We Are Told to Imitate the Triune God Regarding Eight Specific Virtues: We Often Overlook This One—Especially during a Political Season

If you look at the most well-known lists of virtues, even lists of Christian virtues, you will likely not see this virtue discussed. Yet, this virtue makes the list of eight explicit virtues that the Biblical writers tell us to imitate because the triune God demonstrated it.

The most well-known of these eight are agape love (Eph. 5:1–2), forgiveness (Col. 3:13), holiness (I Pet. 1:15–16), humility (Phil. 2:1–11), mercy (Luke 6:36), servant leadership (John 13:14), and the faithful endurance of suffering for good (Heb. 12:1-3; I Pet. 3:17-18). Not surprisingly, not one of these virtues is on the list of 66 virtues in American state character education laws (except in Arizona where forgiveness is on the list).¹ We almost always overestimate what natural revelation reveals to pagans and even to nominal Christians—especially when it comes to virtues that involve giving up power—what I call the redemptive virtues.

The virtue I am discussing today is also not on these state lists either, but it also does not receive as much attention from Christians. It is acceptance (προσλαμβάνεσθε; proslambanesthe), the virtue of Christ we are told to imitate that receives the least emphasis. Yet, it is one especially important for Christian academics.

The command to acquire this virtue is found in Rom. 15:7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” In this passage, Paul draws upon what he already discussed in Romans 14:1 where he first used the same Greek term, “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” A verse later he gives a special command to those whose faith is strong and can eat anything like God commanded Peter to do in Acts, “The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not.”

In these passages, there are three justifications for acquiring the virtue. First, God has demonstrated this virtue (“for God has accepted them” 14:3b; “Christ accepted you,” 15:7b). Any appeal that asks us to imitate the triune God rests on a particular theological assumption: Since God has created us in his image if we want to be faithful and fulfill our original purpose, we should acquire God’s virtues.

That theological line of reasoning relates to the second reason. When we bear God’s image by demonstrating God’s virtue, we glorify God. So when we accept others as God has accepted us, we “bring praise to God” (Rom. 15:7b).

Finally, there is the reason that pertains to the end of the Christian story. We believe in God’s final judgment. Rom. 14:10 reads, “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” This rationale is given as the reason we should not make judgments in disputable matters among fellow believers. God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Lord will ultimately judge us all and as Paul disturbingly notes, may find fault with us and our motives even if our consciences are clear (I. Cor. 4:3-5).

What Are the Disputable Manners for Which We Need to Practice the Virtue?

To answer the question in this heading we must start by recognizing that in Jewish minds Paul downplayed first things. After all, he referenced actions related to the second (food sacrificed to idols) and the fourth commandment (the Sabbath). Yet, he interpreted these commands within the larger Christian story, as Jesus taught us to do regarding the Jewish law (Mark 10). It is important to remember that “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law” (10:5). The OT law is largely Fall control.

Thus, Paul argues in line with God’s revelation to Peter in Acts. Just as God, through Christ, has made holy all food, he also makes all days holy through Christ. We no longer are required to set aside certain food or days, since Christ has redeemed all of creation, including food and time. In light of this context, we should recognize that we too will tend to confuse disputable matters with first things.

What then might be some disputable matters today that we mistakenly believe are first things? For faculty, these likely include views on politics, capitalism, economics, socialism, feminism, environmentalism, critical theory, the latest Christian controversy, where we send our children to school, etc.  Now, I must admit I am tempted to do the following when it comes to disputable matters: Write a critical social media post, article, or book that treats with contempt those fellow Christians who I view as having weak faith. Yet, if Christian scholars followed Romans 14, we would write fewer posts, articles, and books that treat our fellow believers with contempt. We would accept them and treat them as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Virtue of Acceptance and Certain Political Policy Positions

During this political time, I think we should especially practice the virtue of acceptance toward those with whom we disagree about certain public policies and voting. For example, when I was working in public policy, I sought to advance charter school legislation. Charter school legislation originated with progressive reformers in Minnesota and eventually was politically supported by both the political left (e.g., Bill Clinton) and the right (e.g., George Bush, Jr.). I remember being at an early charter school conference and seeing some of the advocates (of which I was one) and opponents (basically the teachers’ unions), hash it out.

I still recall an exchange between Joe Nathan, one of the major early charter school advocates and then Director of the Center for School Change at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president and the main National Education Association (NEA) policy rep. The teachers’ union advocates dreaded expanding parental choices and thus sought greater charter school accountability than already existed in hopes of strangling the burgeoning movement. Joe Nathan simply replied to the effect, “Wouldn’t it be great if other public schools had the same kind of accountability as charter schools and shut down when they did not perform?” The union president and rep had nothing to say. I came away with an appreciation for Joe Nathan and a deep distrust of teachers’ unions.

The thing is, at this time I also knew Christians who were defenders of the teachers’ unions and their approach to charter schools. I had just spent time interviewing a former NEA negotiator who had spent a year of his life serving as a missionary educator in an unforgivingly cold part of northern Russia. He shared the views of the unions. Whenever I think of my policy differences with fellow Christians, I often think of this Christian NEA worker. If I am going to be like Christ and demonstrate the virtue of acceptance with a fellow believer on disputable matters, I must accept others with whom I have policy differences on most issues (certainly there are exceptions when policies clearly are idolatrous or heretical).

Acceptance Is Not Agreement or Giving Up Arguing

Now according to Paul, accepting doesn’t mean that you simply give in to opposing views or downplay their importance. Instead, we should think through any such views with God, God’s revelation, Christ’s sacrifice, and God’s judgment in mind. Plus, we do not judge our fellow brothers and sisters. Paul explained the process regarding the Sabbath and eating meat sacrificed to idols:

Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘every knee will bow before me;

every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. (Rom. 14:5b–13a)

Thus, we all need to test our policy views and voting convictions in light of God and God’s judgment and stop judging our fellow believers or treating them with contempt (and pray they are also evaluating their convictions before the Lord).² One person may take a position because their faith is weak (and we need to always question whether that is us—a reliance upon political power can be a sign of weak faith). But the virtue of acceptance must always take priority. We must still accept our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ just as God accepted us.

1. Perry L. Glanzer and Andrew J. Milson, “Legislating the Good: A Survey and Evaluation of Contemporary Character Education Legislation,” Educational Policy 20, no. 3 (2006): 525–50.
2. Currently, I have not given up my deep concern with the NEA and the AFT and what I think are self-protective and destructive policy practices that do not advance the well-being and flourishing of most children and families. Indeed, my support for charter schools has grown stronger. Research continues to show that charter school students outperform other public school students (especially in helping students of color and disabilities). Admittedly, that may not always happen in specific cases. We must remember most of our policy choices promote partial goods that still must operate in a fallen world and depend for their success on the character quality of the people implementing them.