- Review 1-8, the Gospel, 9-11, the status of Israel, and now 12-16, the working out
- Treatise
- Not problem-based application to a specific church, but a general application of the entire book
- So, what is the starting point?
- Imagery of sacrifice
- Instead of dead animals it is living flesh, our flesh
- So this goes back to chapter 7--we have a choice. We can choose what the flesh desires or we can choose what God desires
- Choosing according to the Spirit is true worship. Sometimes we wrongly assume worship is just Sunday morning service
- Worship is practiced in how we live out our daily lives
- What is the second point Paul makes in the working out of these truths in our lives?
- Romans 7 describes a war between two forces, 1) the old nature or the flesh and 2) the mind controlled by the Spirit
- We wage this battle by transforming the mind. How do we do this?
- We need to be regularly in the word of God in order to transform the way we think -- this is the second most important thing we can do, the first is to make up our minds to do the right thing
- How do we renew our mind? Garbage in, garbage out. We need to be in the Word
- First step is to decide to make right choices (Lordship). The second step is to renew our mind. What is the third step?
- Pride, thinking more highly of yourself, considering your gift too highly
- Low self-esteem, thinking you are not important
- We need to be part of community, fellowship. We can't be lone rangers, we can't do it all. We are designed to need others
- Let's discuss this more -- what is the proper attitude for the Christian?
- Not to take the position of a "worm," but "to think of yourself with sober judgment"
- Knowledge -- wrong view is that I know the bible better so I am better. Knowing the bible is good if it renews your thinking and changes your life, but knowledge without application is deceptive (James 1:22)
- Lifestyle -- wrong view is that since I do or don't do certain things I am better
- Also, our gift is not any more important than any other person's gift
- We are to exercise our gift with a right attitude. Notice the emphasis not on the "work" but on the attitude in the "work" -- generously, govern diligently, cheerfully, needs of others, serve, faith, encourage, teach ...
- I think this continues the discussion on community. Independent of our individual gifts, we all have a requirement to each other. How are we treat each other?
- Genuine love. Opposite is saying one thing but thinking another. Would also include gossip about the other person
- Abhor evil, hold fast to good from the perspective of the individual's life. This is not a call to judgment since we are also called to love one another
- Love one another in brotherly love--love like one sees in a family
- Example: Mother who believes her son is innocent no matter what he has done is an extreme and incorrect view, but there is a similarity in that our first thought must be to assume the best about our brothers and sisters
- Zeal issue (verses 11-13). A lot of people go through the motions. How do you not lose zeal?
- Develop a vision for the world and disciple making
- Get involved in a ministry
- Give time and money to ministries making an impact in the world
- Pray for other missionaries on a regular basis
- As long as our time and money is focused on our personal lifestyle we will never developed the zeal that is exhorted in this passage
- Going deeper in relationships, how do we feel when something good happens to another but not to us? How do we view our persecutors?
- Blessing others, not cursing them
- Rejoicing and mourning which emphasizes having compassion and understanding the person. Sometimes we are so interested in what we have to say we don't think about what the other person REALLY needs to hear or needs to feel
- Harmony -- don’t get dragged into things that split the body
- DON’T BE PROUD -- Israel's main problem. As a nation and as a people, thinking they were more important than others
- I think the previous verses (3-16) have been focused on our witness / lifestyle among believers. Now, Paul discusses our witness among unbelievers
- There is a truism of life: Someone will do evil to you
- You have a choice:
- We are called "to do what is right in the eyes of everybody"
- Another truism of life: Someone won't like you
- Our choice:
- We are called "to live at peace with everyone"
- http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-to-fight-bitterness
- Actually, God can deal with those who do evil or show contempt toward you
- One, it is God's judge
- Two, it will be more constructive
- Three, it will be more painful
- We are called to overcome evil with good
- We do have a responsibility to the state, our nation--this continues our external witness
- Paul groups all nations in this category (includes Rome especially considering the intended audience)
- For us, Paul groups all Presidents (Nixon, Clinton, Obama, …) in the category of "established by God"
- In England, Henry VIII used this verse to become head of the church and the state
- We would still be required to obey his rules in regard to earthly authority
- In regard to morality, the apostles made it clear that God's rules come first
- Incidentally, failure to follow the law is a legitimate reason to suffer
- On the subject of abortion, there is a difference between a government that permits abortion and a government that requires abortion
- I think we would have moral justification to disobey a gov't that required abortion
- What is our responsibility (and this is not to avoid suffering only but also an issue of conscience, i.e., our submission to God (vs 12:1))?
- Pay our taxes -- don't cheat
- Pay our bills -- don't lie
- Pay honor -- don't be insincere
- I think this next section continues the civil responsibilities. The first issue is what?
- Not to have debt
- I think this is an unpaid bill, not meaning to secure a bill
- Clearly, debt with interest (time paid purchases) are very poor financial habits
- Appreciating items, such as a house, may be reasonable
- Necessary items, such as a car, is another argument. Car payment becomes a rental price for a vehicle
- Credit cards bills, I strongly urge against, unless the entire balance is paid off every month
- All the commandments are summarized in one rule: "love your neighbor as yourself," why?
- Love does not harm
- Application of the "letter of the law" can be used to hurt people
- Love fulfills the law (just like Jesus did when he completely carried out the law)
- Finally, we are nearing the end times (which is also the time of apostasy). The daytime will be the millennial kingdom, but for now we live in the darkness
- Darkness includes orgies (sexual sins of all kinds), drunkenness, dissension, jealousies, etc
- In contrast, we are clothe ourselves with Christ
- Not to gratify the desires of the sinful nature
- The obvious counter is how to gratify the new mind, the renewing of the mind which started chapter 12
Rom
12:1-2 (ESV) 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. 2 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.
Luke 14:25 (ESV) Whoever does not bear his own cross and come
after me cannot be my disciple.
Eph 4:20-24 (ESV) 20 But that is not the way you learned
Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as
the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your
former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be
renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Matt 15:8-9 (ESV) "'This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
Col 3:9-10 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put
off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is
being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Rom
12:3-8 (ESV) 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. 4 For
as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same
function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members one of another. 6 Having gifts
that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy,
in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches,
in his teaching; 8 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.
Rom
12:9-13 (ESV) Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is
good. 10 Love one another with
brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful
in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation,
be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to
the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Rom
12:14-21 (ESV) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep
with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony
with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be
conceited. 17 Repay no one evil for
evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If
possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 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." 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." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1)
to do evil back,
2)
to sit and stew and get bitter,
3)
forgive, forget, and love
1)
get angry,
2)
take revenge,
3)
forgive, forget and love
Rom
13:1-7 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been
instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what
God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are
not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one
who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for
he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger
who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in
subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of
God, attending to this very thing. 7
Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue
to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor
is owed.
Rom
13:8-14 (ESV) Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who
loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not
commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not
covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You
shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a
neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from
sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand.
So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly as in the
daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and
sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
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