Romans 15 - Why We Should Accept All People!

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
We can tell by these words that Paul is primarily writing to the Jewish Christians in Rome.  He admonishes them to love and accept each other just as Christ has loved them. Then, he challenges them to accept the Gentiles.  In fact, Paul's own call was to go and preach to the Gentiles though he was thoroughly Jewish in background and training.  And, in fact, he was quite successful in preaching the gospel in both his words and powerful deeds and miracles.  The fact that so many Gentiles were coming to faith in Jesus was a sign that this was God's will and he had anointed Paul for this task.  
Importantly this acceptance of the Gentiles is written about throughout the Old Testament scriptures.  In this chapter alone Paul mentions several Old Testament passages regarding God's inclusion of the Gentiles in the plan of salvation: 
  1. Romans 15:9 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49
  2. Romans 15:10 Deut. 32:43
  3. Romans 15:11 Psalm 117:1
  4. Romans 15:12 Isaiah 11:10
We live in a world where we hear about about political correctness and inclusion, but the gospel by its very nature is inclusive of all people.  Paul says in Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, slave nor free; but all are one in Christ Jesus."  The principle of including all people is not a political agenda, but a basic Christian principle.  And why should we accept one another?  Because Jesus has accepted us unconditionally. 

Loving people different than us is not something we should be guilted or shamed into doing. It comes from the very source of our life, Jesus Christ.  On the cross Jesus did not discriminate. He died for all people therefore giving them inestimable value.  If Jesus gave all people such value so shouldn't we? 

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