Spiritual
Worship
Rom 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers,
in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy
and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship. Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act
of worship.
No other chapter in the Bible contains such an extensive listing of
characteristics
of the Christian life. This is the most intensely application oriented
chapter in the whole New Testament. But you will notice in this chapter
that the primary
focus is upon attitudes which work
themselves
out into applications, rather than simply regulations.
Concerning this first subject of worship, the spiritual act of worship
incorporates far more than merely singing hymns. Rather, the spiritual
act of worship incorporates all that you do as a Christian in service
to the LORD. In particular in speaking of your "bodies" I infer first
of all he isn't talking about the Church as a community. For where the
Bible speaks of the Church the "body" of Christ it emphasizes the
singular whereas Paul uses the plural here. (
"we who are many form one body" Rom 12:5 and
"There is one body and one Spirit"
Eph 4:4a) But here Paul is
referring to each Christian's physical body. That is, spiritual worship
is taking action on your faith. We are called to a life of service. For
"he died for all, that those who
live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them"
2Cor 5:15a
Under the Law, not just any sacrifice was acceptable to God. The lamb
had to be among the firstborn, male, unblemished, which by analogy
means that God is not pleased with just any sacrifice we make. Quality
counts. Attitude counts. Jesus said,
"if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones
because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not
lose his reward." Mt 10:42b
But if we're only offering luke warm water, Jesus said,
"because you are lukewarm— neither hot
nor cold— I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Rev 3:16 What quality of service are
you offering the LORD? And then there's quantity of service.
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly
will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap
generously." 2Cor 9:6 (
"Do not forget to do good and to share
with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." Heb 13:6) Are you excusing yourself
from doing ministry by filling your life with unnecessary things and
activities.
"No one serving as a
soldier gets involved in civilian affairs— he wants to please his
commanding officer." 2Tim 2:4
I pray
"that you may live a life
worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in
every good work, growing in the knowledge of God" Col
1:10
Be
a
Non-Conformist
Rom 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good,
pleasing and perfect will."
The first step in not conforming to the pattern of this world is
identifying the distinction between the pattern of the world with the
pattern of the Christian life taught in the Bible. Among other things
it's going to involve making judgements based upon what the Bible says.
What are the primary challenges today that Christians face with regards
to this matter? While that's a matter of perspective, what got Paul
most upset about the Corinthians was their disegard for
what the Bible says concerning sexual immorality, as we read in
1Corinthians chapter 5.
"It is actually reported
that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not
occur even among pagans: " 1Cor 5:1
Likewise today there are many churches and consequently many Christians
who disregard what the Bible says about sexual immorality, or more
generally they disregard the very nature of the Biblical relationship
between men and women, largely the result of the influence of feminism
over the decades.
For example while Jesus said,
"at the beginning
of creation God ‘made them male and female." Mark 10:6, there are Christians today who
claim that God made them homosexual or transgender or other such
foolishness.
"Do
not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves
nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God." 1Cor 6:9,10 And there are those who
despite what Jesus said,
"Anyone
who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery
against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man,
she commits adultery." Mk 10:4,5 (for
"a woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives."
1Cor 7:32),
will nonetheless willfully commit adultery in such a manner, let alone
the fornicating Christians who don't even bother getting married. But
perhaps the most insidious of all within the church is the disregard of
what the Bible says concerning the subordinate role of women. For
" I want you to realize that the head of every man is
Christ, and the head of the woman is man" 1Cor 11:3, for
which reason Paul says,
"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit
a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent." 1Tim
2:11,12
These are some significant areas in which Christians have the
opportunity to distinguish themselves from the world. But there are
many more categories - money, purpose in life, view towards suffering,
hope in the resurrection, and so forth. The world constantly tries to
mold us into its image.
It
tries to shape our values, our morals, and our perspective on life.
Those
who
don't conform to peer pressure are threatened with
dishonor,
contempt, hostility, loss of relationships and loss of security. But as
Jesus said of his disciples
"They are not of
the
world, even as I am not of the world."
John 17:16.
Reckon
Yourself
with
Humility
Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say
to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you
ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance
with the measure of faith God has distributed to you.
