TBD

Romans 12:9-21

Observations:

For the believer, the whole of the Christian life is now summed up as loving God and your neighbor (both the saved and unsaved neighbor)

THE GREAT SHIFT. For the believer, they live now in a world where they used to act in a basically, that is, fundamentally, evil way at all times. Now, they are shifting from the way of the world to the way of the Kingdom. Or, the way of the devil, to the way of Christ. Now, abhorring what is evil and holding fast to what is good. It is in this great shift that we find out how stained with sin our old lives really were. We wallowed in sin like pigs wallow in mud. But now, God redeems every aspect our life one by one. Yet, this is not done so in a straight-mannered way. It’s not that you only grow in patience until you are perfectly patient before moving onto another Christian trait (fruit of the Spirit / godly characteristic). It’s also not that you grow in only personal characteristics and then you move onto growing in relationships with Christians, and then relationships with the world (unsaved people). God works in a way as to work on you in all areas simultaneously. He grows the believer in multiple areas at once. This is why we see this section of Romans 12:9-21 as a bunch of apparently randomly-ordered commands all grouped together. Life is never so simple as to only involve one relationship in a person’s life, or one sin to fight against, or one godly characteristic to grow in at a time (not to say you can’t single out one characteristic to persist in prayer over). God has made life in the way that no two days are the same, no two relationships have the same interactions… we need advice for every area of life at all times in life. Weep with those who weep… you will spend time weeping over one thing today, and another tomorrow.

I am sure there is some way I could exemplify this shift in the story of a man who changed ways. A man in prison, a well known figure?

Or, I could ask everyone to tell me a famous person that is worth looking up to? Then, I will ask why are they worth looking up to? Give me some characteristics about this person of why we should look up to them. What are the characteristics of a person that qualify them as worthy to look up to? What does the world cherish as “the good life” or “put together person” or the desired life? What is worth seeking after? Good looks, savvy speech, wealth, . Experience the Great Shift (God deems good as differently than to what the world holds as good). Stranger things, marvel, its living in the same world, yet seeing it in a completely different manner. And behaving in it in a godly manner.

Why should Christians follow all these rules? Because they reveal God’s character. Do you not want to be like your God? Nevertheless, he commands that we “be holy, as [He is] holy.”

What’s the Christian’s “clothing”? What do they “wear”?