New Testament Reading: Romans 12:1-21

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12, ESV)

Introduction

Last Sunday I preached on Romans 12:1-2. There we found Paul the Apostle pleading with us, by the mercy of God, and based upon all that he has said to us in the previous chapters of his letter concerning the glorious salvation that has come to us in Christ Jesus, to offer ourselves up to God, body and soul, as sacrifices, living, holy, and acceptable.

Evidently the Apostle was not interested in promoting any kind of “easy-believism” wherein a person comes to Christ to receive benefits from him only to turn away from Christ to go on living for himself and according to the sinful ways of the world. That, to Paul, would have been most repugnant. That, Paul would say, is not true faith. Instead Paul insists that to come to Christ, to believe upon him truly, and to benefit from his finished work, does also involve offering yourself to up to God through faith in Christ. To have Christ as Savior one must have him as Lord, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV).

And so in verses 1 and 2 we do find the Apostle making this beautiful appeal to the Christian. Offer yourselves up to God as a living sacrifice, he says. Do not conform to the sinful patterns of this world, but be transformed to the core of your being by the renewal of your mind so that, over time and by testing, you do find yourself desiring that which God desires, approving of that which God approves, and willing that which God wills. 

Truly, the passage is beautiful and very challenging. And it does apply most directly to individual Christians. We are individually to offer ourselves up to God. We are individually to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. The Christian, having considered all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus is to develop and maintain a proper attitude towards God as we live in this word. Our response to God’s amazing grace should be to “love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart and…soul and… mind and… strength” (Mark 12:30, ESV).

The Apostle Pleads With Us To Develop And Maintain A Proper Attitude Towards One Another As We Live In This Fallen World

But do you see how quickly the Apostle turns to address the Christians attitude towards others? And would you also consider the amount of space that he devotes to this subject. In verse 1 and 2 of chapter 12 he does plead with us to offer ourselves up to God as sacrifices, living, holy and acceptable. And it is only right that he begins there, for that indeed is the first and greatest commandment, to love God with all that we are. If we do not get this right, then we will not have anything right. But look at how quickly he turns to the plead with us to love our neighbor as ourself. And look at how much space he devotes that subject. One only has to glance at the pericope headings from 12:3 on to the end of the book to see that the Apostle labors to exhort the Christian to develop and maintain a proper attitude towards others as we live in this fallen world. And his first concern is that we would love one another in Christ’s church.

I do wonder if we give this matter – our life together in Christ – the same attention that Paul has given to it. I do wonder if we value it enough. It would be hard to find a true Christian who would say, “I need not make much effort in my relationship with God”, but there are many in our day who seem to have little concern at all for cultivating  and maintaining loving relationships within Christ’s church.

Some neglect the local church all together. I was driving my teenage daughter home from school the other day and she was agitated about a conversation she was having with some of her friends. They were claiming to be Christians and yet they were insisting that going to church is not necessary. What maters is that you have a personal relationship with God and that you pray to him at home, they said. It was a happy moment for me to see my daughter really bothered at the thought go this. “I love Jesus but I hate the church”, is a common sentiment today. We would replay, in agreement with brother Blackburn, no, Jesus loves the church, and so should you.

I am not so concerned to address that attitude this evening. I doubt any of you have it. If you do, I’m surprised, though very glad, that you are here. I’m more concerned to address the propensity that even we might have to neglect the cultivation of deep and loving relationships within the body of Christ. Even Christians who have a proper view of the local church may grow tired and negligent in this area, and must be stirred up.

Brothers and sisters, we are to enjoy fellowship with one another within Christ’s church. And let us not trivialize that word. Fellowship is more than engaging in casual conversation after the church service. To have fellowship is to have Christ in common. To have fellowship is to agree that God’s word is true. To have fellowship is to worship God together. Being united together in Christ Jesus, we are to care deeply for one another. Spiritually, we are to build one another up. Physically, we are to address one another’s needs. Friends, we cannot approach our fellowship with one another casually, but we must be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3, ESV). The word “eager” means, “to do something with intense effort and motivation.”

God does care deeply about the our attitude toward one another within Christ’s church. Christ himself did say, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35, ESV).

