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Romans chapters 12-16

4. THE TEMPLE OF GOD. 
GOD’S WILL is transformation, and we are exhorted.

romans CHAPTER TWELVE

 This chapter is a key passage on Godly living…

This is a part of
THE TEMPLE OF GOD 
and shows His goal and will –

 TRANSFORMATION 
of the REDEEMED.

The Almighty in this chapter gives some very exciting instructions! We will delve deeply, for the victory and fruitfulness of our Christian lives depends upon our understanding of God’s superb Plan presented herein. In every way we must cooperate with the Lord’s intentions and goals, NOT substituting our own instead! Many Christians have no idea what the purposes and Plans of God are about, no wonder they are in a dilemma. But you will now comprehend as the Holy Spirit opens God’s Word to us. In chapter six of Romans God gives us a detailed instruction in the steps leading into sanctification by His Grace. Here in chapter twelve He gives an extended invitation for believers to freely offer themselves up for His goal of transforming them into Christ Jesus’ image. Today there are many, many unbiblical teachers urging believers to be “transformed.” But we must not listen to anything that is NOT the transformation that God’s Word presents to us. Romans twelve is vital for us, not just because it shows us clearly what the LORD wants to do with us, but also because it should make us aware of what the counterfeit “transformation” is as well! Take note of what is REAL, and the fake will not be acceptable to you. Keep in God’s Word, in obedience and trust, and the Holy Spirit will make plain what is unadulterated Christianity, and what is not.

 romans 12:1,2: 

1. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. 

2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. " 

Note that Paul does not issue some curt command.

He beseeches or pleads with believers to present their bodies to God. Loving service to the Lord cannot be commanded! It would not be given for love then, would it? Leaders who demand obedience to themselves as God’s supposed servants are not operating from the Lord! If some leader demands that you attend his Bible studies or church or you will go to hell, he is a false teacher. If he/she commands you to let your hair grow long, take off your gold wedding ring, wear only dresses and skirts, listen only to his sermons or any other thing – do not accept his ministry. God does not set priests over you who demand, control and pressure into obedience to legalistic rules! Paul speaks the language of GRACE in Romans.

For more passages to read on this look at 1 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 4:1; 1 Tim.2:1.  

What are we invited to do?  

We are invited to present our bodies “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.” There are three important points here:

1. You are to present your BODY! God is not primarily interested in your bank account, your talents, your time or gifts. They are merely side issues. The only gift God really wants from you, the only one, is YOURSELF, and you are in your body! You are God’s redeemed creature; He wants you to give Him yourself, wholly.

See 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19, 20; 11 Cor. 8:5. (Phoebe Palmer’s “The Way of Holiness” book). 

2. You are to give Him your living body! It is easier to say you would die for the Lord than to LIVE for Him. 

3. You are to give God your separated body! Separated from the world and its evil, it is to be given for Him to make HOLY. 

4. We do not present our bodies to be knocked to the floor with a “force.” Or to have them tingle and shake, until you go faint or uncontrollable laughter bursts forth from your mouth. The Holy Spirit is a perfect gentleman, so to speak. He does all things decently and in order

(See 1 Cor. 14:40).  “ Let all things be done decently and in order.” 

WHY ARE WE TO DO THIS, present our bodies? 

1.We have already experienced God’s salvation and redemption. We know what he has saved us from, and He has shown such mercy. Do you realize that all other faiths but true Christianity make SACRIFICES from humans the root of mercy, but true Christianity makes sacrifice the flower! 

See the O.T. for a contrast here  

1Kings 18:26-29,

"And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed [it], and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But [there was] no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar, which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he [is] a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, [or] peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the [time] of the offering of the [evening] sacrifice, that [there was] neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." 

11 Kings 3:26,27.

26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through [even] unto the king of Edom: but they could not.27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him [for] a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to [their own] land. 

2. To do so is the only way we can get to the goal, which God has set before us! Not by self-effort will we become like Christ Jesus, but by abandoning ourselves to God. Then give God your body, to do with you whatever He wants. This is the way to Life, peace and happiness, as well as fruitfulness and holiness.

THE THRILLING RESULT. 

What will happen when you accept this invitation? 

1. Here you can see the difference between a false teaching and God’s opinion on the matter. The believer is not conformed or molded from without by the world. He/she is not transformed by a set of do’s and don’ts forced upon them by a person in the world, be they a pastor, a guru, a priest, nun or pope. No outside behavior will mold the believer into the transformation that God wants.
2. The believer will be transformed from WITHIN, by the Holy Spirit’s work within. Note carefully that the MIND is renewed in this activity, not the spirit of a person firstly. We are transformed by the MIND being changed as we read God’s Word; then that spiritual reality comes to our spirits. In counterfeit revivals the “spirit” is the target, the mind is by-passed often altogether! You will hear things like “we must leave behind doctrine and dogmas, and let the Spirit give us experience in Him” in a false revival.

3. The word “transformed” is metamorpho; this is where we get the word metamorphosis. We talk of this when we see a fat grub turned into a glorious butterfly. This is what we are all wanting, although we may not realize it. We cannot do it ourselves, it is the work of the Lord. We need to think deeply about this marvelous truth from the Word.

