The remainder of this chapter is a
list of practical commands which Paul gives to us. Keep in mind that all this
is under the heading of “In view of God’s mercy. . .” What he’s done for us is
supposed to elicit certain types of attitudes and behavior, and this is where
he’s getting into specifics.
When it comes to our relationships
with other believers, the key word is “love.” I’m sure I’ve griped about this
before, but please indulge me for a moment: The word “love,” along with “peace,”
is one of the most misused words of our time. We see it mainly as an emotion
that happens to us. No, it’s a choice that we make to ensure the welfare of the
beloved, often at great personal risk and sacrifice to ourselves.
The word Paul uses to describe the
love we’re supposed to have for each other is anupokritos. It’s kind of hard to spot it in there, but if you look,
you can see the word from which we get “hypocrisy,” and the “a-” in front of it
negates it, which is why some translations render it as “without hypocrisy.” Do
you remember the story behind that word? It literally means “before the face,”
or a mask. When Greeks put on plays, they regularly had one actor playing
several parts, and they’d put on or hold up a mask to designate that they were
playing a different character. So hypocrisy is putting on a mask in order to
fool others.
Out love must not be like that. We
might say “I love you, brother,” but do
we mean it? Are we willing to sacrifice for them? Are we quick to forgive
and slow to anger when they provoke us? Do we try to look after their long-term
interests? How do we speak about them when they’re not present?
And connected to this love for
others is a call for discernment. We have to distinguish good from evil. Specifically
he tells us we need to cling to what’s good and hate what’s evil. You can't
love without hating. If you love someone, then you hate that which might harm
them, or is harming them. An oncologist cares for his patients and loathes
cancer in equal measure. That means you hate their sin and love them. That
means you love them enough to steer them back towards the Lord when they’re
veering off the path. And when you see something that’s good in their lives,
you need to “cling to” it. Point it out. Encourage them with it.
Verse 10 tells us to be “devoted to
one another in love.” The word he uses is one you’ve heard before: Philadelphia, which is why some
translations put “brotherly love” here. Yes, that’s why they call Philadelphia “the
city of brotherly love.” We’re siblings in Christ with one Father, and our
actions towards each other need to demonstrate that. It’s not based on their
lovability. It’s not based on how well they treat you. It’s all based on the
fact that they’re your sibling in Christ.
And finally he says that we’re to “honor
one another above yourselves.” The people of the world are constantly trying to
push each other out of the spotlight so they can occupy it themselves. As our
Lord said,
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” We need to first
and foremost give credit and glory and honor to our Savior God, but after that,
we need to be careful to put each other before ourselves. Honor others first.
Put their needs first.
As a teacher of mine once put it, this
ain’t rocket surgery or brain science.
Father, when I tell a sibling “I love
you,” is it sincere? Does it come from the heart? Help me to love them from
your heart, please love them through me.
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