 “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…”

In verses 3 through 8 of Romans 12 the Apostle urges us to love one another, and he does at first warn against pride. Pride will kill love within the church. Prideful people cannot love others, for they are consumed with loving themselves.

In verse 3 Paul writes, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Romans 12:3, ESV).

I’ve heard it said that pride is form of insanity. To be puffed up with pride is to loose touch with reality. The prideful person thinks too highly of himself. He lives being unaware of his frailty. He lives unaware of his tremendous need. He thinks that what he has, he has gotten by his own strength. He has forgotten that everything good that he does possess was given to him as a gift from God. His treasures are his because God has given them to him. The same is true of his abilities. The position that he might have is his because God has appointed him to it. The prideful person walks around oblivious to this reality. He thinks of himself, not with sober judgment, but foolishly. He lives according to a  lie.

Paul, in another place warned against Christians being “puffed up in favor of one against another.” And to combat the sinful pride he asked them, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:6–7, ESV)

If we are to love one another as Christ has commanded we must keep pride in check. Never should we think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. The earlier chapters of Romans certainly help with this, for it is there that we are told of our total depravity, our helpless condition apart from Christ, and our salvation being owed totally to the sovereign grace of God. In another place the Apostle reminds us that, “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:28–31, ESV).

Where is there room for boasting, then, in the Christian life? There is no room at all! The more we know about God’s word, the more humble we should grow, for it is there in the scriptures that our smallness and God’s greatness is most clearly revealed. And the more gifts we have the more humble we should be – to think that God would be pleased to use frail and sinful creatures such as ourselves in his kingdom. “When [we] have done all that [we] were commanded” what can we say, except, ‘we are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10, ESV).

Brothers and sisters, never should we think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, and according to what God’s word does say about us

Secondly, Paul urges us to appreciate the diversity that exists within the church and to celebrate it, rejoicing in the unity we have in Christ Jesus.

Verse 4: “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:4–5, ESV).

Paul uses the human body to illustrate the principle that in the church there is both great diversity and substantial unity. The human body is made up of many parts. And, as it pertains to their function, those parts do differ greatly from one another. But those parts do make up one body. Paul develops this idea more fully in 1 Corinthians 12:12 and following, but in both places his desire is that we would recognize the diversity within the church, celebrate it, and to honor one another, giving thanks to God for his wisdom and grace.

There is a tendency within the church, I think, for some to, with pride in their heart, say why isn’t every one like me? Why doesn’t everyone have my temperament? Why doesn’t everyone have the passions that I have? Why doesn’t everyone do what I do? Brothers and sisters, we whole give thanks to God that not everyone is like us, but that God has blessed the church with diversity.

Some make the opposite error when they look down upon the gifts that God has given to them and envy the gifts of others, thinking, I have noting to offer, and I wish that I were as they are. 

Both the attitude of pride and the attitude of envy as it pertains to our giftedness within Christ’s church are devastating to the body of Christ. Just as in a healthy human body all of the members, according to their design, do happily do their part for the good of the whole, so to it must be in the local church, for “we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

Thirdly, Paul urges us to use our gifts, whatever they may be, for the good of all.

Verse 6: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6–8, ESV)

It is our view that the gift of prophesy does not exist within the church today as did in the time of the Apostles. That said, Paul does divide spiritual gifts into two broad categories – those gifts which involve speaking, and those gifts which involve serving. These categories do also correspond to the two offices of the church – elder and deacon.

There is much that can be said about verses 6 through 8, but I would prefer to focus only upon the clear and main principle, that whatever our gift may be, that we use it for the building up of Christ’s church. Friends, church is not something that we attend, but it is something that we are a part of. We are members of the Christ’s body, and as members we all do have a service to preform, a function to fill. Let us love one another.

“Let love be genuine…”

Let us also look briefly at verses 9 through 21 where the Apostle delivers a series of exhortations to the Christian, urging us to maintain a proper attitude or heart towards one another in the church.

The section is a little difficult to preach because it lacks the structure and development that is typical of Paul. The exhortations are delivered in rapid fire succession. There is an intensity to the passage, in my opinion. You can almost hear the appeal in the Apostles voice as if he were pleading, please, brothers and sisters, love one another. 

