Romans 12.3b-Paul Commands His Readers To Think So That They Think Properly About Themselves
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday September 30, 2009
Romans: Romans 12:3b-Paul Commands His Readers To Think So That They Think Properly About Themselves
Lesson # 402
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 12:1.
Last evening we noted the Pauline prohibition in Romans 12:3, which forbid the Roman believers from thinking more highly of themselves than they were obligated to think.
This evening we will continue with our study of this verse by noting the command that appears in contrast with this prohibition, which calls for Paul’s readers to think so that they think properly about themselves, which as we will note is accomplished by obeying the command in Romans 12:2 to renovate one’s mind.
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.”
Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, 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.”
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.”
“But” is the adversative use of the conjunction alla (a)llav) (al-lah), which is used to set up a contrast between the previous prohibition and the command to follow.
“To think” is the present active infinitive form of the verb phroneo (fronevw) (fron-eh-o), which again means, “to think in a particular manner” referring to the manner in which the Christian must think or the “attitude” they must possess.
“So as to have sound judgment” is composed of the preposition eis (ei)$) (ice), “so as” and the articular accusative neuter singular form of the definite article ho (o() (ho) and the present active infinitive form of the verb sophroneo (swfronevw) (so-fron-eh-o), “to have sound judgment.”
In Romans 12:3, the verb sophroneo means “to think properly” and is used of the Christians in Rome to whom Paul was writing.
The manner in which they are to think is not explicitly mentioned but implied from Romans 12:2.
Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I appeal to each and every one of you spiritual brothers and sisters on the basis of the merciful acts produced by God the Father to offer your bodies as a sacrifice-alive, holy, extremely pleasing and beneficial to God the Father, which is your reasonable service. Consequently, do not conform your behavior in accordance with the standards of this age. On the contrary, permit yourselves to be transformed by renovating your mind in order that each and every one of you may discern what is, as an eternal spiritual truth, God the Father’s will, that which is good as well as extremely pleasing and in addition perfect.”
In Romans 12:2, the verb metamorphoo, “be transformed” refers to the process performed by the Holy Spirit in the believer who is obeying the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the Word of God and deals with conforming the believer into the image of Christ in an experiential sense.
The verb speaks of the process of growing to spiritual maturity and becoming like Christ in an experiential sense.
This process of being transformed into the image of Christ through the Spirit begins inwardly in the soul and manifests itself in the believer’s words and actions.
It also involves prayer both in learning and applying the Word of God.
It refers to accomplishing in time the Father’s plan to conform the justified sinner into the image of Christ, which Paul speaks of Romans 8:29.
In Romans 8:29, Paul teaches that God the Father first foreknew the Christian and then predestinated the Christian to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:28-29, “In fact, we know without a doubt that for the benefit of those who are characterized as divinely loving God the Father, He (the Spirit), as an eternal spiritual truth, always works each and every circumstance together for the good, for the benefit of those who are, as an eternal spiritual truth, the chosen ones, in accordance with His predetermined plan. That is, whom He knew in advance, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son in order that He Himself would, as an eternal spiritual truth, be the firstborn among many spiritual brothers.”
This work of conforming the Christian into the image of Christ began the moment the Christian expressed faith alone in Christ alone.
It continues after salvation in the believer who obeys the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God and it will be completed at the resurrection of the church.
The “customary present imperative” form of metamorphoo denotes a character building command to the effect of “make this your habit.”
The permissive passive voice of the verb metamorphoo emphasizes that Paul’s Christian readers in Rome must make a conscious choice to permit the Holy Spirit to reproduce the character of Christ in their lives by obeying His voice, which is heard through the teaching of the Word of God.
In Romans 12:2, the noun anakainosis, “renewing” refers to the renovation of the believers thinking and is accomplished by the Holy Spirit when the believer prayerfully obeys His voice, which is heard through the Word of God.
It involves not only learning and obeying the Word of God but also prayer since prayer must accompany learning the Word and applying it.
Specifically, it involves not only prayer but appropriating by faith one’s new position in Christ and considering oneself crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ.
Romans 6:11, “In the same way, also, on the one hand, all of you without exception make it your habit to regard yourselves as dead ones with respect to the sin nature while on the other hand those who are, as an eternal spiritual truth, alive with respect to God the Father, in union with Christ, who is Jesus.”
This renovation is related to the command in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Spirit and the command in Colossians 3:16 to let the Word of Christ richly dwell in you.
Ephesians 5:18, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”
Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
This renovation of the believer’s manner of thinking is referred to in Romans 8:5-6 and is called submission to the Spirit.
Romans 8:5-6, “For you see those who at any time exist in the state of being in submission to the flesh are, as an eternal spiritual truth, preoccupied with the things produced by the flesh. However, those in submission to the Spirit, the things produced by the Spirit. In fact, the mind-set produced by the flesh is, as an eternal spiritual truth temporal spiritual death. However, the mind-set produced by the Spirit is, as an eternal spiritual truth life as well as peace.”
Therefore, Paul is commanding his readers to make it a habit to think so that they think properly about themselves, which is in accordance with the objective standard that the Father distributed to each and every believer without exception, namely, justifying faith.
This is accomplished by renovating their minds, which is accomplished by learning and obeying the Father’s will, which is revealed by the Spirit through the teaching of the Word of God.
Specifically, it involves not only prayer but appropriating by faith one’s new position in Christ and considering oneself crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ.
This manner of thinking is consistent with the objective standard that the Father distributed to each and every believer without exception, namely, justifying faith since both emphasize the merits of Christ and who and what He is and what He has done for them.
In Romans 12:3, the verb sophroneo is articular and functions as the object of the preposition eis.
This prepositional phrase denotes result.
Now Paul is commanding his readers to think properly.
However, he does not state explicitly in the command how this was to be accomplished since he already points this out in Romans 12:2 with the command to the Roman believers to be transformed by renovating their mind.
Renovating the mind not only involves prayer but also appropriating by faith one’s new position in Christ and considering oneself crucified, died, buried, raised and seated with Christ.
Therefore, the prepositional phrase eis to sophronein denotes the result of the believer obeying the command to be transformed in their character by renovating their mind.
This indicates that the believer who obeys the command in Romans 12:2 to be transformed by renovating their mind will “result” in their having the capacity to obey the command to think properly.
Tomorrow evening we will wrap up our study of Romans 12:3 by noting that this manner of thinking is consistent with the objective standard that the Father distributed to each believer without exception by which they can accurately and objectively form an opinion of themselves, namely justifying faith.