Romans 12:9-21

In this section of the letter Paul teaches us how to live as Christians amongst others inside and outside of the church, those who are a blessing to us, as well as those who have evil intentions towards us.

Verse 3

Interesting that Paul says all of this before speaking of the spiritual gifts and roles or you might say offices that each one of us has to be used in the ministry of the gospel.

But even in this right estimation of ourselves is the understanding that the gifts or offices that we have been given by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of others are to be received and exercised according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Let me put it another way. I have been given a bigger measure of faith in regards to the gift and office of Bible teaching, but I have not been given as large a measure of faith in administration or mercy. However I have full confidence that in the church God will provide someone who has a greater measure of faith in exercising and filling those roles because this is Christ’s church and He has a plan for it to operate in a right and orderly fashion.

Look how this continues

Verses 4-5

Verses 6-8

Paul here lays out an exhortation to use the gifts that God gave to individual members of the church for the benefit of all and explains the way these gifts should be used.

Gifts - (charisma) - supernatural or otherworldly power or gifts given by the Holy Spirit to the individual members within the body of Christ and the local church specifically. These gifts are given as an extension of God’s grace to be used for the mutual benefit of the church and the advancement of Christ’s kingdom.

Otherworldly people need otherworldly gifts and power to accomplish otherworldly things for an otherworldly church that was purchased by the otherworldly Christ.

Prophecy - Speaking a word from the Lord (not necessarily a forth telling)

Serving - ministry is oftentimes serving the needs of others before your own

Teaching - instruction

Exhortation - the one who encourages others. In this context it may be more specifically to encourage others to live out what they’ve been taught.

Romans 3. An Exhortation to Use (and How to Use) the Gifts God Has Granted to the Individual Members of the Church (6–8)

Those who are taught but not exhorted become “fat sheep” that only take in and never live the Christian life. Those who are exhorted but not taught become excited and active, but have no depth or understanding to what they do and will burn out quickly or will work in wrong ways.

The Message of Romans 18. Our Relationship to Ourselves: Thinking Soberly about Our Gifts (12:3–8)

Parakaleō is a verb with a wide spectrum of meanings, ranging from encouraging and exhorting to comforting, conciliating or consoling. This gift may be exercised from a pulpit or platform (‘the gift of stirring speech’, NEB), or through writing (12:1), but more often it is used behind the scenes as ‘the gift of counselling’ (REB), or in offering friendship to the lonely and giving fresh courage to those who have lost heart. Barnabas, the ‘son of encouragement’, evidently had this gift and used it in befriending Saul of Tarsus.

(Stott)

Contributes - one who gives. I like Guzik’s definition

He who gives: This refers to someone who is a channel through whom God provides resources for His body. This is an important spiritual gift that must be exercised with liberality. When someone who is called and gifted to be a giver stops giving Iiberally, they will often see their resources dry up—having forgotten why God has blessed them.

David Guzik, Romans, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible, (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Ro 12:6–8.

Leads - Lit- The one standing in front of and caring for others. Pastors and Administrators often have this gift of leadership because it takes the right kind of personality to get everyone on the same path. Leading a church is oftentimes like herding cats.

Mercy - compassion

Cheerfulness - I don’t really understand people who have the gift of mercy, though I am very grateful for them and have been ministered to greatly by them. But one thing is for sure cheerfulness is a part of how this gift is exercised or tempered.

When I think of mercy I immediately think of 3 different people. A beautiful saint up in CC Farmington named Becky Farris. She is the possibly the sweetest person you will ever meet as mercy just pours out of her at all times it seems and all the while she is cheerful. So much so that when Liana and I first met her we thought for sure she was putting on in front of us. Then I think of our niece Destiny who once explained the gift by saying that sometimes she can just be overwhelmed with a hurting in her heart for someone across the room and she just has the need to go and be merciful to them. Thirdly, my Rhema. She is incapable of seeing someone cry or look sick without bursting into tears herself. The other night at dinner I had tears in my eyes over a sweet memory and she got out of her seat to hug me and make sure I was ok.