JESUS CHRIST WAS TRANSFIGURED! 

The same word for “transformed” is used of Jesus Christ when He was transfigured

see Matthew 17:2. 

2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, 
and his raiment was white as the light. 

Let us read 11 Cor. 3:18.

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

Our salvation and transformation are something like this:

We receive the new Life of Christ Jesus through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God

(see early chapters of Romans & notes);

1.      We have a position now in eternity which is entirely about Christ Jesus’ righteousness, He is MADE our own righteousness and sanctification

( see 1 Cor. 1 :30,31);

30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

2.      We now want our inward condition to match our eternal position

(1 Peter 1:14;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

1 John 2:15).
15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.: 

NOTE: it is not what we do on the outside that makes this happen. We cannot perform some religious duty and expect to have our inward man transformed; A daily, then continuous, renewing occurs when we yield completely to God, read His Word every day, pray and rest in Him. You will hardly notice the changes at times, but GRACE alone will transform you, as you walk in faith. When a believer is resting in Christ Jesus to be His transformation and holiness, he will be able to discern and do God’s will for his life. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil. 2:13.

Romans 12:3. 

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

If we walk in God’s light in this way, we will not then think highly of ourselves, in pride. We will see ourselves as God sees us. Only this way will we be able to be transformed, for if we see ourselves through our own eyes we will think we do not need to be changed, we will be self-satisfied.

THEN COMES THREE SECTIONS:

1.The Christian and service – 12:4-8;
2.The Christian and people within the fellowship of believers; Romans 12:9-16;
3.The Christian and people outside in the world; Romans 12:17-21.

[Section: 1. The Christian and Service.]

God shows us that the Holy Spirit gives various gifts so that we can serve as Christian workers. No one is higher than anyone else; all must be humble and submissive to each other.

1 Peter 5:5  “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all [of you] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

There are seven tools of service; the Lord Himself is the One who uses those tools.
We do not choose our own gifts of service.

[Section 2. The Christian and people within the fellowship of believers.]

1.We are to sincerely love all those who belong truly to the Lord Jesus. (vv. 9-10).

This ‘little’ poem is amusing but true enough:

“Dwelling there above, with saints in love,
that will indeed be glory;
dwelling here below with saints we know,
well, that’s a different story!”

2.      “abhor that which is evil.” Being a Christian does not mean that we can wallow in evil and get away with it. God is not mocked, if you get involved with evil, the flames of it will burn your fingers! Hebrews 1:9. “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
therefore God, [even] thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

3.      We are to be stuck to good as though we are glued there! That is what “cleave” is really. Rom.12:9. “Join” yourself to the chariot of God.

      Acts 8:29. “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.”

4.      We must let God develop in us the spiritual blessings of praise, patience and prayer (12:12).

5.      We are to be “fervent” towards God, wanting to please Him. (12:11). Now this is about being on the BOILING POINT at all times, not cooling away. God is grieved at indifference (Rev.3:15.16).  "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. "

Two men have been banned from our house, for they not only embrace bad doctrine, but they are indifferent and luke-warm at all times. They ridicule my “fervor” as though I am a fanatic.

6.      We are to help the saints practically, not letting them go without. (12:13).

7.      We are not to ever curse those who curse us, but rather bless them. (12:14) When people are unsaved we cannot bless them in any way but by praying for their salvation, and witnessing to them. We can help them, of course, (giving food or clothing etc) but spiritual blessings can not come to the unsaved unless they repent. Never pray what is really a curse upon others! Such as praying, “Lord, you know how mean he was to me, I hope you punish him, Lord, he deserves it!”

8.      We are to ”rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” (12:15).

1 Cor. 12:26 “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.”

This has a lot to show us here. Don’t be glad when others are brought down, have empathy in God.

9.      12:16 is about not being a self-seeking snob! Don’t only make friends with those who are rich and important, love and appreciate all saints, and encourage those of “low estate.” 

[Section: 3. The Christian and people outside in the world]

10.  We are going to make enemies, even if we don’t have them now! Christians are different to those in the world, and they can loathe us for it. We have to destroy our enemies, Romans 12:17-21 tells us so. What! You say, is that true? Yes, the way to do it is to make them our friends. The way to destroy enemies is to pray for them, give them love, and win them by Godly means. Joseph’s brothers were his enemies, and they were afraid of him. But he turned them into grateful, humbled and loving friends by his Godly behaviour (see Genesis 45). What a transformation when we overcome evil with good. The world has never seen anything like it. 

Look Back to Romans chapter 6 to see 
the stages of Sanctification and Transformation.

DISCUSSION POINTS: 

1. Romans 12:1,2 talks about an invitation to be an entire “sacrifice” which is a kind of death!

      Is this sacrifice death?

      Death to us as people?

2. In the list of service positions in the Church, are there any positions that are higher than others?

Do we choose those positions ourselves?

Is that position and person in position the authority in the Church?

Even if he/she is a Teacher?

What and Who is the authority, Whose opinion is all the authority we have, Who and What is absolute?

3. How come such a super-spiritual invitation as in Romans 12 1,2 ends up in a discussion about interacting with people in our everyday world?

Why doesn’t it lead into instructions about a “deeper, more mystical relationship with God?

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