Title: Love without lies (Romans 12:9-21)
Contents
I haven't seen it myself, but there is a movie called 'The Blind Side'. This movie is based on the true story of Michael Orr, who has emerged as the best rookie in the NFL as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
The process of adopting Michael Orr, a black boy raised in poverty by his mother who was a drug addict, as adopted by a white woman named Lee Ann, a devout Christian, and nurtures him so that he can lead a successful life as an athlete. It is a movie depicting In the second half, an investigator directly asks the boy whether the adoption of a black boy from a wealthy white family is why his adoptive parents are taking advantage of the boy in the guise of love and hypocrisy because of his athletic potential. , it is said that there are scenes in which the black boy is conflicted and wanders.
There is a saying that there is no business to sell, but I can't help but doubt whether it is really possible to serve and support someone without any conditions in this world. From a general point of view, the answer is no, but the Bible tells us that it is possible. That is the unconditional love that Jesus exemplified.
As we well know, the book of Romans gives an explanation of the universal doctrine of the Christian faith that applies to both Jews and Gentiles (chapters 1-11), followed by practical content for living in Christian community (chapters 12-15). Comes out.
In particular, in the text, 'love' is presented as a Christian ethical practice principle. This 'love' (agape) is generally applied only to the love of God, but here it is unusually special as a personal and human virtue between Christians. used to mean Specifically, to hate evil and do good, to show kindness and respect for one another, to be diligent and zealous, to serve the Lord, to rejoice in hope, to persevere in tribulation, to pray constantly, and to It is explained that it is a job to supply things and to treat guests well.
Based on this love between believers, when dealing with non-Christians, even those who persecute Christians, we are admonishing them not to curse, but rather to bless them, as Jesus said to love even their enemies. Today's sermon, which ends with the command, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” cannot be understood by the logic and common sense of the world. So it seems that the word agape was used to express that love.
There are no lies in love
The expression “there is no lie” (verse 9) means “there is no hypocrisy.” Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to respect others without respecting them in the heart, or pretending to be industrious only when others see them, though they are really lazy, or pretending to pray a lot in front of people rather than go into a closet and have a secret prayer time No, it means that the love of Christ must come from sincerity. We are all to different degrees, but we all have this hypocrisy. As we listen to the Word today, we have to work on picking up those things one by one.
If you look at the composition of the saints in the Roman church at that time, there were some who had a Jewish background, and some who became Christians as Gentiles. What the Roman church members from these diverse backgrounds needed was to always keep in their hearts the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ as ‘love without hypocrisy,’ and to love and respect each other with a heart in return. Even though our outward acts, expressions, and kind greetings exude warmth and love, if all these are mere pretense and condescension, then the relationship and fellowship of the saints is a lie, and in such a situation, love and forgiveness are never truly genuine. It must be borne in mind that even faith cannot be established.
Forgive instead of revenge
Looking at verses 14-21, we can see that the Roman church and Christians at that time lived a life full of tribulation and persecution. What the Roman church members needed right away was not to take revenge on anyone, but to accept it with love. As we know, the law teaches the ‘East Retaliation Act’. This regulation may feel very cruel to modern people who say 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth', but in the ancient times, there was no limit to retaliation and the limit of retaliation was stipulated in a situation where there was endless violence between each other. By standards, it was a very humane law.
However, in verse 14 and below of the main text, the 'East Retaliation Act' of the Old Testament has no place. This is because, based on the teachings of Jesus, which Paul said to “love even your enemies,” he exhorts the Roman church members to love rather than take revenge (verse 17). He further taught us to pray for those who persecute us, asking God to show them favor (verse 14). This is the same as when Jesus was nailed to the cross.
It is true that Jesus' teaching of 'love for enemies' feels impossible to put into practice in practical reality. However, it is God who directly set the example when he commanded us to put this love into practice. This love of God was shown through the people of Israel in the past, and now it is shown through the love for all mankind through Jesus Christ. “God demonstrates his love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). clearly declaring it. When we think about how Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, died on the cross to save us at a time when we were sinners who could not find any goodness or righteousness in us, then we begin to say, 'Bless those who persecute and do not curse them' ( Verse 14), 'Do not repay evil for evil' (verse 17), and 'overcome evil with good' (verse 21).
Our reality as it was then
We Christians, who experienced the love that Jesus gave his life to save people who were enemies with God because of sin on the cross, must now practice love just as Jesus set the example. It means that the members of the church should first love each other in the church, not with pretense and hypocrisy, but with love without falsehood, with sincerity, and with a sincere heart.
The situation today is very similar to that of the Roman Church in Paul's day. If the Roman church at that time was a church made up of Jews and Gentiles, today's church is also a community of believers with various professions, differences between rich and poor, and generations, and it is rather more complicated and difficult than the Roman Church. Therefore, it is necessary in the church to respect each other first, to serve the saints with a heart of serving the Lord, and to serve diligently. This is because, when all the ministries, services and devotions within the church are accomplished with love from a sincere heart without deceit, this will be a good and beautiful service in the eyes of the Lord.
Also, the external persecution in Paul's time was physically and violent, and sometimes it went to an extreme situation that required property and life. Due to individuals, the situation is as serious as in the past. But whatever the form of persecution or vice versa, the biblical principle of response remains the same. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (verse 21).
We should not take extreme measures to solve problems large and small, at least in the relationship between spouses and children at home, between members of the church and between the church and the world. First of all, we must discern what the cause of the problem is, pray together for a solution, and deal with it by gathering wisdom to practice the word 'if you can, be at peace with everyone' (18) in your life. You can. Please keep in mind that this work cannot be done with the world's methods, and can only be done with thoughts and methods that come from those who have the 'love without lies' taught by the Lord.
I would like to conclude with the story of the movie ‘Blind Side’ (the blind spot of a car) that I mentioned earlier. In the end, the black boy, who was troubled by the question of the investigator, realizes that all the appearances of his white adoptive parents are not fake love, but a true love as a family, and after a while, he starts a re-investigation. And there is a scene where he comes out of the investigation room, confirming the true family love he experienced during the interview with the investigator.
The reason people today are troubled, frustrated, and disappointed with the cries of groaning in their homes and elsewhere in the world is because there is no true love. Even if we practice only 1/10 of the love we always put into our mouths, the world will truly overflow with love. If you look into the insides of married couples who are obligated to live without love, believers and churches who speak love only with their mouths, and politicians who advocate calculated welfare to gain public popularity, there must be false love in them.
The Lord speaks clearly. They say, “There should be no lies in love,” and “Practice true love, such as the love of God revealed through Jesus.”