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Romans 12:10–13
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love (Rom. 12:10a).
Our love for our fellow believers is to be God-like, genuine yet discriminating, feigning nothing, abhoring evil, and clinging to the good. But how do these principles work themselves out in the day-to-day life of the body? How are we actually to treat one another? Paul provides some answers to these questions in today’s passage as he demonstrates ways love behaves.
Dr. James M. Boice, whose commentary is guiding our studies in Romans, breaks these verses down into nine specific exhortations:
Be kindly affectionate to one another. Both the word kindly and the Greek word translated “affectionate” point to familial relations. We must love other believers as we love our families for, as we have seen, we are united by being joined to Christ.
Give preference to one another. We should show honor, respect, and appreciation for others rather than seek praise for ourselves.
Do not lag in diligence. We must be diligent about the business of living the Christian life. As Boice puts it, “What we should do is follow after Jesus Christ with all our hearts and minds and with all the energy at our disposal.”
Be fervent in spirit. The word fervent translates a Greek word meaning “to boil.” Our personalities should radiate Christ.
Serve the Lord. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey and serve Him. He also identified the two greatest commandments as love for God and love for man. We serve Him by loving others.
Rejoice in hope. Our relations with our brothers and sisters should be characterized by a joy that springs from our shared hope for the fulfillment of all Christ’s promises to us.
Be patient in tribulations. We must endure the sufferings of this life, not succumbing to the temptation to vent our frustrations against other believers.
Continue steadfastly in prayer. We are to go regularly before the Father on behalf of our brothers and sisters.
Distribute to the needs of the saints. We must do all we can to meet the needs of other believers, including bringing them into our homes in order to provide them with food and shelter. When anyone is needy, our responsibility is to assist by whatever means we have.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The passage before us today is a picture of brotherly love. It is clearly something more than a warm feeling for others. This love gets its hands dirty. Do you love your brothers and sisters in this way? In other words, do you serve them? Take stock today of the resources you have that should be used for the good of other believers.
For Further Study
- Matthew 25:34–36
- Galatians 6:9
- Philippians 2:3–4
- Colossians 3:23–24