Giving ourselves back to God: Living our lives to please God! Romans 12:1-21!
The book of Romans is Paul’s attempt to explain, expound, and interpret the gospel: the message of what God has done in Christ. For eleven chapters Paul has been seeking to get us to see just how incredible it is for God to declare us righteous before Him because of Christ’s death on our behalf. Now in the remaining chapters of his letter, Paul will endeavor to describe the appropriate and reasonable response to God’s gracious actions in saving us. For the next four chapters Paul will instruct and exhort Christians on how they should live as Christians in light of what God has done for us. Overall, these instructions and exhortations give guidance on what we owe God in light of what God has done for us.
For the most part these exhortations are stated in a very general way. Yet, while Paul may not provide concrete examples in order to illustrate exactly the way that he desires Christians to live, Paul does provide enough concreteness in the following exhortations to make his points fresh and compelling to us. These instructions and exhortations on how Christians should think and live in this letter to the Romans should not be viewed as a “complete set” of guidelines for how Christians should live. Yet, this selective set of instructions as given by Paul, do represent issues and concerns that Christians should know and practice. And while these instructions/exhortations that Paul will expound for us in the next several chapters present an incomplete picture of the kind of life that God desires Christians to live; they do none the less, provide a reliable and representative set of principles, attitudes, thinking, and acting that should shape and guide how we think, speak, and live out our lives as Christians.
In the first two verses of chapter 12, Paul begins discussing his subject on how Christians should live by setting forth his basic main proposition that will govern everything else that he instructs us upon in the remaining part of his letter. We owe God a response! This is Paul’s first main point! Paul declares this foundational proposition right from the start of this chapter. “Therefore brothers in view of God’s mercies to present (offer) your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Let us be careful to note that Paul is calling us to do something! This first verse is foundational to everything else that Paul will say in the rest of the book. But, equally important for us to see is that Paul in this first verse is that Paul calls us to do something because of (or in light of ) what God has already done for us. This is Paul’s second main point that is asserted in this first verse. This is critical to Paul’s thinking too, for Paul asserts right from the start of this set of exhortations that it is in view of God’s mercy that Christians must do something! Finally, Paul wants us to see a third main point from the beginning of this chapter: the nature of what God desires from us. What God desires from us is a response(s) to what he has done! What is that? Paul describes what God wants from us by saying: that we are “to offer bodies as living sacrifices to God.” What does that mean?I call this a core response that we owe to God.
So in the lesson today, let us take a look at what these first two verses of chapter 12 have to instruct us on the core response that God desires and expects from us as believers. Then, let us examine the rest of the chapter to discover in order to discover the first of several key concerns for living out the “new life in Christ that God has called us to. Each of the following issues represents key aspects of the new life that God is calling us to live. Each of these following areas represents attitudes, mindsets, and actions that God calls his people to live. Each of these key aspects of living is pleasing to God. Let us take a look at each of these areas so as discover what Paul wants us to see about each of these key concerns for living. Let us by his grace which is already at work within each of us, seek to embrace these admonitions and allow God to transform our lives by these admonitions together. 1) Living our lives in community with other Christians. Let us each give ourselves over to serving others by using the gift that God has entrusted us with. 2) Living a life of love towards others. 3) Living a life marked by returning good for evil done towards us.
While these are three key concerns that should mark our lives as Christians, Paul prefaced these three major concerns with a core response that he expected all Christians should know. This core response should govern and shape even all the other concerns both in this chapter and in subsequent chapters.
I. Give ourselves over to God and to His service. (12:1-2). These first two verses are crucially foundational for the rest of chapter 12 through 15:13. In these first two familiar verses, Paul wants us to understand three important truths that we must grasp and remember concerning the response that God desires and expects from those he has saved. First: God calls us to live for Him. This is the core response that God expects from us. The first verse strongly asserts that we should give God something in return for what he has done. Second: What we give must always be seen in light of what God has done for us. Third: Paul spells out part of what it means to give ourselves over to him. A. Giving ourselves over to God as a sacrifice of worship. This is both the core response and the core demand that God desires and expects from those whom he has made righteous.1 This is Paul’s first main point as well as his overall major take away point of the entire chapter. This is the central and foundational truth that Paul wants us to see and grasp from these first two introductory verses that precede four chapters of instructions concerning how Christians ought to live. Let us first take a look at verse one in order to see if this is Paul main assertion. “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 or rational2 worship God both desires and expects something from the recipients of his beneficial actions toward us. What is that? He desires and is pleased for humans who are beneficiaries of his kindness to give him worship and/or a sacrifice! Now is this surprising? Not at all!
