IN VIEW OF GOD’S MERCIES…LOVE
God loves us. More than a feeling of fancy based on good wishes and fluffy rainbows, God has shown us how much he loves us. His Son hanging on a cross is love in action.
How do we respond to such incredible love?
Paul taught, “In view of God’s mercies…to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” In other words, worship him. Under that same urging phrase, “In view of God’s mercies…” Paul now urges his readers to love. In fact, all of Romans 12-15 are a continual challenge to let love govern our relationships. Love is the essence of discipleship.
In our text today, we who follow Jesus are encouraged to make love the hallmark of our relationships in the church, in our neighborhood and even with our enemies.
1. How the followers of Jesus love other followers
Paul’s recipe for Christian love seems like a potpourri of different sayings, but there is a flow to the thoughts he writes. What does real love look like in the community of believers?
a) Love in the real world – First, Paul teaches, “Love must be sincere” (9a). The meaning here is that love is to be “without hypocrisy.” Hypocrites were originally actors in a play, so Paul is saying that the church should not turn itself into a stage where we pretend to love each other. Love belongs in the real world. Sincere love for each other leaves no place for hypocrisy. We can all tell when someone is pretending to be our friend or worse perhaps, tolerating us. Love among followers must be genuine.
In connection to this, we read “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (9b). Love is not blind but sees what is evil among us and responds to it. It may be the evil in our own attitudes or actions towards a fellow believer, or it may be an evil in their own life. The point is that we are to be so devoted to the beloved brother or sister that we hate every evil that is incompatible with his or her highest good.
b) Love looks outside itself – Love for others in the church has been spoken of in the past as brotherly love. We might call this “family love” as it was meant to be in its truest sense. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves” (10).
“Brotherly love” gives preference to our brothers and sisters in Christ, placing them above ourselves. In opposition to this kind of love is the false notion that we have to love ourselves first before we can love others. This way of thinking insists that we cannot love God or others until we have first come to love ourself. But then I am only capable of loving you as I love myself. To Paul, this is hypocrisy.[i]
The story is told of two goats that met each other on a narrow ledge just wide enough for one goat to pass. The two goats faced each other and wondered, “What shall we do?” They could not back up, that would be too dangerous. They could not go around because the ledge was too narrow. Now, if the goats had no more sense than humans they would have began butting each other until one fell over the ledge. Instead, one goat lay down and let the other walk over him.
c) Love looks for ways to serve – The goats illustrate an attitude we could have in the church. Do we let others have their way? Do we look for ways to serve or build up a brother or sister?
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (11). Love energizes us to serve others. Not only that, but love for others in the church spurs us on to look for ways to serve others.
Serving can be thankless. There is often too little thanks or encouragement for what you do. Sometimes there is opposition to what we want to do for the Lord or others and we feel like quitting. In times like this sacrificial service must not only be motivated by love but also maintained by love. It is the love we have for the Lord that ultimately encourages us.
Perhaps we look too much to our own fulfillment in service rather than faithfulness. If we seek to fill some void we will be frustrated in our attempts to love others. But if we simply want to be faithful to what the Lord tells us, there will be a greater staying power in our service.
d) Love clings to hope in troubled times – It is usually in troubled times that we find the opportunity to help someone in the church. We bring meals; we offer financial help; we lend a hand; we visit in the hospital. While these are acts of love, without question, there is something missing.
Paul adds, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (12). In this short exhortation is hidden the fact that we serve in the name of the Lord Jesus. Barclay said, "The Christian hope is the hope which has seen everything and endured everything, and has still not despaired, because it believes in God. The Christian hope is not hope in the human spirit, in human goodness, in human endurance, in human achievement; the Christian hope is hope in the power of God."[ii]
So the offered meal and the extra money are good and necessary but they are empowered by the hope we have in Christ. Hope that he will come again; hope also that in the meantime we have a God who loves us and cares for our needs. That needs to be spoken when we bring this gift.
e) Love puts privacy in its place – It is far easier to bring a meal than to offer one in the home. We have become a very private people who believe that our homes are our sanctuaries, a place to get away from work and the pressures of life outside. As a result we seldom show hospitality in our homes. We are slow to open our homes to guests because the house is not clean enough or the food is not fancy enough.
