ROMANS
Chapter 12
Christ: Our Example
Christ had the Spirit given him without measure (John 3:34). But the saints have it by measure (Eph. 4:7). Christ, who had gifts without measure, was meek and lowly; and shall we, that are stinted, be proud and self-conceited?
Contentment
God is the sovereign King, the righteous Judge, and to him it belongs to administer justice; for, being a God of infinite knowledge, by him actions are weighed in unerring balances; and, being a God of infinite purity, he hates sin and cannot endure to look upon iniquity.
Gentleness
Receive affronts and injuries, as a stone is received into a heap of wool, which gives way to it, and so it does not rebound back, nor go any further.
Guidance
A good wit can dispute and distinguish about the will of God; while an honest, humble heart, that has spiritual senses exercised, and is delivered into the mould of the word, loves it, and practices it, and has the relish and savor of it.
Honoring God
Those that rejoice in hope are likely to be patient in tribulations. It is a believing prospect of the joy set before us that bears up the spirit under all outward pressure.
Poverty
It is no strange thing for saints in this world to want necessaries for the support of their natural life. In those primitive times prevailing persecutions must needs reduce many of the suffering saints to great extremities; and, still the poor, even the poor saints, we have always with us. Surely the things of this world are not the best things; if they were, the saints who are the favorites of heaven, would not be put off with so little of them.
Revenge
Nay, if persons wronged in seeking the defense of the law, and magistrates in granting it, act from any particular personal pique or quarrel, and not from a concern that public peace and order be maintained and right done, even such proceedings, through seemingly regular, will fall under this prohibited self-revenging.
Sanctification
New dispositions and inclinations, new sympathies and antipathies; the understanding enlightened, the conscience softened, the thoughts rectified; the will bowed to the will of God, and the affections made spiritual and heavenly: so that the man is not what he was old things are passed away, all things are become new; he acts from new principles, by new rules, with new designs.
Unity
Believers lie not in the world as a confused disorderly heap, but are organized and knit together, as they are united to one common head, and actuated and animated by one common Spirit.
Note: God has acted to provide and impart righteousness. Now Paul moves to practical issues that are deeply rooted in the theology of this treatise on righteousness. “By-faith righteousness” has a distinctive, beautiful shape all its own!
On the basis of all God has done Paul urges believers to open themselves up to transformation rather than conform to this world’s ways. He shows that the practice of righteousness requires intimate ties to the new faith community. God has created a new thing: a living body. He has given each member gifts that enable him or her to contribute to the welfare of the whole. And to function as a body, believers must practice love and serve one another. They must strengthen those interpersonal bonds that enable them to minister.
HOW TO BEHAVE (12:1-16:27)
Moving from the theological to the practical, Paul gives guidelines for living as a redeemed people in a fallen world. We are to give ourselves to Christ as living sacrifices, obey the government, love our neighbors, and take special care of those who are weak in the faith. He closes with personal remarks. Throughout this section, we learn how to live our faith each day.
12:1I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2Cor. 10:1,2
Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ; I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! I ask that when I am present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.
Rom. 6:13
And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Rom. 6:16
Do you not know that when you present yourselves someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
Rom 6:19
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
1Pet. 2:5
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
12:1 When sacrificing an animal according to God’s law, a priest would kill the animal, cut it in pieces, and place it on the altar. Sacrifice was important, but even in the Old Testament God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much more important (see 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 40:6; Amos 5:21-24). God wants us to offer ourselves, not animals, as living sacrifices—daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal and trusting him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven.
12:1-2 God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for his children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. Because he wants only what is best for us, and because he gave his Son to make our new lives possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for his service.
TODAY IN THE WORD
Genesis chapter 22 tells a familiar story. In this gripping account, God asked Abraham to present his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. In obedience, the two of them set out, carrying items needed for making an offering to the Lord. When they arrived at the designated spot and Abraham began preparations, Isaac asked, ""Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"" Abraham's answer: God will provide (Gen. 22:7-8).
