Romans 12:1 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.From Romans 1-11 Paul reveals what a Christian is, and now from Romans 12-16 he reveals what a does. Prior to being saved by Jesus Christ, believers were incapable of pleasing God or even seeking Him (Rom. 3:9-18). They we...  Read More

Romans 12:1 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 (ESV).The phrase “spiritual worship” in the ESV is translated as such in the RSV, NAS, and NIV translations. The KJV and NET, however, translate it as “reasonable service.” Both Young and Darby translate it as “intelligent...  Read More

Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.            Having established that Paul’s exhortation in his appeal is urgent for believers in Christ in view of God’s mercies, Paul will now put forth the urgent command which is to worship God with one’s body. Now th...  Read More

Romans 12:1a Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God…Although Romans chapters 1-11 are not completely devoid of exhortation to Christian-living (cf. 6:11-13, 19; 11:18, 20), for the most part they have been concerned with doctrinal truths concerning God’s mercies on depraved humanity. While these chapters lay the foundation for Christiana worship, chapters 12-16 encourage the action ...  Read More

Romans 11:35-36 Or who has first given to [God] that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.            The expected answer to Paul’s rhetorical question in Romans 11:35 is that absolutely no one has ever given anything to God that has somehow put God in their debt. Of course it is certainly true that people ...  Read More

Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?            In his Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul set out to expound upon the righteousness of God, for that is the theme of the epistle (cf. 1:16-17). From the revelation t...  Read More

Romans 11:32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.The astounding statement in v. 32 is merely a summary statement of what Paul has been saying since the first chapter of Romans. The more immediate context, however, is Romans 9 where it is said that God hardens whomever He will (9:18), but He does so in order that He might show mercy. The key term in 11:32 is “sh...  Read More

Romans 11:28-31 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the m...  Read More

Romans 11:26-27 …and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”Paul backs up his claim that “all Israel will be saved” in v. 26 by quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures which prophesy a “Deliverer” coming “from Zion.” Zion was the fortress of Jerusalem ...  Read More

Romans 11:26 And in this way all Israel will be saved… (ESV)The English Standard Version (ESV), reflecting an amillennial view of Israel, renders v. 26 as, “In this way all Israel will be saved.” Yet the Greek text says, “And thus, all Israel will be saved.” The amillennial view is that “all Israel” is a designation for all Christians, both Jewish and Gentile believers. This stems from the idea th...  Read More

Romans 11:25-26a For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved…At the conclusion of the parable of the olive tree in 11:17-24, Paul brings the audience back to him by calling them “brethren,” as if...  Read More

Romans 11:22-24 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contr...  Read More