Paul said, “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (13). What people, even church people, need these days is friendship. Sharing with those in need is sometimes no less than a time of visiting. Many feel exposed and perhaps embarrassed when people come into their homes – like an invasion of privacy is taking place; we feel naked. In truth, sharing the intimacy of our homes is the intimacy everyone craves. We want to see the real “you” as expressed in your home.
When we get past that hurdle then maybe we can begin to show hospitality to the newcomers to our community. Hospitality is one of the ways we show love for each other.
2. How the follower of Jesus loves others
Like a ripple effect love cannot be contained in the walls of the church community. It spreads beyond its original impact affecting others where they live. So as Paul continues his recipe for love it begins to include the fringe people, the outsiders to our faith – though in truth these could apply to the insiders too.
a) Speak positively – When we speak of each other in our church it is worth considering, “Do I speak a blessing or a curse on the subject of my conversation?” “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (14).
For if we speak curses on our brother or sister – for whatever reason: we don’t agree with their views; we don’t like their attitude; they insult us, so we think – what will those outside our community think of us? Will they perceive that we love each other? If we speak curses on one another, will speak ill of them too? Why would they want to be a part of that?
Love speaks positively. Sometimes we speak the truth about one another. Hey, we are imperfect people who do stupid things. Can we speak a positive as well as a negative about our brother or sister, or the seekers in our community? The Apostle Peter said, “…love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
b) Have a heart - Viktor Frankel, a well-known secular psychiatrist, wrote of his incarceration in a Jewish concentration camp, where he was confined to a small room. Through cracks in the boards, he could see the stairway immediately behind his wall. Hearing a thumping sound, he peered through the cracks and saw a German soldier dragging the dead body of his fellow-prisoner down the stairs. So great was his own suffering that Frankel confessed feeling nothing at all; in his own suffering, he had become isolated and emotionally uninvolved in the sufferings of his fellowmen.[iii]
We can fall into the same trap of apathy when we allow our suffering to overwhelm us. For this reason Paul said, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (15). Love identifies with the joys and successes, the pain and the sorrows of other people. Love calls on us to have a heart for the believer and the unbeliever alike in their situation.
c) Treat everyone as friend – Living in the age of suspicion that we find ourselves in it is difficult to trust strangers. Some of the people we do know leave us with questions. But love seeks out friendship with everyone. Paul said, “Live in harmony with everyone. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited” (16).
Jesus was a friend to the friendless. He associated with people that the elite frowned upon. One thing I am sure he found among these rough people was an absence of pretense, snobbery, and judgment. They had nothing to lose by being genuine and welcoming. Love speaks positively, shares the heart of a neighbor, and seeks friendship in all places.
3. How the follower of Jesus loves an adversary
Love that responds to God’s mercies does not slow down. As followers of Jesus we find ourselves in a radical predicament. Jesus forgave the people who murdered him; he invites us to follow his example and love our enemies. How we do this is shocking to a world that believes in retribution.
a) Be good; live good; do good – Revenge is categorically forbidden for the follower of Jesus – never is it to be practiced nor done to anyone. No exceptions are named; no excuses are accepted. Why? Four reasons: 1) Even society recognizes that revenge is wrong; 2) revenge just breeds hostility; 3) revenge is God’s prerogative, not ours; and 4) revenge plays into the hands of evil and we are to do good.
