How do you want to be remembered? Reflect on that question for just a moment. When your life is over how do you want to be remembered? Imagine with me that you have passed away and are able to be a heavenly spectator at your own funeral. What would the presiding pastor be able to say about your life? More importantly, what would people from church, work, and your neighborhood say about you? What would those who know you best — your family and friends — say? What would you want them to say?

When your life is all said and done, I believe that you will want to be remembered as a loving person. You won’t wish that you had spent more time at work. You won’t wish you would have made more money. You won’t wish that you would have had a nicer home. You won’t wish you could have played more golf. You and I will wish that we had loved people with God’s love. In Romans 12:9-13, Paul tells us exactly how to do this.

Please look with me at 12:9. Paul writes, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor1 what is evil; cling to what is good.” This is an unusual verse because the opening words of 12:9 are not linked to anything in the previous context and there is no verb in the Greek. If you notice in the NASB the words “Let” and “be” are in italics. This means that these words are not a part of the original Greek; rather the translators, for clarity, supplied them. Paul literally says, “Love without hypocrisy.”2 These words serve as the heading for what follows. In 12:9, Paul uses the Greek word agape to describe the love that we are to manifest. Agape love is God-like, self-giving love that loves all people — even those who are unlovable (e.g. enemies).The word “hypocrisy”3 was used in the Greek world of the actor who wore masks to portray the emotion of his character. For one set he might be happy, for the next set he might be sad. The face could always change with the move of a mask. As I was preparing this message, Del Dick, one of our members, told me of a fortune cookie that he was recently given at a local Chinese restaurant. He was so gripped by the fortune that he decided to keep it as a reminder. The fortune read, “God has given you one face and you make yourself another.” Ouch! You don’t expect that to come from a fortune cookie, do you? Paul makes the very same point: sincere Christians should wear no masks. We should exemplify true love.

So what is true love and what does it look like? In the second part of 12:9, Paul defines true love. He first says, “We are to abhor (or hate) what is evil.” Paul is clear: one cannot love the way God intends unless one feels the same way about evil as God does. Can you honestly say that you hate or abhor evil? Are you incensed over the plight of the unborn? Does it infuriate you when orphans and widows are mistreated? Does holy anger build up within you when you hear about believers living in immorality and idolatry? What is the ultimate act of evil? It is a failure to properly glorify God. When you fail to do this or when you observe others failing to do this, does that make you furious? If so, you are beginning to understand true love.

Not only are we to “hate what is evil,” but also we are to “cling (or cleave) to what is good.”4 The verb translated“cling”5 is used elsewhere by Paul only with reference to sexual relations.6 The noun form of this word is the word for glue. Paul wants us to be glued to that which is good. We are to cling and become intimate with “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute” (Phil 4:8).

Now that we have a better idea of how to define love, we need to be aware of some specific ways in which love expresses itself. In 12:9-13, Paul provides us with eight examples of true love.

1. Devotion (12:10a). Paul states that we are to “Bedevoted to one another in brotherly love.” The word translated “be devoted”7 refers to a special kind of love. It’s used only here in the whole New Testament. It refers to “tender affection” and is usually used only for love within a family. Paul is saying that we should have a tender affection and concern for our fellow believers just as much as you would have for family members. Paul then compounds this thought with the term “brotherly love.” This phrase is the Greek word philadelphia.8 What this tells us is that agape, or divine love, is not the only kind of love required of us — we also are expected to exercise warm affection, family love, and brotherly love toward one another. We are to feel a tender affection for each other.

Greg Norman used to intimidate most other professional golfers with his ice-cold stoicism. He learned his hard-nosed tactics from his father. “I used to see my father getting off a plane or something and I’d want to hug him,” he recalled once. “But he’d only shake my hand.” Commenting on his aloofness going into the 1996 Masters golf tournament, Norman snorted, “Nobody really knows me out here.”

After leading golf’s most prestigious event from the start, Norman blew a six-shot lead in the last round, losing to rival Nick Faldo. Rick Reilly, a Sports Illustrated columnist writes, “Now, as Faldo made one last thrust into Norman’s heart with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole, the two of them came toward each other, Norman trying to smile, looking for a handshake and finding himself, instead, in the warmest embrace. As they held that hug, held it even as both of them cried, Norman changed just a little. ‘I wasn’t crying because I’d lost,’ Norman said the next day. ‘I’ve lost a lot of golf tournaments before. I’ll lose a lot more. I cried because I’d never felt that from another man before. I’ve never had a hug like that in my life.’”9

If two male golf rivals can exhibit that kind of love for one another on national TV, how much more love can the body of Christ express for one another? Paul explains with more examples of true love.

2. Unselfishness (12:10b).10 I suppose you may be saying to yourself, “Paul is asking too much. I just can’t love so-and-so; the only feelings I have for him or her are disgust.” While that may be true, there’s no way you can excuse yourself from the last half of 12:10: “give preference11to one another in honor.” Paul is telling Christians to outdo each other in bestowing honor on one another; to recognize one another’s accomplishments and to defer to one another. That definitely emphasizes the will rather than the emotions. In essence Paul is saying, “Look for what you can provide in a relationship rather than what you can receive. Be aggressive in giving yourself away.” You’ll be surprised how quickly you can start liking someone when you begin to treat them with honor and respect.

Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. The book Iacocca records Lombardi’s answer: “There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: if you’re going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another. You’ve got to love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself: ‘If I don’t block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in order that he can do his.’ The difference between mediocrity and greatness,” Lombardi said that night, “is the feeling these guys have for each other.” In the healthy church, each Christian learns to care for others. As we take seriously the command to “love and honor one another,” we contribute to a winning team.12

3. Enthusiasm (12:11). Paul writes, “not lagging behind in diligence,13 fervent14 in spirit,15 serving the Lord.” You’ve heard, perhaps, about the guy who was asked if he thought ignorance and apathy were the two greatest problems of human nature. He responded, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” Well, Paul didn’t want to see that kind of attitude in the church; rather he urges us to be diligent and fervent. The word that is translated “fervent” means “to boil or seethe.”16 It is only used in Acts 18:25 where it describes Apollos as a man “fervent in spirit.” We must allow the Holy Spirit to set us on fire. Paul is after enthusiastic biblical lovers.

In order to have this kind of love Paul tells us that we must possess enthusiasm. This is what it means to serve the Lord. We are “serving the Lord” Himself when we love other believers. How is it that you express your love for God? By expressing true love to His kids. As a father of three, there is nothing that I love more than when someone expresses love for my children. That pleases me more than anything. In the same way, God is thrilled when you reflect His love to one of His children. Our love for God is seen in our love for others. Next, 12:12 alone, we find three more characteristics of true love.

4. Hopefulness (12:12a). We display true love when we “rejoice[ing] in hope.” One of the most noticeable characteristics of a believer walking in the Spirit and having the fruit of the Spirit is that he maintains an enthusiasm, always rejoicing in hope. The zeal, the enthusiasm, the rejoicing may not be over the things of the moment but for that which lies ahead in the perfect plan God has for us.

5. Consistency (12:12b). Paul speaks of “persevering in tribulation.”17Paul explains that true love is especially important when hard times come. Even unbelievers can love when all is well, but believers possess a supernatural ability to love others in the midst of trials and suffering.

6. Prayerfulness (12:12c). Paul encourages us to be “devoted18to prayer.” Do you know what cultivates a heart of love for others? Prayer. Nothing makes us love a person so much as praying for him. A simple adage is: The person who prays best is the person who loves best. Are you having a struggle loving another brother or sister in Christ? Today, why not begin praying for him or her? When you’re having a hard time with a particular believer (or unbeliever), the Lord can often resolve the issues as we turn to Him in prayer.

Paul follows this with two examples of meeting the needs of fellow believers:

7. Generosity (12:13a) “contributing19to the needs of the saints.” The word translated “contributing” comes from a Greek word that many Christians know: koinonia. This word means “to have in common or to share.” We are to share what we have with “the needs of the saints.” What are these“needs?” Not surprisingly, the only other occurrences of the word “needs” in the plural have material possessions as their focus.20 Paul is exhorting us to share our material resources with other saints. This means food, clothing, and shelter.

While I was serving at my former church, there was a family in our church who served in a campus ministry. This family’s oldest child was a growing, fifth-grade boy who was always in need of clothes, so I decided that I would go through my closet and give him some of my clothes. I went through all my clothes and picked out what I was comfortable giving him. Then I came to my flannel shirts. Now you must understand, I LOVE flannel shirts. In fact I collected flannel shirts. I rarely, if ever, gave any of them away; I just kept wearing them until they fell apart. Well, I decided that I’d be willing to part with some of my shirts because I recently had purchased some of the nicest flannel shirts that I had ever owned. So I picked out those that were worn and those that I was tired of and I put them in a bag to give to this boy. Later that evening as I was hanging my clothes in my closet, I noticed to my horror that all of my flannel shirts were gone. I couldn’t figure out what happened. Then as I retraced the day’s events, it struck me that I must have carelessly and unintentionally grouped my stack of flannel shirts together and bagged them without realizing that I was giving this boy my very best shirts. But in my closet that day, the Lord taught me one of the more convicting lessons of my life: When I give what I would be willing to throw away, I’m not being generous, for the essence of generosity is in self-sacrifice.

8. Hospitality21(12:13b). Paul writes that we are to “practice[ing] hospitality22.” The word translated “practicing”23is not strong enough. The Greek word that Paul uses is the word for “pursue” or “persecute.” The meaning here, then, is pursuing hospitality — persecuting folks, even strangers, with kindness!24 How many hunters do we have in the audience? Hospitality is to be pursued as one hunts an animal and delights to carry it home. The word for “hospitality”25is more expressive than the English, for it means “love for strangers.” It is often easier to meet the material needs of someone by writing a check or giving a possession than it is to open up our home. Yet, there are at least five New Testament commands, which insist that we demonstrate hospitality. What does this look like practically? Here are two simple ideas.

