Bible Study: Romans 12:11

not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; -Romans 12:11

Today our study of Romans 12:9-21 takes us to verse 11. As you can see, this verse is not even an independent sentence- it is a continuation of last week's passage on brotherly love. We saw in verse 10 the description of how God desires us to love our spiritual siblings: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.” Verse 11 further qualifies that love and also speaks to our general life habits and attitudes.

-Not lagging in diligence: I'm sure everybody reading this today knows what it's like to have a pile of homework. Have you noticed there's a direct relationship between the amount of effort you put into homework and the amount that gets completed? What happens if homework is at the bottom of your priority list, down below shovelling the driveway and taking out the trash? From my experience, at least, it simply doesn't get done. “Diligence” speaks of a dedicated focus on the task at hand. The more time and determination you put into your homework, the faster it'll get done and the better job you'll do.

The same is applicable to your spiritual life. Take, for example, our previous subject of loving our brothers and sisters. We've all met people to whom we find it challenging to show a genuine love. It takes a consistent diligence to love those people, as well as genuine desire to show God's love. If you're halfheartedly attempting to let God's love flow through you, you may as well not even try at all. When we allow our self-centred and judgemental human nature to dictate our attitudes toward others, that love will not be possible. Diligence is required to overcome ourselves and allow God's work to be done. Many other aspects of our faith require this diligence as well, for we are all sinful humans and God's working in us is most powerful when we are willing to work with Him.

-Fervent in spirit: Do you know anybody who's fervent about something in particular? Perhaps you know someone who's a fervent fan of some particular sports team, or a fervent supporter of a social or political cause. A simple definition is “having a passionate intensity.” Here Paul speaks of being “fervent in spirit.” In the context, this encourages our concern for others and desire to do God's will among our spiritual family to be genuine, deep-rooted, and enthusiastic. Those fervent sports fans don't give up on their teams during a rough season, do they? The truly passionate ones will be out there chanting and waving the team flag even in the middle of a losing streak. Even so, we ought to be supporting our brothers and sisters through the tough times in their lives. We all have seasons of frustration, opposition, and despair; God designed families to stick together and build each other up in good times and bad. When circumstances mount against you or those around you, remain fervent and never be afraid to wear the team colours.

-Serving the Lord: Always remember that anything you do for a brother or sister in Christ, you are doing for Christ Himself. When we serve one another, we truly are serving the Lord. One of many ways in which this is true is that our ministry to one another is a testimony to the unsaved around us. When they see the way we treat each other, the way we come to each other's aid in time of need, the way we are genuinely concerned for one another's spiritual welfare, that is when they know that there is more to our faith than lip service. The world is always watching, friends, and if we cannot maintain an attitude of pure, Godly love toward those within our Christian fellowship, how can we proclaim the Gospel of our loving Saviour to those outside that fellowship? Remember as well that this love is not limited to those who are our spiritual relatives. Recall Jesus' words in Matthew 25:40: “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” We ought to show God's love to all those around us, meeting needs as our Father directs us and being careful to display the fruit of the spirit in every aspect of our lives.

Sound like a lot of work? I sure hope so- because it is! We're just in the first few verses of this section of Romans, and already we're seeing how overwhelmingly high the standard is set for us. This task would be impossible if not for the mighty God whom we serve. He is more than able to help us overcome any obstacle, be it external or internal. Apply yourself diligently to His work, and the reward will be great- both now and for eternity.

Blessings,

-Jeremy

Bible Study: Romans 12:10

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. -Romans 12:10

We come today to the second verse in our study of Romans 12:9-21. (I would encourage you to reread this passage as often as possible; it is very much worth having God's Word fresh in your mind.) This verse continues the line of thought from the first part of verse 9, on the subject of love. Two weeks ago, we established that our love for others is to be a genuine outpouring of God's unspeakable love for us. Here, Paul focuses on the expression of love among the Christian family (“to one another”) and gives us three standards to which we can hold ourselves.

