Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

It is always helpful to have instruction manuals. Even if one doesn’t use directions to put something together, it still helps to have a resource for trouble shooting, general maintenance, and customer service contacts. There will always be a time when we need help, whether we are willing to admit it or not. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an instruction manual for life? Some basic guidelines for how a Christian is supposed to live? Well, there is!

Romans chapter 12 is probably my favorite chapter in the Bible. If we only ever looked at one section for how we should live, this would be it. It includes all the basics for how we are to interact with God and others.

The Foundation

It starts off, not with instruction, but with motivation. It doesn’t matter what we do, if we have the wrong motives we are going no where fast. It is vital to begin right, if we have the right motives we will automatically start off in the right direction.

Romans 12:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Our motive for life and right living is God. He saved us, He died for us, He gives us the power and ability to live and do what is right, it is only reasonable for us to live for Him. That is the best way for us to live. The best way we can worship God is to serve Him by offering ourselves, sacrificing ourselves, to/for Him. He sacrificed so much more than we ever could, can we honestly say we love Him if we take that and say, “Thanks, I’ll take the benefits and payroll without doing the work”? God wants all of us, every part of us, that is the only way we can truly be alive.

Romans 12:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Offering ourselves as a sacrifice requires complete devotion. We cannot be double-minded, half-hearted, or on the fence about this. It has to be all or nothing. We cannot be alive in God, sacrificed for Him, or worship Him truly if we are like the world. The world is contrary to God. It is opposed to Him. We are either for Him or against Him. If we are for Him, we must be transformed by Him. We have to immerse ourselves in Him so that we are transformed from that worldly caterpillar into a godly butterfly that has the ability to soar rather than being tied down. That is the only way we can discern God’s will, His plan for our lives, we have to be transformed and renewed by Him. In order to understand an instruction manual written in Chinese one has to know Chinese. If we stay immersed in the world we will never understand or be like God.

Regarding Ourselves

Romans 12:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

It is only through a renewed and transformed mind that we can see ourselves correctly. If we have a mind that is not aligned with God we will see ourselves as better than others, better than we really are. We will have an improper perspective. Through God we will see that by ourselves we have nothing to offer. We are no good on our own. The only thing good and worthy we have to offer is what God has given us. Even our faith is a gift from God. We can’t even boast about our level of spirituality because that is still something God has grown in us. We have no reason to believe ourselves any better than any other person.

Regarding Others

Romans 12:4-5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

We are all part of the Church which Christ started. We are part of the same family. We should function as a person’s body functions, with each part doing its part for the good of the whole. Every part of the body needs the head to function, that is Jesus. But we also need each other. The hand needs the arm and the eyes. The stomach needs the mouth and intestines. Some parts are more glamorous than others, but all are necessary, even if they don’t seem like it. Fingernails are pretty and can seem optional, but without them it would hurt our fingers to pick things up. Toes are often hidden and usually not attractive, but they are required for the body to maintain balance. We all have our place and part in the body, no one part is better or more important than another, and we each have our assignment from God, not based on our own merit or worth but His design.

We all have our own gifts and talents that God has given us to use in the church, to help others. Verses 6-8 list some of the gifts God gives, and in all of them we are to give ourselves to that service, not with a half-hearted, non-committal attitude. That is the work God planned for us to do before the beginning of the world. He knows best how we can each be used, what is best for us. So we shouldn’t bemoan our seemingly low status because God does not compare us to one another. He looks at us completely apart from anyone else.

Christ-like Love

Romans 12:9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

The first point to note about godly love is that it is to be sincere. We can all spot a counterfeit when it comes to love and affection. It really is hypocritical to act like or claim to love a person without truly loving them, and it will be obvious to everyone. We need to have genuine love, but in order to have that, we have to have the Spirit because love is a fruit of the Spirit. We have to be rooted in the Vine so that we can bear its fruit. Only God can give us that love.

The next point about love can be confusing: it hates what is evil. “But isn’t hate the opposite of love?” some might ask. But that all depends on what is hated. God is love, but God hates sin and injustice because He is also good and just. If we are to be like Him then we need to hate what He hates. We need to hate sin because of its offense against God and destruction of the lives of others. True love doesn’t “just want a person to be happy,” turning a blind eye to destructive habits or lifestyles. True love wants what is best for that person, which means following God and not sinning.

The flip side of hating evil is clinging to good. This is part of being transformed and renewed. We cannot be like God if we are part of or even ignore what is contrary to Him. We cannot love others if we ignore things that will hurt them. We must cling to what is good, i.e. what is of God because God is good. This is genuine love.

Loving Christians

Romans 12:10a New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Not only are we to love others generally, but we are to love other Christians to such degree that we are devoted to them. To some people this comes easily and naturally, they are easy to love and serve, others not so much. But godly love does not have preferences, prejudices, or favorites. It loves all equally.

The rest of verse 10 goes on to talk about how to do this practically. We are to honor others above ourselves. We are to be respectful to everyone regardless of who they are or how they treat us. This is where the rubber meets the road. It is easy to talk about loving others regardless, but quite another thing to respect those who hurt or disrespect us. I personally have a hard time honoring those who view themselves as above me for whatever reason. Don’t they honor themselves enough for the both of us? But like God, we are not to treat others based on how they treat us, nor are we to judge their value based on our relationship with them. We are to treat them how God would treat them, and their value is based on the fact that they are also God’s child and He loves them unconditionally, just like He loves us.

