Letter to the Romans -- Chapter 12
Having completed his discourse on the providence, election, and predestination of God, Paul continues on by urging us to live our outward lives in accordance with the mercy God has shown us: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2). We do not live this way as a way to “get the forgiveness” of God, but we live this way because we are so moved and transformed by the grace and mercy of God that has already been given to us in Jesus Christ. Our spiritual act of worship in this life is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God; we give up the fleshly desires of this life out of pure thanksgiving for what He has already done for us. In his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul also addresses this issue and speaks of how we need to control our bodies and not give into its passionate lusts: “It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8). In this very powerful warning Paul straightforwardly states that the one who rejects this admonition and instruction rejects not man (or Paul) but in fact rejects God who gives us His Holy Spirit. If we dare continue in the lusts of our flesh we are in danger of casting God’s Holy Spirit from us. Therefore we must take the words of Paul very seriously as we daily offer our bodies to God in the service and worship of self-control.
Paul continues on: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Romans 12:3). Here in these words we are called by God to think of ourselves in the light of God’s truth, which means that before the law we must see ourselves in the sober judgment of it, that we are nothing but helpless sinners. We must not think of ourselves arrogantly but thru the faith He has given us we need to look upon ourselves with daily sober judgment so that our pride does not get any foothold in our life. As Peter says, we need to clothe ourselves in humility before one another and underneath God’s mighty hand: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). When we debase “self” and lower “me,” God lifts us up for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ. So often times we fail to see that we not only need to “not be proud” but that we actually need to actively lower ourselves in humility. Not only Paul and Peter taught this, but Christ Himself taught this thru this illustration that we need to take to heart: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:8-11). It is our duty before the cross to daily humble ourselves and to take the “lowest place,” for it is only at the bottom that we can adequately see God above us and serve our fellow man around us. Christ was the greatest example of this as He lowered Himself and emptied Himself in order to serve and to save us: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8). In following the example of Christ it is imperative that we actually consider others better than ourselves and that we not concern ourselves with our own agenda, worries, and interests, but that we instead concern ourselves with uplifting, upholding, and meeting the interests of our fellow man. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
Having implored us to this true humility in the cross, Paul continues on to express the reason, purpose, and importance of us bearing with and lifting up our fellow man: “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:4-8). As believers before the cross we all form one body in Jesus Christ. We, like a body, all have different functions and are called to use our specific gifts and talents in order to serve the rest of the body. In order to adequately serve we must approach each other from “below,” thru honest and sincere humility. It is only in true humility that we can remain in constant service to the Body of Christ and to all those around us. A real danger lies in the fact that calling oneself “humble” does not express true humility but is in fact a false and prideful humility. This false humility is very dangerous and is perhaps the most insidious and destructive form of pride. “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:18-19). True humility only exists in quiet service and sober recognition of our sinfulness and low condition. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13). Ironically it is only when we are desperately aware of our pride and persistent self-centeredness that we can in actuality be humble. Humility does not call or think itself to be humble, but instead it soberly and accurately sees itself as prideful and wretched. Being as we are members of the Body of Christ who are called to be humble, it is important that we uplift each other and recognize the importance and value of even the meekest members of the Body. “Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:22-26). In reality it is the weak, low, and meek parts of the Body of Christ who are the greatest and most important. The seemingly weak parts are indispensable for in their lowliness they uphold the other more visible parts and serve as a daily reminder as to what we are called to in Jesus Christ. The true sign of the health of a fellowship always lies in how they deal with, handle, and care for those who are in the most need in this life. Therefore as the Body of Christ our mission is always one of humility which looks to reach those who reside in the darkest and most taboo depths of our world. Let us pray then that God humbles us daily so that we may serve and love those put in our life in order that together thru His Son, Jesus Christ, we might all be united as one. We have been baptized by one Spirit into the one Body of Christ and therefore we look to work together for Christ who is our Head, our way, our truth, and our very life. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