1) Precedents: God both desired and expected a sacrifice from humans from the beginning of Creation. Both Cain and Abel offered a sacrifice to God.3 Abraham built an altar and called on God. 4 The people of Israel were called by Moses to remember God’s saving action by reenacting by a service involving a sacrifice and testimony called Passover.5
2) The Core Demand: Paul calls believers to offer a sacrifice to God in response to what God has done through Christ or the great sacrifice that Christ offered on our behalf. What is the nature of the sacrifice that God desires? God desires the complete and total giving back of all that we are. Schreiner expresses this demand saying: that we are “to give ourselves wholly over to God”6 This is important. For Paul, God is not just interested in a “spiritual response” Legitimately, trusting God, primarily involves us giving a spiritual response to God. But, Paul specifically calls us
1 Moo, Douglas Encountering the Book of Romans Baker Academic 2002 p.176 2 Rational is an acceptable and alternative translation of the Greek word logikos which the ESV and NIV translate as “spiritual”. 3 Genesis 4:3-4. 4 Gen. 12:8 Presumably Abraham who explicitly built an altar and called on God in this text ,also implicitly worshiped the LORD in some fashion. 5 Exodus 12: 25,26 6 Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans Baker Exegetical Commentary on then N.T. 1998 p. 640 to give our bodies over to God. But we must be careful not to misunderstand this. Paul is not looking merely for a physical response from us either. Paul uses the expression bodies to denote giving ourselves wholly over to God in every aspect of our lives. This includes not only how we act, but our thinking, speaking, emotions, and wills. God wants all of us and not just some spiritual side of our humanity.7 Paul equates this giving of ourselves over to God as: “being our spiritual worship.”
3) Giving ourselves over to God is the acceptable service or the acceptable worship that God is pleased with in receiving from us. The term worship (logikos) is a rich term. It is used by David to describe the rituals or ceremonies that would be used in the worship of God in the temple that Solomon would build.8 The term also describes the ritual of Passover to commemorate what God has done in future services of worship. Significance: God does not desire us to offer animal sacrifices to him. God does not even limit worship to celebrations of worship in the temple or in churches. What really matters to him is for us to give ourselves over to him as an act of worship.
4) Ongoing transformation of our minds and lives. Paul immediately follows up his call for us to give our lives over to God, with a call not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. A key question interpreting verse two is whether or not the call to renew our minds is a separate call distinct from Paul’s primary call to worship? Or is this part of the meaning of what is means to give ourselves over to God. Schreiner comments on this saying: “Part of the meaning of what it means to give oneself wholly over to God is fleshed out in verse 2. “9 Let us take a closer look at verse two. “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.” Note that Schreiner does not say that verse two is telling us that it is saying the same thing as verse one, but providing “part of the meaning of what is involved in the true worship of God. What is that? Having our minds changed, renewed, and transformed so as to be able to see and respond to the world, not as we have been accustomed to seeing and living in this world.How is that possible? By the Holy Spirit taking God’s words in Scripture and transforming us to see life, ourselves, relationships, and God differently. This is exciting. This is what God desires and takes delight in. This is part of the worship that he wants. This is part of what we do that honors God!
