“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:9-13, ESV).
The Action of Love
Up to this point in the letter the term ἀγάπη (“love”) has been used to describe the love of God and Christ toward us (5:5, 8; 8:35, 39); now the focus is on our love for others (also 13:10; 14:15).1 “Love is primary, but if it is not sincere, it is not real love but only pretense. When one recalls that Paul paused in his discussion of spiritual gifts to inject a chapter on love (1 Cor 13), it is altogether fitting that he should follow his presentation of spiritual gifts here in Romans with the same emphasis. The whole of the believer’s conduct, in fact, should be bathed in love.”2 Hence, if love counts for anything, it is to be “genuine” [ἀνυπόκριτος], “unfeigned,” “without hypocrisy.”3
There are no finite verbs in vv. 10-13, only present tense participles employed as imperatives: “abhorring,” “clinging,” “esteeming,” “being fervent,” “serving,” “rejoicing,” “enduring,” “persevering,” “contributing,” “pursuing.”4 This may reflect Paul’s rabbinic training in communicating rules of conduct and perhaps “goes back to a Semitic source originating in very primitive Christian circles. These verses present a very interesting picture of early Christian life, but call for little explanation; they illustrate various aspects of the general command of love …”5
By abhorring “evil” and embracing “good,” true love is demonstrated because a profession of love that “does not discriminate good and bad, is both worthless and feigned. God loves us but hates all sin.”6 Within God’s family we are to share “brotherly affection” [φιλαδελφία].7 “The instinctive craving for superiority is, within the dominant sentiment, so redirected that, instead of desiring superiority for himself, a man desires his associates to excel …. Personal vanity is excluded by a high estimate of the worth of others, and a readiness to undertake the humblest service.”8 This leads to “esteeming” [προηγούμενοι] one another in “honor” [τιμή] (cf. 13:7), corresponding to divine honor (cf. 2:7, 10; 9:21), which is especially meaningful and impactful in an honor-shame culture like the first-century Roman world.9
Christians are not to be timid or lazy in “zeal” or “diligence” [σπουδή] (cf. v. 8),10 but “fervent in spirit” [τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες] (cf. 1:9; 7:6),11 and “serve” the Lord (as slaves) [δουλεύοντες] (cf. 6:6; 7:6, 25; 9:12; 14:18; 16:18).12 “Rejoice in hope” (cf. 5:2; 8:20-24; 15:4, 13), “be patient in tribulation” (cf. 5:3-5; 8:18),13 “be constant in prayer” (cf. 1:10; 15:30). “Christian rejoicing, which endures through affliction, is rooted in the Christian hope of what God will do, and at all times the Christian looks beyond his immediate environment to God in prayer.”14
Still employing present tense participles, Paul’s next directive concerns the continual “sharing” or “contributing” [κοινωνοῦντες] to the needs of the saints, and continual “pursuing” [διώκοντες]15 hospitality. The word translated “hospitality” [φιλοξενία] is a compound word in Greek,16 conveying the basic sense of “friend” [φίλος] of “a stranger” [ξένος]. Due to the scarceness and poor conditions of public lodging in antiquity, providing visitors with food and shelter under one’s own roof was a virtual necessity. The practice was deeply rooted in ancient society, highly valued, and even viewed as an obligation. The large number of itinerant evangelists and other Christian travelers made this particularly relevant to the early church. NT writers consistently remind their readers of this duty,17 according to “standards much more widely recognized and lauded.”18 The prospect of receiving and serving Christ himself (Matt. 10:40; 25:31-45) was of far greater significance than the secular ideas of reciprocity or honor and shame.
Paul is calling upon his readers to “put into practice the love and concern for one another that he has mentioned earlier (v. 10) …. to have fellowship with, to participate in, the ‘needs’ of the saints. These ‘needs’ are material ones: food, clothing, and shelter … sharing of our material goods …. to go out of our way to welcome and provide for travelers.”19
Selfless Empathy and Humility
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight” (Romans 12:14-16).