In verse 9 Paul says, “let love be genuine”. Our love for one another must be sincere and without pretense or show. It is easy to pretend to love, and many do. It is easy to talk as if we love, and many do. But to truly love – that is, to love from the heart and to lay your life down for the good of another – is difficult. The Christian’s love is to be sincere. Paul identifies love as the leading virtue, just as he does elsewhere. 1 Corinthians 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal… So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:1,13, ESV). Our love for one another must be genuine.

“Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good”, he says. Leon Morris notes that “true love involves a deep hatred for all that is evil, for evil can never benefit the beloved.” You cannot love someone by approving of or celebrating their sin, for then you would be rooting for their destruction. You might appear to love the sinner as you validate their behavior, but truly you are hating them. To love others truly one must first love God and the things of God. We must hate with a holy hatred what is evil and stick like glue to what is good.

Verse 10: We are to “love one another with brotherly affection.” The bond that Christians enjoy is a familial bond. We have been adopted as sons of God in Christ Jesus. We are brothers and sisters, united together in Christ, with God as Father. This bond will last for all eternity. Our affection for one another should be great.

This love is more than an emotion, but it does manifest itself when we “outdo one another in showing honor.”

Verse 11: Never should we be “slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, [serving] the Lord.” We should be eager to do things for one another when legitimate needs do arise.

Verse 12: We are to “rejoice in hope… be patient in tribulation… [and] constant in prayer.” When you belong to a local church where the members do know and love one another sincerely you will see your brothers and sisters, from time to time, go through very difficult circumstances. How important it is to love those who are suffering by reminding them of the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. This must be done with great care, but it is important for the one who is suffering to be encouraged to look to Jesus for comfort, to remember our salvation in him, and to lay up treasures in the world to come.

Paul does speak often of the power of hope in Christ in his writings. It is Peter who says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials…” (1 Peter 1:3–6, ESV).

Christians are to be patient in tribulation. Patience here means to bear up under difficult circumstances; to endure through suffering. And we are to be constant in prayer. Brothers and sisters, do you endure with one another in the midst of difficulty? Do labor in prayer for one another?

Verse 13: We are to “contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Do see that our love must be demonstrated practically? “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10, ESV).

Verse 14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them”, Paul says. It is not that Paul expects that Christians will persecute Christians. Without question persecution does come from outside the local church. But Paul is concerned for Christians that they keep their heart free from all bitterness even towards their persecutors. Bitterness within the heart, even if it is directed towards those outside the church, will certainly be a cancer to the church. A heart consumed with bitterness cannot love. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”

Verse 15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” How important it is to empathize with those who are suffering and to celebrate with those who are experiencing success. Chrysostom recognized that it “requires more of a high Christian temper, to rejoice with them that do rejoice, than to weep with those who weep… there is none so hard-hearted as not to weep over him that is in calamity: the other requires a very nobel soul, so as not only to keep from envying, but even to feel pleasure with the person who is in esteem.” The only exception that I would take with this comment is that I think there are some who are so hard hearted who will not weep with those who weep. Perhaps it is not hardness of heart, but indifference that I see.

Verse 16: Christians are to “live in harmony with one another.” Never should we “be haughty, but associate with the lowly.” Never should we “be wise in [our] own sight.” Some think too highly of themselves and are unwilling to associate with lowly or hurting people, or to engage in lowly activities. Thankfully, this was not the attitude of our Lord, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…” (Philippians 2:6–7, ESV). Brother and sisters, “have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” (Philippians 2:5, ESV).

Verse 17: “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” If you have been in the church for any length of time you know that Christians do sometimes offend Christians. Certainly non-Christians do sometimes do evil to Christians. Never should we do evil in return, but what is honorable.

Verse 18: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” I appreciate that Paul does say, “if possible”, for there are some situations where doing what is right will lead to conflict. Paul knew this well. He often found himself at the center of conflict. Our Lord also knew this well. Many hated him, but it was because he was light and they were darkness. True as this may be, we are to do everything in our power to live at peace with others. Never should we unnecessarily offend. In the church we must be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3, ESV).

