Read: Romans 12:9-13; 1 Peter 1:22
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. (Rom. 12:9)
Just before what promised to be a challenging away game, my high school basketball coach told us that he wanted “no nonsense”—crisp passes, good shot selection, and concentration from the foul line.
Similarly, in Romans 12:9-13, Paul calls for “no-nonsense” living within the Christian community in Rome. Prior to Paul writing this letter, an important event impacted the house churches in Rome. In AD 49, Emperor Claudius expelled Jews from Rome. This is mentioned in Acts 18:2: “Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.” The expulsion of Jews from Rome may have come from heated debates about whether Jesus was the Messiah or more than likely the number of conversions of high-status Romans to faith in Christ. When Jewish believers were allowed to return to Rome, it was a sensitive solution, and Paul advised a no-nonsense approach to Christian community. Within the various house churches made up of both Jews and Gentiles, followers of Jesus must live with genuine love.
Biblical scholars point to the short sentence structure, the use of participles in the form of commands, and the rapid-fire instructions as signs of Paul’s seriousness. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection” (vv. 9-10). We, too, live in a no-nonsense time for Christian life together.
As you pray, ask that the world will know we are Christians by our genuine love.
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland, Michigan. He and his wife, Joyce, are active members of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan. Kent is an active cyclist, and he and Joyce enjoy time with their children and grandchildren.
