Confession

Romans 12:9 says: “Let love be genuine” or, as some translations put it, “Let love be without hypocrisy.”

Last year, on a family trip to Greece, I found myself wandering the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. One exhibit caught my attention: an ancient Greek theatrical mask, its smile grotesque and exaggerated, almost silly. But what really struck me was the label beside it: “Hypokritēs”. This is the very root of our English word hypocrisy.

Suddenly, Romans 12:9 jumped off the page in a new way. To love genuinely, or without hypocrisy, is to love without a mask. It’s to show the heart, not just the performance. Too often, we put on this mask: outwardly demonstrating love, while inwardly our hearts are cold, detached, or distracted.

If we’re honest, we all struggle with this. Our love isn’t always genuine. Whether with friends, colleagues, neighbors, or even fellow Christians. We fall short.

Romans 12:9 calls us to something higher: a love that is real, raw, and unmasked. Not performative. Deeply authentic. Repent.

Prayer

Our Father, though we may convince others of our hypocritical, masked love, there is no fooling you. Your light pierces through the darkness, searching the hearts and minds of all men, and tearing away our masks. Exposed by your word, we humbly confess that we do not love others genuinely as we should. We fake it. But you call us to a higher standard of holy living. Only you can change our hearts. Please fill our hearts with love and as we begin to better comprehend your vast, selfless, and sacrificial love towards us. Let us be a church that overflows with genuine love towards one another and towards our neighbors. Amen.