The Greek term rendered “persecute” [διώκοντες] is the same word used in v. 13 for “pursuing,” although it is hard for English translation to make this connection. There is an apparent echo of the Lord’s directive, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:44), with added emphasis in the negative form.20 From a Christian perspective the apostle is reminding his readers, “Even under persecution one should not allow himself to be so preoccupied with his own troubles that he becomes insensitive to the needs of others…. To share with others is never more meaningful than when one is hard pressed to find a sufficient supply for himself.”21
Particularly for the Roman saints these were fitting reminders considering what they would experience within the next seven-and-a-half years. On the night of 18th July 64 a fire will break out in Rome, and five days later at least three of the city’s fourteen divisions will be destroyed. Nero will then blame Christians for the disaster and instigate brutal hostilities against them that will last until his suicide 9th June 68 (cf. Tacitus, Annals 15.38-44; Suetonius, Life of Nero16.2).22
Love shares both joy and suffering, requiring a humble disposition that exchanges prideful envy for genuine empathy (cf. 11:20; 1 Cor. 13:4-5). As everyone in the community puts the needs and interests of others before self, the inevitable result is “harmony with one another” (cf. 15:5).23
Strive for Peace
“Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21).
With negative admonitions reinforced by their positive counterparts, further demonstrations of genuine love are listed.24 It is implied here that living “peaceably25 with all” (whether within or without the Christian community) is not always possible, nor does it always depend “on you.” But when it is possible and can be achieved with Christlike attitudes, words, and behavior, peaceable relations with everyone are to be pursued (cf. 1:7; 2:10; 3:17; 8:6; 14:17, 19). The theme of “revenge” and “retribution” is the connecting link to the next chapter, where “Paul continues to expound the meaning of this Christian love (agapē) in terms of what is ‘due’ to all men …”26
Paul is discussing how a Christian is to react when wrongfully treated, overcoming evil with good, and in v. 20 he quotes Proverbs 25:21-22. If heaping coals of fire on someone’s head is a metaphoric description of vengeance or punishment (cf. Psa. 11:6; 140:10), this is to be left to God (v. 19; cf. 2 Thess. 1:8). In the meantime, we follow the teachings and example of Jesus in how we treat others and respond to their maltreatment (cf. Matt. 5:43-45; 7:12).27 In so doing we not only demonstrate the stark contrast between the ways of the world and the ways of Christ, we can more effectively trigger burning shame and remorse in the conscience of evildoers (cf. Prov. 15:1).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 R. Mohrlang, Romans 187. Later Paul alludes to “the love of the Spirit” (15:30).
2 E. F. Harrison, “Romans” 132.
3 Cf. 2 Cor. 6:6; 1 Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:5; Jas. 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:22.
4 “Such are the marks of conduct which is not dictated by mere obedience to precept, but produced by the re-direction of instinctive energy within a dominant sentiment” (C. H. Dodd, Romans 198-99).
5 C. K. Barrett, Romans 239-40.
6 J. A. Beet, Romans 338.
7 In its metaphorical sense, this compound word does not appear to have been used prior to the NT era (C. K. Barrett, Romans 240). See also 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2 Pet. 1:7.
8 C. H. Dodd, Romans 198-99.
9 See K. L. Moore, “Honor and Shame,” Moore Perspective (3 July 2019), <https://kmooreperspective.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-sociocultural-context-of-new_3.html>.
10 Cf. 2 Cor. 7:11-12; 8:7-8, 16; Heb. 6:11; 2 Pet. 1:5.
11 Cf. Acts 18:25. Reference here to “the [Holy] Spirit” (Amp, CEV, CSB, ISV) is less likely. See comments 1:4; 2:29.
12 Matt. 6:24; Luke15:29; 16:13; John 8:33; Acts 7:7; 20:19; Gal. 4:8, 9, 25; 5:13; Eph. 6:7; Phil. 2:22; Col. 3:24; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 Tim. 6:2; Tit. 3:3.
