at 7-12 with me again…
“7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "THEREFORE I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES, AND I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME." 10 Again he says, "REJOICE, O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE." 11 And again, "PRAISE THE LORD ALL YOU GENTILES, AND LET ALL THE PEOPLES PRAISE HIM." 12 Again Isaiah says, "THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE, AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES, IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE.”
Weak and strong believers are commanded to accept one another just as Christ has accepted us. Don’t condemn the person that Jesus has approved. Don’t act like little judges passing sentence on everyone. Remember that God has shown amazing grace to you, the least you can do is show a measure of grace to others.
Again the dispute that Paul deals with here is between Jewish believers and gentile believers. Paul wants to even things out and level the playing field. He wants us to focus on what we have in common. So he explains how Jesus is that common ground for Jews and gentiles alike.
In verse 8 it says that Christ became a servant to the circumcision- or a servant of the Jews- on behalf of the truth- in other words, as prophesied in the Bible- to confirm the promises given to the fathers- or to fulfill those prophesies. Jesus is a servant to the Jewish people. The promises where made to those OT patriarchs like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Jesus came to fulfill the law. He definitely came to save the Jews.
The Bible is clear that the Messiah would come through the Jewish race. And Jesus fulfilled that promise. But the Bible also promises salvation for the gentiles.
On the Jewish side, Jesus work brings glory to God because it is a confirmation of the promises that were made to them. On the gentile side it brings glory to God because it is a revelation of God’s mercy. God’s plan all along was to provide salvation for everyone. We have a common ground in the work of Jesus Christ. All of us come freely to God because of our faith in Him. All of us, regardless of our preferences or convictions on gray areas, are reconciled back to God through faith in Jesus.
That brings us back around to the quote from Tozer. We all need to be tuned to the same standard. When we are all focused on Christ we will all be in perfect harmony with each other.
So, while closer unity is something that we can work on in different ways, such as through showing greater patience, not making a big deal out of little things, and loving others; the best way to achieve this goal is by simply keeping our eyes focused on Jesus Christ.
Paul concludes these great words of instruction with a great benediction…
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer-
Dear God,
We thank you for being the God of hope. We pray that you will fill us with all joy and peace. Cause us to abound in hope by the power of your Holy Spirit.
Amen
