As nice as it would be to chop our passage into two sections—one dealing with believers (Rom 12:9–16) and the other with unbelievers (Rom 12:17–21)—is that Rom 12:14 also deals with unbelievers. Why does Paul put this verse about how to relate to unbelievers in the midst of a section that is more about how believers relate to teach other? If anything, the verb “seek” in “seek hospitality” (Rom 12:13b) and “persecute” (Rom 12:14a) are actually one and the same (diōkō), each instance translated according to context.

Romans 12:9–21 is characteristically Pauline—a large passage of Scripture that denies the interpreter a neat and tidy outline. Multiple reasons exist for why this passage is hard to organize, but, however organized, it is an excellent passage to give us general guidance in order to live the Christian life. Let’s explore how Paul puts it all together.

First, the variety of verbs is striking. By my count, there are 35 verbs in this passage, and perhaps 38 if you supply three verbs that Paul likely assumes. 31 of these 38 verbs function like commands, and 9 of these 31 definitely so as they are technically imperatives. For the other 22 commands, 17 verbs are technically participles (verbs usually translated with the ending –ing), 2 are infinitives (“to” plus a verb), and 3 are assumed, somehow joining adjectives and nouns (e.g., Rom 12:9, Let love be genuine). Even if we forget all of that technical data, the overall force of the passage should strike us as imperatival, that is, full of commands, which is how most translations put it. With this litany of commands, we see a general picture of how the Christian must live the Christian life.

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