8-20-06 Romans 12 9-16

Our Responsibility as Christians is to Love

NCV  Romans 12:9-16  9 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. 10 Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves. 11 Do not be lazy but work hard, serving the Lord with all your heart. 12 Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times. 13 Share with God’s people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes. 14 Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. 16 Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant. Do not think how smart you are. 

1. Dealing with one’s Christian friends

9 Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. 10 Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves. (NCV)

a.     Love must be sincere / real. Love and honor other believers

Overcome evil with good        

Hate evil and cling to good

Beginning in v 10, Paul encourages Christians to pursue sincere love and to do good in their relationships with other believers

Sometimes the problem is that Christians think too much of themselves. We should Honor each other above our selves.

11 Do not be lazy but work hard, serving the Lord with all your heart. 12 Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times(NCV).

b.    Show them your zeal (work don’t be lazy) as working toward the Lord.

Here Paul now reminds Christians briefly of the correct attitude of being joyful and patient towards each other and to pray always.    

 13 Share with God’s people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes. 14 Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them (NCV).

c. Sharing with them real love also leads to practical steps to help fellow believers who are in need (see also 1Jn. 3:16–18)   

1JN 3:16-18 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (NIV).

“Sharing with God’s people who are in need” is one practical expression of love.    AND  “Practicing hospitality” is another

V 14 interrupts the call to Christians to love and to do good to one another we are to overcome evil with good    

15 Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad. 16 Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those who seem unimportant. Do not think how smart you are (NCV).  

d.     Mourn and weep with our Christian friends

e.     Live in harmony with them.

 Live in harmony OR at PEACE with one another           

 “Be willing to associate with people of low position [in society]”    (NOTE)  Or be willing to do menial work

Don’t be a smarty pants, or uppity and conceited. 

SOOOO….. A real love is genuine, not lifting up ones self while helping others or without being better than one another.   

I finish with this

1 Tim. 1:5   The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (NIV)