Romans 12:16-Paul Commands His Readers To Have The Same Attitude Toward Each Other, Don’t Think Arrogant Thoughts, Associate With The Insignificant And Don’t Become Wise In Their Own Opinion Of Themselves
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday November 15, 2009
Romans: Romans 12:16-Paul Commands His Readers To Have The Same Attitude Toward Each Other, Don’t Think Arrogant Thoughts, Associate With The Insignificant And Don’t Become Wise In Their Own Opinion Of Themselves
Lesson # 423
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 12:16.
This morning we will study Romans 12:16 and in this passage Paul issues two commands and two prohibitions to the Roman believers.
Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
“Be of the same mind” is a command that Paul issues to the Roman believers’ in which they must continue to make it their habit to have the same attitude towards each other in the sense of not thinking themselves superior to those who possess a lower economic or social status than they do.
Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 imply that they were obeying this command.
“Toward one another” denotes that there is to be a mutual exchange between the Roman believers in that they are not to be arrogant by not associating with those whose social or economic status is inferior to theirs and thus thinking themselves as superior to them.
This exchange between the Roman believers with each other is the proper, appropriate and obligatory response by them to each other since all of them were created by God according to His image, redeemed at the Cross and fellow members of the body of Christ.
This mutual exchange is the result of the Roman believers experiencing fellowship with God by operating in God’s love towards one another and is an expression of that love.
This mutual exchange denotes experiencing the horizontal aspect of fellowship with other believers.
However, this is the direct result of the Roman believers experiencing the vertical aspect of fellowship, namely, with God.
This is accomplished by operating in God’s love towards one another and is an expression of that love.
Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
“Do not be haughty in mind” is composed of the negative particle me (mhv) (may), “not” and the articular accusative neuter plural form of the adjective hupselos (u(yhlov$) (hoop-say-los) and the nominative masculine second person plural present active participle form of the verb phroneo (fronevw) (fron-eh-o).
The verb phroneo means, “to think in a particular manner” and is used with the adjective hupselos which means “arrogant thoughts.”
Paul employs me and not ouk with phroneo since the latter is much stronger than the former and would indicate that his readers were thinking arrogant thoughts about themselves by thinking themselves superior to those who are beneath them in social and economic status.
Thus, by employing me instead of ouk, he does not believe that his readers were thinking arrogant thoughts about themselves, which ouk would indicate.
Therefore, Paul is simply performing preventive maintenance by employing this prohibition in Romans 12:16.
He is in effect warning the believers in Rome to not think arrogant thoughts about themselves since this can take place because of the presence of the indwelling sin nature and they live in the devil’s world.
Thus, he is simply stating a general precept for his readers to follow in the future that would protect their fellowship with God and each other.
Paul’s Christian readers in Rome would be thinking arrogant thoughts about themselves if they thought that they were superior to those who are beneath them socially or economically.
They would be thinking arrogantly if they disobey Paul’s previous prohibition and did not possess the same attitude towards each other in the sense that they thought that they were superior to those who were lower in social and economic status.
Arrogance is thinking more highly of oneself than one ought to think.
It is not thinking of oneself according to God’s viewpoint or standards or in light of God’s Word.
Arrogance originated with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-19).
To be arrogant is to make unwarrantable claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights whereas arrogance is the offensive exhibition of assumed or real superiority and is overbearing pride.
Arrogance is having an attitude of superiority with regards to others and regarding others with contempt, as if they were unworthy of any intercourse with them.
This pride and arrogance does not recognize its own need and sin and is self-sufficient and acts independently of God.
Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
“Associate with the lowly” is a command in which Paul’s readers were to continue making it their habit to associate with those in the body of Christ who are considered by society to be insignificant in the sense that these believers are considered by the world as of no consequence, influence or distinction.
Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 imply that they were obeying this command.
The Scriptures have a lot to say with regards to God’s attitude towards the insignificant in society and how His people are to operate toward such people (Job 31:13-16; 36:5; Psalm 10:16-18; 34:15-18; Proverbs 17:5; 19:17; Isaiah 49:13; Luke 14:7-15; James 2:5-9;
In this second command that appears in Romans 12:16, Paul is prohibiting the practice of partiality in the body of Christ and promoting impartiality.
In the local assembly, it is a sin to show partiality to certain people who are rich, powerful and well-known at the expense of those who are poor, weak, or despised.
In James 2:1-13, James teaches that such partiality is often shown to the very ones who are oppressing, cheating and exploiting believers and to be guilty of this is to slander the Lord.
Romans 12:16, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”
“Do not be wise in your estimation” is a prohibition in which Paul is forbidding his readers from becoming wise in their own opinion of themselves.
Paul’s statements in Romans 1:8 and 15:14-15 indicate that the Roman believers were not arrogant about themselves.
Furthermore, the meaning of the verb ginomai, “do…be” itself also indicates that they were not arrogant since it expresses the idea of entering into a particular state that is completely different from the previous state.
Paul is forbidding his readers making an incorrect self-evaluation that they are superior to those in the body of Christ who are of a lower economic or social status than they are.
Therefore, from our studies of Romans 12:16, we can see that the apostle Paul issues two commands and two prohibitions that are interconnected with the each other.
This is indicated in that in the first command, Paul wants his readers to continue to make it their habit to maintain the same attitude towards each other.
He describes how they are to do this in the two prohibitions and command that follow it.
In the first prohibition, Paul forbids his readers from thinking arrogant thoughts.
He describes what he means in the command and prohibition that follows it.
In the second command, Paul wants his readers to associate with those in the body of Christ who are insignificant in human society.
If they fail to do this then they would be disobeying the first command to maintain the same attitude towards each other.
They would also be disobeying the first prohibition to not think arrogant thoughts.
In the second prohibition, the apostle forbids his readers from becoming wise in the opinion of themselves or in other words, considering themselves as superior to those who are of a lower economic or social status than they are.
By obeying this second prohibition, Paul’s readers would be obeying the second command to associate with those in the body of Christ who are insignificant in human society.