By Chip Zachary for Christ the Redeemer Church of Manhattan KS 10 April 2022
Today we are going to look at Romans chapter 12, but before we look at what Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote; let’s heed the words of James, Jesus’ brother, who tells us to be doers of the word, and not hearers only (Jam 1:22). If you look at the bulletin, the section with the 5 Cs of the covenant renewal liturgy we use in worship, you will see that having been instructed by the word, we are commissioned to go out and do it.
In Romans 12, we see Paul applying this principle. Romans is Paul’s magnum opus. In chapters 1-3, he outlines that God has revealed himself through the light of creation and conscience which everyone has rejected and suppressed. We are all guilty and without excuse, we have fallen short of the glory of God and are deserving of his wrath. In chapters 4-5, he reveals God’s great plan of salvation and justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. In chapters 6-8, Paul reveals the doctrine of sanctification, that we are no longer slaves to our sin and are called to a life of righteousness. We are no longer condemned, we are adopted as children, and nothing can separate us from his love. In chapters 9-11, he displays God’s glory and sovereignty in salvation and that God has chosen to save people through the proclamation of the gospel. He concludes his doctrinal teaching and working up with crescendo to this amazing doxology at the end of chapter 11:
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who
has known the mind of the Lord,
or who
has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who
has given a gift to him
that
he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Chapter 12 then starts with therefore and when we come to a therefore, we need to ask what is it there for? Paul is making a transition from all this great doctrinal teaching, now to practical applications of these doctrinal truths. He wants us to not only be hearers of the word, but to be doers of the word. So, let’s look at how Paul instructs us how to apply the truths that we have been predestined, called, justified, and glorified (Rom 8:30).
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, 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.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “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.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Having demonstrated God’s great love for us in that while we were His enemies, God sent Christ to die for us (Rom 5:8-10), Paul now encourages us to demonstrate genuine love. In the middle of chapter 12 we see this command in v 9. Let love be genuine. We are all familiar with the famous love chapter, chapter 13 in 1 Corinthians. I am going to make a case for Romans chapter 12 being the love chapter of Romans. Paul starts his application of this great doctrinal teaching by encouraging us to have genuine love for God and others.
Later in the chapter Paul gets into some very specific details of demonstrating genuine love, which I plan to cover in another sermon at the end of May. Today we will look at a little bit more theory, specifically aimed at the application of these great doctrinal truths revealed in chapters 1-11 in demonstrating love to God and others. First in v1-2, we see we must switch from following our natural desires and our default position of conforming to the ways of this world, to a transformation of living in submission to and according to God’s will and desires. Notice that although Paul has the apostolic authority to command us to do so, he lovingly appeals, or calls us, to be transformed. We can learn from this. Expressing loving concern for someone is usually more effective at motivating change, rather than commanding or lording over someone to make change. He makes this appeal to the brothers. He considers them equals, co-heirs, with Christ. But note, this ultimately is something that only the regenerate can do.
Next, Paul gives us the motivation for being transformed: The mercies of God. He just spent 11 chapters outlining that although we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are deserving of his wrath; God, in his mercy, instead chose us to be his children and for us to be conformed to the image of His Son. What an amazing thing! In response we should return our love to him by offering our bodies as a living sacrifice. This is not an atoning sacrifice that requires death for our sin, Christ has already done that for us. This is a living, free will, sacrifice with a figurative dying to our fleshly sinful desires. Jesus told us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and to follow him daily (Mt 10:38, Mk 8:34, Lk 9:23); and that whoever loses his life, will gain it (Mt 10:39, 16:25; Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24,17:33). Paul says in Romans 6:
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
When we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, we become new creations (2 Cor 5:17). Our inner man/being has been redeemed, we have the first fruits of the Spirit, yet we struggle in our body/flesh with sin. (Rom7:25) We eagerly await the redemption of our bodies. So, Paul calls us to make our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God and that is our spiritual worship and service.
Our natural tendency is to follow our selfish desires and to be conformed to the pattern of this world. We are called to be actively transformed by the renewal of our minds, which is an act of the Holy spirit (Tit 3:5) through His inspired word. We do this by spending time reading, meditating, and memorizing His word. I would encourage you to develop the discipline of reading God’s word daily. Get involved in one of our churches’ Bible studies. Memorize God’s word so you can meditate on it throughout the day. As we do this, we begin to die to our flesh and sin. Psalm 119:11:
11 I
have stored up your word in my heart,
that
I might not sin against you.
