Romans 12
Note: Chapters 1-8 dealt with the theology of God's righteousness, including justification, sanctification, and glorification. In chapter 8, Paul explained that nothing can remove believers from God's love. In Romans 9-11, if all of these things are true, then what happened to Israel? If God will not keep his promises to Israel, how do believers know that God will keep his promise? In this chapter, Paul will deal with the practical application of righteousness.
Consecration of the Believer’s Life
1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.
Paul gave a direct appeal to dedication, based upon the information given in the first 11 chapters. Believers are saved out of the slave market of sin for salvation. However, after being set free, believers must choose to serve God or not serve God. Paul asked the believers to become bond slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ. He asked them to use their bodies as a living sacrifice to God, not as a dead sacrifice, as the pagan mystery cults demanded. The body is to be set apart for God's service. The body is to be used to please God, not please oneself.
Paul's entire theology is that God gave believers mercy, so it is reasonable and logical that the believer should become bond servants to Christ.
The Greek word for "present" is παρίστημι (paristaymi), an aorist infinitive verb, meaning to present a sacrifice to God on the altar. The verb is an aorist infinitive, meaning that it was a one-time completed action of the past.
The Greek word for "reasonable" is λογικός (logikos), meaning divine reasoning, or divine view point. After a believer matures in bible doctrine, then he needs to make a divine viewpoint decision. He is to offer his body as a living sacrifice to God. Under the Mosaic Law, the offering was voluntary, and it was a dead lamb. The believer was to voluntarily offer his body as a living sacrifice, not as a dead lamb. He was to make himself a bond-slave to Christ.
Before salvation, the body of the believer was used as an instrument of unrighteousness. At this time, the body was sustained and energized to further the satanic world system. Basically, the believer was an instrument of Satan, but he was blinded to this fact. Christ made an offering of his own body for the salvation of the individual, so now, the divine viewpoint decision to make is that believers should make an offering back to the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this was not to be just a slain sacrifice of the Old Testament system, but it was to be a living sacrifice.
2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
The Greek word for "conformed" is συσχηματίζω (suschaymatizo), a present middle imperative verb, meaning a command to continually re-program the mind. Before conversion, the mind of the believers was programmed by the teachings of the satanic world system. Now, that old mind needs to be reprogrammed. The old mind needs to be transformed. It needs to be renewed. The old mind needs to be replaced with the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ comes from the study of the entire counsel of the Word of God. Once one is mature in Scripture, then he can test and approve what comes into his soul by the ear and eye gate. He can test these things that enter his soul and discern if they are the will of God. The one who masters Bible doctrine can make better divine viewpoint decisions. The Word of God helps the believer to think the way that God thinks. Bible Study leads to spiritual discernment. This type of discernment is only available to those who make this one time completed action of the past to serve Christ as a bond-servant. Once this decision is made, then the deep study of Bible doctrine will give one the mind of Christ. However, it all begins with this once and for all decision. Paul introduced himself in this letter as a bond-servant of Christ. Now, he is asking all of the readers of this letter to become a bond-servant of Christ.
Note: if you have never offered yourself as a bond-servant to Christ, then now would be a good time to do it.
Conduct in Humility
3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.
Paul made an appeal to humility. The use of supernatural gifts leads to spiritual pride. The gifts were given to believers by the grace of God, not by the merits of the receivers. Some gifts were mentioned as being more important, but this should not lead to spiritual pride.
4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function,
Humility is important, because believers are united into one body. There are many members in one body, but believers have different functions in the body of Christ.
5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.
Members are still individual, but they are also one entity.
6 And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.
God chose who would receive each gift. If believers all had the same gifts, then believers would not need each other. God did not choose this method. He chose to distribute different gifts differently so that different members could minister to each other and be dependent upon each other.
A spiritual gift is a God-given ability for service. The purpose is to build the body of Christ. Every believer is given one or more spiritual gifts at salvation.
Prophecy is the first gift listed. Prophecy is revealing direct revelation from God. They authenticate themselves by predicting local events. Prophets were used in the Old Testament and in the early church as well. Once the Scriptures were completed, then prophets were no longer needed. The next prophet predicted upon the scene is the false prophet, who will introduce the Antichrist, just as John the Baptist prophetically introduced the Messiah. Satan counterfeits God's system.
There are no prophets today. Believers are commanded to receive their instruction from the written Word of God via the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses gifted pastor-teachers to communicate the truth from God's Word.