Humility is the most essential of all virtues. For all other virtues
are dependent upon this one. But humility is not to be confused with
unconfidence or having a poor self-image. Rather it's having realistic
- sober - view of oneself in the light of what the Bible says.
"Each of you should look not only to your own
interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be
the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did
not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made
himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled
himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Php
2:4-8
But what does the last phrase
"in accordance
with the measure of faith God has distributed to you" mean?
He's not talking about saving faith as that's not a matter of measure,
and the Greek word for "distrubuted" is "merizo" which means to divide.
What he's talking about is the distribution of spiritual gifts as
he will elaborate upon in verses 6-8 For
"we
have different gifts, according to the grace given us." Rom
12:6a Notice also
1Cor 12:9 in the middle of a list of
spiritual gifts it says,
"To another faith
by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit".
Once again, "faith" certainly cannot refer to saving faith in such a
context seeing as it implies not all those born of God have that gift,
and yet to be a child of God and receive the Holy Spirit one must have
saving faith to begin with. So there's a difference sense in which
"faith" is used with respect to spiritual gifts than with respect to a
requirement for salvation.
And
therefore also he is saying that we need to value ourselves in
accordance
with the spiritual gifts God has distributed to us, and likewise we
need to value other Christians, who though different from us, have
spiritual gifts essential to edifying the body of Christ.
Members of One Body
Rom 12:4,5
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do
not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one
body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Thus Paul likewise wrote in
1Cor 12:12-14 "The
body
is
a
unit,
though
it is made up of many parts; and though all its
parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were
all baptized by one Spirit into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, slave
or free— and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is
not made up of one part but of many."
Now we often talk of the Christian community being a family, and indeed
we are spoken of as being the family of God. But the illustration here
is even more intimate, being members of the same body. Here he speaks
of each member belonging to the others and consequently everyone child
of God influences every other child of God. So if you're screwing up,
that harms me and everyone else. And if you're living a spiritual
healthy Christian life, that benefits me and everyone else.
But contrary to much of the history of institutional Christianity, not
only
must each member do its part, as Paul writes,
"we
will
in
all
things
grow
up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does
its work." Eph 4:15,16, but also each member
must be
allowed, indeed
encouraged,
to do its part, exercising the particular giftedness which God has
granted. For much of the history of institutionalized Christianity is
simply a history of an audience watching a few players do the work, and
the few players not allowing the audience to participate. Consequently
the body of Christ has largely been alseep through the centuries,
gagged and bound by the birds that nest in its branches.
A Diversity
of Gifts
Rom 12:6 We have different gifts,
according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let
him use it in proportion to his faith.
While we are to have unity with regards to truth and attitude, it is
God's will that we be diverse with respect to ministry. For
"There are diversities of gifts, but the
same Spirit.There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And
there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works
all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one
for the profit of all:" 1Cor 12:4-7
and
"Each one should use whatever gift he has
received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its
various forms." 1Pet 4:10 In contrast the worldly
get it backwards, demanding diversity where
there should be unity, and unity where their should be diversity. And
"The same Spirit works all these things, distributing
to each one individually as He wills." 1Cor 12: 11
Every believer has spiritual gifts and consequently has the
responsibility to use them in service to God. If you want to identify
your spiritual gift or gifts, then go and serve God, do some sort of
ministry, and you'll discover what you're gifted at.
With regards to prophecying, there are some different opinions as to
what constitutes prophecying in the New Testament sense. But in any
case it is spoken of in 1Corinthians as a very significant gift.
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual
gifts, especially the gift of prophecy." 1Cor 14:1
That chapter also indicates that some gifts are more essential and
edifying than others. For example he says,
"He
who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues" 1Cor
14:5b, the reason being because prophecy more effectively edifies
the Church.
Prophecying, along with teaching, are also two gifts which not only
express what the person does, but also describes one of the essential
roles or positions in the Church.
"It was he who
gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be
evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers" Eph 4:11
You can get a taste for the exercise of such a role in
1Cor 14:29-31
"Two
or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully
what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down,
the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that
everyone may be instructed and encouraged." Note that their
words are not to be taken as infallible, but to be scrutinized, weighed
carefully. And not only with regards to truth, but also with regards to
application, which I think is an essential part of the prophecy. In
fact I think that prophecying in this sense is speaking out scriptural
applications.
