Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. Romans 15:7
Now, here’s a verse that says more than it appears! Notice the word “welcome” shows up twice?
Let’s start with the second usage of welcome. It indicates an action Jesus has already done for/to you; Christ “welcomed” you. It means that God initiated this.
Let’s now turn to that first welcome. We (plural) are to “welcome” one another, an active present verb known as an imperative. Oh, by the way, this type of imperative has no expiration date!
Now, we turn to the root word behind both usages of welcome. It implies an intentional, deliberate, and aggressive pursuit and demonstration of strong personal interest in those who are the target of the welcoming. In other words, don’t be a wallflower; get out there and love!
So here is the point: If Christ felt you were important enough to lovingly and passionately take an interest in pursuing you, which indeed he has, are you doing likewise with your fellow pursued?
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