None of that fake love!!!

Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere:
Agape anipocritos. Un-hypocritical love.

What is hypocritical love? While you think about that let me explain the words used and maybe that will help a little.
Agape: is familiar to most of us; godly love, selfless love.
Anipocritos: As stated, it means un or non-hypocritical. The word comes from hypocrisis. A hypocrites was one who wore a mask to act on stage. The idea is presenting something that is not really the case; wearing a mask, playing a part, etc.

So, what is hypocritical love?

Hypocritical love can be directed at God or at people. Either way, fake love performs acts of love in order to be seen. Fake love prays and goes to Bible study and does “Christian” things so that it looks like we love God. Fake love is kind and treats others well and maybe even sometimes helps someone else so that it looks like we love people. Genuine love is not concerned with recognition. Genuine love does not change its behavior based on whether or not people will see.

Genuine love is not what you say you love or what you want people to think you love, it’s what you show love to. Genuine love is not concerned with self.

How can we strive for genuine love? What I don’t want you to hear is, “If I don’t feel an overwhelming drive to do something then I shouldn’t do it.” First, pray for God to instill genuine love in you. God is love and any genuine love we have in us is a reflection of Him. Second, be honest! We often think that to do the loving thing is to do or say what is expected, what people want to hear, what will pacify people. How often do false words come out of our mouths simply because we don’t want to look bad in that moment? Lastly, strive to be less concerned with recognition than with reality and truth.

Hate what is evil, cling to what is good:
Is this a new idea or a further description of the last statement? I think it describes what genuine love looks like. Genuine love must, by its very nature, contain the propensity to hate. We assume that Christian or godly love is always sappy and sweet and kind 24/7. True love hates anything that jeopardizes the object of love or the virtue of the object of love.
Examples: Because I love my wife, I hate anything that would cause her harm. I hate the idea of her not being happy. I hate the idea that eventually, one of us will die first and the other will be alone. Because I love my kids I hate any situation that could harm them. If I discovered some situation in which one of my kids would be harmed in a significant way I would not be filled with dislike or unhappiness; I would feel hate. Because I love, I hate.
As believers we are called to love everything that is genuinely good, and therefore hate what is evil. Sadly, many believers see this verse as an excuse to act hatefully towards people and display messages of hate towards certain groups. This is not what Paul is saying here. So, what exactly does this look like? It looks like loving and clinging to unity among believers to the point that you hate anything that causes division (racism, sexism, denominational elitism…any of the ism’s). It looks like Jesus loving His Father’s house so much that He hated seeing it used by dishonest people to make money (John 2:13-16). Notice I didn’t say anything about Jesus hating the people dishonestly making money.
Cling to what is good means not only embrace it in theory, but take a stand. Protect, obtain, grab, etc.

Think about some other practical ways this verse plays out.