BIBLE PASSAGE – ROMANS 12:9-21
Most people make new year resolutions! In fact, A study in the us in 2016 showed that 41% of Americans made new year resolutions but by the end of the year only 9% could claim to have been successful in keeping those resolutions.
The reasons for this failure are many - unrealistic goals, poor record-keeping, plain forgetfulness, and, an unrealistic number of resolutions.
I don’t know how many of us make new year resolutions. I don’t, but perhaps a good way to start would be to follow the list given by Paul in our bible passage today.
Paul in this section of his letter to the Roman church is advising and cautioning them, and us, to ‘behave like Christians’. As a church, as people, I think that is a good resolution to make and then strive to keep it.
But what exactly does he mean? Paul talks about behaving like Christians within the church, with other Christians (verses 9 to 13) and behaving like Christians outside the church, with others (in verses 14 to 21).
In these 12 verses Paul has given a list of 22 actions of how to behave like Christians which are all centered around loving one another, going beyond mere emotion to action which is genuine and not hypocritical.
Relationships within the church are very important. They lead to fellowship which in turn leads to "encouragement". Paul has used the phrase ‘one another’ three times in these 12 verses.
And for any relationship within the church to survive, love is a key component. (Paul wrote a whole chapter on love to the Corinthian church, in 1 cor.13).Up to this point in his letter agape has been used to describe God’s love for people.
This is the first action that Paul advises and then goes on to build every other action listed around this first one.
Secondly, he asks us to ‘abhor evil’ or hate evil, but care has to be taken that we do not hate the evil person but the evil inside the person. Paul then goes on to say love one another with brotherly love the kind of love for each other that god shows to us.
But Paul does not just stop at that. He elaborates saying ‘in honor giving preference to one another’.
In essence it means that if a person truly loves another person they will pursue what is best for them even if it comes at a cost to themselves.
Furthermore, Paul also asks his readers not to lag in diligence by being lazy in serving the Lord and being fervent in spirit. Both of these go hand in hand for when we are fervent in spirit we will be bubbling over with enthusiasm.
And, this is the important part: when we do that, we rejoice in the hope of eternal life so that we will be patient when we are tested and live always in an attitude of prayer.
Paul ends this part of behaving like Christians with an important admonition - ‘distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality’. Essentially sharing what we have with those who are in need.
We will stop here today and talk about showing Christian behavior to non-believers, tomorrow in Part II.
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