After having taught us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices and to honor our humble roles in the body of Christ, Paul continues on and lists the outward qualities and deeds that we should strive towards daily in our humble walk of faith. This list is very comprehensive and requires much reflection and study so that we may come to appreciate the depth and magnitude of each one of these urgings and admonitions.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). As expected Paul starts his list with love and urges us to keep our love free of hypocrisy. If our love is hypocritical it ceases to be love and becomes only veiled selfish interest that is in reality nothing but evil under the false name of “love.” Our love must not contradict the truth of Jesus Christ but must uphold it and rejoice in it while we hate what is contrary to God’s truth. We may find it strange here that Paul implores us to “hate” (since we tend to think of “hate” as something a Christian should not do) but in reality our love can only be good and true if we are in the same breathe condemning and hating what is evil and opposed to it. To stand up for good means that we must stand against evil. Paul’s comment is a direct echo of the psalmist and the prophet: “Love righteousness and hate wickedness” (Psalm 45:7), “Let those who love Yahweh hate evil” (Psalm 97:10), “Hate evil, love good” (Amos 5:15). We are certainly called to love our enemies, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27), but we are also called to hate the evil and lies that they stand for. Because Jesus Christ is truth, and He only resides in the one truth of the cross, it is imperative that we, as His disciples, hate all falsehoods (lies, false doctrines, false gospels, etc.). “I hate and abhor falsehood” (Psalm 119:163), “The righteous hate what is false” (Proverbs 13:5). Therefore Paul’s call to love does not mean we tolerate evil and falsehood, but it means we stand up against them in the name of love as we actively do good even to those who hate us and who carry these wretched lies. Though we hate and condemn the lies, we continue to bear with the liar in love.
Piggybacking on this Paul continues: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Our love is to be a brotherly love. This means that our love must be sincere, tough, and willing to go to extremes for the other person. It is the fake love of this world that gives the other person whatever they want and tries to keep “peace” in the face of evil and falsehood, while it is only brotherly love that willing bears the burden of conflict in order to carry out what is best for our fellow man. It is true love that is willing to refuse something that is harmful to a person even if they do not see it; it is true love that is willing to be harsh, tough, and disciplining in order to fight for the ultimate good of our fellow man. Only true love will willingly take on these great burdens, while fake “love” quickly falls away in the face of any hardship or conflict.
Therefore Paul goes on to encourage us in this zeal of true love: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). Because of our deep passion for our fellow man (in response to what Christ has done for us) we will continually persist in zeal and fervor for God and His truth. Our service is fervent and passionate because we have been touched by the passionate work of the cross and we have thereby been infected with the insatiable life of His Spirit.
In light of this Paul now gives us practical guidance on how to implement this zeal and passion: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). Though we are zealous for the Lord we must not become fanatical and impatient. True zeal is willing to bear with our fellow man in everlasting patience, while earthly fanaticism on the other hand is always impatient and hasty. Being faithful in prayer and hopeful in joy are linked very closely with patience, for it is the faithful prayer that continues on in the face of seeming “failure,” always trusting and hoping (joyfully!) that God will fulfill His will in His timing. Though we may not see the fruits and results in this life, we continue to be diligent in prayer, while keeping a hope that waits and trusts patiently for God to work.
Having discussed the inner side of things Paul moves on to applying this life of love and zeal with action and deed: “Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Our actions of love should first of all start with God’s people. It is our duty to take care of our fellow believers and to provide for them that are in need, providing them hospitality any time they need it. Our earthly possessions are given to us by God as opportunities to help our fellow man, they are opportunities for service. Therefore we must not squander what we have been given for ourselves, but must provide aide wherever it is needed.
After having here implored us to provide for our fellow believers, Paul continues on to talk about how we must love even those who would be considered our enemies: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14). No matter what kind of persecution we face we are called to continually bless those who persecute us and to never curse. Even though they may curse us, we need to see even those who hate us as fellow sinners in need of Jesus Christ. We are all the same at the foot of the cross and we must never forget that. As Christ hung bloodied on the cross, persecuted and bruised by those He loved, He looked patiently and compassionately down upon us who hated Him and had become His enemies and said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). In these words we have the most powerful example of how we are called to bless those who hate us. Even though they beat us, curse us, or even kill us we are called to follow the way of Christ and bless them, asking God to forgive them and bless them.
