By Rev. Gilbert Burgess
Romans 12:9–12 (Contemporary English Version):
9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.
10 Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.
11 Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord.
12 Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.
There was a young man who spent the entire evening telling his girlfriend how much he loved her. He said that he couldn’t live without her and that he would go to the end of the earth. He was laying honey on his honey—“Honey baby, I would even go through the fire if I had to for you. Darling, I would die for you.”
However, upon leaving, he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow if it doesn’t rain.”
Romans 12:9 says: “Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.”
From these few verses, I would like to use for this column: “God’s Pure Love.” This passage outlines the characteristics of what a Christian life should look like, emphasizing love, service, and living in a way that reflects God’s character. These four verses are built upon earlier instructions about offering oneself as a living sacrifice to God.
Verse one of chapter 12 begins with: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
And verse 2 continues: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
This chapter concludes with a strong word about overcoming evil with good. Christians are not to be defeated by evil, but rather to respond with love and righteousness.
Love and righteousness are our reasonable service to God—God, He Who, rain or shine, is with us. His promises are yes and Amen for all who trust in Him. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. God, the One Who has been making ways out of no way for us.
King David said in Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Yes, God—He holds our future in His Mighty Hands.
In Isaiah 46:4, God affirms His role as our creator and sustainer. Even into our old age, when our hair turns gray, He promises to support and carry us.
God promises to deliver and rescue those who love and put their trust in Him. He has promised to deliver us from harm or danger. Right about here, a “Thank You, God, for Your love” ought to bubble up in your spirit.
I’ve had some good days. I’ve had some bad days. But as the songwriter Rev. Paul Jones said: “I won’t complain, because God has been good to me. All of my good days outweigh my bad days, and I won’t complain.”
Psalm 59:16 says: “But I will sing of your strength; I will sing of your mercy in the morning. For you have been my fortress and a shelter in the days of my distress.”
And Psalm 104:33 declares: “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”
So I will declare His greatness and splendor. I’ll make my boast in what a mighty God He is. The angels bow before Him. Heaven and earth adore Him. And I will sing, declaring His steadfast love for me.
God—He’s all the world to me. I love Him. I’ve found in Him that, in spite of my waywardness, His love extends beyond superficial statements.
You and I—if we truly want to say thank You to God—must let our love be without dissimulation. Our love must not be hidden behind pretense or false display.
Don’t be phony with your love. Be real. Let it be pure. Let it be transparent—not a cover-up or disguise.
John, on the Isle of Patmos, records in Revelation 2:2 the example of the church at Ephesus. They were devout. They labored patiently. They rooted out evil. But God was not pleased—because their works had become just that: works. They had lost sight of their first love—God. Theirs was a love of dissimulation, hidden behind pretense.
Pause for a moment. Ask yourself: What is my definition of love?
The world’s definition, more often than not, is based on convenience. “As long as we get along, I love you.” Or: “Girl, he got good hair, good teeth, he drives a Porsche, and he said he’d go through fire for me.” And yet: “He’ll stop by tomorrow—if it doesn’t rain.”
The world operates in a love of convenience. But Romans 12:9 teaches that love must be sincere—genuine, honest, open. We are to hate evil and cling to what is good.
There is power in pure love. Pure love is dependable. Pure love is unshakable.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, Paul writes:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres.”
Pure love never fails. But we must acknowledge that such love does not originate from our mortal frame. Pure love comes from God. It is agape love. It seeks the best for others. It forgives. It heals. It can set the seemingly unlovable free from bondage.
Yes—even the me, myself, and I crowd. The “I got mine, you get yours” people.
In this age, we must guard against diluted love—weak, phony, watered down. That kind of love has no power to heal today’s hurt.
So let us be real. Let us love purely. The text says: love must be without dissimulation.
God so loved the world that He sent us His Pure Love from above. We call Him Jesus. He is Pure. He is Holy. His name is the sweetest name on earth.
Pure Love—God’s love—wider than the seas, extended to all. Divine Love—radiant, eternal—came down from Heaven to dwell within us.
Jesus, Thou art all-compassionate, unbounded in love. May Your salvation enter every trembling heart. And may we, with Your Pure Love, love others as You love us.
Rev. Burgess from Community Baptist Church
