Romans 12

     Having concluded the teaching of the doctrine, the rational foundation of the gospel, with a beautiful outburst of praise (11:33-36), Paul begins the practical application, the exhortation to live out the doctrine.

     12:1-2.  All in salvation is “by the mercies of God.”  Yet nothing about this truth of God’s absolute sovereignty takes away the necessity of human will and effort.  Paul strenuously urges his hearers to act.  Prove the will of God (2).  This means test it out.  Confirm the soundness of what is good and acceptable to God by doing it!

     Authorities say that the two words at the end of v.1 can be equally well translated as: 1. spiritual or rational; 2. service or worship.  The KJV well translates it “reasonable service.”  The point, I think, is that since Christ died for us, we should live for him.  It is the spiritual and rational thing to do.  We no longer serve (or worship) by the shadows of the OT temple worship-service, but offer up our own lives with Christ, that we may live no longer conforming to this sinful age, but transforming our minds by obedience into the mind of Christ.  This demands total effort and commitment.  “Not that we can work such a change in ourselves:  we could as soon make a new world as make a new heart by any power of our own; it is God’s work”  (Matthew Henry).

     12:3-8.  Even our faith is not our work.   Its measure is allotted to us by God (3; cf.Eph.2:8).  We are urged to consider the gifts God has given us with sound judgment, i.e., neither flattering ourselves nor hiding our light under a bushel.  The corporate church is a collection of needs and abilities that must work together like the members of a well-conditioned body.  We need each other to make one healthy body of Christ.

     12:9-21.  These verses spell out in some practical detail what Paul meant in vv.1-2.  It takes transformed and renewed minds to do these things, and to live in harmony in the body of Christ.  Vv.9-16 follow a kind of parallel style common in Hebrew poetry such as the Psalms.  The last part of each verse compliments or repeats in different words what was stated in the first part, often explaining and amplifying it.  For example, the last part of v.9 shows us more of what love without hypocrisy really is, because hypocrisy pretends to abhor evil, but clings to it.  Each of these verses follows this pattern.  As in the Psalms, sometimes the parallelism is in the form of a negative contrast, as in v.16.  I especially like how v.12 describes rejoicing in hope as persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.

     12:17.  There may be a parallel in this verse as well, but here the comment is extended all the way through v.21.

     V.18 confirms what every child knows.  It doesn’t really take two to make a quarrel.  Sometimes it isn’t possible to have peace.  Sometimes a fight doesn’t depend on anything you have done.  See that it doesn’t.

     The advice given here is the duty of the private person.  The public powers God has given to ruling authorities to impose a semblance of temporal earthly justice by force is quite another matter (cf.13:1-7).  We must not confuse the two things.