Principles of Unity and Fellowship . . .

RECEIVING A BROTHER BECAUSE HE IS A BROTHER
(Or A Sister Because She Is A Sister)

Receive one another, therefore, even as Christ has received you, for the glory of God. —Rom. 15:17

Now tell me, with the scriptures in hand, is there any basis for our receiving one another in Christ, except that we are brothers and sisters? I am not to receive you because of your age, sex, cultural background, or political persuasion. Nor on the basis of how much you agree with me on this or that interpretation of scripture. Nor on the basis of whether you are right or wrong on this or that point of doctrine or practice.

If acceptance depended on our agreements, then our fellowship would be very tenuous indeed, about as shaky as jello. If either of us changed our mind, without the other changing hers, our fellowship would ipso facto end just like that. Ipso facto means "by that very fact" and it is appropriate to this problem, for our hangup is that we can't enjoy fellowship by the very fact of our disagreements. To put it another way: one must be faithful to be received, but we make faithful mean a conformity to our way of seeing things, not loyalty or dedication to Jesus as Lord. If a sister now supposes that she can speak in tongues, or does speak in tongues, she can no longer be received. If a brother believes he has the gift of healing and begins to pray for the sick as never before, well, too bad for him in some circles, for he is barred from the fellowship of the saints even if he is out healing the sick.

Or it's someone's position on the millennium. Or it's societies or agencies. Or instrumental music. Or something.

Could this possibly be what Jesus came to bring us when he came to make us sisters and brothers? It is not possible, for the Jews already had that kind of religion in the legalism of the Pharisees. They watched Jesus to see if he violated some infraction of their law, not to see whether he led men and women closer to God.

Jesus makes us brothers, not on the ground of our conformity to a doctrinal standard, however sound that standard may be, but on the basis of our relationship to God. Wherever God has a daughter, I have a sister, and I am to accept her for that reason.

The other evening Ouida was gabbing with one of our dear sisters following our assembly here in Denton. I stepped into the picture long enough to assure her that I too loved her, and then added, "When a man can say that to a woman with his wife sitting beside her it must be for real." She responded with something like "Oh, it's for real, all right," appreciating the affection that we both have for her. Widowhood has not been easy for her, and she likes to tell us how much she and her husband loved each other.

Sister! Brother! Those relationships should be deep and meaningful, but they are vacuous and vaporous if they rely on doctrinal agreement. Ouida and I love and accept this woman because she is our sister in the Lord, not because she agrees with us, which she probably doesn't. Insofar as fellowship is concerned her agreements or disagreements with our points of view are completely beside the point. True, disagreements may in some circumstances place a strain on the fellowship, and that is why we are urged to love and forebear, so as to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. But agreement can never be the basis of the acceptance, for then fellowship would be grounded in intellectual attainment rather than a loving relationship.

William Barclay tells the story of a veteran French soldier, known for his valor, saying to a recent recruit who was shaking in his boots with fear in the face of the enemy, "Come with me, and we'll do something fine for France." Their love for country was their common bond, and only that could transcend their differences in age, experience, ability, and knowledge.

If we have to wait for a sister to catch up with us before we can put an arm around her and say, "Come with us, we'll do something fine for Christ and the church," then we only have a party, not the Body of Christ. The brother who is wrong needs us even more than the one who is right, and we are to receive him in spite of his errors, because he is a brother. This does not mean that doctrinal errors are unimportant, but it does mean that they are to be worked out within the fellowship. If he is God's son, then he is family, and we are to work on our problems as a family.

What saith the scriptures? Rom. 15:7 states the basis upon which we are to receive one another: as Christ has received you. It doesn't require much self-examination for us to realize that Jesus did not receive us because we were right or because we were associated with the correct party. It was "while we were yet sinners" and with all sorts of hangups, and rather steeped in ignorance, that Jesus reached out to us. This is the ground upon which we are to receive each other. There can be no other. If we have to give each other some kind of loyalty test before we can receive each other, then brotherhood has no meaning. I am to love and accept you because you are my brother. If it is for any other reason, it is that that is deemed really important and not brotherhood itself. If you take me in because I happen to be right like you, I have no assurance that brotherhood will continue even if it has begun. I want to be loved for what I am, God's child and your brother, and not because I belong to the party.

Notice the therefore in Rom. 15:7: "Receive one another, therefore, as Christ has received you." That word takes us back to all those principles of unity and brotherhood set forth in chapter 14:1 through 15:6. The first paragraph of chap. 14 shows that sisters and brothers will differ: "one believes one way and another believes another way" is what he is saying. Verse 1 tells us to receive "the man who is weak in the faith" (that is, the one who has a problem with the differences) but not for the purpose of arguing with him. Never mind about disputing with him, but receive him, the apostle is saying. Why? Because he is your brother. There can be no sounder reason.

There is also the principle of "the servant of another," and it alone will free us from our judgmental attitudes. Verse 4 lays it on us: "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another." You may be my brother but you are not my servant, and so I don't have to give an account for you. And, so, I don't need to judge you as if I did! It is before your own master that you stand or fall. So, what am I to do? Receive you! Isn't it beautiful? I don't have to worry about judging you, or evaluating your sincerity, for your master is going to do that.

He goes on to talk about the principle of peace and edification: "Let us then pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding" (verse 19). He tells us that we no longer "walk in love" if we allow our insensitivity to injure a brother (verse 15). We are to do what pleases our brother, not ourselves, and thus edify him (15:3). We are to live in harmony with each other so as to glorify God together (15:5-6).

Then conies the therefore. In view of all these principles of brotherhood, we are to receive each other as Christ has received us. It is a great lesson, and as with all great lessons we are all too slow to learn it and make proper application.

While at Bethany this past summer for a conference I spent some time with a dear brother, a professor in the college, who had lost his beautiful wife only last year. In the trauma of her passing he was shown compassion by a Church of Christ up North where she was hospitalized, though they are Disciples of Christ. He was touched by their kindness and tenderness, calling on her and praying with her, and loving them both. When this brother stepped into a circle of Church of Christ scholars from down South, he continued to enjoy this acceptance. But when a historian from Alabama explained that in his churches he would not even be called on to lead a prayer, much less to speak, he was visibly saddened.

Like all of us, he needs and wants to be accepted, simply as a brother. And has the right, under God, as His child, to be loved and welcomed by all of God's family. We sin when we do not welcome him. God never intended that we accept each other on the basis of seeing everything alike. God pity us when our view of brotherhood is that warped.

When I see Jesus in you, how can I help but love and welcome you? If I love Jesus, whom I have not seen, I will love those who bear his likeness that I do see. We are to love and welcome each other for what we are, and be hanged with all the hangups!

As I finished this article, I had a call from Dalton Porter of Mabank, Texas, who ministers to Beacon Church of Christ in Gun Barrel, one of our freer churches. He told me of this brother of "Non-cooperative" persuasions who is having difficulty being accepted by the churches in that area. They want him to change his convictions and believe like they believe. Dalton told him, "We'll welcome you just as you are." That's it! —the Editor