I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, 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 renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you 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 not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Romans 12:1-15:13 is a sketch that Paul offers of redefining the daily life of the people of God in the light of salvation through faith. Anyone who believes that God has a people will also need to show how this fact affects the daily life of the people of God. Paul now wants to clarify the look of this new life in Christ. It has roots in the doctrinal section of the letter. This section is an ethical treatise. He has made clear that the Mosaic Law is not the norm of Christian life. Yet, he will now show that love flows from the faith of which he has written in Chapters 1-11. This section of Paul's letter to the Romans exhorts this community to display proper Christian behaviors and attitudes. What I find particularly instructive here is that Paul would oppose any move toward a purely private religion. He is particularly concerned with Christian community in this section.
The way Paul binds his doctrinal reflections in Chapters 1-11 to his exposition of the loving and unifying nature of Christian life in Chapter 12-15 has important implications. Christianity is not simply about intellectual assent to the right things. It involves embodying the life of the risen Lord as we participate in a humble and harmonious way with the people of God. We have the unity and diversity that a body has. In particular, the risen Christ is visible, is bodily, in the historical presence of the Christian community. Paul has made the point that the mercies of God come to us apart from Torah. They have come to us in Christ and we open ourselves to such mercy through faith. Paul is not now imposing a new Torah, which is why referring to this section as the ethical section is so dangerous. He is not proposing the exchange of one code for another. He also wants to be clear that baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ (Chapter 6), that walking in the power of the eschatological gift of the Spirit (Chapter 8), and uniting ourselves to the historical work of God in Israel that finds its fulfillment in Christ (Chapter 9-11), will show themselves in the way we live. The language of the section is simpler and more accessible to most of us as readers than is the discussion of doctrine in Chapters 1-11. Beneath the simpler language we will discover the ambiguity of all life as well as the ambiguity of Christian life. Paul will disclose the ambiguity contained in all ethical and moral reflection. He will also show how such reflections must lead to compassion and understanding of others. The basis for his reflections upon the Christian life are the mercies of God (12:1), which he has explored in Chapters 1-11. The Christian life is to embody that mercy. Paul is reminding us that when we fall short of the humility, harmony, peace, and love he will discuss, our bad conscience still relies upon that mercy. Paul acknowledges that much of the Christian life overlaps with what most of us would consider as “good,” “acceptable,” and wholesome behavior. Yet, the Christian life is discerning of the critical nature of this moment, in which a tension is present between the dominant forces of evil in this age and the eschatological transformation for which Christian faith hopes in the future and strains toward in the present. The temptation will be to read this section as we might an ethical or moral tract as modern, secular persons, with a heavy emphasis upon the individualism that is simply part of our intellectual environment. Paul has before him the specific concerns of Christian communal life, even though such concerns will overlap with good people everywhere. The perspective of this discussion involves our participation in the risen life of Christ as members of his body, embodying the resurrected life of Christ in Christian communities. Such a perspective keeps Paul from simply exchanging one code for another. [1]
In 12:1-2, we find the theme of finding and doing the will of God. Paul establishes the theme for this section, in that the life of the reconstituted people of God is a matter of the reasonable worship of God, a matter of finding and doing the will of God. 1I appeal (Παρακαλῶ, or encourage) to you, a typical form of address in constructing a moral discourse, parenesis, in which he will advise his readers to pursue or abstain from certain ways of life. He will make such appeals in I Corinthians 1:10, II Corinthians 10:1-2, Ephesians 4:1, I Thessalonians 4:1, II Thessalonians 2:1, and Philemon 8. In most of these cases, the appeal is for unity. Therefore, referring to arguments he has made through the first eleven chapters. His appeal is to the Christian family, to brothers and sisters in Rome. By the mercies of God summarizes the theme of these chapters. The action he is exhorting them toward is to present your bodies (σώματα), which suggests a purposive