7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,

believers are commanded to accept one another in the same gracious way that Christ has accepted us. Although He used a different verb, Jesus declared that “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matt. 10:40). Therefore, to accept one another is to accept Christ Himself.

He is calling on all Christians to accept one another in the fullest and deepest sense, to treat each other with love and understanding, just as Christ also accepted us. If the perfect, sinless Son of God has accepted us into God’s divine family, how much more should we be willing to accept each other, despite the fact that we all still carry sinful trappings from our old, unredeemed flesh. The self-righteous, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus because He “receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). All of those sinners may not have become saved, but before salvation, every person whom Christ accepts is just like those sinners.

9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,

and sing to your name.”

10 And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,

and let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again Isaiah says,

j“The root of Jesse will come,

even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;

in him will the Gentiles hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.