I mentioned in this post my troubles with memorization and
that I will be working on a new passage for my Spiritual Formation class. I
also posted some thoughts on living as the People of God and how we often
choose legalism or complacency instead of the practice of Christian character.
Funnily enough the passage I’m memorizing (a section from Romans 12) addresses
what it looks like to live the sacrificial life through the power of God’s
love. Another exercise I haven’t practiced with consistency, but that brings so
much to personal Bible study, is taking one verse at a time, dissecting its
meaning and rewriting it in your own words. I often stop after looking up a
couple Greek words- but really this isn’t a timely or difficult task. If you’ve
never tried, check out Biblos or Bible Gateway for all the resources you need
in one place. I promise it is not as intimidating as it sounds. I decided to do
the same with Romans 12:9 (to any Greek scholars out there, I do realize I’m
putting the origin word instead of the correct tense for some of these).
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” Romans 12:9
Love (agapé): goodwill, love centered in preference, often
to refer to divine love
Without Hypocrisy (anupokritos): unfeigned, not put on,
sincere, free from selfish motives
Abhor (apostugeó): detest, hate, have horror of
Evil (ponéros): bad, wicked, malignant, derived from painful
and fruitless labor
Cling (kollaó): glue, cleave, keep company with, adhere,
used metaphorically to describe soul-knit relationships
Good (agathos): intrinsically good, useful, excellent,
upright, honorable
And here is my rewritten version:
“Don’t be fake when you show the love of God to others or love only to get something. Wicked toil (which leads to nothing) should be a horror to you. Instead, knit your soul and life to what is intrinsically honorable and excellent before God.”
Usually I follow this up by considering how the Scripture
plays out in my life and praying about it. In this case- Do I fake kindness
instead of loving sacrificially? Am I able to love others sincerely even when
there’s nothing in it for me? Am I horrified by evil (not the people but the
actions) and the malicious toil in my own life (gossip etc.)? Does my life
cling desperately to what’s good? What do the desires of my life say about God?
Of course all these questions, even honestly answered can lead to nothing if
practical application and action is not taken. When completing this study I
thought instantly of a person who I had been showing some pious interest and no
love. Who I interacted with and showed concern for out of a shallow piece of my
heart. God forgive my selfish ‘kindness’. Help me to love with a sincere heart.
Text Reference: Helps Word Studies copyright © 1987, 2011 by Helps Ministries, Inc.
Strong, J. (2009). Exhaustive concordance, updated
edition KJV. Peabody: Hendrickson publishers.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982
by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Photo Reference: University of Washington Libraries. Girl
wearing hat and pants seated in the grass holding a lamb and puppy, possibly
Washington, ca. 1929-1932
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