Moving on, Paul expresses how we are to be empathetic to all men, and how we are to help them carry their burdens by truly joining them in the trials of life: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). One of the most important qualities of love is bearing, bearing the burdens, sins, struggles, joys, and triumphs of those around us. It is therefore important that we sympathize and empathize with what our fellow man is going thru in life by actually going thru it with them. Our brother’s struggles and trials should be our own, our brother’s joys and successes should also be our own. Because we are on Body in Christ, we all share in the joys and afflictions of the other.
In the midst of this admonition to bearing we are once again called by Paul to humility: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited” (Romans 12:16). Seeing that Paul touches on being humble once again, we need to appreciate just how important this humility truly is. All this love that we are called to by Christ is only possible when before God’s grace we are daily humbled and broken of our pride. When our pride rears its ugly face, it destroys and undermines all efforts of love, corrupting them with arrogance and selfish interest. It is for this reason that the life of a Christian is truly a constant state of repentance and turning away from our pride.
As he continues, Paul goes on to touch once again on an element of bearing with our fellow man: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:17-18). In order to uphold those who are weaker in faith it is our duty to make sure we do not offend them with careless words or living. Though we know we are free in the manger, cross, and empty tomb, we must not use this freedom in a way that will cause our fellow man to stumble. Therefore we need to try and bear with the weaknesses of our fellow man, living in constant peace and consideration with them whenever possible. This peace however must always be under the banner of the cross, and we must be careful not to forsake the gospel truth in the name of a fake man-made “peace.” The peace Paul talks about is one that upholds the doctrine of Jesus Christ, but bears with one another in the areas of Christian liberty and freedom.
In conclusion Paul sums everything up by talking of our main strategy for living a life of love: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21). Discipleship to Christ is always about upholding good and love regardless of how we ourselves are treated. We are called to conquer evil by way of good, by way of humility and bearing. Though this may seem counterintuitive we need to pray that we daily emulate the path that Christ walked before us, the way of the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb; the path of meekness, goodness, and humility that truly conquers the evils of the world thru sacrificial love. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Paul continues on: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Romans 12:3). Here in these words we are called by God to think of ourselves in the light of God’s truth, which means that before the law we must see ourselves in the sober judgment of it, that we are nothing but helpless sinners. We must not think of ourselves arrogantly but thru the faith He has given us we need to look upon ourselves with daily sober judgment so that our pride does not get any foothold in our life. As Peter says, we need to clothe ourselves in humility before one another and underneath God’s mighty hand: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). When we debase “self” and lower “me,” God lifts us up for the sake of His Son, Jesus Christ. So often times we fail to see that we not only need to “not be proud” but that we actually need to actively lower ourselves in humility. Not only Paul and Peter taught this, but Christ Himself taught this thru this illustration that we need to take to heart: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:8-11). It is our duty before the cross to daily humble ourselves and to take the “lowest place,” for it is only at the bottom that we can adequately see God above us and serve our fellow man around us. Christ was the greatest example of this as He lowered Himself and emptied Himself in order to serve and to save us: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8). In following the example of Christ it is imperative that we actually consider others better than ourselves and that we not concern ourselves with our own agenda, worries, and interests, but that we instead concern ourselves with uplifting, upholding, and meeting the interests of our fellow man. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
