Our Living Sacrifice, Pt. 2

April 1st, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 12:10-13 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Christians offering themselves to God as living sacrifices (12:1) both love and hate—having a genuine love for all things good while hating all things evil (12:9). In v. 13, the believer’s genuine love for all things good is now directed towards “one another,” or “brotherly love” (Gr. philadelphia). Intensifying this, Paul adds that believers are to be “devoted” (Gr. philostorgos) to one another—a term used for affection between a husband and wife, a mother to child, a father to son. In short, those who love God will love God’s people (1 John 5:1). Elsewhere, Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). For Christians, loving their brothers in Christ is not optional, for “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20).

When unbelievers encounter a Christian, they are to note the disparity. According to the Bible, one is a child of God, the other a child of the devil. John writes, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother… But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? …Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him” (1 John 3:10, 17-19).

One of the ways that the saints of God can be noticed for their love of one another is in how they “give preference to one another in honor” (v. 10). The word for “honor” (Gr. timē) means “to go before,” as in going ahead of another to show them the way. In this context it concerns passing another in order to set an example for them. If every Christian sought to do this, each would be attempting to “outdo one another in showing honor” (ESV) simply because each believer would have other believers in mind while striving to love them. This kind of honor is not flattery, per se, but genuine appreciation and admiration for a child of God in Christ.

God’s people are likewise not be “lagging behind in diligence” (v. 11; cf. Eccles. 9:10). Sloth is not a Christian trait; being “fervent in spirit” is—passionate zeal for “serving the Lord.” This word for “serve” (Gr. douleuō) is different than the one Paul used in 12:1 (latreia), stressing respectful worship, and it is different than the one he used in 12:7 (diakonia), which pertains to a Christian’s practical service. In 12:11, the term refers to a “bond-slave” whose very existence is for service unto his master. Yet contrary to a slave who must serve his master, Christians have a zeal for serving God, driven by the “mercies of God” (12:9). They are Spirit-filled believers driven by passion to love God and His people, hating evil. The sometimes cold or lukewarm attitude found in some professing Christians is therefore a contradiction in terms.

Verse 12 adds to the ongoing actions of true Christians, revealing them as “rejoicing in hope.” In NT Greek, “hope” is not a wish or desire, it’s a guarantee! And Christians “rejoice” (Gr. chairo) in their guarantee of eternal life with Christ. They are “persevering in tribulation”— persistent in the midst of trials, refusing to compromise the truth. In the midst of it all, they are “devoted to prayer”—literally attached to it, persistent in it. Prayer is not something they do from time to time, it’s a discipline that defines them. Likewise, in v. 13 Christians are “contributing” (Gr. koinōneō) to the “needs of the saints,” specifically sharing food and money with believers in need. In short, they are “practicing hospitality”—welcoming guests and strangers in Christ.

Food For Thought
Note that the verbs in Romans 12:10-13 are all present, ongoing participles. This points to a way of life for Christians, not one-time acts that assuage a guilty conscience. Because of our appreciation for the mercies of God, we as His people—saved by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ—long to serve God with our very lives (cf. 12:1). Our prayer list therefore might be something like this: “Lord, may we love what you love and hate what you hate. Cause us to be devoted to one another in brotherly affection, honoring one another far above ourselves. May we never lag behind in our diligence as we serve you faithfully, for we pray that you would make us fervent in our service to you. May we rejoice in our hope daily, persevere in our trials, and make prayer to you a lifestyle, not a time slot that begins and ends. Alert us to the needs of your people, and convict us to show hospitality when it is needed.” There it is! Praying the words of Scripture. God cannot say no to those requests; He ordained them!