Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Romans 12:9
Paul makes a declaration about love at the beginning of verse 9: Love must be sincere. He then follows up with several ways we can walk that out. The first two applications address how we respond to good versus how we respond to evil.
Paul maintains that love, then, is active—not passive. Love is more than a noun; it’s also a verb.
Words are cheap. How easy it is to wax poetic, say the right thing, and tell folks what they want to hear. Everyone longs to be loved, but don’t we also want the love we receive to be genuine … real … authentic?
Pretended love is fabricated. It is manipulative, self-seeking, and opportunistic. It’s not really love at all, but only a cheap counterfeit. Love is proven real by what it does. How it is lived out.
Do we love others because of what they can do for us … what we can get from them?
Do others love us with less than honorable motivations?
In our flesh—our human condition—we are predisposed towards selfishness, pride, and insincere love. We default to making it “all about me.”
- Do I love others … so that I will be filled up?
- Do I love others … so that I will be needed?
- Do I love others … so that I will feel love in return?
If our emotions are never returned in kind, how do we respond? Irritation? Disappointment? Anger? All those could indicate an insincere love.
Sincere love expects nothing in return. It releases love without the expectation of being lifted up, fawned over, or even thanked. If my love boomerang doesn’t come back at me, do I stop playing the love game?
The NASB version for Romans 12:9 reads, “Let love be without hypocrisy.”
Do I love hypocritically? Do I say one thing with my lips but hold a different attitude in my heart and mind? Sincere love is consistent from the inside all the way to the outside!
Sincere love is a fierce love; it actively hates evil. It fights against, defies, and seeks to eradicate evil. And it simultaneously clings to the good. Even when it’s hard to do it, we keep holding on … clinging to the good!
What does loving sincerely—by hating evil and clinging to good—look like in your life?
In this week’s teaching from I Kings, Laura discusses the arrogance and selfishness of King Ahab, as displayed in chapters 20 and 21. We hope you’ll take a few moments to watch and ask God to direct your heart’s response to this convicting message.