Verse 19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” As it is with bitterness, so it is with a vengeful heart. The Christian should have nothing to do with either.

In my relatively short time in the ministry I have come to see that Christians are sometimes wronged very badly by others. The desire for vengeance can be very strong.There is nothing at all wrong with wanting justice to be served, or for wanting things to be set right. But this is God’s work, and not ours. And so we are to leave it to God. Never should we take revenge ourselves, and neither should have vengeful hearts.

Verse 20: “To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. With hearts free from all bitterness and wrath we are to do good even to our enemies.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” But Christ says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43–45, ESV).

This is how evil is to be overcome – with good. And by responding to our enemy in this way the Apostle says “you will heap burning coals on his head.” I believe that Calvin’s interpretation of this phrase is the correct one. He understands the heaping of burning coals on the head our enemy to mean that when we respond to the evil that our enemy does with good and with kindness, “his mind shall be turned to one side or another; for doubtless our enemy shall either be softened by our benefits, or if he be so savage that nothing can tame him, he shall yet be burnt and tormented by the testimony of his own conscience, on finding himself overwhelmed with our kindness.”

Clearly, there are some exhortations in this string of exhortations that have a Christians attitude towards non-Christians in view. “Bless those who persecute you”, is one example. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him”, is another. But do you see that the Apostles aim is to urge the Christian to maintain a heart of love so that we might love one another in Christ’s church. It is our attitude towards one another that Paul is most concerned with. Our love for one another must be genuine, sincere, and without presence. And if we are to love one another in this way, our hearts must be kept pure. For “if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:14–16, ESV).

Conclusion

Doctrine does matter.

Right doctrine should produce right practice.

It should move us to love and to worship God supremely and with all that we are.

It should move us to love one another.

Pre-Introduction

Brothers and sisters, would you please open with me to Psalm 51 and to Romans 12, which will be the sermon text for today.

Lindsay and I had a very nice time in Gilbert Arizona this past weekend. We stayed with Pastor John Giarrizzo and his wife Roberta, who were very kind and hospitable to us. I was blessed to preach at Grace Covenant Church in the morning and also the quarterly gathering of Confessional Baptists of the Southwest in the evening. I peached from Romans 12:1-8 in the morning and Romans 12:9-21 in the evening.

As I was writing these sermons I thought to myself, these would be good for the saints at Emmaus hear too. Also, it does feel like it would be a good time to take a little break from the book of Revelation. I will preach on Romans 12:1-8 this morning, 12:9-21 next Sunday, and then Pastor Steve Martin, who is the ARBCA coordinator, will be with us on November the 5 to teach in the Emmaus Essentials Sunday School hour and also to preach. Lord willing we’ll jump back into Revelation on November 12, and I do plan to pick up the pace a bit now that it seems as if we’ve gotten the hang of Revelation.

Romans chapter 12 is a famous passage, especially the first two verses of it. And as you know the danger with famous passages of scripture is that they can grow so familiar to us that, over time, we begin to handle them carelessly. We might recite them from memory, but we recite them sloppily and without carful consideration. But we should remember that famous passage like this one are famous for good reason. They tend to speak to matters of great importance. They tend to get to the heart of an issue. They tend to offer great and needful comfort or exhortation to the people of God. And so I pray that, although this text might be familiar to us, the Lord would help us to give careful attention to his word this morning so that we might understand it better, and having understood it, that we might believe what it says and live accordingly.

Let us now give our attention to the reading of God’s inspired, inerrant, clear and authoritative word.

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 51

“To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.” (Psalm 51, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Romans 12:1-8

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:1–8, ESV)

Introduction

I have three introductory observations:

One, it is important to recognize from the outset that in this passage the Apostle is making an “appeal” to us. To appeal is to to ask for something earnestly. To appeal to someone is “to plead” with them. What follows in this passage will indeed come to us with the force of a commandment, for Paul is here telling the Christian how he or she is to live in this world. But Paul does not merely deliver a command to us. He does more than that. He appeals to the Christian. He pleads with us, just as a parent might plead with their child to do what is right, out of love for them. So it is right that we hear urgency and concern in the Apostle’s voice, as if he were saying, “brothers and sisters it is out of my love for you and for God that I plead with you to now live in this way…” His earnest and sincere concern for us, should grab our attention from the outset.

