From a study on Romans 12 (NASB)
By James Pruch
April 4, 2007
Verse 1 - How can my body be a living and holy sacrifice? Romans 6:13 talks about presenting the members of my body as instruments of righteousness. In this context, Paul’s talking about being dead to sin. Putting to death the sin in our lives (Rm 8:12-13) and living righteously is acceptable to God. Whatever is acceptable to God is worship. Whatever makes God smile is worship. Whatever we do that is a fragrant offering of love is worship. First Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” To glorify God means to make much of him, to hold him high, to give him pleasure. In doing this, we are worshiping Him. The “therefore” at the beginning shows/implies that because verse 36 in chapter 11 is true, we should do this. Paul is commanding us to do these things in chapter 12.
Verse 2 - In this verse, Paul talks about having our mind renewed, while not being polluted by the world (in conformity). I think Paul tells us to have our minds transformed for two reasons: 1. In verse one, Paul mentioned that if our bodies were a living and holy sacrifice, we would be fulfilling our “spiritual service of worship.” Here, body and spirit are interconnected, so in verse two, Paul brings all three essences of the body together. 2. The world feeds our minds so much garbage and to be conformed to the world means to have our minds polluted. If our minds are preoccupied with worldly things, we cannot (and will not) know God’s will. Jesus warns against this in Matthew 13:22 in the parable of the sower. Jesus is not preaching salvation by merit, but he is saying “proof that you are mine is that the world’s deceitfulness and wealth do not engage and bring you in.” Fruitfulness shows if you are a Christian or not (Eph 5:6-15).
Verse 3 - Philippians 2:3 certainly is a key insight to this passage. We must be humble, realizing that God’s grace is what gives us life, love, spiritual gifts (1 Cor 15:10). “So as to have sound judgment” or to know how to use spiritual gifts. We must not think more highly of ourselves than we should-whether it be incorrectly using (abusing) a gift or thinking that one has a gift when one actually does not. “To each a measure of faith”, that which to use our spiritual gifts. The point is that God has allotted faith and gifts to a measure he desires and it must be used for his glory and the church’s edification.
Verse 4 - Paul uses an analogy of the human body for the body of Christ. The body has many members (parts) and all do not have the same function (responsibility). Each part has a very important responsibility and it is not any less or more important than another part (1 Cor 12:12-18). Staying with the theme of love for the chapter, if one member thinks he can do the job of another, he is not loving that member. If a member thinks his gift superior and that other members should seek that gift, he is not loving those members because he is devaluing their gifts.
Verse 5 - First Corinthians 10:7 says we have partaken of the same bread, so we are of the same body, which is Jesus Christ. We all have different responsibilities, yet we work together as a human body does. Paul also said we are “individually members of one another.” We are all connected because of Christ–not because of our spiritual gifts. The point is not the gift–it is the Giver.
Verse 6 - We all have different gifts. The way 1 Corinthians 12 talks about hands, eyes, and ears (all permanent members, i.e. a hand will never be a foot, eye, etc.) shows that each member has at least one gift-but more than likely a few gifts. These gifts differ according to God’s grace. First Corinthians 12:11 says that God gives each gift has he wills or desires. Because we have differing gifts, we must use them accordingly (appropriately, rightly). If someone uses their gift in an improper way, or not at all, then the body will not be edified and love will not be spread among believers. The first gift that Paul mentions is prophecy. This is the case in 1 Corinthians 14 as well, when Paul says that prophecy is a superior gift. In 1 Corinthians, prophecy is a gift used during the church service. It is not likely that this is a future predicting, revelatory prophetic gift. Rather, because it is a superior gift and it happens during a service (not to say it cannot happen elsewhere) it is most probably that this is a proclamation from God in the form of authoritative preaching/teaching. In 1 Corinthians 14:19, Paul says he would rather prophesy with five words from his mind “in order to instruct” rather than speak in tongues. This gives the implication of teaching and preaching to a congregation.
Verse 7 - The gift of service: if one has the gift of service, then he must exercise that responsibly “in his serving.” Service should not be done “in” the other gifts. This does not mean that other gifts do not serve (all gifts should serve the church and individuals). Rather, the very acts of service are serving intently–whether behind the scenes, of low position, or of humility. At the core, the very heart of these acts, is a servants heart. Note: if other gifts are not performed with a servants heart, love will not be spread. Still, the core of serving is servanthood. Similarly, he who teaches should exercise the gift through teaching. First Timothy 4:16 says, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.” Here, we see the great responsibility there is on a teacher. Salvation depends on preaching/teaching the gospel (Rom 10:14-16.)
Verse 8 - Exhortation means “encouragement.” If one is an encourager, he must exercise that through encouragement-intentional acts of love toward others. To give with liberality means to give in abundance even when it does not seem possible. This means to give beyond one’s ability-which is not an obligation or chore if one has the gift of giving. If one leads, he should do it out of diligence. People who are not diligent, hard working (1 Tim 5:17), and loving should not be leaders in the church. If one shows or gives mercy, he should do it with a willing and cheerful heart. What kind of mercy is it when someone gives it grudgingly? God does not withhold mercy from us, and we should not from others; this even more so for those with the gift of mercy.
Verse 9 - Right after Paul finishes talking about spiritual gifts and how to use them (in order to maximize love), he talks about what love looks like in verses 9-21. When love is without hypocrisy, it is genuine. It is totally focused on the other person and their well-being, but most importantly, God’s glory. First Thessalonians 5:21-22 is similar to part B of this verse. We are to abstain from every evil. Not one is to be considered okay. Good should be our “calling card.” We should be known for love and good deeds (Heb 10:24). When we embrace goodness, we become loving; when we are doing evil, in essence, we are not all loving someone. We should hate iniquity as God hates it (Ps 5:4-7).
