Commentaries:
The Greek word underlying “fervent” is zeō, which at its root means “to boil; seethe.” The apostle Paul instructs us in this passage to “run hot” in using God's Spirit to serve God and others at all times—even when the spiritual climate around us has gone cold. Fervent application of God's way of life, lived through following the urgings of the Holy Spirit, will help us to prepare and endure.
Jesus tells the disciples in John 15:13, “Greater love [agapē] has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” To God, that is how far our loving service should go for our brethren. It does not have to mean that we literally die for them, though it could. The idea here is similar to what Paul writes in Romans 12:1 about being “a living sacrifice.” That is, we lay aside what we may want to do at a given time to help a brother or sister in his or her time of need.
What if we lack that kind of selflessness? The apostle John writes in I John 4:8 that “God is love [agapē].” He is its Source, and we must study Him and go to Him for help in growing in it.
John Reiss
Waxing Cold
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Romans 12:9:
Ecclesiastes 7:15-18
