Love without Hypocrisy

Romans 12:9 (NKJV) says, "Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good."

The NKJV is the only translation that uses the word hypocrisy. The NIV version says "Love must be sincere..". The KJV says "Let love be without dissimulation..." like people know what that freakin word means. But the word Hypocrisy bears a heavier weight in the translation than the others making the request of Romans 12:9 a much more clearer light for our spiritual path.

Hypocrisy: The dictionary defines the word as "The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness. An act or instance of such falseness." and "an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction." The word Hypocrisy in latin is hypocrisis, which means "play-acting" or "pretense". And the word from the Greek is hupokrisis, which means to "play a part or pretend".

Sometimes, we can be so zealous, quick to offer a form of christian love to others around us, without the conviction of that love to back it up. Don't offer the love of Christ if you don't first know what it really is. The love of Christ is not a shallow pool to wade in, it's the grown up side of the pool with a diving board. It's best to know how to swim first.