In 911 A. D., a Carolingian ruler of France, secured the services of a Viking, named Roland, to safeguard the coast of what is now present-day Normandy. He was successful in warding off other Viking attacks and integrated into the life of France, becoming a Christian and embracing the French language. This area became known as Normandy because these Vikings originated from the north.
The Vikings then turned to raiding England and Ireland. In 980 A.D., the Anglo-Saxon king, Ethelred created an alliance with the Normans by agreeing to marry the daughter of the Duke of Normandy. This decision had an impact then, but also in the near future.
In 1066 A.D., the Anglo-Saxon king, Edward, the Confessor, died, and there was no heir. Immediately three people made claim to the throne; Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex, and William, Duke of Normandy who was a descendant from that union between Ethelred and his Norman wife and later became known as William the Conqueror.
Harold Godwinson defeated the Norwegian king, but the cost was so great that when William invaded England a few months later, Harold Godwinson was killed in battle at Hastings, and William eventually conquered all of England. He placed Norman aristocracy over land holdings in England, and the language of court became French. Today, the English language is embedded with words from French roots.
Our decisions may not be as significant as those who are in national leadership, but each decision we make impacts not only our lives but others. We know they affect our family.
Christianity is more than just a prayer of introduction to the person of Jesus; it is a total surrender of our lives to God. Many people continue to struggle in their Christian life, but one reason is that they allow their past to define them. Another reason people struggle is when they follow Jesus from a distance. Like Peter, on the night he betrayed Jesus, his faith was challenged and he faltered and failed. We can expect that each of us will be tested and our faith challenged at different moments in life. Will we deny Him? How can we move past living an inconsistent lifestyle, and walking in freedom and becoming spiritually healthy?
In Romans 12, we discover the nature of the healthy life. It is a holy, humble, and therefore a healthy life. It is to this third element I want to call our attention to. Surrender will only come when we experience God’s transforming love.
In Romans chapter 1, we find people on a downward spiral. A distortion of thinking leads to sinful activities. In Romans 12, we are encouraged to reverse that process by a change of mind, and a lifestyle where our thinking is renewed. We will become like what we worship.
Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.[i]
It is out of this life separated to God, the holy life where the healthy life is developed and we come to have a proper estimate of who we really are. We develop a life of dependency on God, which is what true humility is.
Romans 12:3-8 speak of the gifts of grace that each of us have been given by God, so we are to make a right estimation of who we are and what we should be doing. If we do not realize it yet, we will discover that we are what we are by the grace of God.
Only those who are holy and humble live a healthy life. Here in our context, I’m defining a healthy life as emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational health. It may or may not affect our physical wellbeing. Paul describes a healthy life as a life of love.
THE FIRST EXPRESSION OF A HEALTHY LIFE IS ITS SINCERITY
The word sincerity came from the ancient world of pottery, where some potters covered the flaws of their wares with wax to hide them. The word means sincere is ‘to be without wax.’ It was not trying to conceal something. The idea is that healthy lives are authentic and sincere in love. God is calling us to be genuine and real. For that to happen we must first experience God’s unconditional love in our hearts and then allow that love to flow through us. Our deepest desire is for this unconditional and unfailing love to be experienced. That is what we discover from the proverbial writers: “What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.” (Proverbs 19:22)
We cannot love others until we have first experienced this kind of love. People today are searching for unconditional love. Only God can love each of us like this. Once we have experienced this amazing love, we can then become channels of God’s love.
How do we know what love is? “It was said of the popular nineteenth-century author William Arnot, ‘His preaching is good. His writing is better. His living is best of all. Would that it could be said of all Christian that their living is best of all.’”[ii]
Here in the next few verses, the apostle Paul spells out for us what a healthy life, or a loving life, looks like in practice. It demonstrates to others the reality of God’s grace in our lives. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
The word used here is the Greek word, agape. This is God’s kind of love, the love that gives without thought of what it gets. It’s a selfless, sacrificial love, the same kind that brought Jesus to the cross. Love is always about the other(s) that God brings into our lives. Kent Hughes states it like this: “…a Godlike love that loves regardless of the circumstances, a deliberate love that decides it will keep loving even if it is rebuffed.”[iii]
The Bible explains that the mature expression of faith is love [agape]. We become like God in that He is love. Paul, in writing to Timothy, writes that the end of the law is to bring us to this mature relationship with God expressed by becoming a loving person. “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5)
