Accepting One Another in Christ Jesus!

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” – Romans 15:7 NIV

Jesus Christ has already accepted us, even though we have sinned against Him (Romans 5:12). This is the reason why Christ was crucified (Hebrews 2:14-15) and resurrected back (Luke 24:4-7) so that He can be with us in our spirits (Romans 8:14-16). This means that we have been reconciled that God has presented us holy and righteous through Christ’s physical body (Colossians 1:21-22). Because of this and we are members of Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:27)—we need to accept one another (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13) that there will not be a such division between us and them (1 Corinthians 1:10). In fact, Jesus prayed before His Father that we may be united as one body (John 17:20-21) To do this, we ought to love each other in Christ Jesus (1 John 4:7-21), since loving one another is the law of the Spirit (Romans 13:8-10) and second greatest commandment of God (Mark 12:31).

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)

Secondly, we have to know that each one of us are temples of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), since God has poured His Spirit into us to advocate us to walk in His commands, ways, statues and laws (John 14:15-27). The Spirit of God is also there to transform our desires and passions into godliness (2 Peter 1:3-11). “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8) The reason for the transformation is that we are not able to serve God in our sinful nature (Matthew 6:24), since the desires of the Spirit is contrary to the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:17). This means that if we truly want to follow Jesus Christ until the end of the age—we ought to crucify our sinful nature, and completely abide in the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:24-25). Furthermore, since we are members of one another and temples of the Holy Spirit, we have to encourage one another and build each other up in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). For this reason, the word of God states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)