Two, notice that the appeal he will make is one that can only be made “by the mercies of God”. Paul writes, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God…” to do such and such. Indeed, the whole book of Romans up to this point has emphasized the necessity of God’s mercy and grace in the Christian life. We would not have faith at all in Christ, nor the forgiveness of sins that come through faith in him, were it not for the mercy of God. God, by his grace, has brought us to Christ Jesus. He has made us alive in him, and has given to us the gift of faith. And neither would we be able to obey Christ in this world were not for God’s mercy. Not only are we saved by the grace of God, but we are also sanctified by his grace. Paul knows this very well. He mentions it often in his letters. And so when he pleads with us to live in a particular way in this world he is careful to plead with us, “by the mercies of God.” The Christian life is lived, from beginning to end, dependent upon God’s grace. “Give me more grace, Lord!” is the Christian’s cry.

Three, notice that the appeal that Apostle will make is based upon something that he has said before. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers by the mercies of God…”

I remember hearing this rule of interpretation when I was quite young. I suppose it was the first lesson in hermeneutics that I ever received. And it is a good rule: whenever you encounter the word “therefore” in a text you should stop to ask the question, what is the therefore there for?

The word “therefore” in Romans 12:1 indicates that what the Apostle is about to command is based upon something that he has said before. And a careful consideration of things reveals that the “therefore” refers back, not to some isolated statement or concept in chapter 11, but to the whole of the book of Romans up to this point. It’s as if Paul is saying, “now, based upon all that I have said to you concerning your salvation in Christ Jesus, I plead with you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to live in this way.”

Personally, I am thankful for the word “therefore” here in Romans 12:1. Imbedded within this one word is a tremendously important reminder that the Christian life is neither about doctrine alone, nor is it about moral living alone, but is one where, by the grace of God, the truths of God are used by the Spirit of God, to bring about obedience to will of God in the lives of his people. Right doctrine should lead us to right practice. The Apostle is concerned that we have right doctrine (the first eleven chapters of Romans prove this point). But he is also concerned that we live lives of holiness (chapters 12-16 do prove this). Evidently the two things – right doctrine and right living – are not contrary to one another, but they do work together, the one informing and enabling the other.

The word “therefore” points in two directions, then. It points backward into the first eleven chapters of this wonderful letter wherein Paul lays out for us in a most beautiful and systematic way the doctrine of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and by the grace of God alone. And is also points forward into the last five chapters wherein Paul labors to apply the truths he has set forth to the Christ follower.

The truths contained within God’s word (the doctrines) are to be applied. If they are rightly understood and truly believed, then they will, by the grace of God, and by the progressive working of his Holy Spirit, produce holiness within his children.

This is the thing that the Apostle is pleading for. He is pleading with us that we would not walk away from the truths of God’s word unchanged. But having considered all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus – having considered the forgiveness of our sins and the righteousness we now possess through faith in Christ – having considered our freedom from the curse of the law, and our new life in Christ – and having considered the certainty or our eternal inheritance (a certainty grounded, not in ourselves, but in Christ’s finished work) – Paul’s heartfelt plea is that we would go on from that consideration to live our lives properly towards God and towards one another in this world.

The Apostle Pleads With Us To Develop And Maintain A Proper Attitude Towards God As We Live In This Fallen World 

First, the Apostle pleads with us that we would develop and maintain a proper attitude towards God as we live in this fallen world. This is the appeal that is made in verses one and two.

“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…”

Paul says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1, ESV)

After reading the first eleven chapters of Romans we might feel compelled to stop and say, Paul, if all of this true – if God has really been this kind to us – if he has really been so gracious to provide for us so richly in Christ Jesus, what should be our response to him? The answer he gives: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…to God.”

