Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual[1] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For 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 God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[2] faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if 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.
Love
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[3] Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[4] says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[5] 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Paul shifts gears after his doxology and focuses on lifestyle applications for the Christian. But note that Paul
views all of his previous instruction as applicable as well. In fact, in order to rightly follow his instructions
in chapters 12-16 (live consistently), we must have a right understanding of chapters 1-11 (grace and mercy).
Paul doesn’t separate lifestyle application from understanding doctrinal theology. Paul explains first here our
relationship with ourselves, then secondly with each other, thirdly with the world, and, into chapter 13,
fourthly with the government. Lastly, this chapter does not describe our effort to earn favor with God;
rather, it describes the fruit of our having received the grace and mercy of God. Notice several points:-
V1 – In view of God’s mercy, offer yourself as a living sacrifice of spiritual worship. We could offer several
words to serve as the theme of Romans 12 (Love, Mercy, Worship, Humility, Gifts, etc.). Mercy happens to appear
first. Paul has gone to great lengths to prove that God is merciful to us in the first 11 chapters of this
epistle. Now he says to us that our lives should be founded on the mercy of God. Now I want to say that I am
feeling inadequate of expressing how much Paul is stressing this truth. I can’t even begin to convey the
importance of God’s mercy towards us as the foundation of our lifestyles. It’s true that Christians should
be known for mercy, because we have been shown mercy, both in our wickedness and in our helplessness; but
it’s a lot more than that: Every aspect of the Christian lifestyle is based on God’s mercy. Why love? God’s
mercy. Why be humble? God’s mercy. Etc. Paul, in writing, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s
mercy,” is showing mercy and humility and love to his audience. That’s amazing how the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit works to convey the principle not only through the words of the author, but also by the words
of the author. Just as he did with Philemon, Paul could command right living by the authority given him
by Christ, but instead he urges right living as a fellow Christian.
Furthermore, we should not only note that the basis of our holy living is God’s mercy, but also, and equally
as if not more important, this holy living that we strive for as a result of God’s mercy is our primary act
of worshipping God. Right living is worship. Right living is the only logical or reasonable, translated
“spiritual,” thing to do as our act of worship and praise and thanksgiving. It’s not a couple hours a week;
it’s all day, every day. Paul is calling us to worship God by living for God, in love and obedience, delighting
in God’s word, God’s will, and God’s law, because of God’s mercy toward us. Christian living is worship, founded
on our having received grace and on our understanding mercy. We glorify God with our lives, because we understand
His mercy. Romans 15:8-9
Next, Paul says, “Because God has been merciful and compassionate and loving to you, fellow Christians in Rome,
you are obligated to worship God with your whole self. As a member of the priesthood of all believers, you are
to offer a living sacrifice of yourself.” He is purposely driving us back to the Old Testament language of
worship. A “living” sacrifice, however, is not to be compared to the slain animals of Old Testament sacrificial
rites, but instead compared to the deadness we experienced while in sin. “When we were dead in trespasses and
sin, God, because of His rich mercy and great love for us, made us alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:1-5). As a
result, we give our lives to God as living sacrifices. Paul’s slogan might be, “Die for Jesus!” And his point
is not that we die, but that we live – in the world but not of the world. In living for Jesus (in the world),
we are dying to self (of the world) for Jesus. We are not our own because we have been bought with a price
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We don’t have the right to use our body as we please; we have the duty as slaves
of Christ to use our body as He pleases. We are to present our bodies (notice the importance of the physical,
as opposed to Gnosticism) to God as those who are alive from the dead (Romans 6:13). In light of God’s mercy
and grace as shown at Calvary, how can we do anything less? We don’t make Christ Lord of our lives. As believers,
He is Lord of our lives. Because we live Coram Deo, we live like we live Coram Deo. The free gift of salvation
that we receive in Christ not only cost Him everything, but it costs us everything as well. We must give
ourselves to Christ.
