True Christian Worship

June 12th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 15:5-7 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.

In Romans 15:4, Paul writes in reference to OT Scripture, “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Here in vv. 5-6, he reasons that if the God who breathed out the sacred Scriptures did so to instruct His children so as to give them the endurance they need to work through their trials and to encourage them in the midst of those trials (15:4), then this same God will “grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus.” So, what v. 4 says about God and His word is for the benefit of all believers—both strong and weak.

God is sovereign, and He gives all things to those who trust in Him, even the faith needed for salvation (Rom. 12:3). In light of this, Paul now prays that God will also grant Christians the ability to “be of the same mind” (Gr. phroneō), namely to live in harmony with one another. The Greek term means “to think.” Although God never demands that His people share the exact same opinions on all matters, He does demand “same thinking” in terms of agreeing on weak and strong issues related to Christian living, matters over which the Bible is silent. So, in matters regarding food, drink, days, and other non-essentials, Christians are to think the same. They agree on matters written in Scripture, but some have doubts concerning matters that are not in Scripture. Although they are considered weak, they must live in harmony with the strong.

Of course harmony among believers is “according to Christ Jesus” who turned no one away and received all to came to Him in faith. From the various personalities among the disciples to women to prostitutes to the demon-possessed, Jesus received all who came to Him, even those who rejected Him. Jesus therefore sets the standard for His followers, for harmonious living among one another is not only Christ-like behavior, it is worshipful behavior. When Christians gather together in spite of their differences, they gather with “one voice” to glorify God.

Note in v. 6 how Paul calls God “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This emphasizes the deity of Christ. As MacArthur notes, “Jesus is not an adopted son of God, as are those who believe in Him (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5); rather, He is the unique and ‘only begotten from the Father,’ who was in Himself, ‘full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14; cf. v. 18; 3:16). He is the promised Messiah, the Christ, and is our Lord, completely equal to God the Father in deity.”

In v. 7 Paul concludes, in light of Christ’s glory, that the strong should “accept” one another. This word means to receive or welcome someone, as when Priscilla and Aquila welcomed Apollos in order to explain Jesus more accurately to him (Acts 18:26) or when the people of Malta welcomed Paul after his ship broke apart near their island (Acts 28:2; cf. Philemon 17). The strong are to welcome their weaker brothers in Christ in the same loving way and “bear their weaknesses” (15:1). If the perfect, sinless Son of God was able to stoop to man’s depraved level and welcome him into God’s family, how much more should those saved-by-God’s-grace people be willing to accept one another? This acceptance is the fruit of holiness, a mark of godliness.

Food For Thought
Christians today tend to equate worship with music, often calling church musicians worship pastors. But worship in Romans 15:5-6 concerns the relationships that exist among Christians. When we come together, accepting those who differ with us on petty issues (not doctrine!), we worship! Those who lead that kind of worship are those who simply accept all who are in Christ.