HE DESERVES THE PRAISE

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other than Christ Jesus had so that, with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:5-7.

Once again, as he always did, Paul came full circle back to God as the one who works in everything and who deserves and must receive the credit for doing the work.

Our study of the Old Testament has many outcomes. 

We gain an understanding of the roots of our faith. It is not a human philosophy spawned in the fertile imagination of some mystic. It is the revelation of God to real people in real human circumstances in a real geographical place through real human experiences.

We watch and listen to their responses and learn how to interact with the same God through faith and obedience. Just as He met with them then, so He meets with us now and treats us with the same mercy and compassion He had towards them. We discover that His passion for our wellbeing is the same as it was for them. We learn to hear His voice and follow Him just as they were supposed to do but failed because of their stubborn rebellion. When we obey Him, we find that His promises are true.

We uncover some of the nuances of their culture and lifestyle. Against that backdrop, His word begins to make sense, even for us with a western, Greek-based mind-set. Middle Eastern cultural practices, and especially Jewish beliefs and behaviour take on new meaning and Jesus begins to emerge from the pages of the New Testament as a flesh-and-blood person with a real family background and history.

As we blend into the body of Christ from all nations and walks of life, we learn the meaning of unity. Everything God does is to restore unity between us and Him and between one another because unity is the essence of His being and image. Everything God made was intended to work together in unity to reflect the oneness in the Godhead.

He created the universe as a unit; every star, planet and heavenly body was meant to interact in harmony across space.  Sin disrupted the unity, but it will be restored when all imperfection is removed at Jesus’ return.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

“And He is the head of the Body, the church, He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood,  shed on the cross.”  Colossians 1:15-20.

Jesus removed the reason for the disruption of unity through His death. It is up to us to live out in practice what He achieved through the cross so that the world may see the miracle of restoration in the fellowship of the church. Unity is impossible in the world because human beings are irreconcilably alienated from one another by their selfishness.  Only through God’s power at work in us by the Holy Spirit can our hearts be transformed and the image of God be restored in us.

As we reflect God’s nature by our willingness to accept one another and live in harmony, God is glorified because it can only happen through His power at work in us. Jesus said:

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35.

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22, 23.

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.