Loving God

Romans 12:11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord

When we serve God, we are supposed to be fervent, or zealous. We should be radical for and about Him. This is where sincerity of love comes in. We’ve all seen those Christians who are in your face and talk so loud about how they love God and everything, but lack depth and realness. Their love is insincere and their motives are for themselves. If our motive is to glorify God by being like Him, and we genuinely love others, our zeal will not only not be distasteful, it will be contagious. It should drive us to serve with everything we have, not being lazy or hesitant, but willing and cheerful, even if it means volunteering for nursery or cleaning toilets. That kind of service shows our genuine love for God, but because we are doing it for Him and not for us it won’t matter if others notice or acknowledge it.

Verses 12 and 13 go on to talk about other attitudes or habits that show our love for God and help us get through life: rejoicing in hope. True hope in God will cause us to rejoice, and have joy, in every circumstance. This is not a “wishful thinking” type of hope, but one that is rooted in Christ with the firm trust that He will work everything out for our good. If we do that we will “persevere in tribulation.” It is that hope which gets us through the trials of life, which keeps us joyful in the valley and on the mountain. It also helps to be “devoted to prayer.” I heard in a sermon that we would never sin if we prayed every second of the day. We would never be depressed, discouraged or angry if we were in constant communion with God. The more we pray the less of a load the troubles of life seem because we have someone to help us bear the burden. It is such a blessing to keep that line open, if we will only do it. That will give us the strength to not only get through our own messes, but also “contribute to the needs of the saints.” It is so hard to help others when we feel incapable of caring for ourselves. But if we have our hope firmly seated in Christ so that we are joyful, persevering and always connected to our divine life support, we will have the ability to help others as well. This includes much more than just giving money, but living life with them. True hospitality is taking someone in as family. We can help others get through their struggles by coming along side them and sharing in their burdens. That is symbiotic relationships 101, because it goes both ways. By being part of the body as a family, everyone is there for each other. If we are diligent to do our part we will never be lacking.

Loving the Unlovable

In general, it is easy to love other Christians, most of them at least. But what about those we don’t get along with or who don’t like us?

Romans 12:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Our love is to go beyond even politeness (which in itself can be difficult) to the extent that we actively work for their good. This includes praying for God to bless them, not responding in anger or hurt, but rather with kindness. This is tied to verse 17 which says not to repay evil with evil. We are to be like God who is always good and kind and loving. So we should be always good and kind and loving, no matter how we are treated. Verse19 says not to take matters into our own hands. We are not to administer justice on our own. We need to let God do that. Of course, we shouldn’t just let others walk all over us, sometimes our “hating of evil” will require action, even violent action. But that should be in the defense of others, not for the purpose of “making the bad people pay.” God is judge, He will repay. Verses 20 and 21 tell us that part of blessing those who persecute us is through kindness, helping them rather than retaliating. We cannot overcome evil with evil, that makes us just as bad as them. We overcome evil with good. We win them with loving actions. Again it is only by having true, genuine, godly love that we can do this.

I read a story of a large prominent, wealthy church which underwent severe division. The pastor and part of the congregation wanted to stop all their fancy, flashy projects and get dirty, start serving the poor and needy in practical ways. The other part of the congregation was opposed to this plan, and some were even openly hostile about it. One of those who didn’t like the change was seriously injured in a car accident and required help as she lived alone. To her surprise, the person who helped the most was one of those she had been hostile to. None of her “compatriots” in resisting the change came more than once or twice, but the other woman came almost daily to help with meals and cleaning. When asked why she would act that way after all the issues, the helper replied that she was only loving like Christ. Her acts of kindness and love won over the hostile woman’s heart. All of our arguments are in vain, and even harmful, if they are not out of love. Our kindness speaks louder than words.

Difficult Relationships

The key to dealing with these difficult situations is to have the right attitude and heart posture. Verses 15, 16 and 18 give us insight into what that is.

Romans 12:15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Empathy goes a long way in restoring relationships. It is more than just feeling sorry for people, it is putting ourselves in their shoes, sharing their grief and hardship as our own. Again, that requires genuine, godly love and fervent service and sacrifice. To do that we must have a correct view of ourselves.

Romans 12:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Pride gets in the way of everything. That is where all of these difficult situations come from. Humility is the only way to maintain or repair relationships. We need to have humility to be unified, and we have to be unified in order to work together as the body of Christ. We cannot view ourselves as better than anyone else, because we aren’t. We shouldn’t be judgmental or prejudiced. And we definitely shouldn’t be arrogant. Yet again, this all comes from godly love and influence. We cannot have a correct view of ourselves if our minds haven’t been renewed or transformed by God.

Romans 12:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Unfortunately, the reality is that we will not be able to keep good relationships with everyone. We have to be realistic and not expect everyone to get along with us. We can only do our part. We need to do what we can to love and make peace, and leave the rest to God. It is His place to deal with those who do not act according to His will, not ours. Again, we have to have His love, and we have to be humble to do this. We can’t have peace or make peace if we are unkind or arrogant. We need to work toward unity as best as we can.

We can all do our part to help within the body of Christ. If we do, the world will know us by our love, they will see the difference belief in Christ makes in one’s life. Start with a good foundation, renewal and transformation, let God’s love mold you into His likeness so that you can serve Him and love others genuinely and effectively.