-Affectionate. “Be kindly affectionate to one another” speaks of a love that seeks to reach out and uplift our brothers and sisters even when that love is unasked for and quite possibly unappreciated. If you have a crush, or you're in a relationship, certain things probably pop into mind when you hear the word “affection.” Obviously, Paul's not talking about physical affection. You're not required to walk around hugging everybody who crosses your path- although if that's your style, have at 'er! And no, you don't have to follow that ancient tradition of greeting folks with a kiss on each cheek (Romans 16:16). The modern equivalent of such a custom might be a firm handshake and a sincere smile. Paul is merely indicating that we are to treat each other with kindness and be thankful for the fellowship of other believers.

-Brotherly. This term draws a parallel from our physical, earthly families (moms, dads, brothers, and sisters) to our spiritual brotherhood as adopted sons and daughters of God. I realize that some of you don't have brothers, but I have six of them, so I can speak with some experience. The thing about brothers and sisters is that although you don't always agree with them, you don't always feel you're treated equally to them, and you don't always get along with them, you will always love them. I've seen family situations once and again where this is not the case and it stings my heart, because love for your brothers and sisters is a natural, God-ordained part of the family structure. In the same way, love for our Christian family should be unavoidable if we truly love our Father. I John 4:20-21 expounds on this: “If someone says, 'I love God,' and does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” If you struggle with loving your family, whether physical or spiritual, I would strongly recommend you read the entire book of I John.

-Giving preference to one another. This is basically the definition of selflessness; the selfish person prefers himself to others, while the selfless seeks to honour others first. In Philippians 2:3, Paul clarifies this concept, saying, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” I have heard joy defined as this: “Jesus, Others, You.” This is indeed the correct way to prioritize our lives. Put God at the top of your list and yourself at the bottom; as you learn to treat others around you with respect and to not think highly of yourself, you will find the joy of the Lord. Not only that, but you will also be strengthening those around you as you demonstrate what a brotherly (or sisterly) bond of love truly is.

Recently, two people to whom I am very close were confronted as being “unloving.” Their crime was a habit of choosing not to ignore wrongs being done in the church but to take a stand for the truth of God's Word and to challenge those in opposition to it. The Bible is very clear that our love for one another does not require us to consistently overlook sins in others; Jesus, who loved more than any other man on earth, had to firmly confront Peter when he allowed his views to be manipulated by Satan (Matthew 16:22-23). Identifying and challenging sin in the lives of other Christians must be done prayerfully, respectfully, and on a firm Biblical basis, but it does not fall outside the boundaries of loving the brethren. If you see unaddressed sin in the life of your brother, follow the Biblical guidelines for dealing with it (Matthew 18:15-17). First, though, ask God to inspect your own heart and ensure that you are tackling the issue out of love, free from hypocrisy.

So how's your love life? Are you picking and choosing the people to whom you show preference and brotherly affection? Or are you esteeming all God's children as better than yourself and seeking to build up the family of God? You and I have a responsibility to grow daily in love for our brothers and sisters. The love ultimately exemplified in Christ on the cross must flow from God, through us, to others, as we learn to walk more closely with our Saviour.

Your brother in the faith,

-Jeremy

-Written December 4, 2011-

Bible Study: Romans 12:9

“Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” -Romans 12:9

Abhor. There's a good old-fashioned word we don't use much these days. What's the first word that comes to mind when you start trying to define it? “Hate” is a very likely option, or maybe “detest” is your synonym of choice. I would say, though, that the meaning of the word stretches to involve the concept of recoiling in horror at the sight of something repulsive. When Job was covered in boils and sat in a filthy ash heap, his friends “abhorred” him in his sorrowful state (Job 19:19).

This concept is quite the opposite of the second verb in today's passage. “Cling” brings to my mind the picture of a small child clutching his mother's leg in a crowded room as he stares with fear at the strangers looming above him. Perhaps you think of a car crash casualty or somebody fighting cancer in a hospital bed, clinging to life. Either way, the term indicates a desperate desire to hold onto something or someone- a fear of losing what is dear to you.

There are certain things in life that we naturally abhor, and there are those to which we cling. If you're like me, you abhor snakes and spiders (at least in a small sense). Maybe you abhor people who commit heinous, unspeakable crimes. More than likely, you cling to your family and closest friends. What are the guidelines given here for these two contrasting attitudes? It's very simple: abhor what is evil, and cling to what is good. The challenge lies in determining which parts of our lives and of the world fall into which category.

