Romans 12

 

This letter is written to the church of God which is located at Rome, Italy.  It is not written to all the saved of all the ages, or to all the saved on the earth at any one given time.  If it was good for the church at Rome, it will also be good for us as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Verse 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.

I beseech you – to call along the side thereof.

Therefore – Because of the preceding 11 chapters.

Chapter 1 – Introduction and the condemnation of all mankind.

Chapter 2 – The universality of sin and the condemnation of eternity in hell.

Chapter 3 – A description of the oracles of God and more vivid description of the lost and their condition of total depravity.  Verse 24 – We are justified freely by faith and the blood of Christ.

Chapter 4 – Abraham is justified by faith – the doctrines of imputation (sin to Christ, and righteousness to believers).

Chapter 5 – We have peace with God because of justification by faith.

Chapter 6 – The saved are baptized unto holiness – there is never an excuse for sin.

Chapter 7 – Salvation delivers us from the law, but compels us to holiness.  Verse 12 – the law is holy.

Chapter 8 – We are not condemned because of Christ and his shed blood and victorious life.  We suffer for Christ in this life, but all this suffering is a very little thing when compared to all eternity and what Christ as done for us and given to us.

Chapter 9 – Election has kept Israel and will also keep us.

Chapter 10 – Paul prays for the salvation of Israel.  Salvation is for all who will confess their sinfulness to God and believe on him.

Chapter 11 – God cast Israel away, but will restore her to himself again.  No Gentile should brag because Christ could cast us away just as quickly as he cast Israel away.

Chapter 12 – Now see the word “therefore” and we should understand why we should present our bodies a living sacrifice.

By the mercies of God – not what we have done, but what God has done for us.

Present our bodies – This means to be holy in our bodies, not just in our spirits.  Impossible to be holy in our spirits and it not show in our bodies.

  1. Eph. 2:4-10 – Because Christ has saved us, we ought to live for Him.
  2. Titus 3:4-8 – This passages reveals how we used to be sinners, but are now saved by the grace of God.  Because we are saved, we ought to be faithful to God.

 

Reasonable service – Reasonable = logical service.  If God has done anything for you, you ought to live for Him.  [1]

 

Verse 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.

1.            Conformed – fashioned according to the same pattern.

2.            Transformed – “metamorphose” or to make a completely different creature. 

a.       II Cor. 5:17 – when we are in Christ, we are a new creature.

b.        

  1. By – the means behind or the process that causes us to be transformed.
  2. renewing or renovation.  This is a complete remodeling of our minds, so we will think what we ought to think, and not think what we ought not to think.
  3. Mind – Not our spirits – renewing the spirit is God’s job.  Renewing our minds is our job.

a.       Compare to verse 3 where Paul commands every man to think right.

b.       Eph. 4:23 – Use the verses before and after – “And be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind.”

c.       Phil 4:8 – This is what we ought to think.  We can have the peace of God by asking God to take care of all of our problems, but we can have the God of peace when we think as we should.  (compare verse 7 and 9.)

d.       Heb. 12:1 – Wherefore…a great cloud of witnesses.

e.       Heb. 12:12 – Therefore lift up the hands which hand down and the feeble knees…

  1. prove –

a.       Eph. 5:10 – Prove what is acceptable to God.

b.       Eph. 5:17 – Understand what the will of the Lord is.   [2]


[1] Preached to here 08/11/02 IBC Sunday Morning.  Preached “therefore” – the reasons why we present our bodies a living sacrifice.

[2] Preached to here 5/21/00 IBC Sunday Evening  (Living Right Because of Christ)  This message began with Brother Jim Duke leading the church in singing two songs: (1) Here Am I, Send Me, and (2) Follow Me.  At the beginning of the message, I read Isaiah 6:1-8 and emphasized that when we see the Lord, we will then volunteer for His service by asking to go and preach the gospel to all the world.  We won’t have to be drafted into service.  The reason most of us don’t go like we ought to go is because we haven’t seen the Lord high and lifted up.  We haven’t seen His glory, and His honor, and don’t know how strong He is and how He can take care of us in our everyday struggles.  It was a great service, with conviction of the Holy Spirit because of our constant failings and our lack of vision of the Lord, high and lifted up.  Words cannot describe the joy of serving God and the peace that comes with complete dedication to Him and His cause.