Romans 13
May Memory Verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 NIV
Read: Romans 13
The English language has a very broad definition for the word “love”. It’s very unclear. You can love your mom, but you can also love donuts. If the word “love” means the same thing in both of these cases, that’s just weird.
The word for “love” in this passage is the Greek word “agape”. It has a very specific definition. It is the love of choice, of serving in humility, without the expectation of it being returned. It is the love of self-sacrifice, the love of consistently choosing to put others before yourself.
Jesus says in verse 10 of our passage today that the commandments “are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” This command encompasses all of God’s laws concerning human relationships, and is ultimately how we should live if we want to point others to Christ.
Jesus taught that the true standard of authentic love, agape, is how you treat the people that you absolutely can’t stand. Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”. You can easily say, “I love people!” when you’re picturing humanity in general, but do you love Joe Biden? Do you love Donald Trump? Do you truly love the authorities in your life? Do you love the people you encounter who disagree with you about everything? Do you love people who are hard to love and serve, and can offer you nothing in return?
Why should we even try? Pay attention: we wouldn’t be talking about Jesus today if He only said things like, “Love your enemy.” This is how He lived. This is how He loves us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Sinners, as in enemies of God. Actively working against Him at every turn. And yet He died for us.
Jesus died for the people on your social media feed that you’ve blocked because He loves them. He died for your coworker who drives you nuts because He loves them. He died for you because He loves you. We are called to show agape love to the world because Christ has done it for us.
What do you think it would look like to love the authorities in your life?
How is the person in your life that annoys you most asking you to share the love of Jesus with them?
By: Kaitlin White
Read: Romans 13
The English language has a very broad definition for the word “love”. It’s very unclear. You can love your mom, but you can also love donuts. If the word “love” means the same thing in both of these cases, that’s just weird.
The word for “love” in this passage is the Greek word “agape”. It has a very specific definition. It is the love of choice, of serving in humility, without the expectation of it being returned. It is the love of self-sacrifice, the love of consistently choosing to put others before yourself.
Jesus says in verse 10 of our passage today that the commandments “are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” This command encompasses all of God’s laws concerning human relationships, and is ultimately how we should live if we want to point others to Christ.
Jesus taught that the true standard of authentic love, agape, is how you treat the people that you absolutely can’t stand. Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-44, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”. You can easily say, “I love people!” when you’re picturing humanity in general, but do you love Joe Biden? Do you love Donald Trump? Do you truly love the authorities in your life? Do you love the people you encounter who disagree with you about everything? Do you love people who are hard to love and serve, and can offer you nothing in return?
Why should we even try? Pay attention: we wouldn’t be talking about Jesus today if He only said things like, “Love your enemy.” This is how He lived. This is how He loves us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Sinners, as in enemies of God. Actively working against Him at every turn. And yet He died for us.
Jesus died for the people on your social media feed that you’ve blocked because He loves them. He died for your coworker who drives you nuts because He loves them. He died for you because He loves you. We are called to show agape love to the world because Christ has done it for us.
What do you think it would look like to love the authorities in your life?
How is the person in your life that annoys you most asking you to share the love of Jesus with them?
By: Kaitlin White
3 Comments
WOW! What a great passage today and a very needed reminder of what the source of our love is! I will be praying to love like Jesus today! Great job Kaitlin!
Yes, verses 11-14 are very motivating toward holy living. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ! Walk in righteous living, it is an armor of light! Continue in that spiritual process in which you are being transformed into His image and likeness.
This is so good! While reading this, I was convicted that it's not enough to just love the unlovable a little better than some of your friends and family. We all know difficult people, and we're not just supposed to manage being polite enough to them. We're supposed to love them like Jesus loves. And that's big!