action, a moment. This moment is decisive because it involves bodies, which is anthropological language for the whole person, physical, emotional, and intellectual. In Chapters 7-8, the body is the place where the battle between sin, Law, and flesh takes place. Here, it refers to the whole self. There is no room for a self-important ego in such an act. He becomes explicit in the biblical analogy he is making. He refers to making of the whole self as a living sacrifice (or sacrifices that do not die). Paul refers to his impending death as a sacrificial offering of the faith of his readers in Philippians 2:17. He also refers to the gifts of financial support from them as a fragrant offering in 4:18. Such a living sacrifice is holy and acceptable to God. In Colossians 1:21-22, he refers to the reconciliation with God that the death of Christ accomplished, in order that Christ may present them to God as holy, blameless, and irreproachable before God. Paul refers to the behavior of his team of missionaries as holy, righteous, and blameless in I Thessalonians 2:10, to which his readers are witnesses. To make such an offering involves a decisive act of one's own will, a positive involvement in becoming part of God's plan toward holiness for each Christian. We can think of this sacrifice in contrast to the obviously dead sacrificial animal of the Old Testament sacrificial system. We can also think of this sacrifice of building upon what Paul said in 8:10-11, where the Spirit who dwells in is life and will therefore give life to bodies destined to death. Which, he further identifies, is your spiritual (λογικὴν) worship (λατρείαν.) Such language derives from Leviticus and the sacrificial system as practiced in the temple. “Reasonable cultic activity” would be much better, for 1) the adjective λογικὴν does not mean “spiritual” but rather that which is “logical,” “reasonable” or “appropriate,” and 2) λατρείανusually refers to the sacrificial cult in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX), and thus is consistent with the immediately preceding reference to “living sacrifice.” The following would be a good paraphrase of 12:1: “Therefore I encourage you, brothers and sisters, with God’s compassionate help to offer up your whole selves as living sacrifices to God, holy and acceptable, which would be an appropriate cultic act.” Such an offering is the appropriate response to what God has offered the world in Christ. 2Do not be conformed to this world (αἰῶνι, or better, “age”). The Christian family is to avoid allowing this age, this spirit of the times, which is passing away, to shape them. Such language is part of the apocalyptic background of the message of Paul. Galatians 1:4 refers to the present evil age. In apocalyptic, the contrast is between the present corrupt age and the coming glorious age. For Paul, of course, Christ is the appearance of the coming glorious age in our present evil age, and the Spirit is the agent of that coming glorious age who is at work now to move this age toward its redemption. The glorious age that has already begun will find its maturity in the return of Christ. The temptation is to fit in with those surrounding us at work and at home. The spiritual battle for the Christian family is in the ongoing battle between the present evil age and the coming glorious age that is already present through Christ and the Spirit. But be transformed (μεταμορφοῦσθε) by the renewing of your minds (as in a form of mindfulness or paying attention to one’s mindset). His transformative mindset suggests an attitude that has a passion for improvement, radical metamorphosis, an unwillingness to accept old habits and conventional thinking. Yes, changing our mindset can lead to success, as Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success 2007), but Paul’s view of success was a type of transformation that included self-denial, humility, serving others and seeking the success of others. What Paul is encouraging the Christian family to pursue is the transformation of the mind. We find the term in Mark 9:2 to refer to the body of Jesus, and to the believer forming into the likeness of God in II Corinthians 3:18. Such transformation will mean re-centering of the self. Such a renewal of the mind is so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good (ἀγαθὸν) and acceptable (εὐάρεστον, well-pleasing) and perfect (τέλειον, complete, whole). Paul is encouraging us to ponder who we are, where we stand, and what we do in every moment of decision. In the moment of decision, we become part of the eschatological battle that takes place in this age.[2] Considering the argument in Chapters 5-8 and 9-11, the eschatological battle plays out in our lives and in the constitution of the people of God (church and Israel). He is now showing how that eschatological battle will play itself out in our moral decisions, which will involve what we pursue and what we avoid. He will give some content to our moral decisions in the rest of the letter.
The “Covenant Prayer” of John Wesley is appropriate as we end.
