From Knowing It to Living It

Beginning with Romans 12 Paul begins explaining the practical application to truth revealed in ch.1-11.

• Faith in Christ is the pathway to righteousness.
• Circumcision of the heart by the Spirit is the real mark of belonging to God & a member of His family.
• The line of the covenant is by election, not heritage, through God’s call, not works.
• Righteousness that leads to holiness which assures us of eternal life is God’s gift to all who believe, & completely trust in Jesus as Lord of every area of their life.
• God demands our action as well as our believing and thinking.
• True faith in Christ expresses itself in obedience.
• Every day is a journey in righteousness by faith as God renews our foundation in & on the whole truth of Christ, revealing to us, that this life is really all about Jesus!

 

According to 2 Timothy 2:19, “‘The Lord knows those who are his’ and ‘those who claim they belong to the Lord must turn away from all wickedness.’” The Lord knows you! God desires an intimate, personal relationship with us, and that we turn from all wickedness. Not just outward appearance of sin (that’s what we do); but God sees our heart & character. It’s important to fully realize & accept God’s definition of sin is us wanting to run our own lives. (Eden stuff)

 

Paul goes into detail to show that Jesus Christ is Lord of every area of our lives. While these last chapters, 12-15 are considered practical application for the first 11 chapters, in truth the entire letter has been directed toward the goal of showing us that God demands our action as well as our believing and thinking. Like love, faith expresses itself in obedience.

 

In vs.9-13, Paul launches into instructions about using God’s gifts of grace for His purposes regarding relationships. 9“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Paul is deeply concerned with the relationships within the body of Christ.

 

“Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

In verses 10-13 Paul shares some practical applications of love being sincere within the Body of Christ. God’s gifts of grace, i.e., ‘charisma’, to be used effectively within the body of Christ must be exercised in love, otherwise, they are useless. Hear Paul’s words from I Cor. 13:1-3,

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”  Love determines the character of the body of Christ! Without love, God’s gifts, no matter how well-intentioned, are grace-less. If love is so important; if it determines whether the body of Christ has character, what is it? What is love? What do you think love is?

 

I think love is a choice. Couples have come with marriages in trouble: “I just don’t love him/her – not sure I ever have.” In truth, they’ve made the choice to stop loving. Maybe, never really knew what love is. Maybe never experienced love, even as a child. Some adults, maybe some of you, have grown up never really knowing for sure whether their parents loved them. Result: It’s Difficult to allow anyone to get close, to really love them, or have exchanged love for intimacy, & it’s always fleeting.

 

There are 2 sides to love: The giving side & the receiving side. When practiced, both feel good; but they’re not love, but rather the fruit of love. Both start with a choice to love.

 

Love is also an action. When you act out love, by either giving or receiving, it feels great, but

love is so much more than feelings! It’s the act, that begins with a choice!  Look at vs. 4-8a of 1 Cor. 13, “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

 

Love is patient & kind, without jealousy, boastfulness, or pride

It’s considerate & doesn’t demand its own way

Love isn’t irritable or easily angered, nor keeps any records of offenses

Love hates what is hurtful or unjust & rejoices when truth wins out

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful & enduring every circumstance; never fails

 

Those qualities all begin with a choice. You chose whether you’ll be patient, kind, humble, considerate, selfless, happy, hopeful, faithful, and true. IF, you chose to be all those in all circumstances – you chose the way of love & the way of God.

 

You see, every one of these character traits are character traits of God. In fact, you could read back through vs. 4-8a & replace the word love with God & never lose its meaning. Why? “ … because God is love.” 1 John 4:8. “God is patient, God is kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud. God is not rude, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.”  1 Cor. 13:4-8a. According to Apostle John, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10.  Apostle John adds, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  1 John 4:11. Peter writes, “… see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently.” 1 Peter 1:22b KJV.  Word pure in 1 Peter, is rendered sincere in NIV. Same word Paul uses in Ro. 12:9, “Love must be sincere.”  Greek. translation for ‘sincere’ means without hypocrisy, i.e. without falsehood, without a mask. God loves us with all sincerity, so much so, sent His only Son to die in our place. If we simply believe, and totally trust His sacrifice for sin, God offers to us everlasting life. In God, there is no hypocrisy, no falsehood, no un-truth, just sincere love!

 

Paul’s saying, as the charismatic Bride of Christ, we must love the body of Christ in all sincerity. To put into our actions the character of God and the gifts of God’s grace without pretense or any falsehood. To “hate what is evil”, i.e., hurtful, malicious, or harmful. To “cling to what is good”, stick like glue to that which leads to the spiritual & moral growth as a Christian & the body of Christ.

 

Everybody wants to be loved, but many have never experienced sincere love! Love that demonstrates the very character of God can’t be manufactured or faked. It only comes from God because only God is love. God’s love, that draws people to Christ & into oneness within the body of Christ. Love, God’s love through us must be sincere. And it all begins with a choice. What will you choose to do with God’s love for Christ’s bride?

Peace be with you,

Pastor John