A. A misconception of love.
This love has real grit to it. This is not a toleration of evil, but rather a desire for what is best in the lives of others. Notice the next admonitions are that we are to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9) Paul, in writing to the church at Corinth, describes love’s attitude toward what is evil. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:6)
So often we think of hating as the opposite of love, but the reality is that indifference is the opposite of love. When we have no thought of others, nor feelings of hatred, this does not mean that we love them, it may simply be indifference. If we ignore their suffering, or their spiritual condition, and show no concern for them, nor care what happens to them, this is not a loving attitude. Love cares for others and what will become of them not just in life but also in eternity. When we really love people, we care about what they are involved in.
Love is not soft on sin. God has never been soft on sin. He hates sin, because of what sin does in the life of people who sin. It destroys them. It destroys relationships. It destroys families, churches, communities, and nations. Douglas Moo points out: “Love is not genuine when it leads a person to do something evil or to avoid doing what is right-as defined by God in his Word.”iv
THE SECOND EXPRESSION OF A HEALTHY LIFE IS ITS SINGLE-MINDEDNESS
There is a devotion to love. Love is others focused. We are encouraged to continue to demonstrate love particularly to other believers.
A. Love is expressed in self-giving action.
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourself.” (Romans 12:10)
The idea is one of deep commitment to the wellbeing of others. We need to demonstrate concern, particularly to those in the family of God. Am I looking out for others? When I see a need, what do I do about it? What are we investing our lives toward? How are we spending our time? Are we giving ourselves away for the sake of others? This is a joyous life. Love moves us away from making ourselves the center of our lives and where we begin living for God by serving others. It is not wondering about who is caring for me but rather who I am caring for.
No wonder we are encouraged to honor others above ourselves. Christianity is about dying to selfishness and opening up our lives to focus on others. So how do we move from self-centeredness to others?
B. The key to being a loving person, a healthy person is spiritual fervor.
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11)
Spiritual passion comes from God, and genuine compassion for others originates from a heart filled with a spiritual zeal. Paul mentions this in the context of love. How often have we seen people who are spiritually zealous, but their zeal is misdirected? It is zeal without knowledge, which breeds fanaticism. Fanaticism is generally unhealthy.
The encouragement to be ‘set on fire by the Spirit’ is, as church history and current experience amply attest, open to abuse. Christians have often been so carried away by enthusiasm for spiritual things that they have left behind those objective standards of Christian living that the Scriptures set forth. This, it seems is Paul’s concern; and he seeks to cut off any such abuse by reminding us that being set on fire by the Spirit must lead to, and be directed by, our service of the Lord. It is not the ‘enthusiasm’ of self-centered display …but the enthusiasm of humble service of the Master who bought us that the Spirit creates within us.”[iv]
We are directed to God and to others. The only way we can remain devoted to others, honoring them, is determined by the condition of our souls. When we are fervent in our relationship with God, it impacts our love for others. I can tell how close to God I am, simply by how I’m treating others. When we truly love God, it will be manifested in how I’m treating others.
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 and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?[v]
“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:12)
THE THIRD EXPRESSION OF A HEALTHY LIFE IS ITS SUBSTANCE
When God’s love is reigning in our hearts, it not only is manifested towards God and others, but also in our attitude toward life and it’s many challenges and disappointments. We believe that God loves us regardless of what is happening in our lives. This is a sign of mature love which is what a healthy life is all about. Notice the quick succession of challenges presented to us as believers. Paul had stated it earlier in chapter 8, a progression from hope to endurance and finally to prayer.
A. We are to be joyful in hope.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12)
How often when we are awaiting God’s promises or awaiting God’s provisions we are uptight, frustrated, impatient, and grumpy. Here we are told to be joyful while we’re waiting. There is something attractive about joy. There is something that expresses faith when we are joyful in waiting. There is a confidence in God’s love and goodness. We know that God knows what is best for us in this moment. “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a)
We know that God makes all things beautiful in His time. Our impatience leads to poor and sinful choices. That is exactly what happened to King Saul. Samuel had commanded him to go to Gilgal, where his kingship would be reaffirmed. While there the Philistines came up to attack the people of God. So, Saul took things into his own hands rather than wait until God’s appointed time.
Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offering. And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived and Saul went out to greet him. ‘What have you done?’ asked Samuel? Saul replied, ‘When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’S favor.” So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.’ ‘You acted foolishly’, Samuel said. ‘You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure…’[vi]
Tests come to see if we’ll trust God. That is what obedience is all about. Obedience is an expression of our trust in God.
B. Patient in afflictions.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12)
Ever the realist, Paul knows that many challenges will present themselves to us in this walk with God. The true nature of our faith is only evident in times of testing. Where are we placing our trust? Is it in God, in ourselves, or in others? Trials quickly show us where our confidence is.
We are often impatient in trials and afflictions. We want to be free from them. We don’t see the value of struggle, suffering or sorrow. Yet, the Scriptures speak of their value. “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” (Psalm 119:67)
It was difficulty that help the Psalmist realize the need to stay on God’s path. Proverbs 3 speaks of God’s discipline as a blessings. “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:11-12). We are encouraged not to loathe or despise God’s corrections in our lives. God only disciplines those He loves and delights in. May we see God’s discipline as an expression of His love toward us.
Yet, we often wilt under the pressures or storms of life. What is the difference between lamenting and complaining. When we are complaining, it’s an expression of unbelief. We are criticizing God. Complaints are directed toward others in order to gain sympathy for us. A lament is directing our pain, hurt, and sorrow toward God. The very direction suggests that our hope and dependency is on God. I’m not suggesting that we never share our burdens with others, but rather we must first take our burdens, disappointments, and sorrows to God.
C. Faithful in prayer.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12)
There is a sense here of the need to persevere; to not give up. We pray in crisis, but when times are good and blessings are falling, we often start cruising through life. Is our prayer life consistent? Regardless of the circumstances, are we bearing the burdens of each other? When we hear the heartaches of others, see their tears, and share in their sorrow we are living a loving life. Maybe we are trying to insulate ourselves from the pain of life. Even though our lives may not be pressed, there are others in our church family who are struggling, in crisis, and dealing with sorrow. Are we indifferent to their pain? Will we not help them under the burden that they are carrying? Will we not bring their burdens to our Father in prayer? That’s how we can maintain a consistent life of prayer.
D. A healthy life is a generous life.
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13)
Charity begins at home. We start with our own family, but then we need to recognize that we are a spiritual family. The early church cared for their own. It doesn’t need to end there but it should start there. “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16)
E. Practice hospitality.
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13)
The expression to practice hospitality literally means ‘pursuing’ or ‘chasing.’ “The idea is that the loving believer does not wait for the stranger to show up on the doorstep, but goes out and gets him.”[vii]
We see tremendous examples of hospitality in the Old Testament. Abraham entertained three angels, one of which turned out to be the Lord. When those angels headed for Sodom, we find that Lot took the initiative in inviting them home. It is no wonder that the writer to the Hebrews makes this appeal.
“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:1-2)
A healthy life is a life of love. It means we are becoming like Jesus. This love is sincere, single-minded and has substance to it. Are we living that kind of life? It begins by surrendering our lives completely to God. It is a life of daily surrender. We will never become holy, humble, and healthy, or loving apart from God! This life flows from His heart into our hearts! It begins by acknowledging our need for God, surrendering, and then acting upon the work of the Spirit within us.
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[i] Romans 12:1-2, The New International Version of the Bible, Zondervan, 2011.
[ii] John MacArthur Jr. Romans 9-16, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1994), 181.
[iii] R. Kent Hughes, Romans: Righteousness From Heaven, Preaching the Word Series, (Wheaton, Il: Crossway Books, 1991), 228.
[iv] Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, Mi: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 776.
[v] 1 John 3:16-17.
[vi] 1 Samuel 13:7b-14.
[vii] R. Kent Hughes, Romans: Righteousness From Heaven, 230.