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on Earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
In 12:3-8, he draws out the lesson of humility within the church. The lesson is an important one. If we are to present ourselves to God in a way that makes of us sacrifices that do not die and allow for the renewal of our mindset, we will need to find a local part of the church universal to which we unite. In one sense, we need to find the right neighborhood that will encourage and challenge us in the life-long process of learning what is to be Christian and to lead the Christian life. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.Remember, Paul has already said that his fellow Jews have had overconfidence in the Law, he has shown that the prophets warned of the danger of such overconfidence, and that faith in the saving work of God in Christ gives no one reason to boast. Paul wants us to avoid thinking highly of the self. The Christian family is to pursue a sober or prudent judgment of self rather than giving into the normal human pattern of this present corrupt age to think highly of the self. He invites the Christian family to consider the basic equality of each member. This will require modesty. He wants his readers to avoid arrogance and excess. Such a view of the self is unfitting and overly ambitious in the context of Christian family life. The underlying point is that if the family is to have unity, it must begin here, in a proper estimation of the self. Paul will then invite us to consider the metaphor of the human body. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. The image is vivid enough that it remains powerful all these centuries later. The body is a unity that has diversity of parts. Each part relates to the other part and the sum as one body. Such an attitude is part of our reasonable act of worship. Here is a specific way we can pursue the transformation of the mind and do battle with the present evil age. He calls upon the family to recognize that variety can exist within unity. Such diversity is part of the continued health of the whole. Each part of the body must make full use of what God has given to that member. Grace unites the variety of gifts, temperaments, and passions of individual members.[3] He is stressing that the fellowship of Christians with God and each other rests on their participation in the Christ to whom each of them has a relationship by faith and baptism. If we take what Paul says about the church as the Body of Christ just as it stands, we must understand the new resurrected life, the life of the risen Christ, as a removal of the individual autonomy and separation that are still part of earthly life while still involving respect for individuality.[4] Grace and faith determine the position one has in the body rather than our ambition or merit.
When we share in the creed that we believe in the “holy catholic church,” we do not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. We refer to our belief in the church universal, the global church, in which Christ is present. Although the Church of Jesus Christ is many denominations today, we can still acknowledge the unity we already have in Christ. In other words, we need to see that just as our individual lives have significance and giftedness in order to benefit the larger network (which we call the church), we also need to have enough of the grace of God working through us to acknowledge the various ways God may work through other denominations in order to benefit a still larger network (which we call the kingdom of God). Denominational histories contain within them unique gifts that can feed other denominations. 6 We have gifts (χαρίσματα) that differ according to the grace given to us:
prophecy (προφητείαν, a function of certain persons within the early church, referring to both speaking forth the word of God into a situation and an insight into the future), in proportion to faith; something like Old Testament prophets who spoke as messengers of God. God inspired them to utter the deep things of God for the conviction of sin, edification, comfort, and sometimes predicting the future. If we reflect upon the gift of prophecy further, we will find a need to express the message verbally, to discern the character and motives of people, the capacity to identify, define, and hate evil, the willingness to experience and prompt brokenness, a desire for outward evidences to demonstrate inward conviction, directness and persuasiveness in speaking, a concern for the reputation and program of God, an inward weeping for the sins of others, and an eagerness to have others point their blind spot. The prophet will be misunderstood in seeming harsh, disinterested in individuals, gain results by gimmicks, intolerance of grey areas, neglect for the process of growth, hinder intimate relationships, and little interest in listening to others.
7 ministry (διακονίαν, often in Acts as a description of a group within the early church, as in waiting on tables, giving aid, service), in ministering; such serving has the ability to recall specific likes and dislikes of people, alertness to practical needs, to meet needs as quickly as possible, the stamina to fulfill needs, the willingness to use personal funds, complete a job with evidence of unexpected extra service, an inability to say no, greater enjoyment with short-range goals, and frustration when limitations of time are attached to a job. Misunderstanding arises in that they can be pushy, exclusion of others from a job, disregard for personal and family needs, suspicion of self-advancement, negative reactions when others do not detect needs that seem obvious, rejection of allowing others to serve them, easily hurt, interfere with lessons that the need they sense might teach others, lack of interest in spiritual matters, impatience with others who are helping, frustration with long-range objectives, and sidetracking directives from leadership to meet needs.
the teacher (διδάσκων Jesus taught in the synagogue, he taught the disciples, and he taught the crowds that followed him), in teaching; they believe their gift is foundational to other gifts, an emphasis on the accuracy of words, testing of the knowledge of those who teach them, delight in research in order to validate truth, validating of new information by established systems of truth, presentation of truth in a systematic sequences, avoidance and resistance of illustrations of scripture out of context, and a greater joy in researching truth than presenting it.