Verse 10 - First Timothy 1:5 says, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” In order for a goal to be accomplished, one must be devoted to it. Brotherly love should be our goal. “Give preference to one another in honor” literally means “to outdo one another in [showing] honor.” We should seek to give more honor than everyone else, but in an unselfish way, so we aren’t made much of, but that God is glorified. If everyone tried to outdo their neighbor in honor, God would magnified and the body would be edified in such a sense that love would be the focus.
Verse 11 - If one lags behind in diligence, they are being lazy. That connects with the next phrase, “fervent in spirit.” This means to be energetic, determined, ambitious, and hard-working. We must serve the Lord in diligence and with fervency in order to be effective servants for his kingdom. It is not a passive duty. It is active, aggressive, and persistent. We must not sit back and wait for God to split the sky and speak to us. We must work hard and act in a worthy manner of God’s calling.
Verse 12 - Why do we rejoice in hope? Because hope does not disappoint (Rm 5:5). Hope in Christ is “an expectation with confidence.” We can rejoice because we know it will happen. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for” means that there is a realistic seriousness for our expectations. There is something to ground our hope in-it is not blind. In life, we will certainly have many tribulations. If and when we persevere through them, we will have produced character, which produces hope (Rm 5:4). Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer.” Paul says it again here. In order to get through trials and to hope in Christ, we must be in constant conversation with God.
Verse 13 - In a family, people have needs and there is always someone to help. In the case of God’s family, it is no different. When a brother is in need, we must provide for him. Acts 4:34-35 shows that a true Christian should be generous in providing for others. “Practicing hospitality” is exactly this. This quality means simply opening up your home, possessions, energies, and time to make someone feel loved and cared for.
Verse 14 - Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). Loving people is a better way to live. When we bless someone, we even feel blessed. If we pray for our persecutors, perhaps they will change their ways and follow Christ, if God is gracious enough. Cursing takes anger and blessing takes love.
Verse 15 - When someone in the body experiences a victory, we should celebrate with them. Because they are family members, we should be even more zealous to share in their joy. In the same way, when someone is hurting or sick or lonely, we should sympathize and empathize with them. Jesus did this almost everywhere he went-he always had compassion. When Lazarus died, he wept openly with his family (Jn 11:35). In Hebrews 13:3, Paul says to remember prisoners and those who are ill-treated. As a body, we need to care for every believer in Jesus. This builds unity, respect, truth, grace, compassion, and love.
Verse 16 - Paul tells us to “be of the same mind.” This does not mean we need to agree on all things-that is impossible. What it means is that we should think alike on the essentials and have the same goal: making the name of Christ known where it is not. Philippians 2:2 says we have “one purpose” and that is to see God’s glory and share it with others. As a body, that should be our goal. Haughtiness is thinking highly of oneself. We are to “associate with lowly things.” This can be intellectual, spiritual, social, or material. Christ associated with the lowly and we should try to be like him. So often in Christianity today we see people living the middle-class, suburban lifestyle in the mega churches and have nothing to do with the homeless, poor, and oppressed. The health and wealth gospel cannot accommodate for this verse. Finally, Paul says we should not be wise according to our own estimation. If we are wise, it should be for others to affirm. We should have a humble opinion of ourselves so that we can be used by God. Still, we should not have so low of an opinion so that we breach self-abasement (Col 2:18-23).
Verse 17 - Has doing evil in response to evil ever had a positive effect? That is what Paul is asking, essentially. We are called to leave room for God because he will right all wrongs someday (v 19). God is the ultimate justifier and when we seek to get revenge, we are trying to play God. What are doing is really saying that we think we can do God’s job better than he can. We are not trusting God when we seek revenge for ourselves. In order to be above reproach, we must do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If we doubt that something would be accepted by Christians and non-Christians alike, we probably shouldn’t do it. The word “respect” in this verse literally means “to take thought for.”
Verse 18 - Paul precedes his next statement with “if possible,” which means it is not always going to be possible that we are at peace with all people. We are only responsible for ourselves and our actions. This is why Paul says, “So far as it depends on you.” Romans 14:19 says to pursue peace. Jesus commands it (Mk 9:50). It is much easier and much more freeing to be at peace with people than to battle against them. It’s a better way to live.
Verse 19 - This is similar to verse 17. We are to, literally, “leave a place for God’s wrath.” If we have total trust in God, we won’t seek revenge. To seek revenge is to say, “God, I don’t trust you to make this right. I have to make this right.” Notice God doesn’t say, “I might repay” or “I should repay.” He says, “I WILL repay.” Our faith should be in God’s sovereign power.
Verse 20 - Jesus said this in Matthew 5:43-48. Love our enemies; feed and clothe them; take care of them; show them who Jesus is. Gentiles love their brothers-we need to be different than them and love our enemies.
Verse 21 - “Do not be overcome by evil” can mean “do not be controlled by evil.” Goodness should be a primary quality of a Christian. Christ’s righteousness should be put on (Rm 13:14) everyday so we can overcome evil with good. A primary part of having the “kingdom of heaven at hand” (Matt 10:7) is bringing heaven to earth. Jesus has already overcome evil with his ultimate goodness. We cannot overcome all the evils done in the world, but we can overcome evil with acts of goodness that glorify and exalt God.
