Life Together – Week #4
The “one another’s” shows who we truly are.
Life Together – Romans 12:9-21 (CGS #4)
INTRODUCTION – The letter to the church in Rome is Paul’s most theologically dense letter in the New Testament. It was written by Paul ahead of his arrival in Rome in order to build the confidence and trust of the Roman church to be a supporter and a partner in his gospel work. In 15:24, Paul comes right out and expresses his intention and purpose in writing and sending this letter, “I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.” For Paul there was much fellowship and admiration for and with the church in Rome that fueled his desire for partnership with them and gave him the confidence to ask for their support in his next missionary journey. So this long letter serves as both a theological defense of his beliefs and convictions and a personal affirmation of their faithful following of Jesus.
By the time we get to chapter 12, Paul has unpacked and discussed all of the pertinent and significant theological issues that faced the early church and formed not only their foundational convictions in the faith but also what are to be our foundational convictions in the faith. At the heart of it, Paul reminds them and us that what we believe is to ultimately be reflected in how we live. It is the very same message that we heard in and through the book of James last week. Paul opens chapter 12 by saying this, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Then, at the halfway point of the chapter (vv. 9ff), Paul gives examples of what our living sacrifices and spiritual acts of worship should look like, or how they should be embodied (i.e., lived out), through two powerful “one another” statements. He says to love one another and to outdo one another in showing honor. And just in case they or we would get confused about what love includes or what it doesn’t include, he reminds us to abhor what is evil and to hold fast to what is good. In our modern moment, love means a lot of things, but to Paul and to us, as Christians, love should look like a persistent concern for someone’s greatest good and a willingness to serve them towards that end. Love doesn’t include sin or doing someone harm. Love does include honoring others. Paul literally tells them to “outdo” one another in showing honor. Honoring another person includes putting their needs above your own or putting them first. This was not a normal virtue in the ancient world. The rich and powerful were to be honored; everyone else was to do the honoring. Frankly, our world isn’t all that different. But the gospel is different. And it causes different outcomes in our lives. Our love is to be genuine, not hypocritical. Our loving action is to help others experience truth and beauty, not enable and inflame sinful or disordered desires. And the way that we relate to one another in this genuine love is through honor. Putting the other first. Why? Because it is what Jesus has already done for us. He had a persistent concern for our greatest good, to be restored in relationship with God. And he served us in a way that makes that renewed relationship with God entirely possible. In fact, he honored us by putting us over himself, so that we could enjoy the presence of God and experience abundant life! Everything that Paul is saying to the Roman believers is all rooted in the very reality of the gospel and the work of Jesus. That is why in your modern Bible there is a section heading titled, “Marks of the True Christian.” See, these “one another” statements are not Christianity for superheroes or spiritual giants like Paul. It is the normal Christian faith for everyday believers like you and me. The way that we live matters as an act of worship. It points to what is ultimately valuable and the one who can truly unlock abundant life for us, Jesus. Our lives are not just a sequence of normal or everyday things; they are billboards for God’s goodness and love. In this way, the “one another’s” helps clarify who we truly are and where we truly find our lasting hope.
GETTING STARTED – Discuss this question as a group: Who was a person in your life who did or does a really good job of honoring others? What do they do specifically?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It’s important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below (O.P.A.).
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday-Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
DISCUSS – Another way to approach your time together is to talk through the following discussion questions/prompts:
- What did you hear God’s Spirit say to you through the passage this week? How does it encourage you? How does it sharpen you?
- How have you seen God at work in your life this week? Have you enjoyed him? Have you heard his voice and the leading of his Spirit? Big ways or small ways.
- Look back at the definition of love above (bolded), and talk through how Jesus loved you this way. Make sure to be as specific as possible. Ex. For me (Kyle), Christ’s love for me has been demonstrated in my growth in contentment. As a competitive person by nature, I am prone to jealousy. However, Christ’s transforming love keeps helping me to grow in joyful celebration of others instead of responding in jealousy.
- What is your next step in cooperating with the Spirit of God to grow in outdoing one another in showing honor? I.e., how do you need to grow in this area?
- Paul tells us to abhor evil. It is easy to abhor the evils that we readily disagree with. However, we are to abhor all evil. What “polite” evils or sins are we not only putting up with, but even participating in? Especially consider things like little lies or half-truths, gossip, writing negative backstories for other people without them being present, or assuming negative motivations for other people without their input.