8 the exhorter (παρακαλῶν, as in to call near, to admonish, to exhort), in exhortation; such a person visualizes specific achievements and prescribes precise steps of action, avoids systems of information that lack practical application, sees how tribulation can produce new levels of maturity, depends on visible acceptance when speaking to individual groups, discover insights from human experience that can be validated and amplified in scripture, enjoys those eager to follow steps of action, does not teaching unaccompanied by practical steps of actions, and delights in personal conferences that result in new insights. Misunderstanding arises as they can oversimplify the problem, overconfidence in the steps of action, lack of interest in personal evangelism, taking scripture out of context, and disregard for the feelings of those counseled because of the emphasis upon action steps.
the giver (μεταδιδοὺς, sharing what one has with others), in generosity; such a one has an ability to make wise purchases and investments, gives quietyly to effective projects of ministries, attempts to use giving to motivates to give, alert to valid needs that might be overlooked, enjoy meeting needs without the pressure of appeals, joy when gifts are an answer to specific prayer, depends on counsel of partner to confirm the amount of a gift, has concern that the gift be of high quality, and desires to feel a part of the work or person to whom the person gives. Misunderstanding arises when such a person can appear to focus upon temporal values, can appear to desire to control the work or person, giving unnecessary pressure to others, not responding to appeals can seem like lack of generosity, and personal frugality can appear to be selfishness.
the leader (προϊστάμενος, preside over or direct), in diligence; Has an ability to see the overall picture and clarify long-range goals, organizational skills, completes tasks, knows the resources needed, know what can be delegated, stands on the sidelines until those in charge give responsibility to the person, assumes responsibility if no leadership exists, endures reactions from workers to accomplish the task, finds fulfillment in seeing all the pieces coming together and move toward the finished project, and moves on to a new challenge when a previous task is fully completed. Misunderstanding occurs when delegations appear as laziness, willingness to endure appears as callousness, misuse of workers, views people as resources or tools, and the desire to complete tasks swiftly appears insensitivity to the schedule, weariness or priorities of workers.
The compassionate (ἐλεῶν, showing mercy or pity upon the afflicted, Jesus pronouncing that those who show it shall receive it), in cheerfulness. Showing compassion is the ability to feel an atmosphere of joy or distress in a person or group, attracted to understanding people, remove hurts and bring healing, more concern for mental then physical distress, avoids firmness, sensitivity to words and actions that hurt others, discerns sincere motives, enjoys unity with others, and closed to those who are insincere or insensitive. Misunderstanding occurs when the person appears weak and indecisive, guided by feeling rather than logic, misinterpreted by the opposite sex, appear to be taking up the offense of another, and hard to get to know.
