CENTER FOR CHURCH ENRICHMENT

SURVEY OF ROMANS

LESSON OUTLINE 10

Romans 12:1-13:14

How Shall We Then Live?

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Introduction

It is important that we see the Christian life as a response to God’s redeeming grace.

Indicating that these chapters are a response to God’s wonderful grace, Paul uses key words to introduce the practical ethical side of his doctrinal teaching.

There are several key terms early in Rom 12 that indicate the introduction of paranetic material (paranetic material is practical ethical teaching that flows from doctrinal material or theology).

These terms are “I appeal”, “therefore”, “for”, and verbs in the imperative form.

We learn a major point from examining Paul’s Epistles; he never gives one doctrine just for the sake of doctrine!

For Paul, doctrine is always followed by practical ethical teaching that grows out of the doctrine!

Technically we call this practical teaching paranesis or paranetic material.

Paranetic material always flows out of doctrinal material which shapes it and controls it, and gives life to the doctrinal material.

What follows in Rom 12:1-15:33 is certainly a call to a Christian response, but it is more than simple moral uprightness and social usefulness.

It is righteous behaviour because of what God has done, and it has a strong Christological foundation to it.

Christ’s atoning work is not only theological, but also moral and ethical, through and through.

The aim of Christ’s atoning work is reconciliation between God and man, and this is only completed when man offers to God that which meets God’s holiness.

Reconciliation begins in God’s work in Christ but is fulfilled in man’s holy response to God.
 

Rom 12:1-3 Man’s Response to God’s Redeeming Mercy and Grace.

Paul’s language is strong and vibrant!

He appeals to us to consider God’s mercy and grace (that which he has been discussing for 11 chapters, and to respond to it in an appropriate manner!

The priestly and sacrificial language Paul uses sets what follows as our acceptable holy sacrifice to God.

We present our very lives to God as a living sacrifice, one that involves every aspect of our lives.

RSV This is our spiritual worship!

The NIV is also good, “spiritual act of worship”.

I like Phillip’s translation of Rom 12:2, “Do not let the world press you into it’s own mold”!

Rather than being shaped by the world we are transformed by the renewal of our minds.

Be transformed is an imperative passive indicating that we must submit to the transformation that takes place in our mind as our minds are focused on God’s saving activity and as the Holy Spirit works in us and we are led and transformed by the Spirit of life (see Rom 8).

This is not simply something the Holy Spirit does, but something that happens when we submit in knowledge to the will of God.

This act of offering our lives to god and being transformed by the renewal of our mind is the will of God (the Jew would understand this correctly as submitting to the Torah), which is good and acceptable to God!
 

Rom 12:3-8 The Use of God’s Gifts of Grace

That God and Christ dispense gifts to the redeemed is a fundamental doctrine of Paul’s. (See Eph 4:7-11).

Sometimes this giving involves the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:4-11), but this does not mean that the only way in which God gives gifts is in a miraculous manner!

That God works in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit does not imply miraculous gifts.  Many of the gifts he gives do not require a miraculous power, only our willingness to let him work in our lives and assist us to grow.

Another thing worth noting in Paul’s terminology is that gifts given by God involve ministry or service.

God’s gifts whether miraculous or otherwise were never intended to be for self aggrandizement, but for service to one another.

Paul lists a number of gifts that God gives his saints, and then encourages the redeemed and transformed believers to use them in service.
 

Rom 12:9-21 Appropriate Conduct Among Those In Covenant Relationship With God and One Another.

The basis of Christian behaviour and relationships is always love for one another.

John goes to great lengths to argue that one cannot love God without loving one’s neighbour [fellow believer] (1 John  4:7-21).

Christians are also taught to love their enemies (Matt 5:43ff; Rom 12:20).

Perhaps Paul reflects on the situation in Rome in this great text!

Jewish Christians had been banished from Rome then returned on several occasions.

The Gentile Christians had remained in Rome to carry on the ministry.

Then the Jewish Christians returned, sometimes with their ethnic convictions regarding food, etc (See Rom 14 & 15).

Tensions must have worn thin on occasions as they do today between congregations who hold different opinions on certain matters!

The bond that should bind Jewish and Gentile Christians must be stronger that was at times apparent!

So Paul exhorts them to let love be genuine, they should outdo one another in showing honour, The should live in harmony, and not be haughty (a temptation that both Jew and Gentile could struggle with).

As far as it depended on each one, they should live peaceably with all, especially with one another, but also with their neighbours!

Christians reconciled to God and one another by the cross of Jesus must show the  world a better way of living.

They must overcome evil with good, which is what God did in Jesus for them!
 

Rom 13:1-7 The Christian and the State

Following up on his exhortation in Rom 12:20 Paul suggests a remarkable principle, especially to those living under the shadow of the power of Rome!

