Genuine Love: More Than Being Nice
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." — Romans 12:9 (ESV)
We tend to think of love as warmth — patience, kindness, and showing up when it counts. And it is those things. But when Paul tells the Roman church to "let love be genuine," he doesn't stop there. In the same breath, he says: abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good.
That's an unusual pairing. We don't typically associate love with moral backbone. If anything, our culture teaches the opposite — that real love is tolerant, open-handed, and slow to judge. There's truth in that. But Paul seems to argue that love without moral clarity isn't genuine. It's merely agreeable.
Think about the people in your life who love you best. Not the ones who tell you what you want to hear — the ones who tell you what you need to hear. The friend who pulls you aside, not to embarrass you, but because they care too much to let it slide. The mentor who challenges your thinking because they see something in you that comfort would only bury. That kind of love isn't soft. But it's genuine.
Now turn it inward. Paul isn't just talking about how we love other people. He's talking about the moral foundation on which love rests. To love genuinely, you have to care about what's true. You have to be willing to call evil what it is — not to be harsh, but because love that makes peace with everything eventually stands for nothing. Where in your own life have you let something slide — not because you made peace with it, but because confronting it felt like too much?
And this isn't meant to be a one-time correction. The New American Commentary captures the standard well: "What God seeks in the believer is not so much a single worthy act as it is a continuing quality of life." That's the standard. Not a moment of conviction followed by weeks of compromise, but a sustained, Christ-shaped orientation — where what you love and what you reject both reflect who you're becoming.
Genuine love isn't just being nice. It's being anchored. It's the willingness to embrace what is good and reject what corrodes — not once, but as a continuing quality of life.
Big Idea
A love that makes peace with everything isn't genuine — it's merely agreeable. Real love is anchored in what's true.
Questions to Ponder
Who in your life loves you with moral honesty, not just emotional warmth? If you can't think of anyone, consider why. Have you surrounded yourself with people who will only tell you what you want to hear? Have you made it clear — intentionally or not — that honest love isn't welcome? Are you that kind of friend to others? Is there an area where you've been agreeable when love actually required something harder?
Application
Ask the Lord to show you where your love has become passive — where you've confused tolerance with genuine care. It might be in a relationship where you've avoided a hard conversation, or in your own life where you've made peace with something you know doesn't belong. Name it honestly, and ask God to give you the courage to love with conviction — not harshness, but the kind of anchored, genuine love that reflects His character.
Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.