II. Give to other believers who are in the Body of Christ. (12: 3-8) This is Paul’s first key concern that he wants Christians to know and be committed to. After having strongly declared the core response that God desires from us, Paul will both instruct and exhort us for the rest of the book on how we are to think and live out the transformed life that God calls each of us to. The first aspect of this transformed life is the relationships that God calls us to be a part of as Christians. Right from the beginning of this first subsection of chapter twelve, Paul first main focus is upon the necessity to think carefully and deeply about “our role in the church”! Look this is how Paul begins this section in verse 3. Paul strongly advocates for us to think carefully about something. “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he out to think
7 Schreiner p.646. 8 1 Chron. 28:13 ,Heb. 9:1,6 9 Schreiner p. 646 , but to think with sober judgment (literally sober thinking). Four times the root idea of thinking is used in this one verse to convey the need for us to be serious and careful in thinking about something. What are we to be careful thinking about? We need to be careful and critical in our thinking about the gift(s) that God has given each one of us in reference to our service in the church. Paul devotes his attention in this first section of six verses to focus our thinking about, discovering, and exercising whatever “gift of grace” that God has given each one us. I want us to see four points that Paul makes concerning the gift(s) that God has given each one of us.
First. Paul wants us to realize that God calls every believer to live out their lives in community with other believers. This is Paul’s foundational assumption in this first section. God does call individuals one by one to Himself; but God calls all of us to live out our lives in this world in community/ in relationship with other believers. This is the thrust of verses 4-5 where Paul asserts that there is “one body with many members and that we “belong” or that we are “members one of another.” This is key to understanding the rest of Paul’s exhortations on the need to think carefully about discovering and using our gifts. Second. Paul, not only wants us to see that God has called us to be part of a community of believers; but that God has given each one of us something to contribute to the functioning of the body of believers. What is that? God has given each one of us “a gift of grace” (vs.6) For what purpose? We are each given a gift or gifts in order to help the body of believers “function” (vs.6). So we are all given at least one gift, yet all of us are not given the same gift. What I find that remarkable in this section is: that overall Paul’ s main teaching is for believers to discover and use their gift in order to help out the functioning of the body of Christ. Yet, Paul does not go into detail to describe in this section any of the gifts, and that most of the gifts so mentioned by Paul here seem so ordinary. For example: teaching others, serving others, encouraging others, giving to others, leading, and showing mercy to others. Of the entire list the gift of prophecy seems to be the most unusual and “spiritual”. Point whatever gift God has given us to serve the body must be seen as a gift from God and utilized in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Third. Paul’s third point is simply: Soberly and carefully think and discover how God wants each of us to contribute to the life of the church by using our gifts, talents, resources, and ministries of the common good. Fourth: Paul’s implicit point is that the gifts have been given for “the building up the body of Christ.” (Eph.4;12) Paul in this text describes our role in using our gifts “to help the body function.” If we carefully think about it, a healthy body is one where every member of a human body or the church contributes in some way to the overall function of the body as a whole.
III. Living a life of love towards others. (12: 9-16)
The second key concern in Paul’s mind for what he desires that Christians think soberly about found in the section beginning with verse 9. For the next 8 verses, Paul will focus our thinking upon a second key characteristic of living that Paul wants us to think carefully about. Paul in this second subsection has something to say regarding love that needs to be pondered and remembered. Because these instructions are simple and viewed as so “basic” we can be tempted to skip over them and ignore this section. Yet, Stott has remarked that this collection short catch phrases conveys fresh concrete expressions of what love is10. So just like Paul’s familiar
10 Stott Romans p. 330 exposition of what love is in 1Corithians 13, this list of a dozen qualities helps flesh out the meaning of what love is, how love expresses itself, and particularly how we treat others. Therefore, I say rather than saying that these are the “marks of a true Christian” which is the ESV heading to this section, I say that the following list of catchwords and phrases help us to see what real love to others involves11 and how we need to act in relationship to others. So for the sake of this lesson, I will state and briefly comment only upon four of the qualities that Paul wants us to recognize and demonstrate toward others, particularly love toward believers.12 The four qualities of love are: It must be genuine. It must be discerning. It must seek to honor others. It must aim at practically helping others in need. First: We need to recognize that our love must be genuine. “Let love be genuine.”(vs.9 ESV) NIV asserts that Love must be sincere. Moo comments on the word translated as genuine (anypokritos) means not playing a part. Moo said that means that our love to others must not be faked.13 This is worth keeping in mind. Second: Recognize that our love must discerning. This is conveyed by Paul saying: “Hate what is evil, cling to what is good.” Stott comments on this quality saying: “that love is so passionately devoted to its beloved object, that it hates every evil which is incompatible (toward love for another ) or his or her highest welfare.”14Third: Love honors others. “Outdo one another in showing honor.” This is noteworthy. Our culture likes to bring others down. Our role as Christians is not to boast about ourselves; but to genuinely honor and draw attention to the good that others have done or are doing. Fourth: Recognize that living a life of love means to practically seek to help others in need. “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (v.13) Christians cannot have cold hearts. We must endeavor to help financially or by tangible deeds of help others who are in need.