When we hear the word “sacrifice” certainly we are to think of the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant wherein the worshipper was to bring an animal to be slain on the alter to offer it up to the Lord as an act of worship before him. That sacrificial system was done away with when Christ died and rose again. One of the functions of that Old Covenant system was to point forward to the coming of the Christ who would be the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Once the Christ came and did finish the work of making actual atonement for the sins of his people, that Old Covenant system was by God taken away.

But that is not to say that the New Covenant is without a sacrificial system. Indeed, it is only right that sacrifices be offered up to God under the New Covenant too, not to make atonement for sin, for Christ has done that in full – it is finished – we can add nothing to that work – but as an act of worship before God and out of gratitude for all that he has graciously provided. Under the New Covenant we are to offer up, not bulls and goats, but we are to present our own bodies to the Lord, Paul says.

To present your body to God is to surrender your whole self to him. To present your body to God is to say, Lord, I am yours. Everything that I am – body and soul – I present it to you. I am your humble servant. You are my Lord. Use me, Lord, to accomplish your purposes, and to bring honor to your most holy name. This is what it means to present your body as a sacrifice to God.

Notice that the New Covenant sacrifices differ from those of the Old in that these are to be living sacrifices. The animals under the Old Covenant would be brought alive to the alter, but once sacrificed, they were dead. But under the New Covenant the exact opposite is true. We who were dead in our trespasses and sins, God has made alive! And, having been made alive by the Spirit, we do then present our bodies to God as a sacrifice that is living. To offer your body as a living sacrifice is to die to self but to live for God with everything that you are.

Notice that these New Covenant sacrifices are similar to the Old in that they too are to be presented as “holy and acceptable to God…” It is well known that the animals brought to the alter under the Old Covenant had to be “without blemish”. Once brought, they would be consecrated by the priest, set apart, and made holy. Only then would the sacrifice be acceptable to God. And God desires the same from you and me, that we would offer ourselves up to God as sacrifices, holy and acceptable.

Brothers and sisters, we do all struggle with sin. No one among us is perfect. Truly, our hope is in Christ alone. He bore our sins in his body on that tree. And he has clothed us with his righteousness, if we have faith in him. We cannot in any way add to the perfection of Christ’s finished work. Indeed, all of our hope for the forgiveness of our sins rest in him. But do you hear the Apostle pleading with us to live holy in this world. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God…” (Romans 12:1, ESV). Our holiness does matter to God.

Earlier in Romans Paul offered up this exhortation: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:12–14, ESV). Brothers and sisters, if we truly understand Paul’s doctrine then we will, first of all, abandon all hope in self and trust in Christ alone for the forgives of our sins, but then we will immediately go on to pursue holy living with all that is in us, and by the grace of God.

Verse one concludes with the remark, “which is your spiritual worship.” This act of worship – the offering up of your bodies as a living sacrifice – is “spiritual”, Paul says. Actually, some English translations say, “reasonable” instead of “spiritual”. To “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God… is your reasonable service”, says the NKJV.

Obviously there is a complexity to the Greek word which makes finding the perfect English word a little difficult. The idea is that this worship or service that we are to offer up to God is to be from the heart. Calvin said, “This sentence [“which is your reasonable service”], I think, was added, that [Paul] might more clearly apply and confirm the preceding exhortation, as though he had said,—‘Offer yourselves a sacrifice to God, if ye have it in your heart to serve God: for this is the right way of serving God; from which, if any depart, they are but false worshippers.’” Hodge, in his Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans said, “The simplest interpretation is that which takes the word in its natural sense, [namely], pertaining to the mind; it is a mental or spiritual service, in opposition to ceremonial and external observations” (Hodge, 384).

To put it in the simplest of terms, it seems that Paul is saying, don’t go through the motions in this worship. Don’t go through the motions but offer yourselves up to God sincerely, from the heart, and with the mind truly believing that this is what ought to be done. Our minds must be truly convinced that it is only reasonable for God be worshipped by us in this way, given who he is and all that he has done for us in Christ Jesus. It is only reasonable that we offer up our whole selves to God as sacrifices that are living, holy, and acceptable.  

Indeed, the Old Covenant worshippers were also to engage in their worship from the heart, and not just externally and ceremonially. Going through the motions was a problem for them, just as it is for us. And that is why David spoke to the Lord as he did in Psalm 51, saying, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:16–17, ESV).

