Romans 12:9-21
Love in Action is Getting Along with Our Neighbors
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
When Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans he knew that Jesus teaches us that getting along with others is very important...When we get along with others we are following Jesus' example of how He walked and acted on earth...So getting along with others reflects Christ's LOVE...When we get along with others, we are reflecting the love of Jesus in the world...
So as Paul writes we are to bless those who persecute us; bless and do not curse others...We are to rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn...Live in harmony with one another...We are not to be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low positions...And we are not be conceited...We are not to repay anyone evil for evil...We are to be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone...If it is possible, go as far as it depends on you to live at peace with everyone...Do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the LORD...On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink...In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”...Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good...
Our getting along with others fosters unity and harmony in the world...Unity among the followers of Jesus is essential for its effectiveness and our being good witnesses of His...Getting along with others promotes peace in the world...Living in peace with others contributes to a more harmonious and peaceful society...Getting along with others strengthens our faith...Overcoming conflict can strengthen our faith as we rely on God for guidance and wisdom...And getting along with others honors God...This makes for less negativity toward others and our neighbors we are to love...We are to love God and to love neighbor as Jesus teaches in the Greatest Commandment...So when we get along with others, we are honoring God and glorifying His Name...
Scripture teaches us to help and get along with others, even our enemies...Paul writes to the Ephesians 4:2-3 and Teaches us to: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love...Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."...
Paul adds in his letter to the Colossians 3:12: "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...Bear with each other and forgive one another if one of you has something against another...Forgive as the LORD forgave you...And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."...
And St. Peter teaches us in 1 Peter 3:8-12: "Finally, all of you, be one in mind, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble...Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because you were called to this so that you may inherit a blessing...For whoever wants to love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from speaking deceit...They must turn away from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it...For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer...But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil; He brings destruction upon them."...
We learn from James 3:17: "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and free from all hypocrisy...The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."...
And Jesus teaches us in Luke 6:27-36 the importance of loving our enemies...He says: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven...For He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust...If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?...Even sinners love those who love them...And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?...Even sinners do that...But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend without expecting to be repaid...Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil...Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful...
These passages and the one from Jesus emphasizes the importance of getting along with others, teachings on unconditional love, even towards those who oppose or want to harm us...It reflects Jesus' own example of LOVING His enemies and forgiving those who persecuted Him...By following these biblical principles and seeking God's help, we can overcome conflict and live in peace with one another...