IV. Overcome evil with good. (12:17-21) In the previous section, Paul has basically called us to live lives of love, which implies that we live our lives seeking to do what is right and good towards others. But what if someone hurts us, or wrongs us, or mistreats us? What should we do? Are we to respond in kind by hurting them? Paul’s concluding instructions and exhortations in this third section is to instruct and challenge us not repay evil done to us. This is an extremely challenging proposition and text. How can this be! This seems not right. The natural inclination for most of us is to get back somehow with the person who has wronged or mistreated us. In these concluding verses, Paul spells out “an other worldly” way of living that not only “refuses to repay evil with evil”,15but incredibly seeks to love and do good to those who do mistreat us. Overcoming evil with good is still another aspect of the “kind” of life that God is in the process of transforming us to be. It is the way of life that Christ himself demonstrated when he lived amongst us. This is an unnatural way of responding to those who have wronged us. It can only happen as God transforms us. Let us take a closer look. This concluding paragraph is highly focused. The dominant idea and impression that Paul wants to leave with us is simply: Do not take matters into our own hands and seek to repay (negatively) those who have wrong us! Paul is advocating for us to leave the
11 My analysis of this section is that it sections represents a description of what love looks like as demonstrated t o others. However, verse 11 “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serve the Lord” cannot be understood from this standpoint. 12 Schreiner states that “it seems then that most of verses 9-16 has to do with relationships among believers. P.663 13 Moo p.180 14 Stott p. 331 15 Stoott p. 335 judgment and retribution to God. God will certainly judge those who have wronged us. Instead, incredibly Paul advocates that we even seek to do good to those who have harmed us. This is how Paul begins and ends this text. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right and good in the eyes of everybody.” (v.17) “ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good!” (vs.21)
So Paul begins and ends this concluding challenge of chapter 12, calling for restraint in responding to those who do us wrong by exhorting us not to respond in a like manner to those who do us wrong. In verse 19,Paul not only calls for restraint, but calls us to resist seeking our own revenge or vengeance to those who have harmed us. Three times Paul commands us not to seek our own vengeance. “Beloved, never avenge ( take revenge) yourselves but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance (or it is mine to avenge) I will repay says the Lord.” Three times God says in effect exhorts us to leave the pay back to him. He will take care to not only repay the wrong done to us; but also to make things right. So Paul is saying not only not to take matters into our own hands when we have been wronged or mistreated, but to put these matters into the hands of God. But there is more!
There is something further that we can do than simply letting God take care of it. What is that? Paul instructs us how to positively respond to evil that is done to us in verses 20 -21. “To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry feed him. If he is thirsty give him something to drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.” How? So not only have we not responded in kind by not seeking to get back with him. Rather, on top of the restraint that we have exercised toward the evil done to us, we have been kind to him. This act of exercising kindness to someone not deserving such positive treatment would be recognized by most as not normal. Thus, doing what is so unexpected, so unnatural to most people is something that it causes him to be confronted with a situation that forces him to wake up like someone heaping burning coals upon his head. This is unnatural. This is otherworldly. This is God’s transforming hand at work making us like himself, who when we ponder our own situation is how God treats us. We must conclude that this is exactly how God treats us. God gives us what we do not deserve. Instead of wrath, he gives us mercy and grace when we deserve just the opposite kind of treatment from Him.