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V2 – Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will is. Paul instructs us here to have a Biblical worldview.
And there are two commands – negative and positive – that help us do this: “do not conform” and “be transformed.”
Don’t let the world mold you. Be in the world but not of the world; live a life of non-conformity. Paul said a
similar thing in Romans 8:13 – be killing sin by the Spirit or sin will be killing you! 2 Corinthians 3:18 Be
transformed by the Spirit into Christ’s likeness. The verbs are in the passive voice, indicating that we do not
change or transform ourselves. We must be transformed, which is something God does in us through the Spirit.
Paul has already mentioned this in Romans 8:29, as God’s purpose in predestination to conform us to the image
of Jesus.
The method by which these two commands occur is explained by Paul as by the renewing of the mind. And that comes
by studying God’s Word. Yes, by all means, put your faith into practice; live out that Biblical worldview, as
Paul will say in just a minute. But study God’s Word! That’s how the Spirit transforms the mind, so make it a
priority. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. John Piper drives his audience back to Romans 1:23-28,
where the same Greek word is used. He says, “Not being conformed to this world involves a renewed mind that
reverses the exchange of the glory of God for the glory of man.” We used to walk in darkness, and we loved it
(John 3:19), but now we walk in light, and we love it. This is a result of a renewed mind by the power of the
Holy Spirit.
We worship God with our bodies in v1 and with our minds in v2. God works on us from the outside and in us from
the inside. Paul is saying to know who you are and be who you are, just as did in Romans 6:11-12. Paul has said
in the first half of this verse to have a Biblical worldview; now he tells us how that will benefit us: we will
know the will of God. And it makes perfect sense that by studying the Word of God, the Spirit will transform
our minds, conforming them to the mind of Christ, who is God in the flesh. And with the mind of Christ
(1 Corinthians 2:16), we will certainly be able, then, to test and approve God’s will. Minds transformed by
the renewing work of God’s Holy Spirit in accordance with the Word of God will be able to discern what they
ought to do. You can’t do the will of God if you don’t know the will of God, and you can’t make a discerning
choice if you don’t know the truth of God. And so the renewed mind, according to God’s Word, is a mind able
to discern the will of God.
What is the will of God? First, there is the sovereign will of God that always comes to pass without fail.
Second, there is the revealed will of God in the Bible—the law and the commandments—that often doesn’t come
to pass. And third, there is the path of wisdom and godliness—wisdom where we consciously apply the Word of
God with our renewed minds to complex moral circumstances, and godliness where we live our lives rightly without
conscious reflection or deliberation. And Paul here, most agree, is talking about the latter two. Hebrews 5:14;
Philippians 1:9-11 We get discernment in the renewing of our minds. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to discern
God’s will in every situation or circumstance without having to spend hours thinking about it? In time, we will
make the hard decisions quickly and easily. Like Christ, we’ll respond to situations in calculated ways, yet
instantly, unconsciously, automatically, according to our Spirit-filled natures, according to the will of God.
This ability develops in us through the power of the Holy Spirit as our minds are renewed by the study of God’s
Word.
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V3 – Be humble according to the measure of faith God has given you. Paul has told us to have a Biblical
worldview. Now, “by the grace given to him,” he tells us to live it out in humility and sober judgment.
And this relates directly to how we think with renewed minds. Galatians 6:3; Philippians 2:5-6 Paul says
not to “think” too highly of ourselves, but to “think” of ourselves with sober judgment. Martin Luther said,
“God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, God can make something out of us.”
As we’ve seen from Romans 9-11, grace, wrongly understood, can produce pride. It shouldn’t, and rightly
understood, it won’t, but Paul had to reprimand the Gentiles for thinking themselves more deserving of grace
than the Jews. So Paul again reminds us not to be filled with pride as a result of the grace given to us, but
rather to be filled with humility. Of all the things Paul could have spoken about regarding a renewed mind, he
chooses to point to how we think about ourselves! Romans 8:5-9 The Christian is humbled; pride is not an option
if you rightly understand grace. The lowly man is the one who has caught a true glimpse of the High and Lofty
One (Isaiah 6:1-5; 57:15). But it’s more than just eliminating pride toward or of or in ourselves. We should
maintain pride but focus it on Christ. Be proud of Christ working in you. Boast in the Lord. Credit God with
your successes and credit yourself for your failures.
