We are all well aware of the fact that the word “love” is an incredibly flexible term, used in a number of popular contexts, and injected with a variety of diverse meanings and implications. Equally obvious to most Christians, this word is prominent in the Bible, and forms the very core of the message of redemption: “ For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son. . . .”

Scripture has much to tell us about “love” in terms of what it is, where it comes from, who it’s for, and what it does. One place where this blessed word is set forth so beautifully is in Romans 12:9-13. In these inspired verses of Holy Scripture, Paul presents a long list of defining characteristics of “ love” that is “ genuine” (v. 1), each enunciated in the form of an exhortation.

For the sake of simplicity, we might outline the passage this way:

Genuine love is:

Discerning (v. 9)
Discriminating (v. 10)
Self-Denying (v. 10)
Energetic (v. 11)
Joyous and Prayerful in Affliction (v. 12)
Generous and Hospitable (v. 13)

This coming Sunday, we will begin our examination of these six attributes of authentic Christian love. Our focus this week will be upon the first two of these beautiful traits: love’s ability to discern, and its discriminating nature.