Having implored us to this true humility in the cross, Paul continues on to express the reason, purpose, and importance of us bearing with and lifting up our fellow man: “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully” (Romans 12:4-8). As believers before the cross we all form one body in Jesus Christ. We, like a body, all have different functions and are called to use our specific gifts and talents in order to serve the rest of the body. In order to adequately serve we must approach each other from “below,” thru honest and sincere humility. It is only in true humility that we can remain in constant service to the Body of Christ and to all those around us. A real danger lies in the fact that calling oneself “humble” does not express true humility but is in fact a false and prideful humility. This false humility is very dangerous and is perhaps the most insidious and destructive form of pride. “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:18-19). True humility only exists in quiet service and sober recognition of our sinfulness and low condition. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13). Ironically it is only when we are desperately aware of our pride and persistent self-centeredness that we can in actuality be humble. Humility does not call or think itself to be humble, but instead it soberly and accurately sees itself as prideful and wretched. Being as we are members of the Body of Christ who are called to be humble, it is important that we uplift each other and recognize the importance and value of even the meekest members of the Body. “Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:22-26). In reality it is the weak, low, and meek parts of the Body of Christ who are the greatest and most important. The seemingly weak parts are indispensable for in their lowliness they uphold the other more visible parts and serve as a daily reminder as to what we are called to in Jesus Christ. The true sign of the health of a fellowship always lies in how they deal with, handle, and care for those who are in the most need in this life. Therefore as the Body of Christ our mission is always one of humility which looks to reach those who reside in the darkest and most taboo depths of our world. Let us pray then that God humbles us daily so that we may serve and love those put in our life in order that together thru His Son, Jesus Christ, we might all be united as one. We have been baptized by one Spirit into the one Body of Christ and therefore we look to work together for Christ who is our Head, our way, our truth, and our very life. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
After having taught us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices and to honor our humble roles in the body of Christ, Paul continues on and lists the outward qualities and deeds that we should strive towards daily in our humble walk of faith. This list is very comprehensive and requires much reflection and study so that we may come to appreciate the depth and magnitude of each one of these urgings and admonitions.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9). As expected Paul starts his list with love and urges us to keep our love free of hypocrisy. If our love is hypocritical it ceases to be love and becomes only veiled selfish interest that is in reality nothing but evil under the false name of “love.” Our love must not contradict the truth of Jesus Christ but must uphold it and rejoice in it while we hate what is contrary to God’s truth. We may find it strange here that Paul implores us to “hate” (since we tend to think of “hate” as something a Christian should not do) but in reality our love can only be good and true if we are in the same breathe condemning and hating what is evil and opposed to it. To stand up for good means that we must stand against evil. Paul’s comment is a direct echo of the psalmist and the prophet: “Love righteousness and hate wickedness” (Psalm 45:7), “Let those who love Yahweh hate evil” (Psalm 97:10), “Hate evil, love good” (Amos 5:15). We are certainly called to love our enemies, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27), but we are also called to hate the evil and lies that they stand for. Because Jesus Christ is truth, and He only resides in the one truth of the cross, it is imperative that we, as His disciples, hate all falsehoods (lies, false doctrines, false gospels, etc.). “I hate and abhor falsehood” (Psalm 119:163), “The righteous hate what is false” (Proverbs 13:5). Therefore Paul’s call to love does not mean we tolerate evil and falsehood, but it means we stand up against them in the name of love as we actively do good even to those who hate us and who carry these wretched lies. Though we hate and condemn the lies, we continue to bear with the liar in love.
Piggybacking on this Paul continues: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Our love is to be a brotherly love. This means that our love must be sincere, tough, and willing to go to extremes for the other person. It is the fake love of this world that gives the other person whatever they want and tries to keep “peace” in the face of evil and falsehood, while it is only brotherly love that willing bears the burden of conflict in order to carry out what is best for our fellow man. It is true love that is willing to refuse something that is harmful to a person even if they do not see it; it is true love that is willing to be harsh, tough, and disciplining in order to fight for the ultimate good of our fellow man. Only true love will willingly take on these great burdens, while fake “love” quickly falls away in the face of any hardship or conflict.
