Affirm, Share, Serve...

Affirm

Affirm one another’s strength’s, abilities, and gifts.

— Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

12:1–15:13 The Transforming Power of the Gospel: Christian Conduct. The last major section of the body of Romans sets forth general principles and some specific applications of the gospel.

The gospel provides not only salvation from God’s wrath but also the power to live changed lives. Christ cannot be our Savior without also being our Lord.

12:9–21 Love in Action. In a rapid-fire series of commands, Paul urges believers to demonstrate “sincere” love (v. 9) to both fellow believers (vv. 10, 13, 15–16) and unbelievers (vv. 14, 17–21).

“brotherly love” The Christians saw themselves as a family. God was their Father and they were all brothers and sisters.

Therefore they were united in a love that other people saw only in those of a natural family.

We are to be a family, not just in a formal sense, but we should have a warm and fervent love for one another, a mark, that is not seen elsewhere.

— Do not grumble against one another...

5:7–12 Patience in Suffering. Having warned selfish rich people about the judgment they can expect on the day when the Lord returns (vv. 1–6),

James now instructs the people of God about how they must live in light of that coming day.

The pressures of difficult circumstances can lead believers to take their problems out on each other (grumble).

We are to whine nor complain about one another, about fellow believers.

Sinful speech seems to be a problem with these folks (1:27; 3:1-12; 4:11-12).

Romans 12:3–8 NKJV

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ. Those who are being transformed through the renewing of their minds will refrain from thinking too highly of themselves, recognizing the gifts of others.

Lord, help us not to whine or complain about one another but instead be kind to one another but using our gifts to serve one another.

Affirm one another’s equal importance in Christ.

— 7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

15:1–13 Accept Each Other in Christ. Paul concludes his plea for unity among the Roman Christians by

exhorting the “strong” (vv. 1–4),

summarizing his key concern (vv. 5–7), and

rehearsing the theological point that underlies his exhortation:

the equality of Jew and Gentile in the new covenant people of God (vv. 8–13).

Christ received us as sinners to the glory of God’s grace (),

so we ought to open-heartedly receive imperfect saints.

The word “receive” means a wholehearted acceptance.

Not to wholeheartedly accept one another when Christ has accepted them is unthinkable.

Showing us again, that praising God or glorifying Him is not just an individual thing but something that the community does.

— 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

The purpose of such diversity of gifts is that there be no divisions (schism) in the body.

Giving care and attention to each other’s needs to those well off and to those who are the ‘have nots’.

God put the body together in such a way that those who experience honor in this life and

those who do not

are to astound the world by their unity and their concern for one another.

[Steve and Tom coming together]

— 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

5:1–11 To the Elders and the Flock. Peter’s final instructions to his readers encourage them to preserve Christian unity and identity by standing fast in the true grace of God.

Despite the believer’s current suffering, God will set all things right in the end.

A believer’s live is to e characterized by humility in every aspect ().

And he urges these young men to show respect and honor to those who are more advanced in age.

By implication, they learn obedience and humility from their elders and at the same time (the younger) are trained to assume leadership roles in church and community.

— 1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

2:1–13 Favoritism Forbidden. James condemns favoritism in the church, a striking example of failing to “do” the Word of God.

James’s way of putting the matter makes clear that discriminating against people is inconsistent with true faith in Christ.

Lord may we not show partiality against each other. May there be an air of humility and submission to one another. Let there be no division among us, but that we’d all have the same care for one another, as we welcome one another as Christ did us.

Affirm one another through visible affection.

— Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.

This was the common welcome in the first church. I think the key is the word “holy”. They greeted brothers and sisters differently than they did unbelievers.

— So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

James echoes popular wisdom teaching about the importance of careful listening and the danger of anger that leads to hasty and regrettable words (; ; ).

— And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

In contrast to practicing the vices in v31 which destroy the unity of the Christian community, the readers are urged to ‘be kind to one another, tenderhearted [compassionate], and forgiving each other’.

Think of how godly these characteristics are. kindness? Tender? Forgiving?

— And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you,

This is Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians, which continues with a petition for the abundant growth of their love.

Notice this connection to Christ. “may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another”

Jesus is the one who would infuse them with this love (4:9).

To greet one another (in our culture it’s a hug). To be kind, tender, and forgiving to one another. That our love would increase more and more. Help us to all be eager to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

SHARE

Share one another’s space, goods and time.

— 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

Paul is calling for the Romans not to push for first place for themselves; they are to seek honor for one another ranter than for themselves.