Abraham bound Isaac and laid him on top of the wood on the altar. Just as he was about to slay his son with a knife, the Lord intervened and provided a ram for the burnt offering. God honored Abraham's willingness to sacrifice that which was most valuable to him, his son. In faith, Abraham put his all on the altar (Heb. 11:17-19).
Similarly, Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God. We can hold nothing back. His mercies demand total faith and surrender on our part.
Perhaps the most important word in this text is the first one: ""Therefore."" This word indicates that because of all that God has done for us in Christ, offering ourselves to Him is only reasonable. It's also a great defense against the devil's wiles. A body presented to God is off limits to the enemy (see Rom. 6:11-14).
A renewed mind is another strong defense against our spiritual enemy. The difference between conforming to the world's pattern and being transformed by God is the difference between darkness and light, between death and life.
Notice how Paul pictures the unbelieving world--and by extension, its ruling prince, the devil. The world's system is constantly hammering away at us, trying to bend and shape us until we are doing other than God's will.
Service as Worship
When many people think of worship, they envision stained–glass windows and pipe organs. But in the Bible, the same word that is used to describe worship also means service.
The greatest worship you ever render to God is to serve Him. For Paul, service meant a total commitment.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience” (2 Tim. 1:3). Paul was saying that you could look deep inside him and see that he served God with his entire being. Paul’s service was an act of worship. It was deep, genuine, and honest. That is the real measure of true spirituality. The only way to serve God is with total commitment.
C. H. Spurgeon
Paul is a calm reasoner. He is a bold starer of truth, but here he comes topleading with us. I think that I see him lift the pen from the paper and lookround upon us, as. with the accent of entreaty, he says, “I beseech you,therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, by God’s great mercy to you,his many mercies, his continued mercies.” What stronger plea could theApostle have? “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God.”
Though he beseeches you to do it, he claims a right, to it. It is but yourreasonable service. Do we need to be entreated to be reasonable? I amafraid that we do sometimes. And what are we to do? To present ourbodies to God, not our souls alone, to make real, practical work of it. Letthis flesh and blood in which your body dwells be presented unto God, notto be killed and to be a dead sacrifice, but to live and still to be a sacrifice,a living sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptable to him. This is reasonable.God help us to carry it out.
Follow Me to the:
- Mangerof humility
- Nazarethof ministry
- Jordanof surrender
- Wildernessof temptation
- Mountof instruction
- Placeof transfiguration
- Fieldof service
- Garden of Gethsemane
- Crossof Calvary
- Tombof resurrection
- Throneof ascension
- Hopeof glory
John MacArthur Jr.
When many people think of worship, they envision stained–glass windows and pipe organs. But in the Bible, the same word that is used to describe worship also means service.
The greatest worship you ever render to God is to serve Him. For Paul, service meant a total commitment.
Paul wrote to Timothy, “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience” (2 Tim. 1:3). Paul was saying that you could look deep inside him and see that he served God with his entire being. Paul’s service was an act of worship. It was deep, genuine, and honest. That is the real measure of true spirituality. The only way to serve God is with total commitment.
Sins of the Body:
- Unholy passion
- Unbridled appetite
- Expensive adornment
- Not yielding to Lord’s keeping
- Not recognizing members of Christ
- Not keeping body under the Spirit
- Not treating body as the Temple
- Not remembering body belongs to Him.
A Fitting Present
Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. —Romans 12:1
A little boy was somewhat perplexed by all the exchanging of presents on Christmas morning, for he had been taught in Sunday school that it was the birthday of the Savior. Finally, after a long period of silence, he asked, “Mommy, when are we going to give Jesus His present? I thought it was His birthday!”
Strange, isn’t it, that most of us give gifts to everyone but the One whose birthday we celebrate. A good question we might ask ourselves is this: What am I going to give to the Lord Jesus this Christmas? If you have never trusted in Him as your Savior, the thing He desires most from you is a believing heart. Why not put your faith in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross so you can be saved from your sins?