Therefore Paul goes on to encourage us in this zeal of true love: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). Because of our deep passion for our fellow man (in response to what Christ has done for us) we will continually persist in zeal and fervor for God and His truth. Our service is fervent and passionate because we have been touched by the passionate work of the cross and we have thereby been infected with the insatiable life of His Spirit.
In light of this Paul now gives us practical guidance on how to implement this zeal and passion: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). Though we are zealous for the Lord we must not become fanatical and impatient. True zeal is willing to bear with our fellow man in everlasting patience, while earthly fanaticism on the other hand is always impatient and hasty. Being faithful in prayer and hopeful in joy are linked very closely with patience, for it is the faithful prayer that continues on in the face of seeming “failure,” always trusting and hoping (joyfully!) that God will fulfill His will in His timing. Though we may not see the fruits and results in this life, we continue to be diligent in prayer, while keeping a hope that waits and trusts patiently for God to work.
Having discussed the inner side of things Paul moves on to applying this life of love and zeal with action and deed: “Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13). Our actions of love should first of all start with God’s people. It is our duty to take care of our fellow believers and to provide for them that are in need, providing them hospitality any time they need it. Our earthly possessions are given to us by God as opportunities to help our fellow man, they are opportunities for service. Therefore we must not squander what we have been given for ourselves, but must provide aide wherever it is needed.
After having here implored us to provide for our fellow believers, Paul continues on to talk about how we must love even those who would be considered our enemies: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14). No matter what kind of persecution we face we are called to continually bless those who persecute us and to never curse. Even though they may curse us, we need to see even those who hate us as fellow sinners in need of Jesus Christ. We are all the same at the foot of the cross and we must never forget that. As Christ hung bloodied on the cross, persecuted and bruised by those He loved, He looked patiently and compassionately down upon us who hated Him and had become His enemies and said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). In these words we have the most powerful example of how we are called to bless those who hate us. Even though they beat us, curse us, or even kill us we are called to follow the way of Christ and bless them, asking God to forgive them and bless them.
Moving on, Paul expresses how we are to be empathetic to all men, and how we are to help them carry their burdens by truly joining them in the trials of life: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). One of the most important qualities of love is bearing, bearing the burdens, sins, struggles, joys, and triumphs of those around us. It is therefore important that we sympathize and empathize with what our fellow man is going thru in life by actually going thru it with them. Our brother’s struggles and trials should be our own, our brother’s joys and successes should also be our own. Because we are on Body in Christ, we all share in the joys and afflictions of the other.
In the midst of this admonition to bearing we are once again called by Paul to humility: “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited” (Romans 12:16). Seeing that Paul touches on being humble once again, we need to appreciate just how important this humility truly is. All this love that we are called to by Christ is only possible when before God’s grace we are daily humbled and broken of our pride. When our pride rears its ugly face, it destroys and undermines all efforts of love, corrupting them with arrogance and selfish interest. It is for this reason that the life of a Christian is truly a constant state of repentance and turning away from our pride.
As he continues, Paul goes on to touch once again on an element of bearing with our fellow man: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:17-18). In order to uphold those who are weaker in faith it is our duty to make sure we do not offend them with careless words or living. Though we know we are free in the manger, cross, and empty tomb, we must not use this freedom in a way that will cause our fellow man to stumble. Therefore we need to try and bear with the weaknesses of our fellow man, living in constant peace and consideration with them whenever possible. This peace however must always be under the banner of the cross, and we must be careful not to forsake the gospel truth in the name of a fake man-made “peace.” The peace Paul talks about is one that upholds the doctrine of Jesus Christ, but bears with one another in the areas of Christian liberty and freedom.
In conclusion Paul sums everything up by talking of our main strategy for living a life of love: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21). Discipleship to Christ is always about upholding good and love regardless of how we ourselves are treated. We are called to conquer evil by way of good, by way of humility and bearing. Though this may seem counterintuitive we need to pray that we daily emulate the path that Christ walked before us, the way of the manger, the cross, and the empty tomb; the path of meekness, goodness, and humility that truly conquers the evils of the world thru sacrificial love. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).
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