Paul slams hypocrisy (v9) showing that he desires humility, and that love which eagerly seeks out and rejoices in and honors the good qualities in other believers.

— 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

To give of our substance freely or with willingness, kindly and cheerfully.

We do this because we are God’s people. We share God’s goodness through our home because God has show His goodness to us.

His grace overflows the threshold of our homes.

— 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

By doing good, we imitate Christ and bring honor to His name.

These opportunities will arise naturally “as we have opportunity”.

God’s providence will provide these opportunities.

We are often so immersed in our own affairs that we fail to notice the needs of others.

A self-centered Christian is a contradiction of terms.

Lord God may we learn to give preference to one another. Help us to break bread together as opportunities present themselves to us, and in those gatherings, let us do good to one another.

Share one another’s needs and problems.

— Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

6:1–10 Doing Good to All. Paul concludes his ethical instructions by encouraging the Galatian believers to support each other.

Give support to the weak and afflicted. Even though in the end believers are accountable for their own lives (v5) does not mean that we do not care for the needs of others. In doing so, we fulfill the love commandment laid out for us by Jesus ().

— Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message Chapter 5

5:1–11 Comfort Concerning Living Christians at Christ’s Return. Whereas 4:13–18 deal with the fate of deceased Christians at Christ’s return, these verses deal with the fate of living Christians at the same end-time event. The Thessalonian Christians were apparently not merely curious about the timing of Christ’s return but worried about their own fate on that day because Paul (1) twice reassures his readers of who they already are (vv. 5, 8), (2) reminds them that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath” (v. 9), and (3) exhorts them to “encourage one another and build each other up” (v. 11).

5:1–11 Comfort Concerning Living Christians at Christ’s Return. Whereas 4:13–18 deal with the fate of deceased Christians at Christ’s return, these verses deal with the fate of living Christians at the same end-time event. The Thessalonian Christians were apparently not merely curious about the timing of Christ’s return but worried about their own fate on that day because Paul (1) twice reassures his readers of who they already are (vv. 5, 8), (2) reminds them that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath” (v. 9), and (3) exhorts them to “encourage one another and build each other up” (v. 11).

Paul calls the members of the believing community to use this teaching for mutual comfort as well as edification. “edify” describes the way the apostle and other believers help each other grow and progress in the faith.

Each individual in the community is responsible for the development of others and of the whole through this mutual building process.

This term therefore becomes fundamental to Paul’s understanding of the life of the church. The goal of each member of the community is to build up other members of the church (; ; , , , ; , ; ) through the use of the gifts of the Spirit.

— 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

3:7–4:13 Warning: Respond to God’s Word With Enduring Faith. Based on the parallels between Moses and Christ in 3:1–6, this section sets out a typology of judgment using Israel’s wilderness generation as a warning not to turn away from the message of the gospel. It incorporates ideas drawn from several OT passages (; ; ).

3:7–4:13 Warning: Respond to God’s Word With Enduring Faith. Based on the parallels between Moses and Christ in 3:1–6, this section sets out a typology of judgment using Israel’s wilderness generation as a warning not to turn away from the message of the gospel. It incorporates ideas drawn from several OT passages (; ; ).

3:12 Take heed. A common refrain in the book of Hebrews is to listen carefully (2:1–4). All sins come from a heart of unbelief and distrust in the promises of God. living God. The people died in the wilderness because they departed from Him who promised life. God’s rest is life.

3:13 But exhort one another daily. A corporate necessity rests on a congregation’s shoulder to admonish one another to remain faithful to God. deceitfulness of sin. Sin can never deliver what it promises.

Help us to bear the burdens of our family in Christ together. I can only build up and comfort others if I know what’s going on. I desire to do this because of sins hardening effects, help me to exhort others when the opportunity comes.

Share one another’s beliefs, thinking, and spirituality.

— Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

3:1–4:6 Ethical Admonitions. Paul explains how being dead to the elemental spiritual forces of this world and being destined for glory pertains to Christian living. Believers are not called to escape the world but to obey God within it. The transcendent realm where Christ reigns is to set the priorities for their lives. Believers are called to obey because they have already been saved and created anew, and they are to exalt God’s work in the world.

3:16 word of Christ. The reliable and profound teaching about Christ that is the heart of corporate worship. teach and admonish. Conveys the message about Christ with warnings about the hazards of drifting from its truth (1:28) through singing praise ().

— speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

4:17–5:20 Instructions for Christian Living. Paul instructs believers how to “live a life worthy of [their] calling” (4:1) in the community of faith. They must live according to the new self rather than the old (4:17–24). Paul clarifies this with specific instructions about the new and old life (4:25–5:2) and by distinguishing between believers and unbelievers with the metaphor of light and darkness (5:3–14). He finally exhorts believers to live a wise and Spirit-filled life (5:15–20).

