Christian Behavior

Last week we studied that each believer has been given a gift to edify the body of Christ.

Question can someone operate with a gift be a non-believer within the body of Christ? The answer is yes! Matt 7:16-21. Gifts are not proof that a person is a true believer and doing God’s will, those gifts can come from demons and human trickery (Acts 19:12-16; 2 Thess 2:9-12; Rev. 13:13-14). 

Paul now moves on from a short list of the believers gifts that edifies the body of Christ, to writing a longer list of instructions about Christian behavior. The reason why the instruction about Christian behavior is longer than the subject about gifts is because if your behavior isn’t Christlike, it doesn’t matter what gift you have. To put it another way a spiritual gift must be accompanied with a Spirit-filled life.

Romans 12:9“Let love be without hypocrisy...” I did a word search on the word love in Louw-Nida Greek lexicon “Agapaō” means to have love for someone or something based upon sincere appreciation and high regard to have affection for, to cherish is used over 300 times in the Greek text of the NT, “Agape” it is used 115 times in the Greek text of the NT. And Dr. Boyce Blackwelder states in his book Light from the Greek New Testament, "Agapē" represents the highest form of love, emphasizing selflessness and divine affection.

It is no wonder that Paul begins his instructions on Christian Behavior with love.

Paul says that believers love towards others has to be without hypocrisy anypokritos/ an-oo-pok’-ree-tos/ genuine, sincere, without playacting. The word was used in Greek theater, to describe an actor who wore a mask. Your love for others must be genuine, without playacting, not used as a disguise to cover up your alternative motives. Putting on an act that you love someone is hypocritical and God is not pleased with your act!

Matt 22:37-39; 1 Cor 13:4-7; 13:13; Gal 5:22; Eph 5:25; 1 Pet 1:22- 23; 4:8; 1 John 3:16-18;  4:7-8.

In loving our enemies it does not mean that it is associated with emotion. You don’t have to like your enemy, but you are to love them with the love of Christ as you would your brothers and sisters in the Lord, Matt 5:44-48.

Paul then tells us that —by abhorring (to hate strongly, to reject) what is evil, clinging (with all of your might) to what is good,” 

1 Thessalonians 5:21–22 “but examine all things; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

God hates evil. Ps 5:4-6; 11:5; Prov 6:16-19; 15:9

For you to love God is to hate the evil that He hates (Ps 97:10; Prov 8:13). I like what Dr. R.C. Sproul says, “If we love evil, we will do evil; if we hate evil, we will refrain from evil. Our culture today has caused some believers to become desensitized and tolerant by acts of evil. We are to hate evil, clinging (kollaō/ kol-lah’-o/ from (kolla meaning glue) to join closely together, to what is good.

Romans 12:10“being devoted (“phi-lo-stor-gos” loving dearly) to one another in brotherly love, giving preference to one another in honor,”

Phi-lo-stor-gos denotes an affection for those closely related to one, particularly members of one’s immediate family. Paul sees the church as a family for we are united to Christ as brothers and sisters. 

New Living Translation Chapter 5

5:1 Never speak harshly to an older man,* but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers.            2       Treat older women as you would your mother and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

We must take pride away and take on the humility of Jesus Christ as our example.

Philippians 2:3–7“doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.”

Romans 12:11“not lagging behind in diligence, being fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,”

Paul calls believer not to be lazy in diligence, be fervent zeo- za-o/ excited, on fire in your spirit, in serving the Lord. Like it is said of Apollos in Acts 18:25“This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John;”

As a Christian you should be on fire for the Lord. To lack being on fire will result in becoming lukewarm or cold.

Revelation 2:4, 5; 3:15, 16

Romans 12:12“rejoicing in hope, persevering in affliction, being devoted to prayer,”

As a believer you are to rejoice in hope. To what hope is Paul referring too? The hope Paul is referring to is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Our hope is in His return is a certain, but not yet realized.

