“Jesus, Worthy Is The Lamb That Was Slain For Us”
Have you ever considered the relationship between how we treat people and their receptiveness to the Gospel message? I struggle with tone — how you say something matters just as much to me as what you’re saying. If you approach me “too fired up”, it doesn’t matter how right you are or how strong your argument is; the second your voice gets elevated, my first instinct is to stop listening. This holds true whether we’re talking about something as trivial as sports or something more significant. Ironically this is only true for when I’m on the listening end of the conversation. If I’m the one speaking and I get a little “too fired up” I get offended when someone tunes out, which is exactly what I do when I’m in those situations.
Our key verse for this Sunday is Romans 12:10:
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
Let me ask you a question: does the attitude described above align with the verse we just read?
The answer is no. In both scenarios, my focus is on myself. If I’m so preoccupied by someone’s tone that I tune out, it’s rude. I’m not suggesting we should go around being harsh with others, but even when someone speaks in anger, I can still choose to show them honor. Similarly, when I’m too aggressive in a conversation I lose sight of the humanity of the person I’m speaking to and I fail to treat them as someone created in the image of God.
Romans 12 is packed with guidance on how to live out the Gospel message in a way that may lead others to embrace its truth. It begins with Romans 12:3
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”
Gospel-centered community living starts with having a proper view of ourselves—one where we don’t elevate ourselves above others but instead humble ourselves in pursuit of God and love for our neighbors.
One of our songs for this Sunday, Draw Me Close, contains a prayer of this desire.
You are my desire; no one else will do,
‘Cause nothing else could take Your place.You’re all I want, You’re all I’ve ever needed.
You’re all I want—help me know You are near.
Right Christian living begins with worshiping God, pursuing Him first and foremost, and humbling ourselves to align our desires with His will.
Romans 12:9-21 speaks of love in action:
“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.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. 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.”
Notice the instructions here:
- Love one another with genuine affection—don’t fake it.
- Bless those who mistreat you.
- Do all you can to live peaceably with everyone.
- Never repay evil for evil; instead, reflect God’s love to others.
Why is this important? Why dedicate an entire chapter to teaching us how to care for others? Because the way followers of Christ treat people reflects God’s love for people.
1 John 4:20 says:
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Some Bibles label Romans 12:9-21 with headers like “Marks of a True Christian” or “Love in Action.” I love these terms because they emphasize that if we claim to follow Christ and proclaim God’s love for people, yet fail to live in a way that reflects that love, we risk misrepresenting God and become a hindrance to His work in drawing people to Himself.
In the chorus of another song we will sing sunday, Your Great Name, we see the truth of the Gospel message:
Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us,
The Son of God and man.
You are high and lifted up,
And all the world will praise Your great name.
We go on to see that the second verse highlights the strength, grace, rest, and hope found in Christ.
If we want others to experience the strength, rest, grace and hope found in Christ we cannot be the very same people robbing them of these things by elevating ourselves to a level as “more important than them”
As we approach Sunday, let us ask God to help us live in a way that reflects His love for people.
As we sing, may the message of the Gospel transform our pursuits and desires—from being self-focused to being centered on God and His will and His love for others.
Adam