A Family That Loves and Honors
Romans 12:10 - Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
Why does Scripture spend so much time on how we treat each other? The answer is simple: how we treat others reveals what is truly in our hearts.
The truth is, people are not always easy to love. They can be frustrating, ungrateful, and difficult. Loving others the way Scripture calls us to is not something we can do in our own strength—it requires a transformed heart through the power of the gospel. This becomes especially clear within the church, where believers are called into close community. The church is meant to display godly relationships to the world. So the question is—how are we doing?
In Romans 12:10, Paul writes, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” The word Paul uses for “love” here is philadelphia—a word that expresses brotherly affection. It points to warmth, closeness, and family-like care. Paul is reminding us that the church is not just an organization—it is a family.
Admittedly, “family” can be a difficult concept. Many have experienced brokenness in their earthly families. But the church is meant to reflect what family should be—imperfect, yes, but marked by love, commitment, and care. When we truly see the church this way, it changes everything. We don’t simply attend—we invest. We don’t walk away when things get hard—we pursue grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We stand by one another.
Paul continues by telling us to “outdo one another in showing honor.” The word “honor” carries the idea of value—recognizing someone’s worth. In other words, we are to actively show others how much they matter.
This is strikingly different from the world. Our culture often promotes self-advancement—building ourselves up, sometimes at the expense of others. But in God’s family, we are called to a different way. We are called to lead the way in valuing others. That means no one in the church is insignificant.
Showing honor can take many forms: offering a note or word of encouragement, extending forgiveness, thinking the best of others or simply inviting someone to coffee. There are many ways to express value, but they all require something costly—our time. Time is one of the most valuable gifts we can give. When you give someone your time, you are showing them they matter.
Romans 12:10 gives us a powerful picture of what life in God’s family should look like: deep affection and intentional honor. This kind of love doesn’t happen by accident—it requires effort, humility, and dependence on Christ.
As believers, we share a mission—to show the world that the gospel not only changes lives, but transforms relationships. When we love like family, extend grace, and honor one another, we reflect Christ to those around us. This is the kind of church we are called to be.
Let’s be a family who love deeply, value others highly, and live in a way that clearly displays the transforming power of the gospel.
