Sunday 1 September 2013

Some thoughts for Today, Sunday 1st September 2013







Romans 12

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Dedicated Service

12 Therefore I urge you, 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. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Reformation Study Bible

12:1 The doxology at the end of ch. 11 and the nature of the opening verses of ch. 12 signal a new stage in Paul’s exposition. From now until the conclusion of the letter he is concerned to apply his teaching.

mercies of God. Love for the poor and needy, and support for those who cannot support themselves in a sinful world (cf. Luke 10:36, 37). The doctrine of grace in chs. 3–11 leads to a life motivated by gratitude.

present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Jew and Gentile now belong together as the people of God for whom the final blood sacrifice has been made (3:25). The sacrifice that remains is that of thankful response (cf. 6:17). “Bodies” means whole persons as embodied individuals (6:12, 13, 19; 8:13) spiritual worship. The worship that is appropriate for redeemed creatures to offer (see text note).

12:2 Do not be conformed . . . be transformed by the renewal of your mind. The Christian’s mind-set is to be determined and reshaped by knowledge of the gospel, by the power of the Spirit, and by the concerns of the age to come (8:5–9; 13:11–14), rather than by the passing fashion of this age (2 Cor. 4:18; 1 John 2:17). Only by such sanctifying renewal is the Christian made sufficiently sensitive to “discern” the behavior that is God’s will in each situation.

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3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Reformation Bible Study

12:4–8 As in 1 Cor. 12, Paul makes use of the analogy of the body and its various parts to illustrate the nature of the church. He stresses its unity (v. 5), its diversity (v. 6), and the need to recognize one’s gift and to use it appropriately (vv. 6–8).

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9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The Bible Panorama

Romans 12

V 1–2: LIVING SACRIFICES Because of all God’s mercies, Paul pleads with the Gentile believers in Rome to respond to God’s gracious salvation by presenting their bodies as ‘a living sacrifice’. This alone is holy, acceptable and reasonable. It will mean that instead of following the world, they will prove experimentally God’s good, acceptable and perfect will through a consecrated body and through a renewed mind which He will give them.

V 3–8: LOOK SPIRITUALLY The grace that brings salvation, and enables personal sacrifice in following Christ, also produces a humble and spiritual mindset. This enables the Christian to consider things from a spiritual point of view. Thus self should not be exalted, and one should recognize that whatever God has given is a gift from Him and not a matter for personal pride. Those gifts, given liberally, should be exercised graciously and faithfully within the body of Christ. The gifts mentioned are to glorify God and help other Christians.

 V 9–21: LOVE SINCERELY Sincere love abhors hypocrisy and extols and exemplifies all the spiritual characteristics in dealings between Christians. The following things result from a spiritual love for Christ: kindly affection, preferring others, diligence, fervent service, rejoicing, hope, patience, continuing prayer, generosity towards the needs of others, rejoicing under persecution, sympathy, single-mindedness, humility, refusal to fight back, peace, compassion, seeking good, and overcoming evil with good. This love will be displayed both to Christian brethren and to the world at large. This can only be done by God’s gracious enabling through bodies presented as living sacrifices and through minds renewed by God’s grace and Spirit.


The Bible Panorama. Copyright © 2005 Day One Publications.


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