A proper understanding of the spiritual gifts one has would lead motivate one to greater commitment and service and bring a new excitement to being part of the body of Christ. Every Christian has at least one. We find our joy in discovering and using our gift. Personal fulfillment flows from maturing the gift or gifts we may have. The point of each gift is to strengthen the body. As Paul makes clear there are varieties of gifts, service, and workings. Yet, the motivation is to express the love God has for others (v. 4). Opportunities for Christian service open to us. The result of exercising our gifts will be seen in the lives of others as determined by the Holy Spirit (v. 6). Our focus needs to be our motivation and the opportunities for service, leaving any manifestation of the gift to the Spirit. These opportunities for service involve declaring truth, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, ruling, and mercy. Each of us may exercise any of these gifts. Yet, we may well discern that our basic motivation is one such gift. If we can learn our basic motivation, we will have a minimum of weariness in serving and maximum effectiveness in serving. As an example, one who has the gift of teaching will still practice the gift of mercy or empathy, but it will be as a teacher. Several reasons may block a person from discovering their basic gift. One may have unresolved problems in personal living, lack of involvement with the needs of others, focus upon imitating others rather than engaging self-discovery, failure to analyze certain activities that appeal to us, and confusion as to what this motivational gift is.[5]
An important part of the Christian life is learning the gift you have and not trying to be something you are not. Granted, circumstances may bring out gifts you did not know you have. However, thinking of ourselves in a humble way means we do not try to be something we are not. Paul will offer a list of gifts that one can expand by going to I Corinthians 12:4-31 and Ephesians 4:11-16. Yet, connecting the variety of the gifts with the body, the point is that all gifts are equally important for the health of the body. We often do not appreciate our own uniqueness. Two cells, each containing 23 chromosomes and within each chromosome hundreds of genes that would govern our essential characteristics. Each one of us is indeed special. The individual member of the body has a responsibility to discover the gift that he or she can use to glorify God through the mission and ministry of the Body of Christ in this world. Proper worship involves everyday life and the communal life of humility and love. One offers unselfishly the gifts and talents one has. We must not think of such gifts in a literal way, as if the Christian waits for a package marked “special delivery.” They do not come from a distant place. Part of our transformation of the mind is that we will see the gifts already at hand in our lives. We can share such gifts with family, friends, and community every day. Such gifts find constant renewal and transformation. We properly understand them better as surprise packages. In fact, the Spirit may nurture a profound spiritual gift within the reader right now, one about which the reader does not even know right now. Most of us are too fearful to unwrap the gift.
Many pastors can identify with the following story. There was a kingdom in which everyone lived by the habit of letting anyone else do the things that someone should do. Finally, frustration got the best of the king. He decided to teach his subjects a lesson. Late one night the king went out to a narrow spot on the road leading into town and right in the middle of it dug a small hole. Then, glancing around, he took from the depths of his cloak a small bag, placed it into the hole, went up the hillside and finding a large stone, pried it loose and let it roll down into the road where he placed it on top of the hole with the bag. A farmer came by and complained about why the road commissioner had not removed the stone. He went around it, though he almost lost his wagonload. The king's guards marched down the road, and they broke ranks in order to get around it. Merchants with packhorses weighed down with items for sale almost lost their goods going around the stone. Finally, three weeks later, the king could stand it no longer. He gathered the people around him at the stone, and said, "I put this stone here; and for three weeks everyone who came by blamed someone else for not moving it." He drew out the bag from beneath the stone, which had a sign on it, "For whoever lifts the stone." When he untied it, a stream of gold coins poured out.
[1] Inspired in part by Barth, Romans, 424-32. When Barth reads this section, his concern is that its simplicity will make people think that life and ethics are simple. This portion of Romans may be straightforward and simple, but neither life nor ethical issues are such. His concern is that the church might embark upon moral exhortation. If it does, it will miss the ambiguous character of life. He thinks of ethics as delicate and dubious. The decisive word about ethics is that it must disclose the full ambiguity of ethical reflection. Ethical reflection must lead us to compassion and understanding of other people. Grace recognizes a bad conscience is part of us all. For that reason, the basis for this exhortation is the mercies of God and the task of ethics is to direct the observable, historical person. Barth will want to stress that as an ethical section, Paul is treating the command of God, which is good, and therefore right, friendly, and wholesome. Paul addresses himself to everyone. Paul offers an exhortation designed to bring comfort. He will want to contrast this entire section, which he sees an expression of the command of God, from general moral principles and a moral fellowship. As he sees it, the individualism of such moral instruction will fail, while the clear communal focus of this passage can succeed. Paul addresses them as a unity as brothers and sisters. God is their common Father and Christ is the eldest brother. This impulse is toward the world as well. The counsel concerning the state has before and after it, a reflection on Christian love. For Paul, participation in the state is a reflection of Christian love. The state is a restraint on evil, signifying further time for people to repent. It reflects the patience of God.
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[5] I kept a paper in my files since Seminary in 1979 on discerning spiritual gifts. It has no author or class attached to it.
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