Verses 9-13

It has been noted by many Pastors and Bible teachers that Paul here seems to follow a similar pattern to what he writes in 1 Corinthians 12-13 with the previous section speaking to the gifts, positions, and callings of the Christian and this section being dominated by the topic of Christian love.

In this final section of chapter 12 Paul makes the case for the way we are to love each other as family (fellow children of God in Christ). Up until this point in the letter Paul has only referred to Agape love as an attribute of God toward mankind...

Romans 5:8 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:5 ESV

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 8:35–38 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,

But now Paul will focus our attention on how we are to live out Agape love as the body of Christ. In fact from this point on through chapter 15 Paul exhorts us to live out love in every relationship we have whether that be within the church, outside the church, and even toward the government. Before we look at how love is lived out towards those outside the church lets look at how we are to love one another. This is fitting for Paul to discuss since Jesus said...

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So how are we to do this? Paul exhorts us in verses 9-16...

Genuine - sincerity, without hypocrisy

The hypocrites as you probably know were the actors on stage. They would wear a mask as part of their playing another character. Our love for one another should be absent from or without hypocrisy. It should in fact be sincere and genuine just as Christ’s love for us was genuine.

Abhor - despise, stay away from, avoid, hate

hold fast - cling to, stick to with glue

In order to hate what is evil and glue ourselves to what is good we need to know what God calls good and evil, and we need to have discernment to understand and act upon those things.

love one another - be devoted to each other with brotherly love - In the greek the verse reads philostorgos (natural affection like a parent loves a child) then the next mention is philadelphia (brotherly love --- Paul uses these words which were used in that day to speak of the love within the home amongst blood relatives and applies them to the way we are to love each other in the church.

Honor - respect - Paul says we should be trying to outdo each other in this department!

Slothful in zeal - Have you grown cold in your zeal for the Lord? Zeal is bubbling over with enthusiasm, being hot not lukewarm or cold. Has the cares of this world caused a slothful or lazy attitude in you towards the Lord, His Holy Spirit, His word, or His people? If so do as Jesus said to the church of Laodicea and be zealous and repent! The opposite of slothfulness is enthusiasm. Be enthusiastic about the Lord, His Holy Spirit, His word, and His people! Why? Because all of that is in reference to how we serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope - In the Greek it is rejoice in “the” hope… Jesus return for us, His 2nd coming to rule and reign as the eternal king and place every enemy under His feet, as well as the eternal joy and peace of being in His presence.

Patient in tribulation - While we wait for Christ to return for us (Rapture us) we will suffer in various ways and we are called to be patient in our waiting for Jesus. This requires the next thing on the list...

Be constant in prayer - Paul told the Thessalonians that we are supposed to be people...

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Next up is Contribute to the needs of the saints - What is a saint? Holy ones - Those who have placed their faith in Christ Jesus.

We spent the last week living out verse 13

Verse 14

How we are to deal with the world even when being mistreated by those outside of the family of the church.

How do you like this one? How well do you live this one out?

Paul is merely echoing what Jesus already taught...

Luke 6:27–35 ESV

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Verse 14 is a bit of foreshadowing for the last 5 verses that we will see in a moment.

Verses 15-16

Remember that Paul is exhorting us to love here, and that means getting involved with people’s lives. That at times means getting out of our comfort zones and bearing our hearts. Christina love is a sympathetic love as well as a harmonious love.

harmony - think the same things towards one another, be of the same mind

do not be haughty - pride and arrogance have no place in the life of the Christian. The idea here is really of being conceited. God will always allow people we are at times uncomfortable with into our lives, and we are called to love and minister to them even if their differences are a lower station of life. Jesus hung out with far worse and far lower and anytime you forget that just take a look in the mirror.

Verses 17-21

How to live alongside everyone whether they be part of the church or the world. This last section tells us how we are to respond to those who do us evil.

We saw in verse 14 that we are to bless and not to curse those who persecute us, and now we see that we have 3 other things we as Christians are to avoid doing…

Repay evil for evil, avenge ourselves, be overcome by evil. Lets look at the first one. But as we will see, each of these things is paired with that which we are to do.

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