Romans 12:9-16 - Non-hypocritical Love
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Solid doctrine is the key to non-hypocritical love.
Romans 12:1–16 (NIV)
CONTEXT: We read the first two verses of this chapter Monday, verses 3-6 on Tuesday, and by God's grace we'll work our way through the entire chapter throughout this week. Today we'll read verses 9-16.
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform 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.
3Â 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 faith God has distributed to each of you. 4Â For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5Â so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6Â We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7Â if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8Â if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in 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 the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Â Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Â Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Â Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 12 - The Lifestyle Assurance Brings
This assurance of perseverance, however,
so far from making true believers proud and carnally self-assured,
is rather the true root of
humility,
of childlike respect,
of genuine godliness,
of endurance in every conflict,
of fervent prayers,
of steadfastness
in crossbearing
and in confessing the truth,
and of well-founded joy in God.
Reflecting on this benefit provides an incentive to
a serious and continual practice of thanksgiving and good works,
as is evident from the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the saints.
Summary
One of the most important parts of properly understanding a passage of scripture is to read it in its proper context. That means this paragraph of imperatives must be interpreted in light of the obligation you have for the grace you've been given (which we read about on Monday). The point is that you're to follow these instructions because you've been saved, not in order to be saved.
The primary imperative in this passage is that you must love. Certainly most people in our society today would gladly endorse that! The problem, of course, is that most people in our society today have drastically different ideas and definitions for what it means to love. That's nothing new; they did in Paul's day and age as well.
So Paul tells you exactly how to love: your love must be sincere - literally, your love must not be hypocritical, a word in Greek used to describe actors. In other words, your love must be pure and genuine. The rest of the paragraph then unpacks what pure and genuine love looks like.
Genuine love hates evil and clings to what is good. It's devoted, honoring, full of zeal for serving the Lord. It's joyful, patient and faithful in prayer. It shares, blesses and rejoices under all circumstances, both good and bad. It puts others first, and is never conceited.
 Dig Deeper Â
Too many Christians think that doctrinal statements like the Canons of Dordt get so hung up on dogmatic precision that they have nothing practical to offer, and that they've by and large become irrelevant. After all, today's mantra is that all we need is love, right?
And Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, sets out such a beautiful lifestyle here rooted in simply loving sincerely! Image how good life would be if everyone lived this way! So these straightforward, immensely practical and instructive passages calling us to a life of love are very popular, and often get detached from their doctrinal context. But you know how impossibly hard it is for you to love genuinely (ESV), which is why so many people end up loving so hypocritically - that is, just acting like they love, while behind the scenes they behave quite differently.
Even if all this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints did was provide an abstract comfort and peace by assuring you that God's grace is stronger than you are and that you'll never slip out of your Father's graceful grip, it would still be worth our study. But it does so much more. It forms a very practical basis for how you can love genuinely.
This assurance of perseverance, we read here in Article 12, is the true root of godly living. In other words, the better you understand your biblical doctrine, the more certain you'll be of your salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, and this assurance will give you the capability to truly love sincerely.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who assures you of your salvation and will always preserve you in it;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your assurance will grow and enable you to increasingly love sincerely;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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