Romans 12 1-8

KJ

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 

Rom 12:4  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 

Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 

Rom 12:6  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 

Rom 12:7  Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 

Rom 12:8  Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 

Main Points: Paul measures himself as the illustration on how NOT to be arrogant (God’s grace). It is through that grace that he expects the church members to transform their lives with the goal of being productive servants of God.

 

1.    Explain Paul’s appeal in verse 1. What is the basis of his appeal? How do we obey Paul’s appeal?   Living and active, not dead. Sacrifice: (As in the act or the victim). A sacrifice was turned over (willingly) to the authority for their use. In this instance it is living, thus there is a daily, continual turning one’s life over to the authority (God). In this section, Paul will extend what that means in relation to the Christian’s service within the context of the CHURCH. Paul’s “therefore” proceeds eleven chapters of doctrinal clarifications. He has shown their place in God’s kingdom as an act of grace/mercy by God. Because of what he has taught, it should drive the reader to serve God. He makes that clear in the following verses. Whatever your strength is… do it. It is a “logical” service (“now that you know the truth”).

2.    How are we “conformed to this world?” How are we “transformed by the renewal of our minds?”  What does this mean? (See definitions below) The message is not directly to us. It is to those first readers who have just read eleven chapters of the futility of self reliance, reliance on law or anything else that is not Jehovah God through faith in Jesus the Christ. He just told them that they (all mankind) have fallen short. He told them they were using the law to continue in sin. He told them God’s grace should lead us to a spiritual life that is exhibited by the rejection of sin, and replaced by being led by the spirit (chap. 8). All of those failures are conforming to the world. In our times, not much has changed. Note that the words denote two distinct avenues. Conformed is simply to “fashion alike.” Paul addresses what that looks like in chapters 5-7, where the law was an excuse to continue a sinful life. The word transformed is the same word used for the TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS (Mt.17:2). Let that sink in. It is the Greek word from which we (partly) have derived “metamorphosis”….like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. A complete change of the very nature of the being. Let that sink in too!
Within the context: The renewal (renovation) of the mind (the intellect), is precisely what Paul has been striving to do since the beginning of his letter. He is distilling knowledge to bring his listeners to a higher understanding of their calling. His main messages are STOP Sinning! Stop relying on the law/self! Rely (have faith) on God through Jesus! Understand God is calling you! You cannot make God save you! You need to humble yourselves before Him in complete service!

3.    How are we not to think? How are we to think? (12:3) How do we obey these commands?  This is where Paul really begins to unify the church, and address its issues of arrogance and clique-ism. “…I tell everyone, not to think of HIMSELF too HIGHLY than he ought, but think with SOBER JUDGEMENT (or sound mind, sane). Paul has already warned them of some of this. The standard is “according to the measure of faith God has assigned.” Or to the fullest of that faith: Note he hangs the effort on faith, which excludes self reliance/self assessed “greatness”. It’s still about faith, not any perception of self importance. That concept is strengthened in verse 6 where we find that what we possess is not of our own doing, but comes through grace.

4.    What are the different gifts and functions that exist in the one body of Christ?  In this text: PROPHECY/In proportion to faith, Service, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving/With Sincerity, Ruling/With Earnestness, Compassion/With Cheerfulness.

5.    What is the command to us concerning these gifts? How do we obey the command? (6) Let us use them. (The interpretation/conclusion is implied and not actually stated in the text) – In proportion to our faith: this extends to all of the gifts. The exhortation is to identify a strength and do it to its fullest.

 

 

 

Additional

2)    Conform -G4964 suschēmatizō soos-khay-mat-id'-zo  From G4862 and a derivative of G4976; to fashion alike

2)    Transform – G3339 metamorphoō met-am-or-fo'-o From G3326 and G3445; to transform (literally or figuratively “metamorphose”)