{"id":41978,"date":"2014-02-26T21:28:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-27T03:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?page_id=41978"},"modified":"2022-01-17T21:07:52","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T03:07:52","slug":"acceptance-of-brethren","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/pauls-letter-to-the-romans\/acceptance-of-brethren\/","title":{"rendered":"Acceptance of Brethren"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Acceptance of Brethren<\/h1>\n

Bear with the weak\u00a0(Romans 15:1-3)<\/h2>\n

Those who have strong confidence in what they believe ought to support those with less stable confidence (I Corinthians 9:22; 12:22-24). Being a Christian is not about doing what you want but about helping others reach heaven (I Corinthians 10:24,33; Galatians 6:1-2; Philippians 2:3-5; I Thessalonians 5:14). We are here to strengthen our brethren (Ephesians 4:11-16; I Corinthians 9:19).<\/p>\n

Christ leaves us the ultimate example of putting others ahead of himself (John 6:38). Paul quotes Psalms 69:9 to prove his point. Christ didn’t put his personal happiness first. He found happiness in serving the Father (Psalms 40:7-8).<\/p>\n

Class Discussion:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Romans 15:3 contains an ellipsis, where a part of the statement is not directly stated but implied. What is the missing part?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The encouragement of God\u00a0(Romans 15:4-6)<\/h2>\n

    Quotes from the Old Testament have a purpose. We have the Old Testament in our Bible so that we can learn from it (Romans 4:23-24; I Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:11). It illustrates the teachings in the New Testament and reinforces the message of God (II Timothy 3:16-17). We have examples of patience. We find hope that through trials there are promises kept and rewards given. It is also true in the New Testament (II Corinthians 1:3-11). The prophecy about Christ wasn’t just for him alone, we learn from His example as well (I Thessalonians 1:3).<\/p>\n

    God, Himself, is longsuffering with us (II Peter 3:9) and He offers us comfort (II Corinthians 1:3). Thus, we must do the same for our brethren. We need to treat all Christians equally (Romans 12:16; I Corinthians 1:10; II Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 1:27; 2:2; 3:16; I Peter 3:8). We need to be a united people. But it is not unity for unity’s sake. It is a unity according to the teachings of Christ.<\/p>\n

    Our unity then gives glory to God (John 13:34-35). It is how the early church acted (Acts 1:14; 2:1; 4:24).<\/p>\n

    Class Discussion:<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Can we be proper Christians without a knowledge of the Old Testament?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Christ’s example\u00a0(Romans 15:7-12)<\/h2>\n

      We ought to receive each other just as Christ received us (Ephesians 1:6). If Christ accepts us, despite our weaknesses and flaws, can we be less tolerant than Christ? In particular, Paul is addressing the difference between Christians who were once Jews and Christians who were once Gentiles. Jesus served the Jews to fulfill the promises of God made to their forefathers. Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, that was long promised to save God’s people from their sins (Micah 7:20; Acts 3:25-26). But it wasn’t to the Jews only. Jesus also brought salvation to the Gentiles (John 10:16). Paul proves that God has accepted the Gentiles by quoting the Old Testament (Psalms 18:49; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalms 117:1; Isaiah 11:10). Each passage becomes clearer and more direct that Christ will save the Gentiles.<\/p>\n

      Hope\u00a0(Romans 15:13)<\/h2>\n

      God is the God of hope (Psalms 146:5; Jeremiah 17:7; I Peter 1:3). It is Paul’s prayer that they have all joy, peace in their faith, and an abundance of hope (Hebrews 6:11), all brought about by the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22-23).<\/p>\n

      Class Discussion:<\/h3>\n
        \n
      1. Does God mean for Christians to serve alone?<\/li>\n
      2. Are there limits to our acceptance of brethren?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRomans\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Acceptance of Brethren Bear with the weak\u00a0(Romans 15:1-3) Those who have strong confidence in what they believe ought to support those with less stable confidence (I Corinthians 9:22; 12:22-24). Being a Christian is not about doing what you want but about helping others reach heaven (I Corinthians 10:24,33; Galatians 6:1-2; Philippians 2:3-5; I Thessalonians 5:14).…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":22351,"menu_order":31,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-41978","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56236,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/christ-in-you-a-study-of-colossians\/pauls-service-to-christ-and-the-brethren\/","url_meta":{"origin":41978,"position":0},"title":"Paul\u2019s Service to Christ and the Brethren","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Paul's Service to Christ and the Brethren Text: Colossians 1:24-2:7 Rejoicing in Suffering - Colossians 1:24 Being a prisoner is not fun, but Paul found reasons to rejoice. He knows that his hardships are benefiting the church (II Corinthians 4:8-12; Philippians 1:12-14; 2:17-18; II Timothy 2:10). Paul wanted to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30640,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-corinthian-letters\/the-collection-for-the-saints\/","url_meta":{"origin":41978,"position":1},"title":"The Collection for the Saints","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Collection for the Saints Paul moves from discussing the past to discussing the present need to aid the brethren in Judea. 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It is a natural result of our service to God. \"If someone says, \"I love God,\" and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41814,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/pauls-letter-to-the-romans\/service-to-those-whom-we-disagree\/","url_meta":{"origin":41978,"position":3},"title":"Service to Those Whom We Disagree","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Service to Those with Whom We Disagree: Acceptance The weak in faith\u00a0(Romans 14:1-4) The church in Rome was composed of Christians who had left the Jewish religion and Gentile idolatry. The differences in backgrounds caused different views of past practices. Changing your religion isn't easy. Some would go to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30643,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-corinthian-letters\/pauls-defense-who-is-paul\/","url_meta":{"origin":41978,"position":4},"title":"Paul\u2019s Defense: Who Is Paul?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Paul's Defense: Who Is Paul? Paul now shifts to the future and his upcoming visit. Elements in Corinth have been attempting to undermine him by casting doubt on his apostleship. This will obviously cause problems when Paul arrives, and he would rather have the issue settled, if at all possible,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30586,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-corinthian-letters\/pauls-service-courageous-and-confident\/","url_meta":{"origin":41978,"position":5},"title":"Paul\u2019s Service: Courageous and Confident","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Paul's Service: Courageous and Confident Courage in Judgment\u00a0(II Corinthians 5:6-11) Because God guarantees eternal life through the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), Paul is able to approach life on this earth with confidence. The Greek word used here,\u00a0tharrheo, means to be of good cheer, to have good courage, to be full of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/41978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/41978\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}