Every once in a while in the Bible you will come across a “one another.” You know, one of those commands that instructs us how to relate to one another. As we grow in community with each other, we look to “one another” each other. (Yes, I’m fully aware of the bad grammar of the preceding sentence.)
You see, one of our big things is being “intentional” – we want to help each other along in our journeys. We want to be true friends to each other and so be a church community that is set apart and reflective of who our God is.
We are going to be looking at a bunch of these at a time for the next few weeks, let’s start with these five, mmkay?
- Love one another with brotherly affection “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10 ESV)
- “Brotherly affection” In the Greek = philadelphia (Philos = love; adelphos= of the same womb). We are spiritual brothers and sisters, we should act like it – we should share a love that comes from common identity as brothers and sisters in Jesus. We are going thru Acts on Sunday mornings at GPBC, and in Acts 20 scene with Paul and the Ephesian elders. It is a very emotional scene of deep love for each other. Why do we show brotherly affection to each other? God shows undeserved love on us, so we imitate and reflect our God
- Outdo one another in showing honor. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10 ESV)
- Each one of us should “lead the way” in honoring each other. This word has the idea of highly valuing one another and our relationships. It’s not something we just can take or leave. We cherish being together and we value being together. Have you ever had a friend who always was delighted to see you? That’s what we are talking about. We don’t do things to each other that make their lives more difficult. Why do we show honor to each other? God values and cherishes all human life, so we imitate God.
- Live in harmony with one another. “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:16 ESV)
- Literally this has the sen of thinking the same way, about the same things of importance. In our case – the gospel is that thing. It is the most important thing and so all of our thoughts are colored by the gospel perspective. We have a Biblical world view of all things – politics, sin and brokenness, relationships, the grace we need to show in relationships…everything. Why do we live in harmony with each other? God is perfectly in harmony with the parts of the trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – three in one God – perfect fellowship, all with different roles/functions same essence and deity. We imitate God.
- Judge not and build up one another. “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:13, 19 ESV)
- This one gets a little dicey as judging is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity. We are never called to judge one another’s heart motives or state of salvation before God. Yet, we are called to spur each other on to good fruit, growth, and be accountable to each other. (1 Cor 5:12-13…same word for judgment- krino). Why do we do this and build each other up? God – there is only one judge of the soul, but God will reward us for our fruit. Live in such a way so that we are not ashamed when he comes. (1 John 3). We want to build each other up as we grow more mature in the faith.
- Welcome one another. “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7 ESV)
- Think about when someone comes to your house for a meal and they are weighed down with bags, or plates, or gifts – often we take some from them to lighten their load. (Or we should…). We want to make it easy to be with people. Here’s a catch though – Jesus welcomed all, even the ones that are tough to love. The objective of our church is not going to be to gather a bunch of people that look exactly like we do and who don’t have any problems. We welcome all who come and we welcome them to embrace the love of God in Jesus Christ. So, why do we welcome one another? It says it right in our verse “As Christ has welcomed you…for the glory of God.” We don’t clean ourselves up to come to God, he cleanses us from our sin by faith in Jesus Christ and then we walk it out in faith.