And so, brothers and sisters, given all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus, it is only reasonable that we offer our whole selves up to him, body and soul, as sacrifices that are living, holy, and acceptable. This we are to do from the heart and with the mind made up that it is only right. This we are to do, being ever dependent upon God and his mercies.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”

You’ve probably noticed that this is easier said than done. The corruptions that remain in our flesh do war against us in our resolve to worship God in this way.  The evil one does also war against us, tempting us to abandon the service of God, and to serve self instead. And the world in which we live pulls down upon us continuously to make us conform to its ways.

The Apostle knows that the battle is real and so does addresses it. He has urged us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, but now he tells us what must happen within us if we are to worship and serve God faithfully in this world.

He says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, ESV)

First, the Apostle tells us what must not happen. “Do not be conformed to this world…”, he warns. This world – that is to say, this present evil age that is at enmity with God – has a way about it. Those who belong to it – those not in Christ – think in a worldly way and live in a worldly way. They live, not to the glory of God, but for themselves. They live, not for the world to come, but for the here and now only. And Paul warns the Christian, do not conform to the way of this world.

By no means is Paul saying that the Christian must disengage from the world completely – this was not Paul’s way, nor was it the way of Christ. And neither is Paul saying that the Christian must come across as strange in this world. No, I do believe that Christians ought to function quite well within society. But he is here warning against being pressed into the mold of the world so that we think as the world thinks, speak and the world speaks, and do as the world does. The Apostle is saying, do not conform to the sinful patterns of this world.

Instead the Christian is to be “be transformed by the renewal of [their] mind…” Transformation is what is needed if the Christian is to worship and serve God faithfully in this world. The Christ follower herself must be changed if she is to resist the gravitational pull of the world, to rise above to the service of God.

How important it is to remember what we once were. We “were dead in the trespasses and sins in which [we] once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1–3, ESV). This was our condition and our way prior to knowing Christ. Some of us lived in that condition and walked in that way longer than others. But then, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” (Ephesians 2:4–5, ESV). That new birth that is here described came to us in an instant. We were spiritually dead and then God made us alive! And our salvation also came in an instant. We were enemies of God, in bondage to sin like the rest of mankind, and God did save us out of that the moment we looked to Christ! But we should also remember that sanctification – this process of transformation that Paul speaks of – lasts for a lifetime. It is not instantaneous, but is progressive. It should not be overlooked that the Greek word translated “transformed” is in the perfect tense in the Greek indicating that this transformation will be an ongoing process.

I’ve noticed that some do experience a kind of rapid and radical transformation when they come to faith in Christ. Sometimes the Lord does change a person rather quickly, freeing them, it would seem, in an instant from the worldly and sinful habits they once had prior to their new life in Christ. But I have also witnessed some who’s transformation seems to come more slowly. Why God permits this, only he knows, but I trust that it is ultimately for his glory and our good.

Whatever your experience has been, notice that Paul does command us to be transformed. The word is in the imperative mood in the Greek. It is a command. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…”, Paul says.  There is to be a difference between the old worldly man and new man in Christ. The Christian is no longer to live according to the world or as the world lives, but is to pursue holy living, all to the glory of God. And in order for this to happen, a transformation must take place within us. We are to pursue it.

Notice that this transformation will come about only “by the renewal of the mind”. In order to be transformed the Christian must learn new things – things that he did know before. And he must also relearn things – there are some things that we think we know, but come to find out that there is error in the thinking.

Frequently I find myself in counseling situations asking the question, are you sure that that thought you have is true? Their response: well, I don’t know. My reply: well, where did it come from? And they say, I guess I’ve just always thought that way. And then we do go together to the word of God to renew the mind.

Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, that in Christ we must relearn things. Our view of the world must be changed. We must learn to think God’s thoughts after him, and to see the world as he sees it. If the transformation that God desires to see in us is to be real and lasting, there must be a renewal of the mind, a changing of the heart.