In spite of apparent Roman civil opposition, Paul exhorts the Christians to be subject to their Roman overlords!

Some like the Jehovah Witness faith interpret these governing authorities as the Church authorities, meaning that Paul was not charging the Christians in Rome to obey civil government.

What is more Paul suggests that civil government is a part of God’s program for maintaining peace!

The context of this text does not support such an interpretation!

The context suggests civil rulers who have the responsibility of maintaining peace in a community.

For instance, paying taxes is included in this charge.

1 Pet 2:13-17 likewise charges that Christians should respect civil government, and the context of Peter is certainly Rome.
 

Rom 13:8-14 Urgent Exhortations

Paul closes this section with two general exhortations, the one to owe nothing other that to love one another, the other  to understand the urgency of the hour!

First, to owe no-one anything other than to love one another.  Paul is not prohibiting loans, but is speaking of the debt we owe one another, that is to love. 

Love fulfils the law in the sense that the Torah was intended to maintain good relations among the people of the covenant.

Paul stresses this by citing several of the principles of what we call the 10 commandments.

To love is to fulfil the law!

Note Gal 5:14; Col 3:14; James 2:8; Matt 18.

The next exhortation reminds Christians that they live in the last days!

Note Heb 1:2; Acts 2:17 where Luke and the writer of Hebrews speaks of the last days as being in effect at their time of writing.

The last days is a technical term indicating that the Christian age is the fulfilment of God’s plan  for man on earth.

The end of these last days is not announced and cannot be calculated, so Christians must live in expectancy, for Christ could return at any time!

In Matt 24 Jesus charges that it is not possible to predict the end of the world, although men have attempted to do so from Jesus’ day until now! (Note Matt 24:4)

In Matt 24:36-44 Jesus charged his disciples to be alert and ready for his sudden and unexpected return.

In Rom 13:11 Paul speaks of an urgent hour, using a word for hour, kairos, that indicates a significant or urgent hour.

Since Christians do not know when the end will be, this adds urgency to the present!

Because of this, Christians should not engage in worldly  revelling and debauchery.

The words debauchery and licentiousness imply sexual sin and extravagances.

A prominent theologian has suggested that Christians should live in the present as though it was the final future.  His precise words speak of the present being the arrival of the future.  By the future he has in mind the final coming of Jesus.

Christians should live each day as though it was the day of Jesus return!

By that we mean that we should make the most of the time, living wisely!

This is what Paul instructs the Ephesian Christians in Eph 5:15, 16, and the Colossians in Col 4:5!
 

Summary of Rom 12 & 13 - Practical Living Because of Our Covenant Relationship With God

Paul applies his doctrinal theology to the practical lives of his readers.

Rom 12:1-15:33 form a large block of paranetic material that builds on the theme of God’s righteousness and his great mercy shown toward both Jew and Gentile.

As always for Paul, doctrine has practical implications and application!

Rom 12 :1-2  First he demonstrates how great is the blessing of God’s great mercy, it demands nothing short of our lives offered to Him as a living sacrifice, for this is our priestly service of spiritual worship.

God is worthy of every day and every moment of our lives as a holy sacrifice!

We submit to having our minds transformed by his Word and power as we refuse to permit the world to shape our lives.

Rom 12:3-8  Likewise, we recognize that his grace and work of transformation in our lives results in responsible gifts of ministry or service. 

We remember that in 1 Cor 15:9, 10 that Paul admitted that it was the recognition of God’s grace toward him that motivated him to work harder than any of the other Apostles.

The recognition and awareness of God’s grace is a major feature of our Christian service.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book The Cost of Discipleship warns against “selling grace cheaply in the market place,” meaning that Christians too often take God’s grace too lightly. 
God’s grace comes to us freely, but when we accept it, it should cost us our very lives in Christian service. 
Bonhoeffer knew from personal experience the meaning of Rom 12:1, 2, for in the end he died in a Nazi concentration camp for his Christian faith.

Rom 12:9-21  One result of our awareness of God’s mercy is that we emulate God’s love for one another. 

Strained relationships will exist among Christians, the only reaction to this should be a genuine love for one another in which we always put the other person first, and make every effort on our part to maintain peace.

This love should also overflow toward those outside the faith!

Rom 13:1-7  Living in a hostile environment does not excuse Christians from civil obedience!  Christians should set an example of respect for government, especially in regard to paying one’s taxes!

Civil government is part of God’s plan for maintaining peace.

Rom 13:8-14  The only real debt that Christians should owe is to love.

By living by love one fulfils all the requirements of the Torah (note the 10 commandments, and Gal 5:14; Col 3:14; James 2:8).

Christians should realize how important every moment is and should live as though the final hour had come.

Christians should not live worldly lives of revelling, debauchery, and licentiousness (debauchery and licentiousness are terms associated with sexual promiscuity).