For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (5) Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be likeminded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, (6) that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (7) Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. (8) Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, (9) and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name,”

The letter to the Romans was written by the apostle Paul. Our verses today address the ultimate ability of the faithful – the Christian Jews and the Gentiles, the strong and the weak, who may differ on non-essential issues – to pursue spiritual harmony in regard to matters in which the Bible is silent (issues of conscience). God was faithful to the Jews in fulfilling promises made to the patriarchs in the Old Testament, and God showed mercy to the Gentiles without any promises at all. The ministry of Christ Jesus did not end in Israel but the Gentiles share the blessing. There was not to be any unnecessary dissension among His people but a harmony of feeling, if not necessarily of opinion.

The motive for patience and forbearance is Christ who came to save man from his sins and the design of divine instruction is to sustain us in present trials. Our verses are not about receiving unbelievers here but are a recognition of those already in faith. Christ Jesus came as the minister to the Jews (circumcised) for the truth of God to confirm the covenental promises of the Old Testament. Though Israel as a nation rejected Him does not invalidate His ministry but opened the door of mercy to the Gentiles in a wider way, in full accord with Jewish scriptures. It was foreknown and predetermined that the Gentiles would hear the gospel and be given the same opportunity as the Jews enjoyed and is entirely consistent with what God had made known beforehand. The Old Testament was the only Bible the Jews knew. It was the Bible of Jesus, Paul and the apostles. My question here is how did the Jews misconstrue the message of hope for the Gentiles?

Our verses deal with right relations of the faithful; doctrine comes first, followed by exhortation, and deals with man’s response to God’s actions. We the faithful, are to receive (accept) one another as Jesus Christ has received us, as fellow members of the family of God. This is how we confirm our calling. It is inconsistent for a Christian to reject someone whom God has accepted. This is the message of Christmas.