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.
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 lukewarm 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 13:16)
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 disregard 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 10:11b,12 (for
"a woman is bound to her husband as long as he
lives." 1Cor 7:39a), 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.
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or
vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. 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 2:3-8
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
"distributed" 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
focuses on convicting the person of applications, and teaching
focuses 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 efficiently. 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 focused 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 relies 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 4:2
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 bringing 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 Be wary 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.