Pursue Hospitality: Romans 12:9-13

In the twelfth chapter of Romans, Paul lists a number of things that ought to be a part of every believer’s life. Each of these is presented as an active present participle which represents a present ongoing activity. Paul writes, 

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality” (Romans 12:9-13 NASB).

It is this last item that caught my interest. The Greek word, which is translated here as “practicing,” is the same word that Paul uses in the very next verse for persecuting, “Bless those who persecute you” (Romans 12:14 NASB). This Greek word can mean both to pursue and to persecute. It speaks of an intentional, deliberate, and intense act of pursuing something. There is nothing passive or half-hearted about this word. This is the same word Paul uses when he speaks of his pressing towards the things that lie ahead, “but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NASB). Paul was certainly not going to leave his future to chance. Rather, he was going to press on towards the future with all the grace and strength Christ had supplied to him.

To me, what I find most interesting, is that Paul applies this same active and intentional word to our pursuit of hospitality. Hospitality is not something that should be left as an afterthought, something we do once we have done everything else, assuming we then still have time for hospitality. Rather, Paul raises hospitality almost to the level of a divine obligation. Hospitality is something we should pursue as being of chief importance in our lives, even before much of what we might consider to be religious or urgent. Furthermore, we ought not to leave hospitality to happenchance. We must be intentional in our pursuit of hospitality, purposing, and planning for its inclusion in our lives. For the believer, hospitality is a holy obligation and one that comes with a unique promise from God, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2 NASB). As we press forward into the things of the Kingdom of God, let us not forget to also press forward to show hospitality.

David Robison