By Romans 12:9 begins the Proverbs-like list of one-liners for Christian living. Although the list will touch on many different common daily experiences, verse 9 contains the three one-liners that cover all of life.
Let love be genuine.
Romans 12:9
Abhor what is evil;
hold fast to what is good.
There are many ways to rephrase these three statements. You can replace them with weighty one-word summaries: Sincerity; Justice; Righteousness. You can simplify them in children’s language: Be nice; don’t like what is bad; do good. You can turn them into social media hashtags: #Love #HateEvil #DoGood. You can turn them into theological expositions on how the greatest commandment, love, is only fully lived out when it recognises the importance, not only of clinging to only that which is good and righteous, but also when it recognises the importance of a proper disdain for sin and wickedness. To love truly, we ought to denounce evil in all its forms in ourselves and society. To love truly, we then also promote that which is good and true and noble and right.
Live by these three statements. Make them your life motto.