Last week we looked back at our Incarnational Living series to help cement those ideas in our thinking. This week we are going to do the same with Romans 12-16. We will cover one section per day and I'll point out the big themes that we should be seeing.
Romans 12:1-13
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform 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.
3 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 faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
There is so much beauty in this chapter that we won't be able to talk about today. If you would like to, feel free to go back and review the content from a few weeks ago Week 1: Romans 12.
Remember, the beginning of chapter 12 marks Paul's transition from the theology of the previous eleven chapters to the practical teaching that is the result of that theology. This should remind us that right living always follows right thinking about God. In short, orthopraxy follows orthodoxy. This conflicts with our pragmatic mindset. "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it," is a common thought many of us have. We demand simple practical applications to every sermon and every devotional. We forget that Paul spends eleven chapters talking theology and only four talking practical application. I think he knows something about us. If we don't think in truth, having our minds transformed by God, whatever practical application we pursue will be short-lived and ultimately ineffective for life change.
Paul's main plea is for the Roman Christians to offer their bodies as a living sacrifice to God. He seasons this appeal with a ton of OT, sacrificial language—present, sacrifice, holy, pleasing. He then says that this is their true and proper worship. The idea here is that the Christian community, known as the church, giving their whole life to God, is the only reasonable response to the mercies that God has shown them. Because of God's mercies, it just makes sense that this is what we should do. His mercies are so great, nothing short of giving all of ourselves to God makes sense.
Note that the "living sacrifice" is singular, yet the "brothers and sisters" and "bodies" are plural. This indicates Paul's view of the church—the many individuals within the church presenting to God a single sacrifice as a community. This idea challenges both the hyper-individualism and hyper-socialism ideas of our day.
So what are these mercies of which he speaks, and really bases his whole plea. To get the full picture of that, we would have to read all of Romans 1-11, but the long and short of it is the story of salvation—we are all sinners yet Jesus died in our place to redeem us from our sin and the wrath of God. He did this, not because of anything intrinsically good in humanity, but simply because of his mercy. The Gentiles specifically have cause to cherish the mercies of God because they were formerly not a part of the people of God but, according his plan, now they have been grafted in and a whole new community was created.
This, right here, is nothing short of the entire basis for Christian living. When we recognize the mercies of God in salvation and adoption into his family we should lay our whole life on the altar to him and this must be done collectively in community with others. The many individuals present a singular sacrifice to God in the form of the church. When we do this God will transform our minds to know his will. What follows then is God's will for how we should live in community and in the world. We will also then know what is good and we can then use it to overcome evil.
Additional Content
Reflection
Think about God's mercies in salvation. Think of how He saved you by dying on the cross for you, making a way for you to be a part of the family of God. If you've grasped that truth in even the smallest degree, the only reasonable thing to do is to give all of yourself to him. If you've never done that, take a few moments and go through the various aspects of your life (ie. your finances, your relationships, your thinking, your desires, your work, your hobbies, etc.) and surrender them one by one to God. Offer all of yourself as a living sacrifice to God. Oh, and don't forget to view your sacrifice as a part of the community's sacrifice, together making one singular sacrifice to God.