Romans 12

Could a castaway on a deserted island be a Christian?  Yes, but they would be a one-dimensional Christian.  They would be limited to a righteous relationship with God. In real life, our challenge is not limited to having a right relationship with God, which is easy. He is loving, compassionate, understanding and forgiving. We live in a world full of others.  There are strangers, family, friends, enemies and fellow Christians.  Being righteous in an unrighteous world is not easy.

Family can be difficult.  Yes, they say blood is thicker than water, but family can expect so much, and we have so many opportunities to come up short.  The Bible tells us that if we have a problem with our brother, we must make it right before we can be right with God.

It can be easier to have a good relationship with the mature Christian Brother or Sister than it is to have a relationship within our own family.  Notice the use of the word mature; immature people are always difficult no matter what the relationship.

Strangers come in all shapes and sizes.  Our relationships with them can go from zero to plus or minus 100 in a moment’s notice.  Then of course, there are our opposition, enemies and competition; these relationships are always intense.  While all these relationships are happening around us, we are also maintaining a relationship with ourselves.

In these verses, Paul gives us many steps we can take to build righteous relationships.  He does not sort them by a type, or importance.  I believe this is on purpose.  To a Christian, all relationships matter.  The world considers family more important than strangers; Christians do not.  The world can hate their enemies; Christians cannot.  The world lives in Self-deception; Christians must be true even to themselves.  The unrighteous are selfish; Christians put others first when that is the right thing to do.  Doing what is right can be hard.  Make the effort! The relationships that result will make it all worthwhile.