There are many in this world who try to transform themselves. They want to get their life right with God, they say. They want to straighten up. And so they set out to accomplish it and seek to do so by the power of their own will. But if they do not first submit to the word of God to truly learn its doctrine and believe what it says in the heart, and if the Spirit of God is not at work within them to renew their mind and change their heart, the transformation that they are seeking will not last – certainly it will not last to the glory of God.

It is important to recognize the word “transformed” is not only in the perfect tense, indicating that it is a process, and the imperative mood, indicating that it is a command, but is also in the passive voice, indicating that this transformation is something that must be done to us. The command is not, transform yourself, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. How important it is, brothers and sisters, that we seek transformation – we must pursue it! – but we are to seek it, not by the exertion of our will power alone, but by the renewal of our minds in submission to the word of God and in constant dependence upon the Spirit of God. The Christian must cry out to the Lord, saying, Lord, change me to the core. Enable me to know the truths of your word and to believe them sincerely. Engrave your law deeply upon my heart. And do help me to see the world as you see it, Lord. It is only then that the transformation will be genuine, lasting, and to the glory of God.

The end result of this renewal of the mind – this changing of the heart – is “that by testing [we] may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Here the Apostle burrows down to the deepest objective in our sanctification, that our minds and hearts would be so renewed by the word of God that what God wills, we will – that what God desires for us is what we desire – that what God has commanded is what we are most happy to do. That can only take place by the renewal of the mind and heart. By nature our hearts are bent away from God and towards evil. Some of those corruptions do remain within the hearts of Christians. But over time, with much practice (by testing), and by the renewal of the mind, we do learn to approve that which God approves – that which “is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I’ve been asked, Pastor, how can I overcome this sin or that? And of course there are many practical things that can be said in response to a question like that – partake of the means of grace thoughtfully, ask for accountability, pray, do not put yourself in a situations where you will be tempted – but truthfully, we experience real victory over a particular sin only when there is developed within us a true distain for that sin, whatever it may be, and true love for that which God has commanded instead. Something needs to change within us. That transformation must come about by the renewal of the mind, and through testing, as the Spirit works.

And so we have the first answer to the question, what should we do since God has been so gracious to us? The Apostle does first of all plead with us to develop and maintain a proper attitude towards God as we live in this fallen world. We are to “present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1, ESV).

The Apostle Pleads With Us To Develop And Maintain A Proper Attitude Towards One Another As We Live In This Fallen World

I will mention only briefly the second point because I do wish to pick up here on the next Lord’s Day to develop it further.

Notice that beginning with verse 3 the Apostle also pleads with us to develop and maintain a proper attitude towards one another as we live in this world.

The Christian life, friends, is not be lived in isolation as if all that matters to God is our personal walk with Christ and our personal worship of God, but God has redeemed a people for himself, and these are to enjoy communion with one another on the basis of their having been united together in Christ Jesus. The Christian life is to be lived in the context of the local church where Christians are to love one another.

It should come as no surprise to us that Paul makes these two points of application first, for they do follow after Christ’s summary of the law, do they not? “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” Christ’s answer: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36–40, ESV)

Paul, what should we do in response to the glorious salvation you’ve just described to us? Keep God’s law, he says! Love God with all that you are, offering you whole self up to God as a living sacrifice. And love one another, laying yourselves down for the good of others within Christ’s church. 

Conclusion 

Brothers and sisters, my prayer us that you would agree with the Apostle, saying, yes it is true! It is only right and reasonable that I offer my whole self up to God as a living sacrifice, to worship and serve him in this world. And it is only right that, in offering up my self up to God, I do also lay my life down for the good of my brothers and sisters in Christ. This is only right given all that God has done for me in Christ Jesus. For he is my Creator. More than that, he is my Redeemer. How could I possibly respond to his love in any lesser way?

Let us pray.

Father in heaven, do help us, we pray. Enable us to love you with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Lord, we know that is a summary of your law, and with our mouths, and from the heart, we do say that we want keep it, but we confess that we do struggle to keep it. Lord, our flesh wars against us. So too does the evil one, along with the world. Transform us, Lord, by the renewal of our minds and to the core of our being so that we might live holy before you in this world, keeping your will from the heart. These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Lord. Amen.