Romans 12:9-21

KJ

Rom 12:9  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 

Rom 12:11  Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 

Rom 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 

Rom 12:13  Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 

Rom 12:14  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 

Rom 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 

Rom 12:16  Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 

Rom 12:17  Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 

Rom 12:18  If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 

Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 

Rom 12:20  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 

Rom 12:21  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 

 

Main Points: How should Christians act toward one another and toward unbelievers? Overcome evil with good. Says it all.

 

6. How can we have genuine love, or love without hypocrisy? It is answered in the end of the verse: Love is void of evil and holds on to good. The concept of hypocrisy comes from a root word meaning to speak or act under a false part. This is not an act of compulsion. Our Christian family becomes our greatest concern. It is borne out of our understanding of God’s love.

 

7. Write down the rest of the commandments for a Christian from each verse. Then explain how you can obey the command:

Verse 9: have a benevolent love toward each other - detest hurtful (evil), glue yourself to good (benefit, beautiful): The Christian simply looks to benefit the lives around him/her. Always seek goodness/equity/justice/truth.

Verse 10: Cherish each other/be fond of fellow Christians (requires active thoughtfulness). Place value on others: This is impossible without effort. Why would Paul need to say this? It seems he was dealing with  a lot of self-centeredness.

Verse 11: Be engaged and do not ignore Christian service. Be active in the spirit(ual things), (be) a slave to God/Jesus: Paul is directing attention to build up the body. In this, his focus is on the Christian sharing those things that are most important….thinking-acting spiritually with the focus on God/Jesus. Worship is a big part of that and something Christians get to do together to build that engagement (any time they are together). (Prayer – study- singing etc) These things happen during a formal and informal gathering. Remember who we work for!

Verse 12: Be cheerfully hopeful, ready to endure hardship, continually pray: Christians face ridicule almost continually, but if we stay in contact with the Father and turn our cares over to Him, we will endure the pettiness of scoffers. This can be difficult sometimes…right?!

Verse 13: Serve the saints (be helpful), have a propensity to have guests (most specifically, strangers): Again, Paul is looking to unify this congregation. They should think of each other first….and practice hospitality, even to strangers. That last part can be difficult at times, but the main concept here is to keep our fellow Christians in mind for service (to them).

Verse 14: Speak well of unbelievers that persecute you, do not curse them: Another difficult saying. This requires a disassociation of our ego and requires us to understand that the unbeliever needs the Lord like anyone else. Their souls are in trouble!

Verse 15: Share each other’s experiences, whether cheerful or out-loud wailing: If we are practicing brotherly affection towards one another, this will be a natural outcome. Empathy/Sympathy.

Verse 16: Have the same mind/goals, don’t be conceited, associate with the depressed and less fortunate: We might not always agree on the minutia of everything but we can always be headed for the same goal(s). As Paul warned in chapter eleven, don’t think too highly of yourselves! Remember Jesus came for those who are sick, not the “healthy”. Weren’t we “sick” too at one time?

Verse 17: Evil should not beget evil, but do what is beautiful: Jesus and the Christian is about GOOD THINGS, not evil (vengeance etc). Again, remember, we were sick too. Stepping away from an initial visceral reaction helps accomplish this. Cool off….think things through.

Verse 18: be peaceable (quiet) with everyone: Not always easy. Being quiet is always a good start to this end.

Verses 19-21: do not have a vindictive mannerism, even with your enemies - practice compassion and acts of kindness, be good: Being good here means to be beneficial and evil means worthlessness. Paul is illustrating the worthlessness of conceit, being offended and looking for retribution. He says we need to do good things for those who are stuck in and evil cycle.