Live in Genuine Love
Read the Text: Romans 12
Memorize the Text:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
(Romans 12:1-2, CSB)
Consider the Text: Romans 12:9-21
The apostle Paul opened Romans 12 by declaring that believers must battle the threat of conformity by living a transformed life. The needed transformation occurs when we live in a state of renewing the mind and as a living sacrifice that worships the Lord. This approach to life opens the opportunity to know and test the will of God for our lives. Paul tied this truth into the truth that the body of Christ ought to exist as a unified body working together. For the apostle Paul, such a life would be marked by love, and the world would see how genuine love should drive living together.
Paul challenged the church to live in genuine love with BELIEVERS. When the church demonstrates love by loving one another in Christ, the church models the love the world needs. Paul’s call to unity exists because of the expectation of love that must exist in the church. Far too often, churches allow secondary issues to become divisive and overcome the love that should exemplify the way Christ loved the church. Thus, Paul presented several keys to extending genuine love to believers.
Paul called on believers to extend genuine love by pursuing what is good. The ability to pursue the good things begins with an authentic hate for the things, not of the Lord. The hate forms in the understanding that the things against the Lord are against the very nature of God. The response to the hating of the evil things is the constant straining for the good things. These are the things of the Lord and can be known through engagement in His Word, time with Him in prayer, and trust in the Holy Spirit's leading.
The apostle commanded the church to seek to live in the bond of a family. The bond Paul discussed is the tie that occurs because of brotherly and sisterly love toward one another. Thus, believers should extend honor and respect to one another because each is a valuable creation of the Lord. As a result, the church becomes bound together in love because of their love for Christ and their recognition of the Lord as the Creator who created with great worth and value.
The genuine love in the body becomes as believers extend compassionate care to one another. The concept centered on the desire to show hospitality to one another and join together to meet the needs in the Bride of Christ. The idea of hospitality revolves around welcoming brothers and sisters in Christ who are in great persecution. This meant welcoming those in pain and without a place to reside because of their faith. This demonstrated the link to the family that went beyond the world's ties and exemplified the Father's love.
Ultimately, the apostle noted that true love manifests itself in a church living in harmony. Paul indicated that such unity occurs when believers think properly of themselves. He cautions the church to ensure that each does not think too highly of themselves and becomes arrogant or snobbish. Instead, he charged them to associate with the lowly and the outcast. Paul drew an equality line among the saints and called them to show genuine love through living together with humility.
The apostle Paul called the church to live in unity. The unity exists because of the relationship believers have with the Lord. True love does not seek to be divisive but instead is unifying. Unfortunately, when issues arise within the church, the absence of love often appears. Believers begin to focus on their wants and ways instead of focusing on Christ. The key to battling these temptations is to live transformed and overcome the threat of conformity, live as a unified body, and extend genuine love to one another.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
