Let Love Be Genuine: An Analysis of Romans 12: 9 - 21 and Its Application To Christian Religious Community Life.
Date
2000-02
Authors
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
Love for God and neighbour is the essence of the whole law. This was
categorically stated by our Lord Jesus Christ in answer to a scribe, who sought to know
which was the first of all the commandments (Mk. 12:28 - 34). There is no love of God
without the love of neighbour. It is for this reason that the command of love is central to
Christian life. The love of Christians for others is enabled by the love of God, expressed
in his Son Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were still sinners (Rom.5: 8). The same
love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given
to us (Rom.5: 5). We are therefore capable of loving others as Christ has loved us (in. 13:
34).
Is this kind of love manifested in our Christian religious communities today? Ours
are multi-racial communities. We live together coining from different cultures, tribes,
nationalities and languages. We are people with different temperaments and personalities.
We have different ways of looking at things. We are people with different gifts and
abilities. Often we come to our communities carrying within us the biases and prejudices
against the other members that we meet in our religious communities.
It seems to me that these and many other differences often cause so much tension.
that the command of love becomes difficult for the very people who should be the model
of others. The same differences also affect the way we relate with those outside our
communities especially the poor, the sick and the disabled; those who are regarded as
unimportant in the society.
At the face of these challenges, we need to be reminded that the love command
holds today no less than yesterday. It seems to me that such reminder is found in Paul's I eller to the Romans, precisely in Rom.12: 9- 21. It is for this reason I wish to develop a
theses that reads, Let Love he Genuine: An analysis of. Ram. 12: 9 - 21 and its Application
to Christian Religious Community Life. My aim is to encourage my dear brothers and
sisters in religious life to come to the awareness that in spite of our differences, it is still
possible to live the Lord's command sincerely.
In Chapter one, we shall try have a brief survey of the context and structure of
Rom.12: 9 21. In so doing, we shall try to find out how this text lits in the whole Epistle
to the Romans. In chapter two, we shall make an elaborated exegetical analysis of our
text basi ng it on our Christian Community life as a body of Christ. Chapter three will be
dedicated to the application of the analysed text to the religious community life
highlighting sonic of the major requirements for genuine love in community life. We
shall conclude by appealing to genuine love in our communities, a kind of love that that
is founded on the love of God.
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Keywords
Love