Notice that Paul makes faith in its God-given measure the standard for how renewed Christian minds think about
themselves. Since faith itself is a gift, and since God clearly gives it in different measures, the pride that
we might try to maintain after becoming Christians is necessarily eliminated according to the measure of faith
we are given. The more we look to Christ in faith, the less highly we think of ourselves and the more we rely
on our brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, as our faith increases, humility sets in and passionate
Christian service follows.
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V4-8 – We are many parts of one body with different functions according to God’s grace. Paul says that the
communion of saints is a reality. Because we live and serve God together, we experience a genuine community
of believers. We are one body, yet different parts; we are united, but not the same. Paul is not saying that
Christian salvation transforms us into a bunch of interchangeable units. We continue to be distinct personalities
and have distinct gifts. Our unity is not disrupted simply because there are differences between us; unity does
not require sameness. There are nontransferable functions, different gifts and responsibilities, that we each
have in the Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, just because we are different doesn’t mean that we lack unity.
Diversity does not equal disunity. Why not? Because we all live to the benefit of each other. This is the
overarching reality of the communion of the saints. We are different, but we are to live to and for one another.
I am for you; you are for me. It’s the Three Musketeers: “All for one and one for all.” We share in the
fellowship of life because of our union with Jesus Christ.
And this is important in our culture. The world’s logic goes like this: sameness of function means real equality.
So if women are not allowed to be preachers (1 Timothy 2:12), then that displays their un-equal treatment
compared to men. But Paul dissents to this logic. He says, “We are one, we are equal in Christ, but we do not
share the same functions.” Just because a woman should not be a preacher does not make her un-equal to the male
preacher. No, she has roles that men cannot fill, so she is equal in that sense.
Paul moves on in v6, saying that the Christian church is “charismatic.” Being “charismatic” means being
“graciously gifted” by the Holy Spirit for ministry to one another. God is the great Giver of the gifts, and
in His wisdom He distributes gifts in just the right way to each believer; there is no believer without a gift,
yet the gifts are transferred in different “skill levels” if you will, according to God’s grace and our faith.
In fact, the greatest gift is spiritual life, faith itself, as evidenced by the fact that we believe the Gospel
message; and faith, even given in different measures to different people, now serves as the root of all these
other spiritual gifts. Now Paul’s list of 7 gifts is neither a complete list, nor does the list include mutually
exclusive gifts. There are more spiritual gifts discussed elsewhere (1 Corinthians 12-14), and people may
certainly be gifted specially in more than one area. Paul’s point is this: whatever God has given you, in
abilities and resources, is for the edification of His body. You are not to hide or waste your gifts. But
at the same time don’t just use them; use them accordingly, humbly, because of God’s mercy. Christian humility
compels us to serve one another humbly. A realization that we’re part of the communion of saints compels us to
serve one another. A realization that everything God has given us is for one another ought to compel us to
serve each other. Notice the gifts:
(1) Prophesying – the ability to pass along direct words of revelation from God. Some suggest that this was a
temporary gift, pointing to 1 Corinthians 13:8 and Ephesians 2:20 (a foundation is only laid once). They believe
that prophecy is just as inspired as the inerrant and infallible Word of God; thus, if prophecy was given today,
then the Bible could be considered incomplete. It should be growing along with each prophecy. Others suggest that
God still speaks through prophecy today; prophecy is not inspired as Scripture is. Rather, it is a report of
something God brings spontaneously to mind. John Piper defines prophecy here as “a Spirit-guided expression of
something we otherwise would not know or say, which is powerful for that particular moment and brings conviction
or exhortation or consolation for the awakening or up-building of faith. It should not spook us as something
uncontrollable, but should be treated as any claim to insight. It is fallible. It may prove true and it may
not because the human channel is sinful and fallible and finite.” If this is true, as I believe it is, how do
we know when prophets are prophesying truthfully? Prophets must prophesy in accordance with true faith. In other
words, a prophet must be living in obedience to God’s Word if we are to believe their words are genuine.
