“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” Romans 15:7
Jonathan Edwards was a theologian and pastor in the 1700’s in the United States. God used him in a mighty way to lead many to the Lord during a period of Christian revival that became known as the “Great Awakening”.
Edwards once said, “We ought to be very careful that we don’t refuse to discourse with men as though we counted them not worthy to be regarded; on the contrary we should condescend to carnal men, as Christ has condescended to us.”
Christ took the initiative in leaving the comforts of His holy heavenly home to engage in the hardships and brokenness of our world. He befriended sinners so that they might come to experience the freedom and salvation that He graciously offered. He was so welcoming towards sinners that He often offended religious leaders. They said things about Jesus like:
“He is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Mt. 11:19)… If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner (Lk. 7:39)… Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them (Lk. 15:2).”
Who might you be ashamed to share the good news of salvation in Christ with? Jesus’ example challenges any self-righteous arrogance we may harbor in our hearts that builds walls between so-called outsiders and the grace of God.
I am so thankful for the kindness and forgiveness of God who welcomes all people to salvation. I am awed by the acceptance of God, that He would not be ashamed to adopt sinful people as His own sons and daughters and lovingly guide us in a new direction. God sees past the labels that we commonly place on people and views the person for who they are, a person that He loves. I praise God that He is not content to leave us in the muck of our sin but graciously washes us clean and invites us to a new and better way of living with Him.