Romans 12:4-5 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.Verse 4 explains v. 3, specifically concerning how one Christian measures himself against another. The truth is, the Church of Jesus Christ is a group of people—a body—who have placed their faith in Chri...

Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.In Romans 12:3 Paul speaks of both the grace given to him by God and the faith God has measured to him. It is grace, God’s first gift to man, that opens the door to His second ...

Romans 12:3 “For I say through the grace given to me, to all those among you, do not think too highly of yourselves than that which is necessary to think, but think with sound-thinking—each as God divided a measure of faith” (author’s literal translation).It is only by the grace of God that anyone can exhort others in God’s ways as Paul does. He could have said anything at this point in his letter...

Romans 12:2 …Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.            The purpose of having a transformed mind is found in the second part of v. 2: “so that you may prove what the will of God is…” Without a transformed mind, or a mind that is being transformed by the Spirit and His word (Scripture), one ca...

Romans 12:2b Do not be conformed… but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Whereas v. 1 issues an urgent plea for Christians to offer themselves to God, v. 2 issues two complementary commands on how Christians should offer themselves to God. First, by way of a negative command, Christians are told...

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world…            As any Christian can attest, being a follower of Christ, sadly, does not always entail actually following Christ. There are times when Christians choose to follow their own ways or the ways of others who are not Christians and are thus not pleasing to God. Being a Christian does not keep us from being tempted to follow that which is wicked,...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...