1 Corinthians 14:1-4, 29-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 Have you ever been inclined to pray spontaneously for
someone and then later found out that they experienced something at the precise moment of your inclination?
Any thoughts on prophecy?
(2) Serving – fruitful and joyful ministry, such as a deacon. This gift is often not honored or highly-esteemed,
but it is arguably one of the most given gifts and therefore among the most crucial gifts.
(3) Teaching – indoctrination by reasoned persuasion, not by overpowering compulsion. This was especially critical
in Paul’s time, when few people could read the Scriptures and had to rely on teachers’ words. The teacher was
vitally important for conveying the faith and the life of faith to the people of God. Paul might have added that
the teacher ought to be humble, recognizing that his teaching is a gift to him, not for his own self-satisfaction
or boasting, but rather for the edification of the people of God.
(4) Encouraging – exhortation with love and compassion, not by coercion. This goes along with teaching, as it is
critical to encourage those whom you teach and teach those whom you encourage.
(5) Contributing – giving extra-generously, especially financially. We are all called to give generously, but
some are gifted to give extra-generously in proportion to their ability, and this should be done in humility
and not grudgingly.
(6) Leadership – ruling or governing diligently. Paul is saying that those who are gifted with the abilities
of leading the church need not be lazy or side-tracked in that work. This has special application to elders.
(7) Mercy – cheerful compassion, including humor. Don’t go to somebody who is sick without being cheerful.
Mercy on the ailing brethren is not mercy if it’s not cheerful.
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V9-10 – Love sincerely, hate evil, and cling to good. Honor one another about yourself. Paul explains the
virtues that develop as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In v9-13, there are 13 commands. What do we make of
these? It’s very easy to breeze through in 10-15 seconds of reading silently or aloud and say to ourselves,
“How lovely! How nice! Let’s do a better job focusing on those!” And move right along. We should spend time
with these and soak them into our skin. Ask what they mean and think about that in relation to the other
Scriptures. Think about practical situations where they affect us. And this is hard to do. We’re not even
going to do that tonight. But let it be known that we should.
As he typically does, Paul starts with love. Galatians 5:22; 1 Corinthians 13 It has been said that Romans
12 is the neglected “love” chapter, since 1 Corinthians 13 gets all the “love.” Like a good teacher Paul
repeats himself on this topic throughout his epistles. In v9-10 he basically spells out what love means.
Christian love is sincere, godly, affectionate, and self-denying. And this is the opposite of what we might
want our love to be prior to having that renewed mind. We might desire to love with selfish motives – to make
us look impressive to others. But Paul says that our love must be real, discerning, fervent, and selfless.
We should be genuinely fired-up to serve others in love, because we love God, or rather, He loves us. One
commentator said about this passage, “As our new relationship to God can be summed up by faith, so also our
relationship to men, because of the relationship with God can be summed up by love.”
Paul says that believers should be known both by their sincere love and by their sincere hate. Love (generally,
without an object) sincerely and without hypocrisy, and hate (the object is clear: evil) just as sincerely. Psalm
97:10; Proverbs 8:13; Amos 5:15. Our love must not be the kind of love that makes no distinctions. “It’s alright;
it’s okay; I still love you anyway.” That’s not love, according to Paul. Paul might say, “You cannot truly love
if you do not truly hate.” Love does not mean ignoring right and wrong. In fact, love is not able to manifest
itself to the fullness without making the distinction between wrong and right. Our culture says that you do not
love if you don’t love gay people for who they are. Again Paul dissents. You’ve heard, “Love the sinner; hate
the sin.” Always distinguish between good and evil in your love. And note also that we love objective good and
hate objective evil. Good and evil are not determined by our emotions toward things. Our emotions must be
conformed to God’s objectives.
