Friday Romans 16:17-18

Paul warns the Roman church about divisive people.

Click here for an online Bible. Romans 16:17-18

As Paul closes his letter, he has been making some personal comments regarding people he knows. He has just made the point of the necessity of unity in the church. We should come together and let our desire for Christ’s mission to override our individual differences. We should desire unity and work together.

Now, Paul inserts a warning to the Church. We must not let pursuit of unity go unchecked. We accept all people regardless of their backgrounds, but we do not accept all ideas or motivations. Unity is based on a common faith. It is grounded in the mission of Christ. Anyone who disrupts the mission or is not grounded in the faith has broken the unity. We can not sacrifice the mission for a false unity.

Any attempt at unity apart from the common faith and mission is a fake unity. I guess you could call it a kind of unity, but it is a unity based on human relationship, not the Christian faith. As the body of Christ, our Christian unity can only be based on following Christ.

In the modern American church, we have often embraced the wrong standards. We celebrate individualism and freedom of speech. These are not bad concepts, but they can be grossly misapplied in the church. Anybody demanding their rights in a church setting usually is the illustration of this passage in Romans. Using Paul’s words, these people are seeking to satisfy their own appetite.

We seek unity. We love people and openly accept people. Yet we are also to be on guard. Paul’s warning is a real danger. There are people who are pushing their own agendas. The church is often a place where these people can push their weight around since the people of the church want to be nice.

Pursue unity. Follow Christ.