Romans 12 - A Living Sacrifice

 

In our last study, we finished up Romans 11. We saw Paul likening the nonbelieving Jews to natural branches of an olive tree that were broken off due to unbelief, and the Gentiles, as wild olive shoots, were grafted into the tree by faith. If God grafted unnatural branches into the olive tree contrary to nature, how much more will He graft in the Jews who choose to place their faith in Jesus Christ? Israel is experiencing a partial blindness to the Gospel until the fullness of the Gentiles is come in. During the latter half of the Tribulation, The Lord will begin dealing with them so that by the end of the seven years, they will be ready to say, “ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The remaining Jews will turn to Christ for salvation, and He will take away their sins.

Similar to his pattern in the book of Ephesians, Paul uses everything he wrote in the first 11 chapters of Romans, which is primarily doctrinal in nature, to then proceed to tell us how we should act in light of these doctrines. There are those today who seek to down-play or outright reject sound doctrine, but it is these doctrines that make it clear all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ. He says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Paul is urging the Roman believers, because of all the mercies God has shown them through Jesus Christ, to act in a different manner. As believers, the Lord wants us to act differently than the world.

Believers are to present (yield) their bodies as a living sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the animals were killed, dressed, and then offered on the altar as a sacrifice. Paul probably had in mind the burnt offering in which the entire animal was burned on the altar. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifices, however, we are living ones. As I have heard it said, the problem with a living sacrifice is that it doesn’t want to stay on the altar. We are to continually yield every part of us to the Lord, holding nothing back, for we are called to live a life of holiness which is being set apart from sin. This is the reasonable or logical thing to do in light of all God has done for us. This word for ‘reasonable’ can also be interpreted ‘of the word,’ so the Scriptures tell us how to live and why we should live this way.

We are not to be conformed to (pressed into the mold of) this world. The world (nonbelievers) in rebellion to God will try to force you and me into doing what they do. This pressure to be molded can be great at times since they have the benefit of the masses. In addition, they are controlled by the evil one who is out to derail us as well.

The answer to not being conformed to this world is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The word ‘transformed’ in the original language is where we get our word metamorphosis, a complete change from the inside out. This metamorphosis begins at salvation when the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside us, and we are made into a new creation. Then, as we begin reading and studying the Scriptures, we begin changing how we think to align with the Word. This then manifests itself in our outward words and actions as we yield ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit. We can then know and approve that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. Missler writes, “As a Christian is transformed in his mind and is made more like Christ, he comes to approve and desire God’s will, not his own will for his life. Then he discovers that God’s will is what is good for him, and that it pleases God, and is complete in every way. It is all he needs.” In the remainder of the chapter, Paul will begin telling us what a life yielded in sacrifice and transformation looks like.

Next, Paul will shift his focus to spiritual gifts which may seem like an abrupt change, however, our ability to walk in the will of God is impossible without the Holy Spirit. Spiritual gifts are there to profit us and aid in the maturing process (1 Co 12:7 and Eph 4:11-16). Before diving into the gifts themselves, Paul first begins by admonishing them to be humble, and not think of themselves more highly than they ought. For some, spiritual gifts are a source of pride, those who operate in a particular gift thinking they have arrived spiritually. However, as Paul points out, it is God who gives each person a measure of faith to operate in a particular gift. Who are we then to think highly of ourselves? Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Co 4:7)

Just as our physical bodies have different parts with different functions, so too, each person in the body of Christ are members of each other. These differing gifts, as Paul says, are according to grace, meaning none of us have done anything to deserve them. In fact, the word for ‘gifts’ itself means a gift of divine grace. So, it’s a double-whammy. If we have a gift Paul says we are to use it. God’s intention for us is to operate in the spiritual gifts He has given us. When we hear the phrase ‘spiritual gifts,’ our minds often go to the more sensational gifts discussed in 1 Corinthians 12-14, but here Paul will primarily cover several gifts that are often overlooked due to their unsensational nature. These gifts are often behind the scenes, but are equally or even more important for the proper function of the body of Christ.

If our gift is prophecy, we are to prophecy in proportion to our faith. Prophecy can be prediction, but it is more than that. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said prophecy is for edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Co 14:3). It is really forthtelling a message from God. In proportion to our faith is more accurately translated in agreement with the faith, so it is to be in agreement with the accepted body of doctrine held by believers. In other words, we do not get to add to the Scriptures, change the existing ones, or re-interpret them how we like such as Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, and Ellen G. White have done. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8-9) The doctrines of the Christian faith are set in stone, being preserved in the Scriptures, so no true word of prophecy will contradict or seek to undo them. If it does, the person is preaching a false Gospel, and they are eternally condemned unless they repent and believe in the true Gospel.

