A “Facebook friend” recently announced her support for a specific political position and said she would “unfriend” anyone who publicly disagreed with her.

At that moment she equated acceptance with approval; to get her approval I must agree with, or accept her position.

Her intractable position is common. In our divided world, most of the differences relate to different worldviews. There are two dominant worldviews; there is a secular worldview and a Biblical worldview.

On the side of the secular worldview, there are progressive secular humanists. On the side of the Biblical worldview, there are people who believe in God (regardless of denomination).

Sadly, there are people on both sides who have dug in their heals saying, to be accepted by them you must also approve of their behavior or point of view.

The funny thing is, people who take this position usually apply it inconsistently in their lives.

If your precocious teenager goes out for the evening to a party and comes home drunk, you do not approve of this behavior, but you do not stop loving your child.

Or, if an inconsiderate spouse forgets to call to say they’ll be late getting home, you don’t head to divorce court. You don’t approve of their inconsiderate, forgetful behavior, but you still love them.

Why is it we can’t accept the idea that we don’t have to approve of someone’s behavior to accept them? Or, conversely, why do we think to accept someone we can demand they agree with us?

A Biblical Construct

This idea of separating acceptance from approval is actually a Biblical construct.

Jesus accepted all who came to him, even though He didn’t approve of the sin in their lives. Remember the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11)? Jesus accepted her but not her behavior when He told her to go, and sin no more.

Paul, striving to unite the young church exhorted them to, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7).

Let’s look at Paul’s command in more detail. There are three parts; an instruction, a model, and a result.

The Instruction

We must accept one another. He doesn’t say we have to approve of their behavior or even agree with what they say. We must simply accept them.

The Model

The model for this acceptance is to accept others as Jesus accepted us. This begs the question; how did Jesus accept us? Jesus accepted the weak and the ungodly (Romans 5:6). He accepted sinners (Romans 5:8). And, He even accepted His enemies (Romans 5:10).

Jesus accepted everyone who came to Him. He didn’t approve of the sin in their lives, but He accepted them.

The Result

The result of accepting the weak, the ungodly, sinners, and enemies is ultimately they will praise God.

Paul’s point is we were all sinners when we came to the Lord. He accepted us despite not approving of whatever sin might be in our lives. Accepting one another, says Paul, is the first step to bring others into a relationship with God.

Simply said, we don’t argue people into a relationship with Christ. We lead people into the Kingdom when we reflect Christ’s love and acceptance.

Leaders, our workplaces, and communities are full of people who do not know the grace of God. For many of them, the only view of Christ they have is the Christ reflected in our lives. Therefore, let us strive to accept one another just as Christ accepted us!

Join the Conversation

As always, questions and comments are welcome. Are there people in your life who need to see Christ’s love and acceptance reflected through you?

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Category: Relationships | Interpersonal Relationships