Romans 12:9-21

12:9-16 | One another is mentioned three times in this section that concerns reciprocal relationships in the body of Christ. Love is the ultimate key to relationships (1 Cor. 13:13). To this point in Romans, agape has described God’s love for people; now it will describe Christians’ love for one another (John 13:34; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1).

12:9 | God hates evil, or lawlessness (Heb. 1:9). Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” Those who love the Lord hate evil (Ps. 97:10). Believers are not to hate evil people, but hate the evil that controls their lives.

12:10 | In honor of giving preference to one another means if someone truly loves another person, they will pursue what is best for them even if it is costly (Phil. 2:3), Gifts are not simply for people’s enjoyment but for the good of the church.

12:11 | Not lagging in diligence means not being lazy when serving the Lord. The Scriptures speak often against laziness (Prov. 6:6-8; 10:4; 12:24; 18:9; Eccl. 9:10). Fervent in spirit means to “boil,” aglow with enthusiasm for God.

12:12 | Jesus told the disciples, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). People should therefore expect and prepare to preserve through troubles (Luke 18:1).

12:13 | Distributing the needs of the saints means holding possessions lightly, waiting for God’s direction on how to use them in ministry. Given to hospitality is creating opportunities to minister to those in need, not waiting for opportunities (Heb. 13:16; 1 Pet. 4:9).

12:14-15 | Whatever the need, the open heart reaches out and embraces others – even enemies (Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:28; 1 Cor. 4:12).

12:16 | Jesus associated with all strata of society, especially those with whom the high and mighty wouldn’t dare associate. As our example of unity, He was comfortable with everyone – even the outcast and sinners.

12:17 | Jesus redefined the OT standard of “an eye for an eye” when He said to turn the other cheek to the one who harms (Matt. 5:38-42). His teaching presents an ethical standard foreign to the world’s way of thinking.

12:18 | If it is possible recognizes that just because one person desires peace and reconciliation doesn’t mean the other person does. God does not hold people responsible for the outcome, but He does hold them responsible for doing what they can to pursue reconciliation (Heb. 12:14).

12:19 | Give place to wrath is to allow the Lord to deal with a person in His own way and time (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 32:35; Heb. 10:30). God’s timing is seldom convenient, but always perfect.

12:20 | The principle of replacement is powerful. It is not enough to passively accept your enemy’s actions or even to accept them with a view toward God’s intervention and justice. Christians are to do the opposite of what their enemies do, replacing evil with good (Prov. 25:21-22; Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27).

12:21 | Overcoming evil is costly. Often it involves absorbing the pain of someone else’s wrong. But one may gain a friend and promote reconciliation in the process.