(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
Living Sacrifices
- Therefore brothers, through the compassions of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice; holy and pleasing to God as your reasonable service in response.
- And don’t be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for you to prove by testing what is the good, and pleasing, and perfect will of God.
- For through the grace which was given to me, I tell every man among you not to be overly proud beyond what’s proper to think, but to think so as to be sober-minded as God distributed a measure of faith to each.
- For just as we have many parts in one body, but all the parts don’t have the same function,
- in this way, we the many parts are one body in the Anointed, and individually parts of one another,
- but having different gifts of grace according to the grace which was given to us. If prophecy, in proportion to faith;
- if service, in serving; or the man teaching in teaching;
- or the man exhorting in exhortation; the man giving in generosity; the man leading with diligent zeal; the man showing mercy with cheerfulness.
- Let ^love be without hypocrisy; abhorring evil, adhering to good.
- Be tenderly devoted to one another in brotherly love, preferring one another in honor,
- not slothful in diligent zeal, being fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
- rejoicing in hope, enduring in tribulation, constantly persevering in prayer,
- contributing to the needs of the saints, and pursuing hospitality.
- Bless the men persecuting you; bless and don’t curse.
- You are to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, to weep with those who are weeping;
- being of the same mind toward one another, not minding haughty things, but associating with humble men; don’t become wise in your own estimation;
- repaying evil for evil to no one, but respecting good in the sight of all men;
- If possible, from what depends on you, living in peace with all men;
- not avenging yourselves beloved, but give a place for God’s wrath. For it is *written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.”1quotation/allusion to Proverbs 24:29 says the Lord.
- But “If your enemy hungers, feed him. If he thirsts, give him a drink. For by doing this, you will heap fiery coals on his head.”2quotation/allusion to Proverbs 25:21-22
- Don’t be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
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