The gift of ministry simply means to be a servant. This is whether we are in the office of elder or Deacon, teaching the Bible, or performing acts of charity in the Church or community. If they see a need, they try to meet it. We all should be like Jesus who came to be a servant, but apparently there are those in the Church who are specially gifted to do this.

Teaching is just like it sounds. Although all pastors should be teachers, not all teachers are pastors. The obvious context is being gifted by the Holy Spirit to teach the Scriptures, but not necessarily limited to that. Exhortation encourages others to put into practice what they have been taught. This exhortation can be a gentle encouragement, or it can be quiet stirring at times, like a coach telling you to get your head in the game. Sometimes, we can take this as a personal attack, but when done right, it is meant to get our attention and provoke us to the right action. Teaching and exhortation go together. As one commentator put it, “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.” So, the body of Christ needs both teaching and the exhortation to do what the Word says.

Those who give are to do it with liberality. This means they give sincerely, selflessly, and generously. Again, as believers, we are all to be generous, but there are those in the body of Christ who are especially gifted to do so. They give abundantly, and they enjoy doing it.

Those who lead are to do it with diligence. This means they take their job seriously, they are prompt to take care of their responsibilities, and they do it to the best of their ability. This not only applies to a pastoral role, but any leadership role in the Church.

Lastly, those who have the gift of mercy should do it with cheerfulness. Mercy is showing compassion for someone, and at times means doing so by not giving them what they deserve. We may have a tendency to do so begrudgingly, especially if they have brought on their own problems, but the Lord wants us to be ready to show them mercy with a cheerful attitude just as He has done for us. Next, Paul will give a series of instructions on how to live as a Christian.

As is proper, following the topic of spiritual gifts, Paul tells them to love. It does not matter what gift we operate in if we do not love one another. What he tells the Romans is similar in some ways to what he wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is to be without hypocrisy.  In other words, it is to be sincere rather than seeking its own. We are to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. We are to be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. We are to honor others by placing their wants and needs ahead of our own. We are not to be lazy in our work, regardless of what it is, whether we enjoy it or not. We are to be fervent in spirit, enthusiastic about what we are doing, especially when it comes to the things of the Lord. We are to rejoice in hope, believing God is going to keep His promises to us. We are to patiently endure the trials the Lord allows in our lives. We are to be people of prayer, and we see examples of this in the Scriptures, both privately and corporately.

We are to distribute to the needs of the saints, and be given to hospitality. We are either going to them or bringing them to us. Hospitality means love for strangers, so it means even seeking out those we do not know.

Concerning those outside the Church, Paul continues, that we should bless those who persecute us rather than cursing them. This tends to go against our nature since we usually want to retaliate in some way. However, not only are we not to retaliate, we are to bless them and pray for them (Mat 5:44-45). It’s those offenses in which we have been seriously wronged that are often the most difficult to forgive, but the Lord is faithful to help us show mercy and grace in those situations.

We are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Again, this may be difficult if we are on the opposite end of the spectrum from them. It causes us to get our attention off ourselves and to be considerate of others. Who knows, maybe our weeping will be turned into rejoicing when we choose to rejoice with others. When we weep with others, we can rest content we have shown them the love of Christ, and this is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul then gives another admonition for believers to walk in humility. We are not to think ourselves more important than our neighbor, nor only associate with those who fit a certain image. This is pride, and the Lord wants us to associate with the humble, viewing everyone as the same in God’s eyes.

We are not to repay evil for evil, but rather be good to everyone. If possible, as much as it depends on us, we are to live peaceably with all men. There are some who will not allow us to live peaceably with them, because it is conditioned on us following their way of life rather than the Lord’s. We are never to compromise what is right, but in our standing for the Lord, we can seek to do it in such a way that makes others want what we have.

We are not supposed to take vengeance on our enemies, but let the Lord do it. “’Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Our vengeance is cruel and merciless, and most likely will only make the problem worse. However, the Lord’s vengeance is just, and is rooted in His love and mercy toward that person. He wants them to repent and be right with Him just as much as He wants that for us. In addition, He knows exactly what is needed to accomplish this, whereas we only see a partial picture.