If by faith you already know Christ as your Savior, then the most wonderful thing you can do this Christmas is to present to God the one gift He most desires to receive from you—your body (Rom. 12:1).
Our bodies are to be used for God’s purposes. Because we have accepted the gift of salvation from Him, it’s only reasonable that we should present ourselves to the Father. When we give ourselves, we give the one Christmas present that truly fits the occasion!
Give your all to Christ;
He gave His all for you.
Charles Stanley
God has prepared work He wants us to do, and our delays in carrying out His plan constitute disobedience. That makes habitual procrastination a serious problem.
As Christians, we not only put off daily Bible reading and tithing, but we also delay:
Serving in the church.
We promise to be available to work, but when the call comes, we say no. If asked, we might reply it is the length of service that doesn’t suit us. At other times we say the position itself is disagreeable to us. In both cases, if we examine our feelings, we will find we are dodging what we do not like or feel inadequate to do.
Sharing our faith.
We can get very anxious about how to express ourselves, what reaction we’ll get, and whether we’ll be able to answer questions adequately. When insecurity threatens us, we often choose silence and inactivity.
Surrendering our will to the Lord’s:
Just thinking about giving God control in certain areas makes many of us feel fearful. So we cling to our way and avoid His. True submission says, “Lord, I am willing to do whatever You want in this situation. I will obey Your Word.”
After a while, because of our procrastinating ways, our spiritual growth becomes inhibited. Then our usefulness to the Lord and our sense of joy in Him diminish.
Timeless Insights
Today it's considered a sacrifice to forego a second dessert or give a dollar to charity. Contrast that with an Old Testament sacrifice, which was precious, personal, and costly. There is nothing cheap about the sacrifice Paul calls for in Romans 12. Far more than a dead animal or a hard-earned buck, it involves your very life. Listen as John Henry Jowett explains.
"The Lord wants by body. He needs its members as ministers of righteousness. He works in the world through my brain, and eyes, and ears, and lips, and hands, and feet. And the Lord wants my body as a 'living sacrifice.' He asks for it when it is thoroughly alive! We so often deny the Lord our bodies until they are infirm and sickly, and sometimes we do not offer them to Him until they are quite worn out. It is best to offer our bodies to the Lord when they are strong and vigorous and serviceable, and when they can be used in the strenuous places of the field. And so let me have a daily consecration service, and let me every morning present by body a living sacrifice to God. Let me regard it as a most holy possession, and let me keep it clean. Let me recoil from all abuse of it. Let me look upon my body as a temple, and let the service of consecration continue all day long."
When God required a sacrifice from His people, He asked for the cream of the crop. In the same way, God is looking for living sacrifices today that can serve Him in prime condition and energetic consecration. Are you ready to give Him that? Remember, your body is the temple in which His Spirit resides (1 Cor. 6:19).
This mediation starts the final major division of Romans. Now comes the application of the doctrine, the practical portion, the doing part! Paul has already established the Christian's character; now he states his conduct.
Here we will find not another ten commandments or one hundred commandments; nor rules and regulations, but great principles which guide the believer in all relationships of life. The Holy Spirit, as it were, gives us a road map, showing curves without speed limits; detours are marked, warning signs are posted, recommended stopping points are identified. We leave on our journey but the full route is not given. The Holy Spirit will fill in the details as we need them and as we look to Him!
The Gospel has two parts; Believing and Behaving. Before the behaving, comes dedication which involves the presentation of the Body. This body is the instrument through which we express ourselves and refers to our total personalities. These are to be presented as living sacrifices. The call to martyrdom is to few. The call to live is to all.
Such dedication includes non-conformation to this age. We are all guilty of being conformists. The Christian is not to be ludicrous or obnoxious, but we must beware of patterning our lives and entire mode of living with the world (age). Instead there is to be transformation by the renewing of our minds by the Spirit. Our duty is cooperation with the Spirit, to the end that we might enjoy the verification of God's will. Salvation is getting. Dedication is giving. Beware of the casual quality of faith, which does less than the best!
Our Daily Bread