As an example, consider money. With money comes the ability to provide the necessities of life for yourself and those you care about. Money allows us to tend to the needs of others, and to further God's ministry. Money, in and of itself, is not an evil thing. However, read 1 Timothy 6:10, which begins, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil...” (NASB) This is often misquoted as telling us that money itself is the root of all evil, but what we learn from this verse is that when money becomes something that we cling to, then much evil comes of it. When this happens, we are living in direct disobedience to Romans 12:9, for we are clinging to what is evil. If that happens, we must learn to abhor our greed and cling to selflessness. By God's grace and strength, we can overcome our human flaws, and when we set our attitudes in line with Paul's writing here in Romans, our Father will mold us into His image as our desires become more like His.

The Bible is full of verses informing us on what is good and what is evil. We know now what it means to abhor something, and what it means to cling. I challenge you this week to let the Spirit convict you of temptations, thoughts, habits, and any other aspects of your life which you need to abhor, and to identify those things which are good in the eyes of a holy and righteous God. Those are the things that you and I need to take firm hold of, and my prayer is that we will daily develop a stronger grip.

Your brother in Christ,

-Jeremy

-Written November 27, 2011-

Bible Study: Romans 12:9-21 (Introduction)

This morning, while looking up verses on prayer, I stumbled upon an incredible passage in Romans. The book of Romans is known as a very foundational, logical, doctrinal book, and I know from experience that there is a wealth of spiritual wisdom in its pages. I've read the book through at least once before, but the section in question, Romans 12:9-21, suddenly struck me as a crystal clear, surprisingly challenging manual for Christian living. I like it so much that I typed it all out for you:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Now, I've challenged myself to take this passage apart bit by bit and take a deeper look into each of the mandates presented here by the Apostle Paul. I've also decided that as I make this journey of studying God's Word and inspecting my own heart, I'm going to share my learning process with you here on TDDM. I believe each and every last verse in the Bible is significant, and that God chooses to reveal the depth of certain texts to us at various times in our lives. I trust that our Father will guide your heart and mine to glean much truth from this short section of Romans, and that it will not just be a collection of pleasant thoughts and ideals, but that we will walk away from this study with a far deeper grasp of how the Lord desires us to live in this world.

Today we will take a brief look at the very first sentence. It's short and to the point: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” A pure translation of the original Greek says only “Love without hypocrisy.” Now, what might love with hypocrisy look like? Perhaps it's loving somebody who gets you gifts or attention. Perhaps it's loving when you're in a good mood or when a person treats you right. Perhaps it's loving until things get tough and your patience is tried or your reputation is at risk. If I, as your friend, desert you when you begin to face pressure or opposition, that's love with hypocrisy. What the Author of love is telling us through Paul (who knew a lot about opposition and false friends) is that love must be the complete inverse of selfishness. Love is about letting God's heart for His children, and for all mankind, flow through us whether we gain anything from it or not. We are called to selflessly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as reaching out in love to those who are floundering in a dark world, from the struggling teenaged boy asking heartfelt questions about Christ to the hardened old man who thinks Jesus is nothing more than a swearword.

Some people are easier to love than others; there is no question about that. However, we are called before a watching world to love without partiality and without any regard for our own gain. Keep in mind that this isn't just a matter of making it look like we are always loving and selfless: look at Jesus' warning to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-28. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Our Lord knows our hearts, and only through Him are we able to be full of love which flows out to all, without partiality, illuminating a hopeless society with the light of God's unending and undeserved grace.

Do you want to be like Christ? Do you dream of having a life that points in its entirety to God's working in you? Love without hypocrisy. I challenge you, as I am challenging myself, to identify those in your social circles towards whom it is very difficult to show love. You might be good at faking it, but fake love is hypocritical love. Don't just force yourself to be nice; ask God to give you a heart that can love even the most unlovable. That's the kind of heart He will use to pull a stranded soul into His kingdom. That's the heart of Christ.

Your brother in the faith,

-Jeremy

-Written November 20, 2011-