The previous section of this chapter (12:6-8) taught us about the qualities of leadership for the church, and the gifts or skills God has granted to us. Not every believer will prophecy, or teach, or lead, or serve, or be able to give. If the Lord has blessed you with these talents (aka: gifts or skills), use them for Him.
The next section of the letter (12:9-21) provides guidelines for living together in the Christian community. What Paul lists or describes below are not quite commands, but have the ‘power’ of being common sense instructions, especially when coupled with the love of Christ and the Holy Spirit working in you.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
V. 9 - “Let love be without hypocrisy.” - Let love be genuine. Isn’t that much clearer? No? How do I love with false pretenses? Showing love to others without expecting recompense.
The way we treat and interact with other people can be a ‘business’ decision; i.e., ‘If I demonstrate love to you, I expect you to reciprocate.’ This shows selfish ulterior motives.
Another aspect is ‘grudgingly loving’ someone because you have to: “I despise you, but I know I have been commanded to love, so I will put on a happy face, etc.”
It might be better for you to confess your bad attitude, telling Jesus that you really can’t do this. Then, having confessed your sin, ask Jesus to love the other through you. This will do more to change your hateful attitude than gritting your teeth and trying hard. (I confess I’ve been there, and needed to do that. Jesus did change my heart. I never would have felt anything positive except that Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, loved them and me.)
“Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” - No mystery or secret message here. This has God’s message from the beginning. (See: Deut 5:7-21, 7:26; Eze. 33:11; Psa 4:4, 34:14, 37:27; Pro 11:27, 17:11; 2 Chr 7:14; 1 Ki 3:9; Amos 5:14-15; Heb 5:14; 1 Pet 3:11; 3 John 1:11)
V. 10 - “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love” - treat each other like family members - members you love not just tolerate. Some of us grew up in slightly dysfunctional families, and the idea of ‘brotherly love’ is somewhat foreign. We have all heard, “blood is thicker than water, “ and “family comes first.” Jesus’ command: love one another (John 13:34-35; John 15:12, 17). This is a main theme of the Epistles: Eph 4:2; 1 Thes 3:12, 4:9; 2 Thes 1:3; Heb 10:24; 1 Pet 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7,11,12; 2 John 1:5.
“give preference to one another in honor” - Put the needs of others before yours. Gal 5:13; 1 Thes 5:13; 1 Cor 12:24; 1 Pet. 2:17; Luk 6:3; Phil 2:4.
V. 11 - “serving the Lord“ - Living for Christ is not lackadaisical. Throw your whole self into it! Look at the words in this verse: not lacking; diligence; fervent; serving. Christ said that His kingdom was worth giving up every other thing, (Luke 15:8, 9); the man who found a treasure (Luke 13:43, 44); the merchant who located an invaluable pearl (Luke 13:45). The rich young man went away sad because he knew he had to give away all his wealth (Mat 19:24).
V. 12 - “rejoicing... persevering... prayer” - Look at the superlatives in these verses! In some ways this list (vss. 9-15) reminds me of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in that His commands were impossible. Living the Christian life is not possible under our own power. Jesus also said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” It may seem easy to rejoice while hoping - look at our hope, eternal life with the Lord and our Savior! Our hope is in Jesus. Jesus is in us. Persevering in tribulation is most definitely done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Access to that power is through prayer.
V. 13 - “contributing to those in need” - The commands in this verse are outward in nature - caring for others. By the way: this is not just a NT concept. God commanded that the poor and needy be protected - by allowing them to harvest (gleaning) (see: Lev 19:10); and they would be protected legally - not taken advantage when legal decisions were made. If an Israelite became so destitute that they lost their home property, it was returned to them each sabbath year, debts forgiven. (See: Lev. 25)
“practicing hospitality” - Again, not a new idea. Showing foreigners, and visitors hospitality is not limited to the NT. Travelers were often invited to stay, rest and be refreshed in homes in the OT. See: Lev. 22:21, 23:9; Deut. 10:18, 19.
V. 14 - “bless and do not curse.” - Blessing those who persecute us is a tough sell to the natural man within us. We want to defend ourselves, defend our honor, defend our reputation. It is so hard to learn that is not you or me that is being attacked. (Well, yes, we are being attacked. Because we are Jesus’ own and are living for Him, we receive Satan’s ire. See: 1 John 3:1) The hard part for us is to release these things to Jesus, and let Him deal with it. Admonitions to let God handle the vengeance abound. (See: Deut 32:11; 2 Chr 1:11; Isa 1:24; Nah 1:2; isa 61:8; Heb 10:30) Even the “second greatest commandment” comes within a command to turn it all to God. (Lev 19:18). Oh, how it hurts to be persecuted simply because you want to live for Jesus. He told this would happen! Knowing it will happen does not make it seem better. The reason believers can rejoice when be persecuted is we know the hatred of Jesus is being turned on us. If we are living in a way that opposes Jesus’ teaching, the world will not oppose us. (The old ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ belief system.)
V. 15 - “Rejoice... weep” - Be empathetic, not just a show of empathy. When your fellow believers are in joyous circumstances, rejoice with them. Or if they suffer, come along side. Share in their feelings. Cry when you hurt with them.
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