Christ Is The Best Acceptor You Would Find!

“Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.” Romans 15:7 NLT

God is the best acceptor you would ever find. He accepts people with spotty and messy backgrounds. If you start reading the gospels and watch the activities of Jesus, you don’t need to spend far longer time discovering this truth. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, left heaven and incarnated into this world to accept us, welcome us to a friendship with Him. He accepted us into his kingdom regardless of our past.

You see God accepts despite the messy backgrounds, wrong actions, motives, hardened hearts, rebelliousness, and unthankfulness. This is how you became a child of God because God accepted you. Based on this truth, our insight says, “therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.” You are to accept others regardless of their messy or fallen backgrounds because God accepted you with all your messy and fallen backgrounds. When practice this what is the result? Our passage says, “God will be given glory”. God gets glory in and through your acceptance of others, just as Christ did to you. You do what Christ did. You become his emulator.

You see, beloved, without acceptance, reconciliation becomes very, very hard. Restoration and recovery would not happen without acceptance. The believers in Christ are called Christ’s ambassadors in 2nd Corinthians 5:20. It says there, “We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you—be reconciled to God.” The definition of reconciliation is ‘the restoration of friendly relations.” Those of us who are engaged in reconciliation efforts know acceptance of another person is the basis of reconciliation.

When you accept others, you and they (both) would become free to talk about their struggles without embarrassment or fears. This opens the way for reconciliation, healing, and restoration resulting in big rewards in your ministry.

The basis of accepting one another is the truth that the Bible declares- every person is made of the image of God. (Genesis 1:27). The sin, of course, tarnished our image along the way. However, it was not eradicated. Still, we are God’s image-bearers. Therefore, God asks us to look beyond our mistakes and faults to see who they are.

Many times I observed even in certain Christian circles, people do not want to accept others the way Jesus accepted. I have seen people building walls knowingly or unknowingly with their own pharisaical, superior thinking. This is, of course, a sin in the sight of God and they would be accountable to God for such attitudes. Suppose something bad happened to you. Such people would do everything possible to alienate you from their inner circles. Such organizations are playing church. The church is the divine and serious work of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “ I will build my church..” Do not play church and think you can escape. The outcome of such an attitude is no real ministry of reconciliation happens. God does not get the glory. God moves with people groups who are willing to move with His agenda sincerely and faithfully.

Our today’s insight is a very cardinal one. “Therefore, accept each other just as Christ accepted you so that God will be given glory.” Many times we think God does not get glory from people’s messy backgrounds. On the contrary, that is exactly what brings glory to him. Do not shy away or feel ashamed when you deal with people who have spotty pasts. Be honest and truthful to God’s calling. Let God get glory by accepting each other as Christ has accepted you.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I believe you are willing to accept me to your heaven based on what Christ did for me. I believe Jesus died and rose again for all of my sins and shortcomings. I accept him as my savior and Lord. Please accept me into your loving family. Please forgive all of my sins because of the blood of Christ that is poured out for me. Help me Lord to accept others as you accepted me and do your work in your way. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”