7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach;
The gift of ministry or service, is carrying out the truth in a practical way. This is a gift that the deacons should possess. The deacons are to serve the elders.
Teachers organize the revelation given to him by prophets and communicates this information to an assembly.
8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
Exhortation is one who can encourage members to apply the doctrinal truths that are expressed by gifted teachers.
One who has the gift of giving is one who has an excessive amount of money and has the faith to give it away at a supernatural level. All believers are to give, but those with the gift of giving have the faith to give at a supernatural level. Some believers give away 90% of their income, and their 10% is still more than most people will make in a lifetime.
The gift of leadership is the ability to lead by divine viewpoint. This is a gift of the ruling elders.
The gift of showing mercy is to the sick and needy. Those with this gift are able to comfort and encourage those who are sick or those in need.
There are 19 gifts listed in Scripture, but Paul did not list all of the gifts in this chapter. Paul listed all of these gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14. He also taught which gifts were temporary and which were permanent.
Conduct in Love
9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.
Love is to be without a mask. One is not to pretend love.
Believers are commanded to abhor evil. In Ephesians 5, believer are commanded to expose evil. Not only should the pastor-teacher expose evil from the pulpit, but so should every believer. False doctrine is the most powerful evil, because it deceives the unbeliever into the Lake of Fire and it deceives the believer into the blindness of spiritual concepts which need to be taught and applied.
10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.
Believers are to be devoted to other believers. They are to be eager to honor one another.
11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord.
The Jews were zealous without knowledge. Many believers today are seals without knowledge. Paul commanded believers to be zealous for God, but with Biblical knowledge. They are not to be lazy, but to be enthusiastic about their study, so that they can be filled with the spirit and serve the Lord.
One cannot be a bond-servant of Christ without the mastery of bible doctrine. The believer who does not master bible doctrine will not have enough knowledge to discern the will of God. He will not know what or how to pray. He will not be able to recognize and discern the subtle attacks of the satanic world system. He will not know how to serve. He will not even know which church to attend. He will not be able to recognize a good pastor-teacher from a bad one.
12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer.
The Greek word for "hope" is ἐλπίς (helps), meaning an assurance of what is to come. Believers are commanded to rejoice, because they are assured and they know what is coming. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back to end sin and establish his kingdom. God is working out all things for God. Therefore, a believer is to rejoice. Believers who are not rejoicing do not have strong bible doctrine.
Peter and Paul rejoiced in their sufferings. They thought of it as an honor to God to be able to suffer for Christ.
Believers are to persist in prayer. Those with strong bible doctrine pray often, pray hard, and they know what to pray. Those with weak doctrine pray less, pray lightly, and they really do not know what to pray.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.
Believers are commanded to give to the saints, not to unbelievers. When one gives to an unbeliever, then he is feeding the mouth of one who is an agent of Satan. He is energizing the satanic world system.
Believers are to seek opportunities of hospitality. Sometimes, believers have entertained angels unaware.
14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.
Believers are to replace cursing with blessing.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Believers are to celebrate with those who rejoice in the Lord. Believers are to cry with those who deserve a good cry.
16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.
Believers are to live in harmony with each other. They are not to fight over simple things. The believers are commanded to fight the enemy, not each other.
Believers are not to be arrogant because of their social position.
Believers are not to be conceited and think more highly of themselves. The most conceited believers are those who do not study the Bible, but boast of their position in Christ.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people.
Believers are commanded not to seek revenge on their enemies. If a believer does not have enemies, then he is not being a good bond-servant. It is important to have the right kind of enemies.
Believers are to do good to all people, even to unbelievers.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people.
If possible, believers are to live in peace with all men. Sometimes this is impossible, because the satanic world system will send out hostile men against believers who are applying God's word.
19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Paul quoted Deuteronomy 32:35. Vengeance does not belong to the believer, but it does belong to God. Anyone who picks on God's children will have to deal with a supernatural and angry Papa.
20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head.
When a believer’s enemy is hungry, then feed him. If he is thirsty, then give him a drink. This will pour heaping burning coals on his head. These heaping burning coals is not a metaphor for the Lake of Fire. This is a metaphor for mental anguish. If one feeds their enemy, then they will give him mental anguish, because he will feel bad about his mistreatment. It may turn him from an enemy of God to a friend of God. Therefore, this is not punitive, but a corrective action to get him to repent and change his attitude about Christ.
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Evil is a powerful enemy that can only be overcome with mastery of Bible doctrine. The Word of God is the sword and weapon that can overcome evil.
