What Does the Bible Say About Accepting Others?
The Bible is packed with advice and counsel on accepting others. The underlying theme throughout is that all human beings are linked through God. Genesis 5 recounts the descendants of Adam, reminding us that all mankind share the same blood, and that we should therefore accept others because we are all related.
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Function
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Love your neighbor is the greatest commandment, according to Jesus. Throughout the Old Testament we find the same admonishment over and over again. "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt" (Exodus 22:21). God asks that the Jews remember what it is what like to be strangers in an alien land. "Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life" (Leviticus 19:16) and "Do not hate your brother in your heart" (Leviticus 19:17) are clear admonishments to keep a clear conscience by never hurting anyone.
Considerations
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Our acceptance of others shows others how to live in God's love. In Genesis 26, Isaac accepts the Philistines' offer of peace right away. "We saw clearly that the Lord was with you" (Genesis 26:28). Even though his enemies had done their best to get rid of him, Isaac celebrated with them when they came to him in peace. Isaac's patience and faith in God showed the enemy the power and love of God.
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Potential
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We must be careful to not throw away the potential wisdom and strength that others have to offer. Jephthah, whose mother was a prostitute, was driven from his home by his father's legitimate children. Later, these same grown children came to find him and ask him to help them fight the Ammonites because Jephthah was a great warrior. "Didn't you hate me and drive me from father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?" (Judges 11:7). In today's world, we are often quick to turn away those who are different from ourselves or who we have stereotyped. In so doing, we risk losing the potential that person can offer to us.
Benefits
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A clear benefit of accepting others is the opportunity to witness. Jesus shares His gospel with everyone. In John 4, Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman at the well. At this time, no Jew would consider talking to a Samaritan, a mixed race of Jew and other foreigners. This woman also was a known sinner, living in sin with a man. But Jesus takes this opportunity to tell her the good news of the Messiah's arrival and the woman in turn tells others. If Jesus had not accepted her and spoken with her, many people would have missed out on the glory of His salvation. Jesus' message in this story is that we do not pick and chose who we witness to, we must accept everyone as worthy of hearing the news.
Misconceptions
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Christians do not have the right to judge other Christians. Acts 11:9 shows that the Christians of the early church had a difficult time accepting that Gentiles could also be believers. The scripture says, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." The message is that we should not judge other Christians because they are different than us because they may have a message for us from the Holy Spirit.
Significance
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God accepts everyone, whether they are outcasts or sinners. "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16). In Matthew 20: 13-16, the parable of the Workers Paid Equally tells that God is always fair, no matter who you are. In Luke 5, Jesus heals the leper. He reminds us that we must reach out with God's love to everyone, as He does with us.
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