This is the kind of sacrifice God desires:
Psalm 57:17
17 The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a
broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
As our minds are transformed, we begin to test, as the Bereans did (Act 17:11), what is true and we understand God’s revealed will, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect. We cannot know God’s secret, decreed will (Dt 29:29). But we can know his revealed will through the study of His revealed word. Here are some specific examples for you:
Ephesians 5:15-17
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Paul goes on and instructs us to be sexually pure; to not to covet, get drunk, or use crude talk; to be thankful and address one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; to submit to one another as we submit to Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 that we be sanctified
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification:[a] that you abstain from sexual immorality;
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Peter 2:15
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
So, the first general application of the gospel in our lives is to no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world and our fleshly desires, but to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and His word, discerning his revealed will, and offering our lives in service to Him and to others. In other words, we must love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22:37-39, Mk 12:29-31, Lk 10:27). Paul fleshes that out through the rest of this chapter and the book of Romans.
Today we will look at how Paul tells us to have genuine love for God and we will begin looking at having genuine love for others. In v 9 Paul states: let love be genuine, or without hypocrisy. In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul has defined genuine love for us by describing God’s great love for us. In response, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices and renew our minds, knowing God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. Our love should be genuine. We should love what God loves and hold fast to it, that which is good. And just as God hates evil, so we are to abhor what is evil.
In Paul’s teaching he often defines things in a positive and negative way, by telling us what something is and is not. Here he tells us genuine, or sincere, love involves hating evil and loving good. He tells us to abhor what is evil. Abhor is a strong word. We must utterly detest what is evil:
Psa 119:104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Not only are we to abhor what is evil, but we are to hold fast, to cleave to, literally to be glued to, what is good. Paul has already told us when our mind is renewed, we will discern what the will of God is, what is good. Again, we do this by meditating and memorizing his word and thinking about what is good and true:
Psa 1:2 speaking of the blessed man, his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Php 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
So again, we see genuine love involves loving God by offering our lives to him as a spiritual sacrifice, transforming our minds, discerning His revealed will: and hating evil and loving what is good. In response to loving God, we will want to love others as he has loved us.
In chapter 13 of Romans, Paul goes on to tell us:
Rom 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Genuine love will always then, reach out to others. Paul instructs us to love another with brotherly affection and to outdo one another in showing honor, v10. We are to show love, to esteem, to value, and to show preference to other believers as if they were naturally a part of our family. And when we do, we should do this with gusto, or fervency; literally boiling, with lots of energy, not slothfully. Right now, in our culture, I don’t think the church, in general, is doing that well in this category. At CTR, I think we do well. But I encourage us to take some time today, and in the coming weeks, to think about: How can I demonstrate love to a brother or sister? How can I out do them in showing honor, particularly to a brother or sister who may not always agree with us in a disputable manner? Study Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8-10 and ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in how to apply the principles in these passages to our relationships with others. As we love and serve others, we are serving the Lord. We bring glory to Him, and other people are drawn to Him when they see us doing so. Jesus said:
Joh 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
So loving others involves showing affection and honor. It also requires humility. In v3, Paul says by the grace given to me. He realizes that he did not deserve God’s grace and mercy, it was given to him. And so, he gives these instructions to the church in Rome and to us out of humility and gratitude for what God has done for him. He in turn tells us not to think more of ourselves than we ought to think. It is human nature to think if we have something, it is because of what we have done. We deserve it. But everything we have is a gift, an act of God’s grace and mercy (v1) including the spiritual gifts that are given for use in the body of Christ.
1Co 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
Today we are going to look at loving one another by serving with the gifts we have been given in v 3-8. Lord willing, at the end of May, I plan to look at more specific marks of genuine love toward others in v9-21. So, let’s look at loving others in the church with the gifts God gives.
These gifts are given to us in a measured faith by God, some are given more, some less, by God’s sovereign choice as in the parable of the talents (Mt 15:14-30). God is interested in our faithfulness in what we have been given. It is not what we have, but what we do with what we have been given. And remember to those who have been given much, much is required (Luk 12:48)
Paul then gives a brief anatomy lesson in v 4-5, expanded on more in 1 Cor 12:12-27 and Eph 4:15-16. Although the body of Christ has many members or parts, we are all part of the one body of Christ. For the body to function properly, each member has its own function. By God’s grace we have each been given one or more gifts to be used out of love for Christ and his church. And he wants us to use them.
He gives examples of gifts in v 6-8 (also in 1 Cor 12, Eph 4, 1 Pet 4) which are primarily speaking and serving type gifts. Here Paul mentions prophecy, which would fall in the speaking category of gifts as would teaching, and exhortation. He next mentions service/serving. Gifts mentioned that would be serving include giving, leading, and acts of mercy. Again, any one is not better than the other. They are all necessary for the proper functioning of the body.
