As we reflect on Paul’s words in Romans 12:3-8, may we be filled with gratitude for the gift of Christ and the grace that empowers all our service. May we embrace the humility that comes from faith, recognizing that all we have and all we are is a response to God’s great love. Finally, may we celebrate the beautiful diversity of gifts within the body of Christ, knowing that each one is a unique expression of the mercy and grace we’ve received.
…May we, as the body of Christ, be known by our humble, grateful service, reflecting the grace and mercy that first transformed us.
Because of the great mercy of God, as seen through no less than Jesus Christ, our minds are renewed, and we are transformed.
And through Christ, we have been grafted into the nourishing root of the olive tree (Romans 11:17), and we are able to discern the will of God, because we are always in Christ, who is the will of God.
We celebrate who Christ is, and all He has done for us, by giving grace to others as He has given grace to us.
We teach, exhort and prophesy to others, in recognition of how Christ has taught, exhorted and prophesied to us.
We contribute, and give acts of mercy to others, cheerfully and generously, in awe of how Christ was given so freely to us.
We serve others in appreciation of how Christ has served us,
We love as Christ loved us first.
Let’s keep going.
Jeremiah prophesies, shares the word of God to Israel:
“…I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”Jeremiah 31:3
I have cause to believe that it is through Christ and His finished work that this everlasting love that the Lord has for Israel has not only been revealed but also lavished onto us Gentiles… and as such, it is by this everlasting love that we are able to love… ‘everlastingly’, if that’s a word.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection.
Here, as we continue in Romans 12, Paul’s charge to us is to love with a genuine love. We’re to love with a love that abhors evil, a love that holds fast to what is good. We’re told to love each other with brotherly affection.
At this point I’m led to indicate that this is not the only time that Paul charges us, not only to love, but to love to such high standards; And this is not just ‘love’ according to our limited perspectives and opinions and preferences… but God’s love, which is as true as it is everlasting.
In a lot of weddings I’ve attended 1 Corinthians 13 is quoted and used. The officiating ministers would be quick to remind the soon-to-be husband and wife that in their dealings with each other, the so-called ‘Love Chapter’ is considered a ‘checklist’ for them to follow, to ‘show’ the world that they love each other.
The minister would imply that they should be patient and kind with one another. They should not envy, boast, or be proud. They should not dishonor each other or others, nor should they keep a record of wrongs…
…and it keeps going down to where it says, ‘Love never fails’ – I’m not sure if I’ve heard any minister tell a couple, exasperated and intimidated by this time probably because of all that’s been charged to them prior… that they should never fail.
Fortunately, our good Pastor Joedy isn’t like these ministers, at all. See, he was the first one whom I’ve heard, who had all of us consider that it’s probably going to be a whole lot easier to replace ‘love’ in these chapters with ‘Christ’.
For example: Christ is patient to us, Christ is kind to us, Christ does not envy, nor does He boast, nor is He proud. Christ is not inclined to dishonor, nor does He keep a record of our wrongs. He is not self-seeking, nor is He easily angered, and so on.
Did you notice? By placing ‘Christ’ in place of ‘love’ takes the focus away from our abilities, and has us giving all the glory and recognition to Him.
And so, if we were to go back to the Scripture we’re going through in Romans 12, we can also say that Christ is genuine (other translations say ‘let love be without hypocrisy’, so Christ is definitely without hypocrisy); Christ abhors what is evil and holds fast to what is good, and He loves us with brotherly affection.
Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
And because of this great love that Christ has for us, we are not only directed, but motivated from within, fervent in spirit versus being slothful in zeal, in not holding back, and literally WANTING to show honor to one another.
Through Christ, and in the love we receive through Him as the only gift that matters before anything else, we are quick to rejoice in hope. We are naturally patient in tribulation, and as Christ prayed for us, so we are able to be constant in prayer.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
At this point I’d like to make the reminder that we’re reading this, here and now, with a little more context than we’re used to. We keep in mind what we’ve discussed in the previous Chapters, regarding the mercy and grace of God, and His will – all seen through Christ.
Paul, reminds us that sure, the only love there is, is the everlasting love of God… and this love, for all it causes us to do, and here, for how we’re directed us to respond… that this love is genuine.
Therefore, we’re to genuinely bless those who persecute you, and do not curse them. Have no hypocrisy in rejoicing with those who rejoice, and truly weep with those who weep.
This sounds difficult, and if we’re honest, it’s really impossible when we attempt it in our own strength. Fortunately, we’re able to love like this through Christ, just as we swapped ‘love’ with ‘Christ’ earlier.
But how do we convert this to Christ? Let’s say we’re to bless those who persecute us, and we’re to bless, and not curse them – Because Christ blessed us when we were the cause for His persecution, and when we deserved curse, He blessed up.
Christ rejoices with us enthusiastically when we rejoice, and Christ fully sympathizes with us, weeping when we weep.
In the concluding verses, I’m going to have to do some rearranging, and group some of these verses together. Apparently, it gets even more impossible.
(…I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.) Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
We’re called to be genuinely humble, to go as far as to be genuine as we avoid being haughty, to associate with the lowly. We shouldn’t think of ourselves higher than we ought to think, nor should we be wise in our own sight.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Live in harmony with one another.
We’re to be genuine as we ought to be intentional in our prioritizing living in peace and harmony with one another. Paul is gracious in saying we do this as much as possible.
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Finally, in a world that would have us forsake the idea of honor and chivalry, Paul tells us that we’re to continue in peace and harmony, holding back from doing evil, even evil is dealt to us. Again, Paul is gracious in reminding us that we’re not the ones to take vengeance, but it is our Lord who does it.
What we are to do, apparently, is to feed our hungry enemy, and to give a drink to him when he is thirsty – believing that, even if we don’t see a dramatic response, we are heaping ‘burning coals on his head’.
As I’m going through all this, especially those final verses, I’m led to recall Dr. Andrew Farley. He is fond of pointing out what we call Christ’s Sermon on the Mount as a ‘Killer Sermon’.
The point he would have us consider is that we shouldn’t be so quick to endorse the Sermon on the Mount as a set of guidelines for the body of Christ to adhere to, but rather, a literal view of how perfect holiness is impossible to attain in this imperfect world.
In other words, we’re to consider taking Christ literally when He told the Jews at the time, ‘If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off’, and ‘If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out’. We shouldn’t be downplaying the perfection of God’s holiness, but when we behold it, we ought to be brought to humility and even Godly sorrow, to conclude – We can’t save ourselves, and we need a Savior.
I brought this all up because I sort of see the same pattern here. This everlasting, genuine love is impossible for us to express on our own. We need a Savior… and, fortunately, Christ is the expression of God’s impossible love for us – not to emulate more than to trust, and to take in, and to live off of.
At the first part of this Chapter, and in our first reflections, we’ve been brought to realize that the great grace and mercy of our God is behind our growth and our renewal. Here, we’ve seen how the everlasting, genuine, and impossible love of God is not for us to understand and emulate, but to embrace.
Paul concludes: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
I say, Christ has overcome us with good.
This has been quite the trip, and I appreciate you joining us as we went through Romans 12. I hope you have been blessed – I certainly have been.
God bless us all.
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