"The church is full of hypocrites," someone says. "They don’t practice what they preach," another says. "If that’s what Christianity is, I don’t want any." Have you ever heard comments like any of these? Often times, people use them as excuses for their lack of commitment, and the reason they can is because there is an element of truth in them. There are hypocrites in the church. There are people who don’t practice what they preach, and there are people who show, by their lack of faithfulness, that what they have isn’t worth very much.
I heard a story of a man, who, walking down the street, passed a used-book store. In it, he saw a book, through the window, with this title, How to Hug. Thinking it might be an interesting book, he went in to buy it. He was disappointed to find out that it was a certain volume of an encyclopedia covering subjects beginning with the words "How" through "Hug." The church is sometimes guilty of giving people an encyclopedia on theology instead of a practical demonstration of how to live out true Christianity. But the church needs to be a place where people can see faith in action. It needs to be a place where people can experience the benefits of real love and acceptance. It needs to be a place where people can see a living demonstration of the grace of God.
Our text today stresses the importance of this practical aspect of Christianity. In it we will see several areas where grace affects the Christian. And we will be challenged to "flesh out" our theology in every day living. It is really a continuation of the message contained in the preceding verses. You will recall that Paul was sharing with us how the church is a multi-membered, multi-gifted body of believers, who are bound together in a mystical union with one another and with Jesus Christ, joined together in a living, dynamic relationship in which every member is important, and every member is needed. Because we have been so placed in the Body and so gifted by Jesus Christ, we have a definite responsibility to every other member of the body of Christ, and more particularly, to the local church where He has placed us. That responsibility is to exercise the gifts and ministries God has given us. As we do so, the Kingdom work will be accomplished through the ministry of the church to the glory of God.
The message here is that we not only have a responsibility in the exercise of gifts, but we also have a responsibility in the exercise of grace, a responsibility to love by grace.
God’s grace is not only extended to us, but is to be ministered through us, both to our brothers and sisters in the church, and to those in the world. The point is that grace has an effect upon us. It not only has an effect upon us, but it should affect our behavior. What are some ways in which the exercise of grace affects us?
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (v. 9)
In verse 9, we are told that the exercise of grace affects our CHARACTER. The work of the grace of God in the life of the believer is to change that person into the image of Jesus Christ. For that to happen, our attitudes must change. Our character must be transformed, and the greatest evidence of this change is that we can now love, freely and fully. We can love by grace.
If you have the KJV, it says, "Let love be without dissimulation." The NAS says, "Let love be without hypocrisy." The NIV says, "Love must be sincere." J. B. Phillips translates it, "Let us have no imitation Christian love." So how are we to love? Well, according to this passage of Scripture, our love must be sincere. It must not be phony. It must be real and genuine, not put on or acted out. It is interesting that this word translated "hypocrisy" is the same word in Greek which referred to those who made their living on stage as actors. It meant "to impersonate someone; to play a part; to simulate or to feign or to pretend." What we are being told here is that we shouldn’t simply act like we love someone, we should really love them. When it comes to love, we can’t merely play the part. Our love must be genuine.
What he says next in this verse is interesting, especially in how it relates to love. He says, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." Could it be that this is saying that true Christian love rejects sin but not persons? I believe so. All too often, Christians fall into either one of two extremes: either they end up rejecting the individual in their hatred of sin, or they end up condoning the sin because they don’t want to reject the individual. But we can’t love the individual and end up condoning sin, or reject the individual because we hate sin. True love loves the individual while, at the same time, hating sin. You see, love without truth is compromise, and truth without love is legalism. We must have neither. What we need in the church of Jesus Christ today are people who love everyone with genuine love, just as they are. At the same time, we stand for truth and seek to help people to change by the grace of God. And we can do that without being fuzzy. I read of a Mississippi State Senator in 1958 who addressed the Legislature this way:
You have asked me how I feel about whisky. All right, here is just how I stand on this question: "If when you say whisky, you mean the devil’s brew, the poison scourge; the bloody monster that defiles innocence, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from the pinnacles of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation and despair, shame and helplessness and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it with all of my power. But, if when you say whisky, you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine, the stuff that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes, if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that puts the spring in the old gentlemen’s step on a frosty morning; if you mean the drink that enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness and to forget, if only for a little while, life’s great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrows, if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful aged and infirmed, to build highways, hospitals and schools, then certainly I am in favor of it. This is my stand. I will not retreat from it; I will not compromise.
You see, the exercise of grace affects our character. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are enabled to love one another without compromise.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (v. 10)
In verse 10, we find that the exercise of grace also affects our CONTACTS. As we seek to live out practical Christianity, we are called to develop our relationships with the other brothers and sisters in the local church. Paul reminds us that we are in the family of God. We are brothers and sisters. We are reminded that relationship is the ground of our commitment to one another. There may be some brothers and sisters we like more than others, but we are commanded to be devoted to all, because we are all in the family. Admittedly, sometimes it is hard. Someone has put it this way.
To dwell above, with saints in love,
That will indeed be glory;
To dwell below with saints we know,
Well, that’s a different story!
There is a lot of truth to that poem. Sometimes it is difficult to dwell with saints below, but it can be done. And we need to learn to do it well.