There's a shade of difference in Teaching, in that teaching
emphasizes explanation, and thus the teacher's goal is to bring
revelation through explanation while the
prophet's goal is convict the heart with regards to some application of
a scriptural principle.
Serving and Teaching
Rom 12:7 If it is serving, let him serve;
if it is teaching, let him teach
These gifts of service and teaching are also mentioned here:
"And in the church God has appointed first of all
apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of
miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help
others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in
different kinds of tongues." 1Cor 12:28
As I mentioned previously, prophecy and teaching are a couple of the
most essential roles among the body of Christ, prophecying focusses on
convicting the person of applications, and teaching focusses on
explaining the scriptures. (For example you may have noted that I enjoy
explaining things to death) But let those who teach or who want to
teach take warning. For some
"want to be
teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about
or what they so confidently affirm." 1Tim
1:7 and in fact
"Not many of you should
presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach
will be judged more strictly." Jam 3:1 And those who
seek to be taught should likewise take heed. For there are those who in
order
"to
suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of
teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn
their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Tim 4:3,4
Those with the gift of service focus on meeting practical needs.
For example there were some women who cared for Jesus during his
ministry. And when he was crucified,
"some women
were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the
mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these
women had followed him and cared for his needs." Mk 15:40,41
For Paul it was Epaphroditus who was commended as,
"my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is
also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs."
Php 2:25
Christ himself set the example of service, for the
"Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mt 20:28 And
the apostle Paul also encouraged the Ephesian elders to relinquish
their
right to get paid, and opt rather to contribute.
"You
yourselves
know
that
these
hands of mine have supplied my own needs and
the needs of my companions." Acts 20:34
Yet More
Gifts
Rom 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him
encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is
showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
"Encouraging" is more literally "exhortation", which encompasses both
encouraging, warning, beseeching. We see for example Peter exercising
this in
Acts 2:40 And with many other
words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this
perverse generation." Likewise Paul used this word in verse
1 of this chapter.
"Contributing" refers to practicing generosity. Some have greater faith
and resources in this matter than others. For example of the rich Paul
instructs Timothy,
"Command those who are rich
in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in
wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly
provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good,
to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share."
1Tim 6:17,18. If you're well off, God may have given you the
gift of generosity. So practice it!
Leadership may be referring to the gift of administration spoken of in
1Cor
12:28.
This is an organizer. A CEO type of person who can both identify the
giftedness and resources of others and desires to organize them
effeciently. Nice
gift for a church administrator. But let them not be lazy but govern
diligently. For delegation can be an excuse for laziness.
The one with the gift of mercy is focussed on the person's emotional
state, which is why it speaks of doing so cheerfully. The merciful
primarily deal with emotionally hurt people, which can be depressing,
and consequently the merciful must take heed not to become so wrapped
up in that person's emotional state as to bring oneself down, else it's
an unending spiral downwards. (That's the downside of empathy). But
rather to cheer the person up.
Godly Love,
Godly Hatred
Rom 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what
is evil; cling to what is good.
Love must be genuine. In contrast are those who love for what they can
get out of it, not for other people's
benefit. More often than not the expression "I love you" does not
express the love Paul is referring to. Rather "I love you" often means
being with you makes me feel good, and so when I stop feeling good
around you I won't love you anymore. Or the expression is used as a
sort of magical incantation to get what you want.
While the world relys upon such vain expressions, John writes,
"let us not love with words or tongue but with
actions and in truth." 1John
3:18 Christian love is expressed in deed, even as
"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While
we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8 So
also love for Jesus is expressed in deed.
"Whoever
has
my
commands
and
obeys them, he is the one who loves me."
John 14:21 And to Peter he said
"Do
you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things;
you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep." John
21:17
"Since you have purified your souls
in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the
brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart." 1Peter
1:22
Another misconception people often have is the idea that hatred is
incompatible with love. In fact God both hates and loves. These are not
incompatible. One cannot have a godly love unless they also have a
godly hatred of what is evil. For note that in God's primary
demonstration of love he did not compromise his hatred of sin,
"who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify
for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
Titus 2:14 And despite his love for people, he will nonetheless
condemn the majority to satisfy his judicial nature and holiness.
