Daily Devotions
Romans
"Let love be without hypocrisy."
Text: Romans 12:9a
THE SUBJECT OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Spiritual gifts are important for they were given by God for the edification of the Church! They are to be carefully understood and employed responsibly for the good of the Body of Christ! Gifts that are well-cultivated could bring great blessings to the Church! The apostles are the finest examples. They were God’s wonderful gift to the first century church, and they brought such life, strength and power to the Church!
BEYOND SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Paul went on to teach on the subject of Christian love! (It is interesting to note how Paul took a similar approach when he wrote to the Corinthians. He dealt quite thoroughly with the subject of spiritual gifts and then went on to extol the virtues of Christian love… 1 Corinthians 12-13)!
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil.
Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another
with brotherly love…”
Romans 12:9-10
1. The context of this love.
a) It must be traced to the Giver.
b) God is the One who has poured forth His love into our hearts (Cf. Romans 5:5, 8)
2. That which must be precluded in the practice of Christian love.
Two are highlighted in particular:-
a) Hypocrisy
This love cannot be feigned. Any love that contains the leaven of hypocrisy must be excluded completely.
b) Evil
Love cannot have any evil associated with it. Christian love must not be tainted by evil at all!
3. Special features of this Christian love:-
a) It is essentially “good”.
b) It expresses itself in kind affection.
c) It is “brotherly love” (of the purest kind).
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love”
1 Corinthians 13:13