Honoring Your Neighbor

I was watching a Julia Child cooking show last week. Julia Child will probably always be that perfect cooking personality. She continues to inspire generations today to embrace the joy of cooking. But it wasn't just her skill with intricate recipes, it was the way she responded to her own mistakes that made her both educational and entertaining.

But I think what made her popularity so lasting was how she made you feel like you could just jump in and try the same thing. She taught you how to create those complex, professional-looking dishes step-by-step. And I think the reason for that is that the best teachers are the ones who don't just tell you what to do; they show you how to do it.

That is the way the Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Romans. For the first 11 chapters, he gave us the most complex theology of salvation in Scripture. Then in Romans 12, he showed us how to live out that salvation. God's mercy moves us to present ourselves as living sacrifices, a spiritual act of worship he called it. In verses 9-21, we see that life of worship on display when we love and honor others. Today, we're going to learn the recipe of honoring our neighbors.

PRAYER

Here is Paul's lesson plan. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gave us a practical description of love right after instructing us about spiritual gifts in chapter 12. He does the same thing in Romans 12 when he followed up instructions about spiritual gifts by now outlining how they were to love one another. It's as though Paul wanted us to remember the big picture of our spiritual gifts: using our spiritual gifts to fulfill the Greatest Commandments of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourself.

Romans 12:9-10, 13 – “Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another…. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.”

It might sound like Paul was giving us a random list of commands, but each one tells us how to love our neighbors as ourselves. And each one is important. This list begins with our hearts.

The word “hypocrisy” comes from a Greek word for “play acting”. In ancient Greek stage plays, actors presented their characters by wearing a mask, sometimes switching masks to convey a different character. People eventually used the term “hypocrisy” to refer to a figurative mask used by someone whose true identity is different from the way he appears. When Paul told us to let love be without hypocrisy, he was calling for us to have pure hearts. We are not to do what seems loving for the sake of appearances or with an ulterior motive like gaining something or avoiding something unpleasant. In other words, you can’t fake real love.

As we read this passage, it's pretty easy to spot Paul's primary message; relationships are significant. We are to love others, but not just with a surface, superficial love. It should be genuine. So, we shouldn't be surprised by Paul’s detailed instructions.

Verse 10 commands and commends something we won't find anywhere else in the Bible: competition between brothers and sisters in Christ. But the competition isn't for our own benefit or glory. Instead, we’re to find ways to honor one another. He says to take the lead in honoring one another.

In most cases, we honor an achievement, maybe a sacrifice, or possibly an accomplishment that is worthy of mentioning; we honor that. Those are good things, but God calls us to another form of honor. Within God's family, his children honor one another not primarily because of what they have done, but because of the relationship they have with God and with each other.

In verse 13, Paul makes it clear that those relationships also mean that we consider all we own as resources that we use to serve one another. He calls it showing hospitality. The Greek word for “hospitality” means “love of a stranger.” The writer of the book of Hebrews used that same word as he instructed his readers,

Hebrews 13:2 – “Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.”

We honor others by serving them in love. And as I have always said, show people that you truly care. It was D. L. Moody that said, “The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy.” That is so true. And then sandwiched between the commands that are focused on how we treat others, Paul writes verses 11 and 12 that say:

Romans 12:11–12 – “Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.”