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Answer
Romans 12:9–21 includes a series of brief appeals where the apostle Paul encourages Christians to live harmoniously as Christ’s body by demonstrating sacrificial love. He starts with this exhortation: “Love must be genuine. Hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good” « Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. », (Romans 12:9). Paul emphasizes that authentic believers love sincerely, without pretense, and conquer evil with goodness.
The term for “good” in the original language denotes “moral excellence.” The verb translated as “hold fast to” means “to adhere or stick together and resist separation, to connect, unite, or embrace.” Some Bible versions use “hold fast” (ESV) or “hold tight to what is good” (NLT). When Paul instructed the Roman Christians to “cling to what is good,” he wanted them to fully embrace moral goodness or, in other words, to love it.
The ungodly in the world “hate what is good” «without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, », (2 Timothy 3:3, NLT). However, God’s children are lovers of good. We detest evil because it opposes all that is good. God Himself is good and the origin of all goodness «And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. », (Mark 10:18). Everything God creates is “very good” in every way «And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.», (Genesis 1:31).
Our goodness as believers, our righteousness, or moral excellence, begins by being justified with God through faith in Jesus Christ (Psalm 14:3; Romans 3:22; Romans 10:4). God has made Jesus Christ our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Peter 1:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Once we are justified with God through the blood of Jesus and our faith in Him, we continue to pursue, hunger, and thirst for His righteousness by holding fast to what is good (Matthew 5:6; Matthew 6:33).
When we cling to God, He works His righteousness in us. By holding on to what is good—by loving God and staying close to Him—we can trust that He is transforming us from within, teaching us His good and perfect will, and orchestrating everything in our lives for good, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
The early church father Augustine of Hippo said, “It is good for me to cling to my God. This will constitute the perfect and eternal wisdom, as it will constitute the truly happy life because to achieve it is to attain the eternal and supreme good, and to cling to God forever is the sum of our good” (Letters, 131—164, The Fathers of the Church, vol. 20, R. J. Deferrari, ed., W. Parsons, trans., The Catholic University of America Press, 1953, p. 314).
Paul advised the Thessalonians to test all things by God’s moral standard and only “hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22; NLT).T). He told the Roman believers, “Don’t imitate the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” «And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. », (Romans 12:2, NLT).
God warned the people of Israel to turn away from their corrupt behavior and “do what is good” «Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. », (Amos 5:14, NLT). If they would oppose the prevailing corruption by hating evil behavior and holding fast to what is good and righteous, if they would uphold justice instead of trampling on it (Amos 5:10-12), the Lord would stand by them as their defender rather than as their judge. Similarly, Paul affirmed that for those who “persist in doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers,” the Lord will grant eternal life. “But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness” (Romans 2:7-8;NLT).
God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is “the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the sheep” «I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. », (John 10:11). His life and death are ultimate examples of what it means to put sincere, sacrificial love into action. Jesus “gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to
Cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds” «who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. », (Titus 2:14, NLT).
By doing good deeds and showing kindness and sacrificial love to others, we prove that we are the children of God: “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God” (3 John 1:11; see also James 3:13). Clinging to what is good draws us into a closer relationship with Christ, which in turn results in Christlikeness of character: “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps” «For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: », (1 Peter 2:21, NLT).
We cling to what is good by clinging to the Lord. Jesus Christ in us is all the goodness we need to be wholly good.