The bottom line is consistency. If we claim to follow Jesus then our reaction to evil done to us needs to reflect that claim. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. (BUT) be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody” (17). Everyone is watching to see how we will react. We are called to a higher standard, to God’s standard and that standard is love. Revenge never expresses the love that Christ has commanded us to give.
b) Seek Peace – The best option for a follower of Jesus is to seek peace with your adversary. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (18). Of first priority is to pursue peace instead of revenge. But I appreciate how Paul puts this: “If it is possible” and “as far as it depends on you.” These are not exemptions or “outs” as if to get out of having to make peace; this is a reality that in some cases you will not be able to make peace. The important thing is that the life of love urges you to make peace on your end. If it is not accepted by the person who has something against you, what can you do but give it to God in prayer?
c) Trust in God’s justice – In some situations there is an obvious need for justice. When you have been wronged in a grievous or even criminal manner we all agree “something must be done.” Can we trust God with this need for justice?
“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mind to avenge; I will repay’” (19).
Philip Yancey once wrote, "The problem with revenge is that it never gets what it wants; it never evens the score. Fairness never comes. The chain reaction set off by every act of vengeance always takes its unhindered course. It ties both the injured and the injurer to an escalator of pain. Both are stuck on the escalator as long as parity is demanded, and the escalator never stops, and it never lets anyone off."
James said, “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (1:20). We do not see what God sees and we do not know what God knows. If we take revenge, be it in words or actions, we have no idea if we are even aiming at the right target.
d) Love your enemies – Sounds like something Jesus would say. He might have given this advice as well: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…” (20a). As we do good to our enemies, we show an unsaved world how God defeats sin. This is the gospel in action. On the other hand, if we allow the sins of others to respond in sin, we have been defeated by sin.
A woman wrote to "Pulpit Helps" to explain a miraculous lesson her family experienced. During one of their family Bible readings as new Christians, they ran across the verse, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him" (Romans 12:20 RSV). She writes: Ours sons, 7 and 10 at the time, were especially puzzled. "Why should you feed your enemy?" they wondered. My husband and I wondered too, but the only answer John could think of to give the boys was, "We’re supposed to because God says so." It never occurred to us that we would soon learn why.
Day after day John Jr. came home from school complaining about a classmate who sat behind him in 5th grade. "Bob keeps jabbing me when Miss Smith isn’t looking. One of these days, when we’re out on the play ground, I’m going to jab him back.
I was ready to go down to the school and jab Bob myself. Obviously the boy was a brat. Besides, why wasn’t Miss Smith doing a better job with her kids? I’d better give her an oral jab, too, at the same time!"
I was still fuming over this injustice to John Jr. when his 7 year old brother spoke up: "Maybe he should feed his enemy." The 3 of us were startled. None of us was sure about this "enemy" business. It didn’t seem that an enemy would be in the 5th grade. An enemy was someone who was way off... well, somewhere.
We all looked at John. Since he was the head of the family, he should come up with the solution. But the only answer he could offer was the same one he had give before: "I guess we should because God said so."
"Well," I asked John Jr., "do you know what Bob likes to eat? If you’re going to feed him, you may as well get something he likes." "Jelly beans," he almost shouted, "Bob just loves jelly beans."
So we bought a bag of jelly beans for him to take to school the next day, and decided that the next time Bob jabbed John Jr., John was simply to turn around and deposit the bag on his "enemy’s" desk. We would see whether or not this enemy feeding worked.
The next afternoon, the boys rushed home from the school bus and John Jr. called ahead, "It worked, Mom! It worked." I wanted the details: "What did Bob do? What did he say?"
"He was so surprised he didn’t say anything - he just took the jelly beans. But he didn’t jab me the rest of the day!" In time, John Jr. and Bob became the best of friends - all because of a little bag of Jelly Beans.
It seems "enemies" are always hungry. Maybe that’s why God said to feed them.
So who’s jabbing you in the back?
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (21).
It seems that in churches there is always a bit of jabbing going on. How will you respond?
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:11-12). His love is made complete in us – what a humbling and awesome thought. Whether it is in the church, in our community or in our most hostile relationships, how we love points to God and is the evidence that we have understood God’s mercies to us.
AMEN
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