Next, Paul commands us, as believers, to show familial love to one another in deed, not in word alone, and in
honor, in order to uphold and exalt the good qualities in our brethren, thereby encouraging them to live in a
godly manner. Paul is not talking here about unbelievers; he’ll get to them in a minute. We should treat our
Christian brothers and sisters as more important than ourselves. Philippians 2:3 The Bible says there is “a
friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24), and we think of David and Jonathan. That’s what
the Church ought to be like. There ought to be self-sacrificing love relationships in the church that are
deeper and stronger than anything experienced with parents and siblings. That said, it shouldn’t surprise us
that we as sinners don’t always if ever live up to this vision, but we must strive to make sure that love and
loyalty can be experienced at church through church in church like family. We must honor each other above
ourselves – and remember it’s based on God’s mercy to us.
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V11-15 – Be zealous in service, joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, generous and
hospitable with needy brethren. Bless those who persecute you and do not curse. Rejoice and mourn accordingly.
Paul explains better than I can what a believer should do.
(1) A faithful Christian disciple works or toils
diligently or zealously or urgently in service and avoids lagging behind in spiritual laziness; the Body of
Christ is on the move, and so all its parts better be moving! There is a song by Casting Crowns, “If we are
the Body…” The idea here should be to avoid lukewarm-ness, as in Revelation 3:15. Be on fire for God! However,
not everyone manifests spiritual zeal in the same way. One the one hand, there can be people with very obvious
outward zeal for the Lord. They may have a zeal for truth, love, or some particular cause that is being
threatened in their day and time (ROCK). On the other hand, zeal can often be manifested in quiet determination,
in a person who remains faithful to the end of a particular calling. He does not draw attention to himself and
isn’t trying to make a name for himself. Both types of people are serving the Lord with zeal.
(2) A faithful Christian is joyful, or rejoices, in hope because the outcome is certain. This should re-direct
us to Romans 5:1-11. Not every experience we have will manifest its goodness in this life, but we rejoice in
hope because we know that God is working all situations to His good and perfect end.
(3) A faithful Christian perseveres patiently in suffering and affliction because God is working through that
experience to sanctify. Likewise, Romans 5:1-11 comes to mind. This is not merely the kind of perseverance
that hangs on by the “skin of your teeth.” This kind of perseverance that Paul is talking about is the kind
that refers to “more than conquerors.” It’s not that we barely get through a given trial; it’s that we
maintained faithful and zealous Christian service in and throughout the given trial.
(4) A faithful Christian prays faithfully, even continually, because he knows that God uses prayer to work
in the world. It is impossible to be a faithful Christian without devotion to prayer. We all need this more!
(5) A faithful Christian gives generously. Paul’s teaching here reminds me of Acts 4:32-35, when the believers
shared everything with one another. Christians should give generously to fellow Christians in need within the
congregation. There is a connection between fellowship and sharing in the local church. Fellowship is actually
shared life (koinonia). Paul is calling on Christians to tangibly share with one another, especially those who
are in need.
(6) A faithful Christian shares humbly and hospitably, especially with Christians outside the local congregation.
This was especially important in Paul’s day, as many Christian congregations were being persecuted in such a way
that they had to be broken apart to flee for their lives. They might seek refuge in other towns where Christian
fellowships were thriving. The word Paul uses for “hospitality” here intends the phrase, “kindness to strangers.”
Genesis 18:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:2, 5:10; Titus 1:7-8; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9; 3 John 5-8.