Our part, again, is to bless them. Paul quotes from Proverbs 25 when he says, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Rather than responding with vengeance and make the problem worse, overcome their evil with kindness by giving them what they need. This will stand the greatest chance of softening their heart to a point where they may be willing to listen. In chapter 13, Paul will continue his practical instruction as it relates to human government.

Romans 11 - All Israel Will Be Saved

Previously in Romans 11, Paul explained that God has not cast off His people, but has saved a remnant according to the election of grace. The rest have been blinded and been given a spirit of stupor because of their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah.

In light of this, Paul asks if they have stumbled that they should fall? In other words, have they been entirely given over to judgment and condemnation? Certainly not! He reiterates that through their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles in order to provoke the Jewish people to jealousy. If God was done with them, He would not even bother provoking them to jealousy. The fact that He does so is proof He wants them back. In fact, the Lord wants both Jew and Gentile to be saved, and in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul states that the Jewish and Gentile believers are now made into one new man, meaning there is no longer any difference or separation between them as it relates to the Kingdom of God.

If their trespass and failure have been the riches of the world and of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, and he viewed his ministry as part of that provocation in hopes that it would save some of them. If their temporary casting away is the reconciling of the world, their acceptance will be life from the dead.

Next, Paul transitions into an agricultural analogy to help explain what is going on. He says if the first fruit is holy, then the lump is also holy. This is the first of two illustrations: In the Old Testament, the Jews were to make a cake from the first of their ground meal, and offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord Numbers 15:20). The second is that of an olive tree. If the root is holy, then so are the branches. There are different interpretations of this passage, the most common view being that the root is God’s covenant through the patriarchs. However, I also see some similarities between this passage and John 15 where He tells His disciples after the Last Supper, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” In this interpretation, the root spoken of by Paul would be Jesus Christ. The natural branches (the unbelieving Jews) were broken off, and we Gentiles, as wild olive shoots, have been grafted in, being partakers of the root and richness of the olive tree. Because of this, we should not boast against the Jews, for we are not there by our own doing. We are only there because we are supported by Jesus Christ.

The Jews were broken off because of unbelief, and we are only there by faith. We should not be arrogant, but have a healthy fear of falling into the same trap as they. The Jews took great pride in their keeping of the law in order to be right before God, and this caused them to be blind to their own sin and subsequently reject Jesus. If God did not spare the natural branches, then why would He spare us for making the same mistake?

In this we see both the goodness and severity of God: on those unbelieving Jews, severity or harshness, but on us, goodness or kindness if we continue in His goodness by our faith in Christ. If not, we too will be cut off. The word for cut off means to cut out or cut off, and fits with Paul’s analogy of the branches being broken off.

As I stated previously, I do not believe a Christian can lose their salvation, but it does appear from these passages and other similar ones that a Christian can leave it through arrogance and unbelief. I do not believe this is an occasional struggle with doubts, but a deliberate choice to leave the faith and become an apostate. There are good Christians who would argue that not even this is possible, that once you accept Christ, you can renounce your faith and still be a Christian; however, a straight-forward reading of these passages seems to disagree with that position. Most willingly accept that the grafting in again of the Jews is them coming to faith in Christ, but we cannot take this part literally and not the warning of God cutting off the Gentiles for unbelief. If anyone does not agree with me on this, that is alright. I believe it is one of those topics for which we can have what we call an “in-house” debate.

Those unbelieving Jews, if they do not remain in unbelief, God is able to graft them in again, and He has already done so. Normally, wild branches would not be grafted into a cultivated olive tree, so it was considered contrary to nature. The same is generally true with other fruit trees, because the wild branches do not produce fruit with the qualities we typically desire. So then, if we, being branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted into the cultivated olive tree contrary to nature, how much more will God graft in the natural branches again if they choose to place their faith in Christ for salvation?