The latter part of this verse gives us a real key to encouraging one another. It says, "Honor one another above yourselves." You see, as we exercise grace toward one another, we will regard others as more deserving than ourselves. This is what we are exhorted to do in Philippians 2:3, where it says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." The practical outworking of brotherly love in the body of Christ will be that we are eager to build up one another.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (v. 11)
In verse 11, we are told that the exercise of grace affects our CONDUCT. This is one place where a modern translation can really be helpful. The KJV says, "Not slothful in business." The NAS says, "Not lagging behind in diligence." But the NIV is probably the closest to the intent when it says, "Never be lacking in zeal." You see, what is in view here is the enthusiasm and intensity with which we live our lives. With so much at stake, a Christian can never be lazy or lukewarm, indifferent or apathetic. One of the marks of a Christian is that he has an enthusiasm for life. A Christian may be down, but he should never be defeated. Just how zealous we are to be is indicated by this next phrase, "keep your spiritual fervor." The word for fervent in Greek means "to boil." We must keep our spirits at the boiling point. It is in this way that we will find ourselves "serving the Lord." I like what the NEB says, "With unlagging energy, in ardor of spirit, serve the Lord." We should be excited about our relationship with the living God. Serving the Lord is exciting business. The idea that too much enthusiasm is wrong is just plain baloney. A fervent spirit is contagious.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (v. 12)
Look at verse 12. Here, we are told that the exercise of grace affects our CONVICTIONS. Did you know that what you believe affects how you behave? It’s true. You know your faith by your works. You know a tree by its fruit. And you can tell what you believe by how you behave. There are many Christians who think they believe many things that they really don’t. How do I know they don’t? Because they don’t put them into practice. If you really trust the Lord and are committed to Christ, then you are going to obey Him. You are going to do what He says.
Here, we are looking at how beliefs affect behavior, and we see that what verse 12 points to is the evidence of faith in God. It says that we are to "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." The only way to rejoice in hope is to have a hope based on your faith in Jesus Christ. There is always something to be thankful for and something to look forward to. Alexander Whyte, the Scottish preacher, always began his prayers with an expression of gratitude. One cold, miserable day his people wondered what he would say. He prayed, "We thank Thee, O Lord, that it is not always like this." Our hope is based in Jesus. Do you believe that?
The only way to persevere in tribulation is to know that God is with you in the midst of it and to trust His leadership in the midst of hard times. The only way to be devoted to prayer is to believe that prayer works, to believe that there is a God who answers prayer, who is personally involved in your life. All of this boils down to whether you have a living faith in a living God. What are your convictions? What are those things you truly believe? If you find that by your behavior you betray a lack of convictions, then go to God, and ask Him to give you a revelation of Himself, a revelation which will change your life. It will also change the lives of others.
If you are hopeful, others will be encouraged to hope. If you persevere under tribulation, others will know that they can persevere too. If you believe in prayer, others will benefit from your ministry to them through prayer. God’s grace flows through you to others.
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (v. 13)
And finally, verse 13 tells us that the exercise of grace affects our CONCERN. Living out practical Christianity means that the Christian responds to needs in direct personal ways, and especially by practicing hospitality. Are our hearts really open to one another if our pocketbooks and our homes are not? The exercise of grace means that we have a genuine concern for one another, a concern which causes us to act. In I John 3:16-18, we are told,
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
The Christian, instead of being self-centered, is to be other-centered. And one of the best ways this can be practiced is by hospitality. Don’t be like the family I heard of. This family was entertaining a couple from the church for Sunday dinner on a hot, blistering day. When all were seated, the man of the house turned to his six-year-old and asked him to say grace. "But, Daddy, I don’t know what to say," he protested. "Oh, just say what you’ve heard me say," the mother chimed in. Obediently he bowed his little head and said, "O Lord, why did I invite these people here on a hot day like this?!"
There is something special about opening your home to someone. There is something about sitting around the kitchen table which enables you to get to know someone on an intimate level. Jesus, you will recall, loved hospitality. He was always sitting around the table, fellowshipping over a meal with someone. As a matter of fact, He loved it so much, that He was accused both of being a glutton and a wine-bibber. You know, I don’t believe He cared, because Jesus was more concerned for that person sitting across the table from Him than He was for the food He was eating. Jesus was a people-person, and we are to be people-people. As we have seen in this 12th chapter of Romans, the church is all about people, and practical Christianity is all about people. We are people who are bonded together by God’s design in the local church. We are people who have gifts and ministries to share for the common good. We are people who need one another. We are people who are struggling together to be all we an be for Jesus Christ. We are people who care. We are people who love by grace. And we are people who are seeking to show that love in direct and personal ways.
So what has God said to you today? Have you heard Him speak to you, that the exercise of grace in your life ought to affect your character, that you ought to have a genuine love, a love which loves the individual while hating the sin, a love which seeks not to judge people, but to see them transformed by the power of Christ? Have you heard Him speak concerning your contacts with the brothers and sisters in the family of God here, how we are, in love, to respond to and recognize one another? Have you heard Him speak about your conduct? Have you heard Him challenge you to be zealous, to boil in your zeal as you seek to serve the Lord? And what about your convictions? Are you rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, faithful in prayer as a result of your faith in God? And finally, have you heard Him speak about how you are manifesting your concern for those in the body of Christ in direct personal ways? Someone said, "God doesn’t change us so He can love us, He loves us so He can change us." The challenge we have is to respond to His grace today, to love by grace, and be changed to be more like Jesus.
1 We are grateful to Dr. John Phillips for the outline of this message, which was taken from his work, Exploring Romans, published by Moody Press.
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