John 17:22; Rom 5:12; Phil 3:20, 21; 2 Tim 4:8; 1 John 3:1-2

Then Paul says that we need to be persevering even through afflictions Knowing that we have a future glory in heaven. This ought to cause us to persevere through affliction.

Acts 14:22“strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.””

Romans 5:3, Romans 5:4 “and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;”

Romans 8:25“But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we eagerly wait for it.”

Romans 15:4, Romans 15:5“Now may the God of perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,”

Paul closes verse 12 with a practical application that will assist us to endure afflictions, “being devoted to prayer.”

The word devoted means to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty—‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in.

As Christians we need to continue praying, with intense effort, despite difficulty, we must keep on praying, persist in praying especially when dealing with doubt, unanswered prayer we must go into Matt 7:7-8 mode.

Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17; 1 Tim 2:1.

James the half-brother of Jesus, his nickname was “Old camel knees.”

James 5:13–18“Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.”

We see that prayer is a consent theme through the NT and it lets us know that prayer is central to our Christian behavior. Having a strong prayer life doesn’t happen overnight, and doesn’t necessarily have to be long, but it must be done with great effort throughout the day.

Romans 12:13 “contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.” Care for the saints is vitally important. We ought to seek to help those who are need.

The early church made it a point to care for those who were in need (Acts 2:42, 44-46; 4:32-37).

When we take care of those in need God won’t forget our efforts and the love that we have shown in His name (Heb. 6:10). God is well pleased when we take care of the needs of the saints (Heb. 13:6).

Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.”

The word “Bless” is used twice in this verse. The word Bless is a imperative verb, it’s a command to do something. Paul is giving a direct command to believers what they have to do when others persecute and oppress them. Believers must “Bless” them.

The word “Bless” eulogeo means to ask God’s blessing upon someone. Our Christian behavior when those who persecute us is to ask God’s blessing to be upon them. We are not to curse, invoke doom, or evil upon them.

Jesus is our example from his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:27-28). It is also demonstrated both by Jesus while hanging on the cross (Luke 23:34), and Stephen while being stoned to death (Acts 7:60).

Our Christian behavior can never be spoken evil of by those who witness us reacting in love for those who have persecuted and oppress us, and in fact, it serves as witness to them that they might turn their life around and glorify God (1 Pet 2:12). I’m sure that Paul witnessing Stephen blessing those who were stoning him to death resonating with him especially after Jesus told him Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me.

Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep,”

To rejoice, chairō means to be glad. There are some who are not glad when they see that you are rejoicing. As a believer we need to be glad when others are glad, and not be envious of them when they are rejoicing that a blessing has come their way. Likewise we are to weep with those who weep. Paul is not asking that we sympathise - to feel sorry - for them, but rather he is calling for us to empathize - enter into understanding and share the feelings of others.

Romans 12:16 “by being of the same mind toward one another, not being haughty in mind, but associating with the humble. Do not be wise in your own mind.”

Paul is calling believers to live in harmony with one another. Having the same concerns for everyone. This doesn’t mean that we have to agree with everyone over things. We can agree to disagree.

To be of the same mind, Paul’s Greek has a meaning like “thinking the same thing to one another”. (Rom15:5; 2 Cor. 13:11; Phil. 2:2; 4:2).

“not being haughty in mind, do not be proud. Our Christian behavior must be humble minded, and thinking highly of ourselves as if we are better than others. But associating with the humble, do not be so proud that you refuse to work that think is beneath you, as one commentator explains. Phillip’s, “Don’t become snobbish, but take a real interest in ordinary people.” While another commentator says what Paul is saying is “to associate with the lowly.”

Paul ends the verse by saying, Do no be wise in your own mind.” You and I don’t know everything. Isaiah spoke about this Isa 5:21. The wisest person is the person who knows that they don’t know everything and has a willingness to learn from others. NT scholar Leon Morris said, “the person who is wise in his own eyes is rarely so in the eyes of other people.”