Romans 12:9-10, 14, 16-18, 21 (Amplified) Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. Be devoted to one another with [authentic] brotherly affection [as members of one family], give preference to one another in honour; … Bless those who persecute you [who cause you harm or hardship]; bless and do not curse [them]… Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty [conceited, self-important, exclusive], but associate with humble people [those with a realistic self-view]. Do not overestimate yourself. Never repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is right and gracious and proper in the sight of everyone. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone…. Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Because the church is set on the hill to be seen, the Apostle Paul wanted to establish the right foundation of loving one another with God’s kind of love. By behaving differently from the world, especially in dealing with difficult people or our enemies, we can show forth the unconditional love of God. The world will continue to get darker the as we approach the Lord’s return, but the church should get more glorious through the expression of sincere Agape love both within and outside of the church.
Evil is prevalent in every part of the world. Hatred, strife, selfishness, vengeance, violence, and every form of darkness are manifested through the individual, family, and society at large. However, we should never condone any form of violence regardless of its justification because we are in the world but not of the world.
In the opening passage, the four distinct instructions are: hate what is evil (V9b), do not curse (V14b), do not repay anyone evil for evil (V17a), and do not be overcome and conquered by evil (V21a). As children of God, we are also to love sincerely and actively (V9a), be devoted to one another with brotherly affection (V10a), bless those who persecute us (V14a), live in harmony (V16a) and peace (V18b) with one another, and overcome evil with good (V21b).
Because most people are operating in Phileo love—a conditional love, relationships are easily strained or broken. Therefore, the Apostle Paul was reiterating Jesus’ teaching on the Beatitudes and highlighting that when we are faced with evil and the opportunity to retaliate, we must always choose to do good and love affectionately especially the household of believers.
As free moral agents, it depends on us whether we want to exhibit sincere and genuine love to fellow believers, and to live peaceably with all men. Jesus has given us a new life and the power to live from the inside out. The more we yield to the Spirit instead of gratifying the desire of the flesh to do evil, the more we will grow spiritually. Therefore, let’s choose to live differently from the world by staying away from evil and doing good.
Sermon Series: You Can Do It (Part 2)
总要选择行善
罗马书 12:9-10, 14, 16-18, 21 爱人不可虚假(真诚的–没有欺骗和虚伪)；恶要厌恶（厌恶一切的不敬虔，不容忍邪恶），善要亲近。(真正)爱弟兄，要彼此亲热（像一家人）；恭敬人，要彼此推让。。。逼迫你们的（给你们带来伤害或困难的），要给他们祝福；只要祝福，不可咒诅。。。要彼此同心；不要志气高大(骄傲，自负，排外)，倒要俯就卑微的人（那些看待自己比较实事求是的人）；不要自以为聪明。不要以恶报恶。众人以为美的事，要留心去做。若是能行，总要尽力与众人和睦。。。你 不 可 为 恶 所 胜 ， 反 要 以 善 胜 恶 。
因为教会造在山上是为了让世人看见，所以使徒保罗想要建立以神的爱来彼此相爱的正确基础。藉着不随世俗的言行举止，尤其是当与难缠之人或仇敌打交道时，我们可以展现神那无条件的爱。 随着主再来的日子渐渐近了，世界将变得越来越黑暗，但藉着主爱Agape的真挚表达，教会将更得荣耀，无论在教会之内，还是教会之外。
邪恶充斥了世界的每一个角落。 仇恨、冲突、自私、报复、暴力和各种各样的黑暗都通过个人、家庭和整个社会表现出来。 然而，无论其理由如何，我们绝不应该纵容任何形式的暴力，因为我们虽然活在这个世界上，但并不属于这个世界。
在开篇的经文中有四个不同的指示：恶要厌恶（V9b），不可咒诅（V14b），不要以恶报恶（V17a），不可为恶所胜（V21a）。 作为神的儿女，我们也要真诚和积极地去爱（V9a），以兄弟般的感情彼此关怀（V10a），祝福那些逼迫我们的人（V14a），彼此同心（V16a）和睦（V18b），以善胜恶 (V21b)。
因为大多数人都以 Phileo 之爱——一种有条件的爱——处世待人，所以人际关系很容易紧张或破裂。 因此，使徒保罗重申耶稣关于八福的教导，并强调当信徒面对邪恶并有机会报复时，他们必须始终选择行善并深情地爱甚至他们的敌人。尤其是信徒之家。
作为自由的道德代理人，是否愿意真诚地爱其他的信徒，是否愿意与众人和平相处，这取决于我们自己。 耶稣给了我们新的生命并将其活出来的的力量。 我们越是顺从圣灵，而不是满足肉体作恶的欲望，我们就越会经历灵性的成长。 所以，让我们藉着远离邪恶并勤力行善，选择过与世俗不同的生活。
讲章系列：你能做到（第二部分）
Image source: pixabay.com