Today, I just want to touch briefly on those gifts mentioned here in Romans 12. Let’s start with the speaking gifts. Prophecy seems to be more of proclaiming God’s truth, and it is for the upbuilding of the church:
1Co 14:3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
It is to be done according to or “in proportion of our faith.” John MacArthur says that this could be translated the proportion of the faith, meaning 1) according to what is revealed in Scripture or 2) to the proportion of the faith that God has given to us. There may be some who are more gifted at proclaiming the faith that was “once for all delivered to the saints,” (Jude 1:3) but those with this gift should do their best to proclaim that faith according to the measure of faith they have been given and in tune with Scripture. This seems to be a gift that those who preach have.
The gift of teaching seems to be a little different. There are some who are gifted at understanding and organizing and imparting the knowledge of Scripture to others. This gift might be used in a discipleship situation, a class, or in writing, rather than a public proclamation. Although some are particularly gifted in this area, we are all told to teach. Listen to some of Jesus’ last words:
Mat 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Those of us who are a little farther down the road on our spiritual journey can come along side someone who is newer in the faith and teach and disciple them.
Then there is exhortation which is a speaking of God’s truth to others with a specific application, an encouragement to follow the will of God we which are told to discern in v2. It is the same word appeal/beseech that Paul uses in v1 and he is doing for us in this chapter. Again, although some are uniquely gifted in this area, we are called to do this as well:
Hebrews 3:13
13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
So, in the speaking gifts, we see a range of those who proclaim, teach, and call for a right response to truth of God’s revealed will. And we see, as in the example of Paul, some people posses one or more of these gifts.
Paul also mentions serving gifts which put into action God’s revealed truth or will. Notice these gifts are all qualified with proper attitudes that should accompany serving. I believe Paul did this intentionally as there is a temptation for those with serving gifts to resent those with speaking gifts, think of Martha (Luk 10:38-42). So, let’s briefly look at the three mentioned here.
Giving or contributing (Greek didomi) is modified with meta, metadidomi -which implies a strong desire to share. It is also qualified with haplotes, translated in the KJV as simplicity, with sincerity, not self-seeking. When we give, we want to give wholly to the Lord, in contrast to Ananias and Saphira (Ac 5:1-11). Haplotes can also be translated generously, even the idea of copious, as the ESV does and was modeled by the Macedonian churches (2 Cor 8:1-5). Paul gives further instruction for giving with the proper attitude in the letters to the Corinthian church:
1Co 13:3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
2Co 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Some people seem to be born natural leaders; some can develop this gift. Those who lead in the church should do so with the goal of leading others in doing the will of God. Sometimes that can be hard and frustrating, so Paul instructs them to do it with zeal, eagerness, and diligence. That does not mean that one who has this gift should lord it over others (Mt 20:25-28, Mk 10:42-45). We should lead by serving. I lump leading in with serving gifts, following the example of Jesus:
Mat 20:28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (c/w Mk 10:45)
Finally, Paul mentions acts of mercy. This is having compassion on others and serving them and is motivated out of the compassion and mercy that has been shown to us by God. From the parable of the unforgiving servant:
Mat 18:33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' (Parable of the unforgiving servant)
When serving out of love and gratitude, we will be joyful and cheerful. The Greek word used for cheerfulness has the root from which we get our English word hilarious. There can be a temptation to serve in our own strength than can make us serve out of duty and not be cheerful. Remember these admonitions in our serving:
Php 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
Col 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ
So, God gives each member of the body of Christ a gift or gifts for the building up of the body. How do we know what our gift is? Well, a place to start is to ask: What kinds of things do you do naturally? What kinds of things do you do that bring you joy or energize you? You can ask the elders or other believers what they see in you that might be your gift. You can use a spiritual gift inventory; Pastor Wilson has some if you are interested.
One pitfall is to neglect the gift(s) you have been given. Yet another is to be so paralyzed trying to figure out what your gift is and how to use it, that you don’t use it. I believe Paul’s point in this passage is not to make a great treatise or exhaustive list of spiritual gifts, but to acknowledge them and to encourage us to get to it and use them, v6 “let us use them.” So look for opportunities to use your gift(s) for the benefit of CTR and the larger church.
So, to sum up what we have learned today, we have seen that genuine love involves loving God and loving others. Because of God’s great love and mercy for us which He demonstrated to us through his great saving, redemptive plan outlined in Romans; we are to love him by humbling ourselves, recognizing our total dependence upon Him. We are to die to our selfish desires and offer our lives in service to Him. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to renew our minds. We are to study, memorize, and meditate on His word so that we can discern His will, and do it, which includes loving others with affection and honor. And we are to be thankful that God has given each of us gifts that we can humbly use to serve him and others for the building up of the church. Lord willing, next time, we will look at the rest of Romans 12 which gives some more detail on how to do that as well as loving those outside the church and even those who greatly oppose the church.