• Invite other believers into your home. There is something special about being invited into someone’s home. It is one of the greatest expressions of love and acceptance. Yet, very few of us do this on a regular basis. Why? Many of us would complain that it’s too much work. Yet, what’s really required? Surprisingly, very little. Just kick the toys into a corner and make sure you have some microwave popcorn, paper plates, and water. Or just invite people over for dessert instead of an elaborate six-course meal. Don’t get fancy. There’s no need to try to impress anybody. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart or Betty Crocker; you just have to be full of love. Why not pick an evening that works well for you and make a goal to have others over weekly or monthly. If our church were to reach out in this fashion, God would be glorified and we would have no end to people craving our love.
• Greet people and welcome people warmly to Emmanuel. Our goal as a church should be to ensure that every person who attends a function at Emmanuel is touched with love and care. We need to think back to the very first time we attended Emmanuel and then love others like we were loved. On Sunday morning that may mean you mingle in the foyer a little longer than you normally would. Invite people to Sunday school. Ask people to attend your small group. Show people with young children where the nursery is. On Wednesday evening as children and adults come for our Body Building ministry, greet them at the door and walk them to their seat. On Wednesday evenings it will be especially important that we reach out with the love of Christ to the children and youth who attend — this will keep them coming back and learning how to pray. In all that you do, let others read the hospitality of God in your smile.

How do you want to be remembered? My hope is that you now want to be remembered as a believer who loved other believers. When we stand before Jesus Christ, I believe that one of the first questions Jesus may ask is: did you love my children? Remember Jesus’ words, “all men will know that we are His disciples if we have love for one another.” Love was VERY important to Jesus; it compelled Him to give up His life for us! He wants us to imitate Him in how we love His kids.

Before you leave this auditorium, identify those relationships where you need to grow in love — it may be a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a person at church. Target specific people, not just everyone in general. Then commit to begin loving those people as Christ has commanded.

Copyright © 2001 Keith R. Krell. All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, C 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.Permissions: Feel free to reproduce and distribute any articles written by Keith Krell, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this information, not protect or restrict it.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Keith Krell, Timeless Word Ministries, 2508 State Ave NE Olympia, WA 98506, 360-352-9044, www.timelessword.com

Notes

1 Gk. apostugountes is only used here in the entire New Testament.

2 Cf. “Love must be sincere” (NIV). “Let love be genuine” (NRSV).

3 Gk. anupokritos (2 Cor 6:6; 1 Tim 1:5; 2 Tim 1:5; Jas 3:17; 1 Pet 1:22). The word anupokritos is simply the negative (negative prefix “a” plus “n“) of hupokrites, from which derives our word “hypocrite.”

4 There are Christians today who urge us to emphasize God’s love. This we should do. But if we are to proclaim God’s love, we must distinguish between good and evil. The love of God is that love which clings to the good and abhors the evil. The love of God cannot and does not overlook sin or the judgment, which it deserves and requires. If we would speak more of God’s love, we must speak more of good and of evil. Rebuke and discipline are not a violation of love but a manifestation of it. Love acts in accordance with righteousness.

5 Root uses of this word are found in Matt 19:5; Luke 10:11; 15:15; Acts 5:13; 8:29 9:26; 10:28; 17:34; 1 Cor 6:16-17; and Rev 18:5.

6 Gk. kollaomai, see 1 Cor 6:1-17; cf. also Matt 19:5.

7 Gk. philostorgoi.

8 See 1 Thess 4:9; Heb 13:1; 1 Pet 1:22; and 2 Pet 1:7.

9 “Sports Illustrated” (12/30/96), taken from Leadership, Vol. 17, no. 3.

10 See Phil 2:3-4; 1 Thess 5:12-13.

11 Gk. proegeomai is only used here in the New Testament and it means, “to go before” (see BAGD, 706a).

12 Edward K. Rowell, Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), 137.

13 See Gal 6:9 and Heb 12:3

14 Gk. zeontes, see Acts 18:25

15 I take this as a reference to the Holy Spirit because of the parallel reference to the Lord in 12:11c.

16 The verb zeo is used figuratively of emotions, anger, love, eagerness to do good or evil (see BAGD, 337c).

17 See also Rom 5:2b-3; 8:24-25; 1 Cor 13:7; and 1 Thess 1:3.

18 See Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; and Col 4:2.

19 Gk. koinoneo, see Rom 15:27 for the root use of the word.

20 E.g. Acts 6:3; 20:34; 28:10; and Titus 3:14.

21 I would encourage you to read “The Hospitality Commands,” by Alexander Strauch (Littleton, CO: Lewis and Roth Publishers, 1993). This is the finest book I’ve ever read on hospitality.

22 See 1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:8; Heb 13:2; and 1 Pet 4:9.

23 Gk. diokoo, see Rom 9:30-31; 12:14; and 14:9.

24 William R. Newell, Romans Verse-By-Verse (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1994), 471.

25 Grk. philoxenos, see Heb 13:2.

All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Read on »
Edit N Place