LOVE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY
"LET LOVE BE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."
Romans 12:9 (NKJV)
A believer expressing love should do it without hypocrisy. What comes to mind is, Could love be expressed with hypocrisy? Absolutely yes! When what you are doing as an expression or act of love is not done sincerely; the love that is coloured or tainted, or the love with ulterior motives, such a love is considered to be hypocritical. Because you are not being sincere in what you are doing.
Apostle John was sharing how genuine love; unfeigned love, the one without dissimulation, is expressed in his epistle:
16 BY THIS WE KNOW LOVE, BECAUSE HE [Jesus] LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US. AND WE ALSO OUGHT TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE BRETHREN. 17 BUT WHOEVER HAS THIS WORLD'S GOODS, AND SEES HIS BROTHER IN NEED, AND SHUTS UP HIS HEART FROM HIM, HOW DOES THE LOVE OF GOD ABIDE IN HIM? 18 MY LITTLE CHILDREN, LET US NOT LOVE IN WORD OR IN TONGUE, BUT IN DEED AND IN TRUTH" (1 John 3:16-18 NKJV).
True love is sacrificial and It is practically expressed and demonstrated. Apostle John uses the life of Jesus Christ, what He did, how He died for the sins of mankind or the whole world, as a practical expression of love. Thus, love without hypocrisy is a love that is expressed and demonstrated sincerely. It is practical. Such love causes the self to be involved without minding to get your hands dirty (Luke 10:33-35).
In other words, the genuine expression of love tasks or costs whoever is expressing it something. If the love you are expressing does not cost you something, It probably does not emanate from God.
This love of Christ being talked about here cost Him something, His life—He had to die for the whole human race, the entire mankind (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2).
The love expressed by God also caused Him His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Thus, love without hypocrisy should be a love that costs you something, that which is practical.
Another thing said in that verse is: "ABHOR [detest] WHAT IS EVIL. CLING TO WHAT IS GOOD" (Romans 12:9 NKJV).
A believer should allow his or her newly recreated human spirit to rule over their souls, that is, their minds, wills and emotions.
Your reborn spirit has the nature of God. The reborn human spirit detest sin or anything that is evil or not of God because he has God's nature. Normally, a believer's recreated human spirit would not want to sin or do any evil. This is what Apostle John meant when he says: "WHOEVER HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD DOES NOT SIN, FOR HIS SEED REMAINS IN HIM; AND HE CANNOT SIN, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD" (1 John 3:9 NKJV).
The passage can be paraphrased thus, without any injustice:
"THE NEWLY RECREATED HUMAN SPIRIT OF A BELIEVER DOES NOT SIN, FOR GOD'S SEED OR NATURE OR DNA REMAINS IN HIM; AND HE CANNOT SIN, BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD" (1 John 3:9 paraphrased).
Another translation puts the passage thus:
"THOSE BORN FROM GOD DON'T PRACTICE SIN BECAUSE GOD'S DNA REMAINS IN THEM. THEY CAN'T SIN BECAUSE THEY ARE BORN FROM GOD" (1 John 3:9 Common English Bible).
Apostle John was not referring to the whole partitive of human being, the tripartite, but to the newly reborn human spirit on the inside. In other words, the newly recreated human spirit has God's DNA, God's seed or nature, in him, thus, he cannot sin.
Left for the soul and the flesh or body that are not reborn, they can still sin because they are not reborn yet. That is the reason why a believer is admonished to give his or her body as a sacrifice and be renewed in their mind [soul] (Romans 12:1,2).
Sacrificing of the body or flesh means denying the flesh what It craves for (Colossians 3:5-8), while the renewing of the mind or soul is done through the knowledge of the Word of God, the Bible (James 1:21-25).
A believer who is still living in sin is being yielded to the human nature, the flesh and the soul. That is why, when someone is said to be soulish, It means the person is carnal or fleshly—someone being controlled or dominated by his or her human nature; the soul or mind and the flesh (Romans 8:5-8).
There is a call for all believers to live and walk in the spirit. In other words, a believer should yield to the spirit, allow the Holy Spirit Who resides on the inside of his or her reborn human spirit to influence or dictate whatever they do. A believer who lives by the dictates of the reborn human spirit being led by the Holy Spirit on his or her inside is said to be walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Such would not fulfill the lusts or desires or cravings or longings of the flesh and mind (Galatians 5:16,25).
So the admonition is: "ABHOR [detest] WHAT IS EVIL. CLING TO WHAT IS GOOD" (Romans 12:9 NKJV).
If you are walking in the spirit, you will abhor or detest or hate what is evil and cling to what is good. Whoever is born-again and allowed his recreated human spirit to dominate or rule over the flesh and mind would cling to what is good and abhor or detest or hate what is evil.
Thus, If a believer is seen to be someone who loves or relishes what is evil and clings not to what is good, such is being controlled by the flesh which is yet to be crucified or muffled and the mind of such is not transformed or renewed yet (Romans 12:1,2; Colossians 3:4).
Let a step be taken to work on your flesh, sacrificing or muffling or silencing It; and also let the transformation of your soul or mind be done, renewing It through the knowledge of the Word of God, the Bible—reading it, studying it, pondering on it, and practicing it.
Peace.