The church is something like a family. In the church, we should extend a warm welcome and acceptance to those in our spiritual family—the local church. God commands us to “receive/accept/welcome ye one another.”

Accepting people in the church is a bit different from accepting people in our physical families. Acceptance in the church is based on the same or similar faith and practice. Our likeminded unity is based on doctrinal agreement. Because we are of the same faith and practice, we can work together in unity and harmony.

The problem is that sometimes we do not accept others even though they share the same faith and practice. If someone looks a little different or acts a little different, we may be tempted to withhold acceptance and not welcome such people. Maybe we just shy away from others, hold them at arm’s length, and not even try to get to know them. It’s easy to accept those who are like us and who meet our expectations and reject those who are a little bit different from us—even if we are in the same church.

The point of this passage is that minor differences among believers should not prevent us from accepting others within the fellowship.

What does it mean to receive one another?