Again here, we should not simply go through this list and ask ourselves how we could improve; instead we should
pray, “Lord, cultivate this quality in me.” Turn it into a prayer. Here are some character qualities God wants
us to display; pray that He would work them in you. Do you do that already? It’s like the prayer of Augustine:
“Lord, you command us to have self-control. I am sure that none of us could have self-control unless You work
it in us. Command what You will and grant what You command.”
Paul also says that we should bless those who persecute us, which is the opposite of what our sin nature would
have us do. Luke 6:27-36; Matthew 5:43-48 Paul commands it twice in v14, because he knows that it’s a hard thing
to do. Notice that Paul handled persecution in different ways, depending on how he thought it would best serve
the community. On occasion, he allowed himself to be persecuted and persevered in service zealously in and
through that persecution. Other times, he sought to avoid persecution through legal protection. Both ways,
he served the Kingdom of God. No matter how we might handle persecution, we mustn’t harden our hearts towards
those persecuting us.
Lastly in this section, we should rejoice and mourn with those who rejoice and mourn, because, though we are
many parts, we are all one body. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 Christians should not be insensitive to the state of
other Christians’ hearts. Sometimes it is more difficult to rejoice with a person than to weep with a person,
because of our pride or envy. Perhaps you and your spouse had trouble conceiving, and you found other Christian
couples with the same problem. You could mourn with those who mourn. But then one couple from your group gets
the good news that they will be parents. Now it’s hard to rejoice with those who rejoice, because you’re still
mourning and perhaps envious of their blessings. Do you have other examples of that circumstance?
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V16-21 – Live in peace and harmony with everyone; be humble, take no revenge, and overcome evil with good. Live
in harmony with everyone would be better rendered, “Be as one mind with each other.” Believers need to agree
together, to cherish the same views, to be unanimous. There must be no discord or disagreement. “Who is in favor
of glorifying God?” Everyone agrees. “Who wants to follow Christ and fight the good fight of faith?” Everyone
steps forward and says, “I DO!” “Who hates sin and error?” Everyone answers, “We do!” This is the kind of
agreement that needs to exist among believers. We must not pursue different ends and aims. This does not mean
that there can never be honest and peaceful disagreements about points of doctrines as we grow in the Lord and
wrestle with God’s truth. None of us understand God’s truth as we ought. Philippians 2:5; the more we agree with
Christ, the more we will agree with each other. When there is disagreement regarding truth, then it is because
one of the two parties (or both) do not agree with Christ (they are either willfully or ignorantly out of harmony
with the God of truth and the truth of God on a particular issue). If we hold the same view as God does, then we
will agree with each other.
Paul again demands humility, as it is a basic Christian attribute, especially in terms of relating to other
believers who might not be as esteemed as you. Do you have trouble mingling with unattractive Christians? How
about Christians of other skin colors or languages? Blind Christians (Mario)? Paul demands that we have the
same concern for all the brethren. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have closer friends than others, but it means
that we guard against the spirit of favoritism within the congregation. Furthermore, we mustn’t be conceited,
thinking too highly off ourselves. We shouldn’t be ashamed or unwilling to do the “dirty” work in any given
setting. In fact, Paul’s language here suggests that we should not merely avoid avoiding the dirty work, but
that we should step forward and do it with pleasure and a good attitude. Matthew 5:16 The humble mind strives
to win over everyone, that God’s name would be praised and glorified. John Piper quotes Martin Luther on this
topic: “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it,
take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores? …What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens
its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that
they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, ‘O God, because I am
certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty
that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash
its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit,
have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how
gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat,
neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy
sight’ …God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling—not because the father is washing diapers, but because
he is doing so in Christian faith.” We are only what we are by the grace of God. Apart from Christ we can do
nothing (John 15:5).
And to finish up chapter 12, Paul switches gears a little bit and explains how we should relate to the world.