The church’s worship should be trinitarian, empowered by the Spirit (v. 18) to sing to the Lord Jesus and to give thanks to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ (2:18).

5:19 speaking. The focus here is not to praise God but to “teach and admonish one another” (). psalms, hymns, and songs. Probably synonymous terms, indicating the use of every appropriate form that the Spirit prompts. Sing and make music … to the Lord. Joyful worship of Christ.

— Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

12:9–21 Love in Action. In a rapid-fire series of commands, Paul urges believers to demonstrate “sincere” love (v. 9) to both fellow believers (vv. 10, 13, 15–16) and unbelievers (vv. 14, 17–21).

12:16 Do not be proud. While broadly applicable, this manifestation of sincere love might apply specifically to the situation of the Roman Christians, especially the Gentile ones (v. 3; 11:18, 25; 14:3, 10, 13). be willing to associate with people of low position “the humble”.

same mind one toward another. A mutual love for one another, without discord. Do not mind the high things. Do not set your minds on position and honor, but mingle freely with the humble.

— Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

1:10–17 A Church Divided Over Leaders. This introduction to 1:10–4:21 reveals two related problems: (1) There are divisions in the church that have led to proclamations of loyalty to one or another of the missionaries and leaders of the church (Paul, Apollos, Cephas). (2) Some people in the church do not place the proclamation of Jesus the crucified Messiah at the center of their understanding of the gospel. The divisions were based on the rhetorical refinement and argumentative brilliance (“wisdom and eloquence,” v. 17) of the church’s preachers, teachers, and missionaries (cf. 2:1, 4, 13).

1:10, 11 brothers and sisters. Reminds the Corinthians that they are one single family and is the basis for the exhortation to unity: a harmoniously functioning family. Paul’s appeal is based not on his personal opinion but on the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the congregation.

1:10 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Suggests Jesus’ presence in the apostle’s admonition. divisions. Dissension resulting from conflicting objectives, convictions, or emphases. perfectly united in mind and thought. United in the same mind and in the same conviction. The believers must work for the same cause—the gospel—by restoring unity and common theological judgment.

Help us to share the word of Christ that richly dwell in us. That we may speak in a way that brings unity and not division. Help us to use our gifts to serve one another.

SERVE

Serve one another though accountability.

— Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

5:13–20 The Prayer of Faith. As in many NT letters, the closing refers to prayer—in this case prayer for those who are sick. The letter concludes, appropriately, by calling believers to intervene on behalf of brothers and sisters who might be straying from the path of righteousness.

5:16 Confess your faults one to another. Not all sins, but those things whereby we have injured or wronged each other (). pray one for another. James now says the whole church can pray for healing. that you may be healed. James speaks now of both physical as well as spiritual health. fervent. Working powerfully. avails much. Has much strength.

— Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

15:14–16:27 The Letter Closing. This includes many of the standard elements in such closings: the author’s travel plans (15:14–29), a request for prayer (15:30–33), a reference to ministry associates (16:1–2, 21–23), greetings (16:3–16), and a doxology (16:25–27). Each of these elements is much longer in Romans than in most of the other NT letters.

When he says that they are full of goodness he is not speaking of an occasional virtuous action; full means plentiful supply. The Romans were outstandingly good.

The Romans also have the ability to admonish [instruct] one another, with the thought of correcting what is amiss. Here it points to the shared and equal brotherly ministry of the members exercising oversight with a sense of congregational obligation.

— Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

4:25 Therefore. In 4:25–5:2, Paul provides specific instructions about the old and new life based on the truths outlined in 4:17–24.

So, putting away falsehood and telling the truth are simply two sides of the same coin.

Here, Paul begins to list particular areas in which a Christians conduct must begin to reveal itself.

for we are members of one another. This recalls 2:13–22; 3:6, 14, 15; 4:1–6, 16, all of which stress the idea that though believers are many, they are also one, namely, one body with Christ as head.

Lying is not only wrong because it causes trouble, friction, disunity and sadness in the church. The law of love certainly implies truthfulness.

Serve one another through forgiveness and reconciliation.

— with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

— bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

— If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

— Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

— Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

— “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Father, help us not to speak evil of one another. Help us to walk in the Spirit and not provoke one another. With gentleness and humility, may we bear with one another in love. Help us Lord to be quick to forgive like Christ did.

Serve one another’s interest rather than your own.

— And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

— We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.

— For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.