Welcoming smiles. Homemade desserts. Fresh flowers. Laughter.
Don’t you just love a church family celebration? Whether it’s rejoicing over a baptism, celebrating a wedding, or showering a mother-to-be, we do a good job celebrating the goodness of God in our lives.
Except for when we don’t.
Rejoice with Rejoicers
“Rejoice with those who rejoice,” Paul exhorts (Rom. 12:15). “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:26). These admonitions aren’t just nice things to do; they concern our unity in Christ and our unity with one another.
Through faith in Christ’s redeeming work, we’re united to him. And unity with him unites us to one another. Though we come to Christ as individuals, upon salvation we’re immediately joined to all the members of God’s family. We’re connected to believers past, present, and future, from all over the world. This family is different from one comprised of blood relatives; it’s a family born of Christ’s blood. Our unity is eternal.
That’s why Paul could say we’re to rejoice with those who rejoice. In our union, their joy is our joy...
To read the rest of this post, visit TGC.
