Romans 12:9-13 (WEL) Love must be genuine. Hate what is evil. Stick tightly to what is good. 10 Have mutual goodwill for one another with brotherly love, in honor showing preference to one another. 11 Don’t be slothful in zeal; be zealous in spirit; be serving the Lord. 12 Be rejoicing in hope, be patient in tribulation, be persevering in prayer. 13 Be sharing what you have for the needs of the saints; be cultivating hospitality.
V9 Love must be genuine. Hate what is evil. Stick tightly to what is good.
Three laws are given: 1) genuine love, 2) hating evil, and 3) adhering to good.
To understand love, evil, and good, we have to read the Bible. They are measured according to a standard—the Bible.
Love—A choice for loyalty, faithfulness, and kindness—1 John 3:18, Hebrews 10:24, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Evil—Doing what the Bible states is wrong and/or refusing to do what is right—Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 13:5, and 1 Thessalonians 5:22
Good—Thoughts, desires, words, and deeds aligned with the Bible—Matthew 12:34 (what we say depends on the type of heart/soul we have), Matthew 25:21 (faithful, loyal, obedient), and Colossians 1:10 (the type of actions we do according to God’s standard of the Bible)
To do these things we need to be believers in Jesus Christ, be reading and studying the Bible to know what is good or evil, and to apply those things daily with God’s assisting grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).
V10 Have mutual goodwill for one another with brotherly love, in honor showing preference to one another.
Paul writes specifically about Christians to Christians, but we must treat our enemies similarly. We are to genuinely try to be kind to all. When we rebuke, we may speak sternly, which is OK when emphasizing the importance of truth. We are not to think of ourselves as better than others but that they are better than us. This doesn’t mean we ignore our own needs but to be mindful of others’ needs.
V11 Don’t be slothful in zeal; be zealous in spirit; be serving the Lord.
If there is a job to do, then do it steadily, not laggardly. To be zealous is to be passionate, driven to do the best one is able. It is an attitude. As Christ-followers, we are to glorify God. We are children of God the Father and servants of Jesus Christ. We wish to be the best possible to serve as faithfully as possible.
V12 Be rejoicing in hope, be patient in tribulation, be persevering in prayer.
Hope is expectation. We rejoice in God’s promises because we expect them. We do not know when, but know assuredly. When troubles, afflictions, difficulties arise, we endure (Joseph was a slave for 13 years (Genesis 38-50 and Psalm 105:17-22). We must be ready to pray at all times.
V13 Be sharing what you have for the needs of the saints; be cultivating hospitality.
We must be aware of needs. If we can help, then we help. If we cannot, we pray for them. There is priority—spouse first, children second, immediate church family third, farther away church family fourth, then none Christians with the closest to our dwelling being a priority.
We learn:
- A number of rules in the Law of Christ.
- Doing so allows us to be good servants of Jesus.
Questions:
- Are you serving Jesus?
- Are you allowing others to serve you, when needed?