A church that becomes one
Romans 101
a united church
Romans 15:1-6)
Introduction: The church is the house of God, and the members are a family belonging to the house of God. We are people who call one God the same Father. In this way, if one person is called father together, then the children of that father must be one brother and one child. We call ourselves brothers in Christ. This is not just an adjective to be called sarcastically, it really refers to those who have become brothers of one father. For a family to prosper and be at peace, it must become one. It must be accompanied by family understanding, tolerance, and love. In today's text, Paul is teaching the church to become one.
1. Do not please yourself
The peace and happiness of a single family lies in the harmony between the family members. The first thing Paul says about the reconciliation of the church, the house of God, is, “We who are strong ought to bear the weakness of the weak, and not please ourselves.”
(1) Christians must keep their joy deep in their hearts. Paul's admonition not to please ourselves does not mean to give up the joy we hold in our hearts. The Christian's heart must always be full of joy, and it must spring up into our lives. This joy is the Christian's hope and peace. Hope is about our eternal life and heaven. This kind of joy cannot be taken away from anyone under any circumstances and cannot be controlled.
(2) The meaning of saying not to please yourself refers to a case that may give temptation, temptation, or a bad influence on other brothers' religious life. These people overestimate their place in the community united with Christ, putting their faith first, and they are content and proud of their lives by insisting on their beliefs no matter what anyone says. These people eventually fall into dogma and pride.
(3) The Christian attitude of faith should be able to bear the weakness of the weak. There are ‘strong and weak’ in the church. A Christian who is expressed as a strong person is a believer who has grown in faith and can do everything by faith. These people are church lay leaders. The Church of God is run by these people. But on the other hand, there are those who are weak in faith who have no choice but to expose many weaknesses in the church. These are the people who will become strong in the future through the trials of faith, trials, and religious experiences over a longer period of time.
However, it is natural for many Christians to walk the course of the weak at the beginning of their Christian life. These people have grown in their faith and reach the strong. ① Because their faith is not strong, they may cause conflicts with their knowledge or their conscience about matters related to days, festivals, and plants. ② Next, brothers who have not yet completely cast off their worldly habits, they continue to drink and smoke despite conflicts of conscience. ③ And there are people who stumble in character. ④ In some cases, mistakes can be made because of lack of knowledge of the Word and not doctrinal clarity. In this case, we have to take care of their weakness ourselves. To bear the burden means to bear the burden, and it means to edify them, forgive them with love, understand them, and promote the work of peace.
2. Let each one please his neighbor
Paul tells us that we must turn from a life that is pleasing to ourselves, which injures other brethren, to a “active life in which each one of us pleases our neighbor.”
(1) Doing good and edifying our neighbors is a life that pleases our neighbors. Goodness to a neighbor speaks of the good of that neighbor. This kind of goodness toward neighbors comes from a life of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). In addition, even if one's views or positions are correct and one's actions are valid, they must lead a virtuous life so that they do not quarrel with their neighbors.
(2) We must imitate the life of the Lord. Because all the conduct of Jesus, our oldest brother, is a life of example for us, Paul says, “Even Christ did not please Himself.” Jesus' coming to this world as the Son of God was an example of His meekness and humility. “Even though he was in the form of God in the beginning, he did not consider equality with God to be robbery, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-8). He became the sacrifice for our transgressions and took up the cross for our sins. As a result, he has given us eternal joy. Jesus said, "I do not want to do my will, but to do the will of the Father. My Father's will is that I not lose any of those He has given me, but that I raise them up at the last day."
(3) The saints said that we should use what is written in the Bible as our lesson. Paul said, “Whatever was written before, was written for our instruction, that we may have hope, either with patience or with the comfort of the Scriptures.” Such a Christian life is indeed difficult. However, we should examine the lives of the forefathers of faith recorded in the Bible and use them as lessons. This kind of Christian life is rewarded. Therefore, even if there are difficulties, we must have hope through patience and the comfort of the Bible.
(4) All Christians have the same meaning. It means “to the glory of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Unity of the Church of God is difficult. This is because all the miscellaneous people in the world are living in one cage with their own personalities and habits. But we have a great common goal that cannot be moved. That is what it means to give glory to God. Any problems that exist in the Church of God are buried deep under the shadow of this purpose.
Therefore, all Christians should not neglect this absolute great proposition of life, which is to “glorify God.” Here is the secret of the “strong and the weak” coming together to form one. A life that glorifies God is what God does for us all.
Conclusion: The growth of the church of God and the fulfillment of God's will is the unity of the church in Christ. Through the love of Christ, understanding, loving, forgiving, and building a family relationship through good works and edification. We must become one with a beautiful life where we can supply each other's joy, not a life that expresses our own joy. Imitating the life of sacrifice for others that the Lord showed us, we must cherish and serve each other by living a life of regeneration for our brothers. *