Outdo Each Other in Love

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Romans 12:10, ESV

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10, NIV 1984

I put two versions up to show you some of the challenges there can be in translating Scripture. The first half of the verse is straightforward in both versions. Last week we talked about the centrality of love in the Christian life. We are to not only love those who are good to us or close to us, but we are to show love to all people, including our enemies. Full orbed love comes from our hearts and is not just an external behavior. We cannot say we love someone when we have disdain or contempt for them in our hearts. We don’t have to love the things people do or blindly accept every act they commit. However, we need to love the person. We can demand justice from our government on behalf of God, and personally still have love for the person in our hearts.

We are to be committed to one another, devoted to each other. This is not just your resources but also your very life. Paul uses a family word here, talking about “brotherly love, which describes our natural affection for relatives, typically, love of parent for child.” ¹  This is the affection and love that should unite the family of God. We are not strangers nor mere acquaintances or even a gathering of friends; we are the family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. Practically speaking, everything we do should be motivated from love. This begins in the church even though it does not end there. When you are here on Sunday, do you see those around you as your brothers and sisters? Do you have a fond affection for them? Are you committed to one another enough to put them before you and their needs above yours?

This leads us to the second part of this verse. There is a debate in the translation here. It could either mean to esteem others as more important than yourself as the NIV writes it, or as the ESV says, “Outdo one another in showing honor.” The second would imply a competition in honoring each other. Both are legitimate translations of the Greek New Testament. Either way the point is clear, we should look for opportunities to encourage one another by showing honor.

Showing honor to someone is to elevate them or lift them up in a genuine and true way. This is not just puffing someone up or saying things that sound good but aren’t true, this is saying good, true, and admirable things about other people. We honor people not only with our words but the attitude of our hearts. I think all of us can think of times when someone showed contempt for us either by their words or actions. Even if he didn’t say anything the message was clear. The same is true in honoring others. Some people you are around want you to think they are important. Other people you are around make YOU feel important. (I got that point from someone else; I don’t remember who.)

Whether you are “outdoing one another in showing love,” or “honoring one another above yourself,” the meaning is clear. I think this is what made Jesus so attractive to so many sinful people. He was and is the God of the universe, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet he was humble and focused on others. This was the message he taught when he washed his disciples’ feet (see John 13:1-17). If we want to attract people to the gospel and attract people to our church, there is no better place to start than here.

John R.W. Stott, Romans: God’s Good News for the World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1994), 331