Paul did not want his readers to be ignorant of the mystery, lest they be conceited, another admonition for Gentiles not to think themselves better than the Jews. Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. This blindness is in part because it is temporary and does not apply to every Jew (there is a remnant according to the election of grace). Again, there are varying views on what the fulness of the Gentiles is, most believing it to be a set number of Gentiles coming to faith, followed by the rapture. However, the one hang-up I have with this view is that no event has to proceed the rapture; it is imminent. The word fulness means completion or filled up, thereby giving us the idea of a set number. However,  it can also mean fulness of time, and if so, would coincide with the times of the Gentiles spoken of by Jesus when He said Jerusalem would be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled in Luke 21:24. This is probably referring to the end of the seven-year tribulation when Jesus sets His kingdom up on Earth for one thousand years Daniel 2:44-45)

During the Tribulation, otherwise known as the 70th week of Daniel, the Jews will be deceived into signing a seven-year peace treaty with the antichrist. Half way through, the antichrist will put an end to the daily sacrifice and set up an image in the temple to be worshiped Daniel 9:27). At this point, the Jews will realize they’ve been duped, and flee into the wilderness for safety. This is described as a place prepared for them by God where they will be fed three and a half years, 1,260 days, (Revelation 12:1-6). The word for ‘prepared’ is the same word Jesus uses in John 14 where He says, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (Jn 14:2-3) Just like Jesus has prepared a place for us, He has also prepared a place for the Jewish people during the latter half of the tribulation. This is thought by many to be the rock city of Petra south of the Dead Sea, where the descendants of Esau used to live. Interestingly enough, Christian businessmen have stocked the city with food and evangelistic tracts written in Hebrew in preparation for this time.

It is here where the Lord will begin dealing with them to show them He is their true Messiah. In fact, the Scriptures indicate Jesus will not return until they are ready to acknowledge Him as such. Jesus said, “for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Mat 23:39) He was quoting from Psalm 118:26, and this was sung during the Passover celebration by the congregation to welcome the vindicated King (how interesting). Each of the four Gospels records His triumphal entry, and the people spread their clothes and palm branches on the road, and cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” It is this Messianic passage that the Jews will quote from when Jesus comes the second time.

Zechariah also prophesies of this time, “And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’” (Zech 13:8-9) Apparently, not all the Jews will escape to the city of Petra, but two thirds of them in the land will be killed. However, the ones that survive will call on the name of the Lord, and will say ‘the Lord is my God.’

Coming back to Romans, Paul says, “And so all Israel will be Saved.” Two thirds of the nation will be wiped out, but the remnant of the nation that is left will turn to the Lord. Some like to make the case that this is spiritual Israel, but it is the same Israel as in verse 25 who were partially blinded to the Gospel. Also, we know this is not spiritual Israel because Paul says this is a mystery, and it is no mystery that spiritual Israel will be saved. He then quotes from Isaiah, “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

Paul said that concerning the Gospel they were enemies for the then Gentiles, and no doubt they were. The first wave of persecution for the early Church came from the Jewish leaders. Paul used to be one of them, but when he got saved, they turned on him too. However, concerning the election, they are beloved of the Father. In addition, God doesn’t change His mind regarding His gifts and calling, they are irrevocable. God has made specific promises to Israel regarding their redemption and the right to the land that He gave them, and He will not go back on them ( see Genesis 12:1-7, Genesis 15, and Genesis 17:1-8). As I stated in a previous study, if God does not keep His promises to the Jewish people, then what confidence do we have that He will keep His promises to you and me? So, to say that God is done with the nation of Israel is really an attack on His character. It makes Him out to be a liar when He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Just as we once were disobedient to God and have obtained mercy because of their disobedience, even so will they obtain mercy in their own disobedience through the mercy we have been shown. Eventually this provoking them to jealousy will work. God has concluded both Jew and Gentile in disobedience that He may have mercy on us all. As we saw back in chapter five, we have all inherited our sin nature from Adam, and are incapable of fixing ourselves. Therefore, our only hope is the Lord.

Paul ends this section with a marvelous doxology: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?’ ‘Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?’ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

In this topic of God’s election where He hardens some and has mercy on others, it can be difficult to understand or wrap our minds around it all. However, we are not called to understand it necessarily, but to believe it. The understanding may come little by little, but in Heaven it will be in full. In this we see the riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge, and we see the depths of His judgments and ways. No one knows His mind, neither has He come to any of us for counsel. No one has given to God and needs to be repaid. This is what makes Him God. A God small enough for us to figure out, take our advice, or enter into judgment with us is not God. Everything we have is of Him or through Him, and we give it back to Him with our praise and worship, now, and for eternity. In the next chapter Paul will shift his focus to giving more practical instruction for the daily lives of believers.

 

Additional Links

 

Middle East: War And Peace - Part 1 This is probably the best series I have heard on the whole Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It was given by Jon Courson at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa several years ago.

What is the fullness of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25)?

What Is the Rapture? - David Jeremiah Blog