Spiritual Gifts: LIVING FOR GOD (2)
quality in God by which he faithfully keeps his promises and maintains his covenant relationship with his chosen people despite their unworthiness and unfaithfulness
Our Relationship to God (Rom. 12:1–2)
This is the fourth “therefore” in the letter. Romans 3:20 is the “therefore” of condemnation, declaring that the whole world is guilty before God. Romans 5:1 is the “therefore” of justification, and Romans 8:1 the “therefore” of assurance. In Romans 12:1, we have the “therefore” of dedication,
three steps.
You give God your body (v. 1).
The Christian’s body is God’s temple (1 Cor. 6:19–20) because the Spirit of God dwells within him (Rom. 8:9). It is our privilege to glorify Christ in our body and magnify Christ in our body (Phil. 1:20–21).
We must yield the members of the body as “instruments of righteousness” (Rom. 6:13) for the Holy Spirit to use in the doing of God’s work.
The Old Testament sacrifices were dead sacrifices, but we are to be living sacrifices.
There are two “living sacrifices” in the Bible and they help us understand what this really means. The first is Isaac (Gen. 22); the second is our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is our High Priest (Heb. 4:14–16) and our Advocate (1 John 2:1) before the throne of God.
two reasons for this commitment: (1) it is the right response to all that God has done for us—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God” (italics mine); and (2) this commitment is “our reasonable service” or “our spiritual worship.”
every day is a worship experience when your body is yielded to the Lord.
You give Him your mind (v. 2a).
The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind (see Eph. 4:17–24; Col. 3:1–11)
This word transform is the same as transfigure in Matthew 17:2. It has come into our English language as the word “metamorphosis.”
If the world controls your thinking, you are a conformer; if God controls your thinking, you are a transformer.
God will gradually make your mind more spiritual (see 2 Cor. 3:18).
You give Him your will (v. 2b).
Your mind controls your body, and your will controls your mind. Many people think they can control their will by “willpower,” but usually they fail. (This was Paul’s experience as recorded in Rom. 7:15–21).
only when we yield the will to God that His power can take over and give us the willpower (and the won’t power!) that we need to be victorious Christians
“Not my will, but Thy will be done.” We must pray about everything, and let God have His way in everything.
we must start the day by yielding to Him our bodies, minds, and wills.
Relationship to Other Believers (Rom. 12:3–16)
In short, we belong to each other, we minister to each other, and we need each other.
Honest evaluation (v. 3). Each Christian must know what his spiritual gifts are and what ministry (or ministries) he is to have in the local church.
Nothing causes more damage in a local church than a believer who overrates himself and tries to perform a ministry that he cannot do.
(Sometimes the opposite is true, and people undervalue themselves. Both attitudes are wrong.)
All we can do is accept them and use them to honor His name. (See 1 Cor. 15:10 for Paul’s personal testimony about gifts.)
Moses made a similar mistake when God called him (Ex. 4:1–13).
Faithful cooperation (vv. 4–8).
Whatever gift we have must be dedicated to God and used for the good of the whole church.
the benefit of the whole body of Christ. “Now to each man the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7, NIV).
Spiritual gifts are tools to build with, not toys to play with or weapons to fight with
Loving participation (vv. 9–16).