Love, unfortunately, is often transactional in our modern world. I’ll only love you if you meet some standard. Unmasked love, however, is unconditional. It is love for love’s sake alone. The Bible says, “Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.” (Romans 12:10, CSB)
The underlying Greek word for love in this verse is brotherly love. The kind of love shared by siblings and brothers-in-arms. Sure, some sibling relationships are dysfunctional, and this kind of love can break down, but that is not the norm. We may not always agree with our brother or sister, but no one will get between us.
Paul’s focus in this verse is on the church, the gathering of brothers and sisters in Christ to worship, serve, and grow in the Lord. Recall that the church in Rome was diverse in status and ethnicity. Paul reminds them to love one another through Christ despite their differences. He suggests that one way to show love for one another is to prioritize honoring one another. Honoring and respecting one another removes the transactional twist from love.
This is not an isolated directive. We also read from Philippians, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3, CSB) And Peter wrote, “Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:17, CSB)
That last clause from Peter exemplifies what it means to honor. There was much to disagree with and even hate about the Roman emperor when Peter wrote this. But he commanded them to honor him anyway. Honor doesn’t mean reverence or giving a pass; it means respecting the person or their office.
Honoring and respecting one another doesn’t remove the need for correction. In Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy, he writes, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2, CSB) And in Colossians 3:16, Paul instructs believers to teach and admonish one another.
Love will always look out for what is best for another. I call it the mustard test of friendship. A friend will tell you when you have a mustard stain on your shirt. Honor and respect are more than just praising the good or points of agreement. They both require gracious honesty when a brother or sister is dishonoring themselves. In other words, I respect you enough to tell you when you have mustard on your shirt.
At the most practical level, taking the lead in honoring each other is about the small things and not the grand pronouncements. It is being polite, using people’s names, respecting their time and personal space, saying thank you, and encouraging God’s work in their life. Unless we’ve done these things first, any attempts at correction or admonishment will not be welcomed. Another way to take the lead is to ask others about their story, joys, and struggles before (or even if) we share our own. I respect you by wanting to know about your life.
Love unmasked will take the lead in honoring one another.
- Love Unmasked – Honor - November 4, 2026
- Love Unmasked – Good and Evil - October 28, 2026
- Love Unmasked – Removing the Mask - October 21, 2026