13 “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
14 C. K. Barrett, Romans 240; cf. W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 362.
15 This is the same word used in v. 14 but with a very different meaning.
16 Cf. also Heb. 13:2, the only other occurrence of this word in the NT. The adj. φιλόξενος is found in 1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8; 1 Pet. 4:9.
17 Note, e.g., 1 Tim. 5:10; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9; 3 John 5-8; cf. also Acts 2:44-45; 4:35; 6:3; 20:34; 28:10; Eph. 4:28; Phil. 2:25; 4:16; Tit. 3:14; 1 John 3:17; Rev. 3:17.
18 J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Paul 677. Letters of recommendation helped open doors of hospitality for traveling Christians (Rom. 16:1-2; 1 Cor. 16:10-12; cf. Phil. 2:25-30; Col. 4:7-9; Eph. 6:21-22). “There are hints in the Pauline letters and elsewhere in the New Testament that ordinary Christians traveling to another city could already expect to find accommodation with ‘brothers,’ very likely following a custom established among diaspora Jews. Thus hospitality is already among the virtues of the Christian common life stressed in the traditional admonitions Paul includes in his letter to the Romans (12:13)” (W. A. Meeks, First Urban Christians 109, 230 n. 169). E. A. Judge comments further, “Security and hospitality when traveling had traditionally been the privilege of the powerful, who had relied upon a network of patronage and friendship, created by wealth. The letters of recommendation disclose the fact that these domestic advantages were now extended to the whole household of faith, who are accepted on trust, though complete strangers” (The Conversion of Rome 7).
19 D. J. Moo, Romans 779-80. Jesus and his immediate disciples were able to devote full attention to spiritual service because of the benevolent assistance of others (Matt. 10:9-14; 26:17-19; Mark 9:28, 33; Luke 8:3; 10:4-8; 19:5; 24:28-29; Acts 1:13). While financial contributions were still necessary (1 Cor. 9:4-14; 2 Cor. 11:7-9), there were many other ways God’s servants could be supported (cf. Rom. 12:4-13; Gal. 6:16). Paul clearly relied on the hospitality and provision of his fellow-Christians (Acts 9:19; 16:15, 34; 18:1-3; 20:11; 21:4, 7-10, 16-17; 28:13-14; 24:23; Rom. 15:24; 16:2, 23; 1 Cor. 16:6; Gal. 1:18; Philem. 22; 2 Tim. 1:16-18; cf. 2 Tim. 4:13). Leadership in the church was also predicated upon being hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8). On the negative side, see Luke 9:51-55; 2 John 7-11; 3 John 9-11.
20 H. C. G. Moule, Romans 338; W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 363.
21 E. F. Harrison, “Romans” 133.
22 The question is whether the persecution began immediately or took about a year to actuate; the excesses of these hostilities appear to have been diminishing by 67 (see J. Murphy-O’Connor, Paul: A Critical Life 368-71; J. B. Polhill, Paul and His Letters 438-40). According to tradition both Paul and Peter were executed during the Neronian persecution. See Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.1.3; 2.25.1-8; I Clement 5.1-7; the Acts of Paul; the Acts of Peter; John Chrysostom, Oppugnatores Vitae Monasticae 1.3.
23 1 Cor. 1:10; 8:1, 13; 10:24, 33; 13:1-13; 16:14; 2 Cor. 13:11; Eph. 4:1-3; Phil. 1:27–2:8; 4:2.
24 Compare Matt. 5:43-44; 1 Cor. 13:5-6; 1 Thess. 5:15; 1 Pet. 3:9.
25 On the verbal εἰρηνεύω, see also Mark 9:50; 2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Thess. 5:13. The noun form εἰρήνη is much more prolific (92 times in the NT; 43 in Paul).
26 J. A. T. Robinson, Wrestling with Romans 135.
27 Jesus brings peace to and among the receptive and compliant (John 14:27; 16:33) but the opposite to those who resist his authority and teaching (Matt. 10:34-36). When we strive to live like Christ, therefore, some folks are provoked to wrath (cf. John 15:18-20).
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