Romans 12:9–10

Context

This passage appears in the latter part of Romans, the letter Paul sent to the believers in Rome. Chapters 1–11 of Romans address sin and salvation and the question of Israel and the Gentiles. Beginning with the "therefore" of 12:1, the letter turns to exhortations concerning the life of the believer. After speaking in 12:3–8 of the many members and gifts within one body, Paul sets down a string of brief exhortations from verse 9 through verse 21. Many commentators regard the opening words of verse 9, "Let love be without dissimulation," as a heading for this entire cluster of exhortations. Verse 10 applies that love to relationships within the church community.

Interpretation

• A reading grounded in the original language: The Greek word anypokritos, rendered "without dissimulation" or "without hypocrisy," denotes the absence of pretense or hypocrisy (a term originally associated with an actor's performance). The verb in "cleave to that which is good" means "to be firmly joined," so hating evil and holding fast to good form a pair. In verse 10, "brotherly love" (philadelphia) and "kindly affectioned" (philostorgos) both refer to the affection shared among family members. The passage is therefore interpreted as reflecting a view of the church as a single family.
• A reading as a response to grace: Presbyterians in the Reformed tradition commonly explain the ethics of chapter 12 onward as a life of gratitude for God's mercy following justification (God's declaring sinners righteous). On this reading, the passage describes not a condition of salvation but the fruit of those who have been saved.
• A reading as a mark of sanctification: Methodist and Holiness traditions that carry on Wesleyan theology tend to connect love without hypocrisy with sanctification (the process by which a believer grows increasingly holy) and with the heart of "perfect love."
• A reading linking gifts and love: This passage stands immediately after the list of gifts (12:6–8). In 1 Corinthians as well, the discussion of gifts in chapter 12 is followed by the love chapter, chapter 13. Some commentators, noting the similarity between these two arrangements, read the passage as part of a line of thought in which gifts are to be exercised in love.

Questions of Application

This passage is not the subject of major doctrinal dispute among denominations. Nevertheless, the following points are raised:

• Statement or command: The first part of verse 9 has no verb in the original, so it can be rendered either as a statement ("love is without hypocrisy") or as an exhortation ("love must be without hypocrisy"). Among Korean Bible translations, the Korean Revised Version and the Revised Korean Version render it as a statement, while the New Korean Standard Version renders it as an exhortation.
• The meaning of "in honour preferring one another": The phrase is read either as meaning that one should regard others as better than oneself and honor them first, or as meaning that believers should outdo one another in showing honor.
• The scope of "brethren": In keeping with the idiom of the original, the term is understood to include women believers.
• The object of "abhor that which is evil": Some have pointed out that extending this command to hatred of persons would be inconsistent with the exhortations to love one's enemies in verse 14 and verses 17–21 of the same chapter.

Related Passages

• Romans 13:8–10
• 1 Corinthians 13:4–7
• Philippians 2:3
• 1 John 3:17–18
• Amos 5:15