By Mallory Mattingly
What does it mean to live as a Christian? Savannah Bananas player Coach Rac shared what he learned about living biblically from the book of Romans.
“According to the Bible, here is what a bold, strong Christian looks like,” Coach Rac (real name: RobertAnthony Cruz) began an Instagram video. “I had the privilege of studying some biblical Greek and Hebrew in college, and some people don’t realize how easy it is to take scripture out of its original context.”
Coach Rac continued: “But here in Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 12, verse 9, we see the marks of a very bold Christian. Despite this being thousands of years later, this passage makes perfect sense, and it is very easy to understand. This is how a true, bold Christian should strive to live.”
Coach Rac then began to read Romans 12: 9-21, which says:
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[a] serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
The passage goes on to encourage believers to “bless those who persecute you” and rejoice with those rejoicing and weep with those weeping.
Other marks of a true Christian?
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- “Live in harmony with one another”
- “Don’t be haughty, but associate with the lowly”
- “Never be wise in your own sight”
- “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.”
- “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
The passage concludes, urging Christians to not avenge themselves but leave it to the “wrath of God.”
Instead, “‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This isn’t the first time Coach Rac has spoken about his faith.
Over the weekend, he shared his prayer for “everybody,” praying, “Lord, there’s so many people out there going through things that I don’t even understand. There’s so much pain, there’s so much division. I pray that today, you’d give us our daily bread. Give us what we need. Give us peace to sustain us for the day.”
He and his team even host a Bible study.
“Last year, at the beginning of the season, we committed to every single week we’re gonna have a Bible study, because a lot of times on Sundays, we’re playing or we’re on the road. And so we really just need a community,” Coach Rac told podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey last month.
“This year, we were like, ‘Okay, let’s do the same thing, but let’s dedicate ourselves to praying a little bit more.’ And so we kind of committed to praying for teammates by name. We’re gonna pray that we have a conversation with them at practice this week, specifically,” he continued. “And we started praying like very specific, targeted prayers, and it feels like one by one, like God’s just working on different people’s hearts and the organization.”
The way Coach Rac and his team love each other and their fans certainly puts Christ’s love on display in a powerful way.
Read Next: Savannah Bananas Star Declares ‘My Faith Is Everything to Me’
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