"You
are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot
dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do
wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors." Ps 5:4-6
"To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride
and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." Pr 8:13
So
"let those who love the LORD hate evil" Ps
97:10a
Be Devoted to One Another
Rom 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly
love. Honor one another above yourselves.
"Let us consider how we may spur
one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one
another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Heb 10:24,25 For how can one be said
to be devoted to another unless there is some contact and interaction
between the two. So if you're not involved in some sort of Christian
fellowship, get to it. Don't look for perfect Christians, but for a
place in which you may be allowed to edify other Christians. And may it
be said of you, as it was the household of Stephanas,
"they have devoted themselves to the
service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to
everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it." 1Cor 16:15
Concerning honor,
"it is not good
to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own honor." Pr 25:27 So
"let another praise you, and not your
own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." Pr 27:2 Consider giving recognition
to others.
Be Enthusiastic
Rom 12:11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in
spirit, serving the Lord
Paul has already spoken of the dangers of having
zeal
without
knowledge. This was not to discourage zealousness, but to apply it
properly.
For zeal is a good thing as he writes in Galatians,
"It is fine to be
zealous,
provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I
am
with you." Gal 4:18 But such zeal should be based upon
proper information with a
perspective of serving the Lord. As
Paul
warns in the book of Galatians, religious zealousness can often be
self-serving,
simply trying to gain popularity.
"Those people are zealous
to
win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from
us,
so that you may be zealous for them." Gal 4:17 In contrast
"he died for all, that those who live
should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and
was raised again." 2Cor 5:15
"We want each of you to show this
same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."
Heb 6:11
Persevere in Hope
Rom 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you
face trials of many
kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance." Jam 1:2,3 And besides that
"Blessed
is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the
test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those
who love him." Jam 1:12 "And
the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and
make you strong, firm and steadfast." 1Peter 5:10
For these reason, and because of the
hope that we have, we can be joyful despite
afflictions and opposing circumstances, for whatever bad things may
happen to us, there is good, there is benefit. And
"devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and
thankful." Col 4:1 For
"we do not
want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised." Heb 6:12 "Pray
in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the
saints." Eph 6:18
Practice Hospitality
Rom 12:13 Share with God’s people who are
in need. Practice hospitality.
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes
and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well;
keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical
needs, what good is it? Jam 2:15,16
Note that hospitality is not really about entertaining people's fancy.
It's primarily about meeting essential needs. Therefore,
"when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed" Luke
14:13,14
Also hospitality is not so much about how you treat your friends, but
how you treat strangers. Though the rich man who ended up in hell in
Luke 16 was hospitable to his own, yet he neglected the poor man. The
word "hospitality" used here in Rom 12:13 is "philoxenia" -
"philo" meaning "to like", and "xenia" meaning strangers. Thus
hospitality is particularly a challenge for Christians who grew up in
xenophobic cultures. Such Christians may also find it challenging to
practice generosity.
Hospitality was also recommended in the case of itinerant evangelists.
"Dear
friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even
though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your
love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of
God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no
help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such
men so that we may work together for the truth." 3John 1:5-8
This is the particular case Jesus was alluding to in
Matt 25:35
"I was a stranger and you invited me in"
Bless Those who Curse You
Rom 12:14 Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse.
This goes beyond the sermon on the mount where Jesus said,
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Mt
5:11 The Christian is not simply to tolerate insult and abuse, but
to bless one's persecutor. Paul writes,
"We work
hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are
persecuted, we endure it" 1Cor 4:12
The challenge is to look with favor upon those who hate you. Jesus set
the example in his blessing Saul who had been zealously persecuting
Christians in an official capacity. But he blessed Saul, not only
bringning him to saving faith, but establishing him as an apostle,
giving him a worldwide ministry.
Likewise Christians need to beware of getting angry at those who
persecute our friends. Jesus was rejected from one village, and
when His disciples James and John saw this, they said,
"Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and
consume them, just as Elijah did?" But He turned and rebuked them,
and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. "For
the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them." Luke 9:54-56 Beware of taking up arms in
the name of defending fellow Christians.
Jesus
commanded
Peter,
"Put
your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the
Father has given me?" John 18:11
Sympathize
Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice;
mourn with those who mourn.