He’s explained briefly how we should relate to other Christians. Now he wants us to realize that our relationship
to the world, the way the world perceives our quality of life, is fundamental to our witness to the world. The
basic principle is this: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). It’s hard to live by,
but by rejecting revenge, pursuing peace, living for good, and overcoming evil with good, we sum up Paul’s
teaching, as well as the whole Law and the prophets, as Jesus said. Paul is concerned that our personal
relationships, our kindness and our goodness and the qualities of compassion and mercy, forbearance, and
non-retaliation, would show through in the way that we relate to the world so that the world thinks for a
few fleeting moments, “Christians really are different.” We should do things that even Pagans understand
as morally good. We should pursue peace with the world, but Paul acknowledges that it’s not always possible.
So don’t be the instigator. Don’t pick a fight. And when there is a fight, don’t fight fire with fire; fight
fire with water. Overcome evil with good.
Here’s a good story of that principle in action: “A pastor left a church because of a moral offense. Now, most
of the congregation didn’t know about his moral failure. He was extremely popular; he was well-loved. When the
next pastor came along, there were many people who didn’t like him. They liked their previous pastor though
they didn’t know of the failings of their previous pastor. So when the new pastor met one particular gentleman
in the congregation, the man met him with these words, “You’re not my pastor.” The temptation of that new
pastor was to tear down the reputation of the former pastor. “Well, let me tell you a few things about your
former pastor.” He did not do that. Three months later, the man who said those very mean words to him became
seriously ill. Quietly, lovingly, steadily the new pastor ministered to him in his hospital and in his home.
After many months the man said to him, “You have become my pastor and I thank you.” The new pastor had two
great challenges. The first was to respond with goodness initially when he had been dealt evil. The second
was when that man learned to appreciate him; the new pastor had to continue responding to him in humility
and love and avoid saying and even thinking, “You don’t deserve me to be your pastor the way you’ve acted
toward me.”
Lastly, let God issue punishment while you overcome evil with good. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Rather than seek revenge on those who persecute you, do good to them!
That is unbearable treatment. And Paul quotes Proverbs 25 making it appear that this is your revenge. But we
should avoid the mentality that you’re getting back at them. Though doing good is the most effective thing you
could do, don’t look at that as revenge. Proverbs 24:17-18 Consider Jesus asking the Father to forgive those
crucifying Him. Consider Stephen praying for those stoning him. Consider the sons of martyred missionaries
revisiting those who killed their fathers not to seek revenge, but to come in love with the message of
forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. Consider Frodo in The Lord of The Rings. In the book, Frodo
tells Sam not to kill Saruman, the evil wizard. Saruman stared at Frodo with a strange look of mingled wonder
and respect and hatred, and he says, “You have grown, Halfling. You are wise and cruel. You have robbed my
revenge of sweetness and now I must go hence in bitterness in debt to your mercy. I hate it and you.”
The motive for overcoming evil with good is found in Christ. He overcomes our evil with good in two ways, and
Paul has labored to explain them both: First, He dies for our sins and is raised from the dead, thereby
justifying us. Second, He always intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father and provides the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit thereby sanctifying us. As we said in Romans 1-8, Jesus is the basis of both our
justification and our sanctification. He is overcoming our evil with good. And thus, we should strive
to do the same.
God’s right to punish evildoers in anger (the emotional response) and wrath (the justly controlled focus
of anger directly applied) has drawn questions from those thinking that God is merciful. How can a merciful
God exert His wrath on mankind in eternal hell? And we’ve talked about that in Romans 9 especially. God owes
justice, but He never owes mercy. His response of justice is always justly measured out; His mercy is given
in different measures to different people. And there is nothing wrong with that. But how does God work out
is vengeance in this world? We might expect Paul to explain how that works, and so we learn in chapter 13
that God works through the government to justly issue judgment in the world. We’ll learn more about that
next time.
Footnotes
- 12:1 Or reasonable
- 12:6 Or in agreement with the
- 12:16 Or willing to do menial work
- 12:19 Deut. 32:35
- 12:20 Prov. 25:21,22
Bible text from
Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society.