Romans 12

A brief review= :

Ch 1:18 - Wrat= h because of unbelief

Ch 5:1 - Peace= through faith

Ch 8:1 - Assur= ance in the Spirit

Ch 12-15 - Transformation throu= gh mercy

Rom 12:1-2

1 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 yo= ur spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world (see 6:13), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what <= /span>God's will= is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.     NIV

URGE: From ‎parakaleo (= par-ak-al-eh'-o); to call near, i.e. invite, invoke (by imploration, (ex)hortation<= /span> or consolation):    = KJV - beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.[1]

GOD’S MERCY: We arrive at this juncture of the book of Ro= mans and find a transition from the theological foundations of Paul’s Gosp= el to the practical application for a life of faith. Seeing that all are saved= by God’s mercy, we should have the attitude of Paul at the end of chapte= r 11 verses 33-36.

The basis of Paul's exhortation is God's mercy (‎oiktirmon‎, rendered "compassion" in 2 Cor 1:3; Phil 2:= 1; Col 3:12, and "mercy" in Heb 10:28). God's compassion has been described= in detail in the first 11 chapters of Romans. [2]

LIVING SACRIFICES:  =

The Jewish service counted four kinds of sacrifi= ce which might be reduced to two: the first, comprising the sacrifices offered before reconciliation and to obtain it (sin and trespass-offering); the other the sacrifices offered after reconciliation and serving to celebrate it (whole burnt-offering and peace-offering). The great division of the Epistle to wh= ich we have come is explained by this contrast. The fundamental idea of Part I. (chaps. 1-11), was that of the sacrifice for the sin of mankind. Witness the central passage (Rom 3:25,26). These are = the mercies of God to which Paul appeals here, and the development of which has= filled the first eleven chapters. The practical part which we are beginning corresponds to the second kind of sacrifice, which was the symbol of consecration after pardon had been received, and of the communion establish= ed between Jehovah and the believer (the peace-offering, followed by a feast in the court of the temple). The sacrifice of expiation offered by God in the person of His Son should now find its response in the believer in the sacri= fice of complete consecration and intimate communion.    (Prof. = Godet.)[3]

CONFORM vs TRANSFORM: Conform is fr= om schema (pattern), transform is from meta & morph. Both are passive, which means an external influence is acting.&nbs= p; Conformity is the natural pattern, transformation is the spiritual pattern. That means, if we ma= ke no choice (resist conformity, seek transformation) then we will be pressed to conformity. In the case of transformation, the action is through the renewa= l of our minds. Here renewal means renovation and mind means understanding. These are in the form of a command and are polarized aspects of our sacrificial living. We must put off the o= ld and we must allow God to change us from the inside out. Here we find a strong admonition to abide in the Word of God.

GOD’S WILL: God’s will is always good. As our thinking is transformed we discover more and more just how good is God̵= 7;s will for us. We know this by = faith, but we realize it by trusting and obeying. To “test and approve” means to “prove by testing”.³ The Greek for “p= rove by testing” is ‎dokimazein‎, which in 1 Peter 1:7 is transla= ted “proved genuine.”
These three qualiti= es are not attributes of God's will as the NIV and some other translations imply. Rather, Paul said that God's will itself is what is good, well-pleasing (to Him), and perfect. "Good," f= or example, is not an adjective (God's "good" will) but a noun (God's will is what is good - good, i.e., for each believer).[4]

Transformation in Ministry- v3-8

Rom 12:3-6

3 <= span style=3D'font-family:Calibri'>For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith<= /em> God has given you. ⁴ Just as each= of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.      NIV=

SOBER JUDGMEN= T: - An honest appraisal of God’s purpose in your life. This is not a call= to pretend humility. By clearly understanding the good gift of God at work in us, then we are able to have confidence in our purpose.

It is not wrong for a Christian to recognize gif= ts in his own life and in the lives of others. What is wrong is the tendency to h= ave a false evaluation of ourselves. Nothing causes more damage in a local chur= ch than a believer who overrates himself and tries to perform a ministry that = he cannot do. (Sometimes the opposite is true, and people undervalue themselve= s. Both attitudes are wrong.)[5]

MEASURE OF FA= ITH: - The Holy Spirit is performing a unique work in every believer. This work = can only be accomplished through faith. The working of faith is through GodR= 17;s mercy. We are saved by faith,= due to God’s mercy. We walk= by faith, also dependent upon God’s mercy. God’s mercy is not a transient gift. However, if our faith is weak, we may lack assurance. That is why we need to renew our m= inds. (12:2)

PROPER PERSPE= CTIVE: - The Body Illustration – We are members of one another. What we do i= n the name of the Lord benefits the whole body.

Rom 12:6-8

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace give= n us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. = ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ^{8
if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs=
of
others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern
diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.      NIV}

GRACE GIFTS: That God involves us in His work is the outworking of His grace. Grac= e is the unmerited favor that God bestows upon the redeemed to live in him and f= or him. God’s grace is apportioned to us through gifts that are under se= ven classes. Some call these “motivational gifts.” These gifts requ= ire specific attitudes to be properly exercised. Prophesy must conform to the truths of our faith. Serving, teaching and encouraging seem to be self explanatory, possibly the key attitude is in excellence. Serve unselfishly, teach so the learners get it, encourage so that one is helped along the way. Contributing is to be done generously or with simplicity. Leading is to be = done diligently or with ready attention. Mercy is to be shone cheerfully.

It is tragic when any one gift is emph= asized in a local church beyond all the other gifts. "Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all t= eachers? are all workers of miracles? have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tong= ues? do all interpret?" (1 Cor= 12:29-30) The answer to all these questions is no! And for a Christian = to minimize the other gifts while he emphasizes his own gift is to deny the ve= ry purpose for which gifts are given: the benefit of the whole body of Christ "Now to each man the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the comm= on good" (1 Cor 12:7, NIV).[6]

Transformation in Relationships- v9-21

Rom 12:9-21

Agape love & Brotherly love – (Unselfish and Devoted)

⁹ Love must = be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the L= ord. ¹² Be joyful in hop= e, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Here we see the core attitude we must ha= ve is the love of God in our hearts. The list of wa= ys we act toward others are all affirming and supportive, never selfish or detracting.

Selfless hope for others

¹⁴ Bless tho= se who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony wit= h one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position Do not be conceited. =

Our attitude toward those difficult relationships or encounters must also be positive. Our attitudes = are dependent on transformed thinking and the love of God. As we “test and approve” that God’s will is good, then our faith is strengthene= d to maintain a Christ-like attitude toward the unlovely. As we recall the mercy= of God toward us, then we also must show mercy to others.

A Life of peace.

¹⁷ Do not re= pay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybo= dy. ¹⁸ If it is possible, = as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room f= or God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,&q= uot; says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

&quo= t;If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drin= k.

In d= oing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.    NIV

The difference between the natural man and the spiritu= al is the difference between judgment and mercy. Read James 2:12-13. Feeling justified to react does not honor God. Read James 1:20 (cf).

As child= ren of God, we must live on the highest level - returning good for evil. Anyone can return good for good and evil for evil. The only way to overcome evil is wi= th good. If we return evil for evil, we only add fuel to the fire. And even if= our enemy is not converted, we have still experienced the love of God in our ow= n hearts and have grown in grace.[7]